The great cleaning tips post
May. 8th, 2006 10:20 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
gwynThis weekend I finished painting my office walls. I decided that since painting the bedroom was such a huge project, this time, I'd take the room a wall at a time -- do all the moving of objects one section each, prep, etc., which wouldn't leave me feeling next to dead. One of the nice things about painting, besides the pep that a new coat of paint, especially a great color, will give you is that you also end up having to clean things that have been gathering dust bunnies the size of Irish wolfhounds behind them, and clean the walls, etc. The flip side is that you also see how grungy and dingy the other rooms look.
I've been home now all day for work for such a long time that I was sick to death of the wretched paint we'd put in here when I first moved in (lesson #1 -- never let men pick paint unless they're gay). Even though my office is still terrible, I like being in here now because the color is so pleasing to me. The home world feels clean and new and beautiful. Unfortunately, now I have to paint the rest of the house, because it all looks so faded and neglected. Lesson #2 -- once you start painting, you have to update everything.
The same goes for cleaning. A long time ago,![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
sisabet posted a request for people's favorite cleaning stuff, and I responded with a couple of mine. When I cleaned the kitchen walls recently so I could put up some shelves, once I started, I saw how filthy everything was, and I ended up spending the day washing all the walls and the ceiling. You clean a little spot, and you have to do the rest. Yesterday I did this for the bathroom: Places with a lot of moisture tend to create a kind of magnet for dust particles, pet hair, etc, and that can really darken and grunge up your paint job (not to mention make a haven for mold and other icky stuff). After talking about my cleaning and organizing frenzy lately (and that's another thing that makes you find out just how unclean even a seemingly clean house can really be -- getting organized and putting stuff in boxes and bins), a couple people I know asked me what I use and what I've been doing. I suck at painting, I really do, but someone else asked me for painting advice. I thought I'd write it all down in case anyone else is interested in this -- it's spring, after all! (I'll tackle painting separately.) And I don't know about other people, but clean brightens my *mood*, too, not just my walls or floors. I feel so much better when I'm in the bathroom now -- a shiny new toilet seat cover I just installed, which takes ten minutes to put in, clean walls and lights, an organizing tray for the essentials on top of the toilet tank, and suddenly it's a lovely room again.
One of the best bonuses about a cleaning binge, besides reduced allergens, bacteria, likelihood of pests, etc.? It's fantastic exercise, and so is painting.
Keep in mind that I have two overriding concerns -- a lot of commercial cleaners make me sneeze uncontrollably, dust is my biggest enemy besides grass, and I try very hard to do the green cleaning thing, though I have a few better living through chemistry fallbacks.
1. The greatest cleaning discovery I've ever made is Folex spot and stain remover. This stuff will even remove the paint-color stain if you spill (don't let paint harden on a rug, though, or you'll have to cut it off with scissors). Not a lot of big chain places carry this, but it's worth seeking out (their web site will list stores in your area). Most, if not all, commercial carpet stain removers are magnetic -- meaning, they pull the material making the stain back. Even after using them, the stain will frequently return, and they actually attract dirt *more* later on. Carpet pros will always tell you to stay away from these products. Folex is not only non-magnetic, it will bring up the oldest, worst stains and spots that even professional carpet cleaners can't remove (I know, because the last guys who did my carpet couldn't get the coffee stains out from a friend's spill, but Folex did, years after the fact) and they won't come back. Ever. It gets out pet barf and potty stains (though not urine odor--for that, you need a special odor product), oily stains, red wine, Pepsi and iced tea, ink, etc. THE best product evah.
2. Swiffer dusters. I said this in sisabet's cleaning post, and I'll say it again: If loving the Swiffer dusters is wrong, I don't want to be right. In general, I try really hard not to use throwaway things -- I keep a rag bag around, I wash things out to reuse them, etc. But these have solved a problem for me nothing else has -- my insane sensitivity to dust. Every trick for dusting made me sneeze like a snuff addict, even damp cloths. The Swiffers have reduced my sneezing to a couple achoos per session. They pick up everything, they don't leave icky films behind, there's no scent. Dust is the greatest enemy of electronics, and people who don't dust from time to time are asking for trouble. Get yourself a Swiffer duster and it becomes easy-peasy.
