Best
Way to Tackle Cleaning
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Always
start at the top of the room and work
your way down.
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Always
clean top to bottom. When you dust, start
at the top and work down.
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Take
all your cleaning tools with you into
each room to avoid unnecessary trips back
and forth.
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Unplug
the phone and the turn off the T.V.
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Eliminate
clutter. An uncluttered home looks better
than one that is dust-free but strewn
with odds and ends.
-
Clean
as you go! It takes a lot less time to
remove new dirt than old, and to clean
and put away stuff as you use it, than
to clean and store the pile-up you can
accumulate.
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A
house that smells fresh will give the
impression of cleanliness. Leave baking
soda on carpeting for the night to absorb
musty odors, vacuum in the morning.
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Keep
a big astro-turf mat on the porch to cut
down on tracked in dirt.
-
Keep
a basket in the kitchen for the mail,
newspaper, car keys to help with clutter.
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Keep
a hamper in every bathroom.
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Make
everyone in charge of making his or her
own bed and picking up their stuff.
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Always
pickup the T.V. room before bedtime and
start the dishwasher.
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Prioritize,
if your time is limited decided what is
most important.
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Delegate,
get the entire family involved.
-
Make
a checklist, when a job is completed,
check it off - you'll feel as though you
are really accomplishing something.
Feeling
the Urge to Clean?
Look
at each room and identify specific tasks.
Make a list of cleaning priorities. Share
the fun with family members.
- Kitchen:
wash and wax wood floors and mop vinyl
floors. Clean out refrigerator and pantry.
Change shelf-liners. Straighten junk drawer
Wipe down cabinet.
- Bathroom:
Use lint-free cloths or a squeegee to
wash windows inside and out. Dust the
sill. Vacuum the window well.
- Window
Treatments: Vacuum draperies. Wash blinds.
Replace heavy drapes with lightweight
or sheer curtains.
- Furniture:
Polish furniture, wash upholstery, vacuum
between cushions. Clean behind and under
sofas and cabinets.
- Closets:
Give old clothes and furniture to charity.
Vacuum floors. Dust shelves. Hang cedar
blocks to freshen the areas.
Clean
Windows
Wash
windows on a cloudy, but not rainy day. Working
in direct sunlight causes streaks because
the cleaning solution dries before you can
wipe it off. This is the best time to vacuum
the frames and sills. Cool, clear water is
the choice of most professional window washers.
If windows are very dirty you can add 2 to
3 tablespoons of vinegar per gallon of water.
Use horizontal strokes on the inside and vertical
on the outside so you know which side the
streaks are on. for drying windows, a wad
of crumpled newspaper works just as well as
expensive paper towels. Wear rubber gloves
to keep your hands free of ink.
Countertops
First
remove everything. Then vacuum or dust off
all crumbs. Then wet a white nylon backed
sponge with dishwashing detergent solution
and use the sponge side to go over the counter,
including the backsplash. Let the solution
set on the surface for a few minutes to soften
hard droplets. Then, use the nylon side of
the sponge as necessary to remove any stubborn
stuff. Buff dry with a clean, lint free towel.
If your countertops have lost their luster,
try furniture polish or club soda to give
a temporary shine to your kitchen.
Clean
Doors Give a Great Impression
If
company is coming, clean and wash the doors
in your house. No one knows why, but your
whole house looks good. Scrub the door from
top to bottom with a rag and soapy water,
using a scrub brush for especially tough spots.
While you're at it, wipe down the top edge
of the frame. With all the dust that collects
up there, it probably looks like velvet. Along
with the upper side of a ceiling fan, the
top of the door is one of the most missed
spots in the home.
Blood
Stains
-
Put
a paste of water and cornstarch, cornmeal
or talcum powder on fresh spots. Let dry
and brush off.
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Cover
fresh or dried stains with meat tenderizer
and add cool water. After 15 to 30 minutes,
sponge off with cool water.
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Fresh
blood on leather? Dab on a little hydrogen
peroxide. After it bubbles, wipe it off.
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If
you get blood on fabric, quickly wet a
long piece of white cotton thread with
saliva and place it across the spot. The
thread will absorb the blood.
Removing
Crayon Marks
Remove
crayon marks from painted walls by scrubbing
with toothpaste or an ammonia-soaked cloth.
Rinse and dry.
Quick
fix for shiny wood floors.
Put
a piece of waxed paper under your dust mop.
Dirt will stick to the mop and the wax will
shine your floors.
Removing
Tar Spots
Use
paste wax to remove tar from floors. This
works on shoes too.
Candle
Wax
-
For
spilled wax on carpets and upholstery,
put a brown paper bag over the dried wax
and run a hot iron over it. The bag will
absorb the hot wax.
-
Dried
wax on wood floors can be removed by softening
the wax with a hair dryer, then removing
with paper towels. Wash spot down with
a combination of vinegar and water.
Cleaning
Glass Table Tops
-
Clean
by rubbing with a little lemon juice,
dry with paper towels and polish with
newspaper for a sparkling table.
-
Toothpaste
will remove small scratches from glass.
Cleaning
Marble
To
remove stains, sprinkle salt on a fresh cut
lemon. Rub very lightly over stain. Do not
rub hard or you will ruin the polished surface.
Wash off with soap and water.
Cleaning
Tile
-
Cleaning
Rusty Tile
Rust
stains on tile can be removed with kerosene.
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Cleaning
Ceramic Tile
- Before
cleaning bathroom tiles, run the shower
on hot for five minutes to steam the
dirt loose.
- For
stubborn stains, apply a paste of
scouring powder and water and let
sit for five minutes. Scrub with a
nylon scrub pad, rinse and wipe dry.
- To
keep the grout joints on tile countertops
clean longer, wash with a solution
of 1 to 2 tablespoons chlorine bleach
in one quart of water. Dry thoroughly,
then apply an acrylic sealer or three
coats of lemon oil. Let dry one hour
between coats.
- Remove
mildew and make tiles sparkle by sponging
with a solution of ammonia and water.
- Remove
soot from fireplace tiles with a mixture
of lemon juice and salt, then wash.
- Cleaning
Plastic Tile
-
If
bathroom walls are dull, wash the
tiles with a solution of vinegar and
water. Polish with a towel.
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Has
a tile come loose? For a quick fix,
put a little piece of chewing gum
on each corner, use a warm iron to
press it back into place.
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Cleaning
Porcelain
Lighter
fluid will remove most dark, stubborn
stains from porcelain sinks and bathtubs.
Polishing
Furniture
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Carved
furniture- dip old toothbrush into furniture
polish and brush lightly.
-
To
remove polish build-up mix one cup water
and one cup vinegar. Dip soft cloth in
the mixture and wring out before wiping
furniture. Dry immediately with another
soft, dry cloth.
Cleaning
Acoustical Tiles
Removing
Water Stains
-
If
the fabric is non-washable, gently scratch
off the stain (which is made up of mineral
deposits) with your fingernail. Still
there? Hold the spot over a steaming teakettle
until well-dampened. As it dries, rub
the stain, working from its outer edges
toward the center.
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Remove
hard-water stains from glasses and bottles
by rubbing them with steel wool dipped
in vinegar.
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Cover
hard-water stains on bathroom fixtures
with a paste of baking soda and vinegar.
Then drape with a terry clot towel and
let stand for about an hour. Wipe off,
rinse and dry.
Clean
Mirrors
Remove
hair spray from a mirror with a little rubbing
alcohol on a soft cloth.
Cobwebs
If
you can't reach the cobwebs with your feather
duster, use the detached vacuum wand as an
extension.
If
You've Got Allergies
- Air
condition your home.
- Keep
bathrooms free of mold and mildew.
- Avoid
pets or restrict them to certain areas.
- Damp
mop hard surfaces regularly.
- Enclose
your fireplace.
- Fluff
drapes and rugs in dryer to remove dust.
- Use
your exhaust fans.
- Vacuum
mattresses.
- Don't
allow smoking in your home.
- Replace
furnace filters frequently.
- Vacuum
everything once a week.
- Invest
in an ozone-free air cleaner.
Odor
and Moisture Removal
To
get rid of odor you have to remove the source,
not just cover the odor up with perfumed air
freshener. Clean up and disinfect. Kill the
germs that cause most household odors. The
quicker you get after odors, the easier they
are to remove.
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