3. A wonderful new product that I've grown fond of is Method daily shower spray cleaner. You mist this over all the wet surfaces, including the door or curtain, and it cleans away soap scum, dirt, that pinky rust stuff, etc., so you don't have to. Bonus is that it smells really good -- it's ylang ylang scented, lightly, so everything smells fresh (kind of like a mild version of Lush's incredible shampoo bar Irresistible Bliss). I'm not usually into flowery scents, but this is lovely.
4. 20-Mule Team Borax. Anyone who's as old as me will remember this company as the sponsor of Death Valley Days, the program in the '60s hosted by then-just crappy old-time actor Ronald Reagan. But don't let that deter you! This stuff is a lot like baking soda in that it has dozens of uses, but even a little better than soda at things like helping out hard water, deodorizing, etc. I use it mostly as a laundry booster -- it helps whiten the whites and deodorize all the smelly stuff. I don't understand people who use bleach, or phosphate-laden detergents that destroy the environment. And bleach is one of the worst things you can do to yourself -- breathing it, getting it on your skin, etc. It kills. Yet there's this safe, non-toxic, phosphate-free product right there on the shelves, and the generic big-company-buying idiots won't buy it. Borax will help brighten laundry, but won't kill the environment while doing it.
5. Fancy-store cleaners are often expensive, like those from Williams-Sonoma or Restoration Hardware, etc., but they are also often really amazing cleaners. I used the RH Cucumber-Mint all purpose cleaner yesterday in a bucket of water to wash my bathroom walls, and they shine now. I've even used it on my tile floor and it does a decent job. The nice thing about these cleaners is that they're usually made from natural ingredients and have essential oil-based scents that are often just really inventive combos and lovely to smell. Cleaning is a hell of a lot more endurable when things *smell* good to you (or when they're fresh and unscented if you can't take any smells, even citrus). Even a lot of grocery stores are starting to carry fancy, natural all-purpose cleaners that you can use for counters, windows, walls, etc. I really recommend these because they're all-in-one: you don't need chemically Windex and nasty counter "antibacterial" sprays, etc. They're safer around pets and kids, too. They will usually last a long time, pack a lot of cleaning power, and reduce the amount of stuff you need to keep on hand.
6. Swiffer WetJet has helped me with one of my biggest cleaning problems -- mopping. For tall people, mopping can be an even more backbreaking chore than normal. I hate it so much, my bare floors all look like crap. But this is a much quicker and simpler fix -- you just put in a couple batteries, attach a canister of fluid, stick the Velcro'd pad on, and mop. Easy enough to do even with one hand. It doesn't clean quite as deeply or well as a traditional mop, but there's no wringing, and though again, I don't like throwing things away, it helps me do something I need to do more often. The scent of the fluid can be overwhelming to someone like me who hates those commercial-cleaner product smells, but I just open a lot of windows. This one's a trade-off for me, but I definitely feel like the trade is a better deal if it gets me to do something I should do more often than once a year.
7. Method laundry detergent is relatively new on the market, but boy am I smitten with this stuff. The two scented versions smell divine (and I don't ever say that about scented laundry products. I don't know who picks the smells for method, but they have good taste), clean like hell, and they come in these incredible, designy, smart-looking packages that are so small you can pick them up with a couple fingers. They're triple concentrated so they're quite small (I see some other detergents are following suit now), and that means less waste and less plastic packaging. Natural ingredients only, and the scent-and dye-free one is excellent for people with sensitivities. Method's web site has a nifty little laundry starter kit you can get for $13 that has a bottle of detergent, a bottle of fabric softener, a box of dryer sheets, and a little caddy.
8. Good old white vinegar cannot be beat for basic cleaning, especially for grease cutting. A lot of people run it through their coffee makers, and that's all, but it is one of the best all-purpose cleaners around. I used it on my dirty, greasy kitchen walls and they came out shiny white again. Segueing into the painting subject that I'll do later, most paint how-tos will tell you that you must use TCP to clean your walls in preparation for painting. Nuh-uh. Trisodium phosphate is yet another chemical you can totally do without, and just use vinegar. Wash your walls down with a cup or two in a gallon or two of warm water, and everything's ready to go. Paint doesn't adhere to dirt or films of dust or grease, so you really do have to wash things down first. I personally love the smell (and taste) of vinegar, but I know a lot of people don't, but it dissipates quickly.
9. Microfiber cleaning cloths and cleaning wands are suddenly popping up everywhere, and there's a reason for their popularity -- they don't scratch delicate stuff, they pick up dust like a Swiffer, and some of them come in really clever designs, like on a long, L-shaped rod that you can sweep under a bed to pick up the giant dust elephants. Some cloths even have no-stitch edging to further prevent scratching. And these are the kind that you don't throw away -- you use and wash, or shake out, so less crap goes into the landfill, always a huge plus.
10. Speaking of marks on walls. Before I even get started with wall-washing of any sort (whether just on a cleaning binge, or in preparation to paint), I use this thing called a magic Eraser. There are a couple versions of this product, one made by Mr. Clean (who I notice is looking less like Yul Brynner these days and more like Hulk Hogan or something) and one by Scotch. Both work essentially the same -- they are a soft white sponge-like thing that you wet down, and then rub over spots on walls (I've used it on melamine, vinyl window trims, etc.) or other items to get stubborn marks off (black rubber scuffs, crayon marks, other marks). They really do work, astonishingly enough -- I was very doubtful when I bought it). Scotch's has a blue scrubby side for harder marks or crusty things. I think, though, I like the Mr. Clean version a bit more, just because even though the Scotch's blue side helps it keep its shape (they basically disintegrate as you use them), and the Scotch one is cheaper, that scrubby side makes it harder to "pick up" the dirt on the walls -- water tends to run down a bit. It might work better for others.
11. Bartender's Friend is a scrubbing agent that I really depend on -- and as with many things I like, it has multiple uses. It is most often used for cleaning and shining metals like pots and pans, etc., but if you have a porcelain sink, like I do, you know how hard it is to keep it white without using bleach-based scouring powders such as Ajax. This is the say no to bleach alternative -- cleans sinks beautifully, polishes copper and brass and such, shines up other metals, scours pans clean, and so on. Though it's more chemical than other things I use, I've found natural and sand-based scouring powders lacking, but this does the trick.
12. This isn't a cleaning product, precisely, but one of the things I did recently in my pare down and organize quest is to join a nationwide (possibly even worldwide, I'm not sure) organization's e-mail list called Freecycle (you can find out whether there's something in your community by visiting freecycle.org). You can join a Yahoo groups list if there's a group in your area, and post either offered or wanted items. I avoided it after my friends told me about it for a long time, because I wasn't ready to meet people or have people in my house. I really wish I had done it sooner -- I've offered a lot of things and always find a taker, the people have been nice, they don't necessarily have to come in if it's a small item, and it's amazing what people want and request that you might have hanging around the house, unused. It keeps tons of crap out of landfills each year, and is just a fantastic resource for people who really do care about reduce, reuse, recycle. If you're moving, paring down, or just cleaning up, you can't do better than to join up with this list.
I've been home now all day for work for such a long time that I was sick to death of the wretched paint we'd put in here when I first moved in (lesson #1 -- never let men pick paint unless they're gay). Even though my office is still terrible, I like being in here now because the color is so pleasing to me. The home world feels clean and new and beautiful. Unfortunately, now I have to paint the rest of the house, because it all looks so faded and neglected. Lesson #2 -- once you start painting, you have to update everything.
The same goes for cleaning. A long time ago,
sisabet posted a request for people's favorite cleaning stuff, and I responded with a couple of mine. When I cleaned the kitchen walls recently so I could put up some shelves, once I started, I saw how filthy everything was, and I ended up spending the day washing all the walls and the ceiling. You clean a little spot, and you have to do the rest. Yesterday I did this for the bathroom: Places with a lot of moisture tend to create a kind of magnet for dust particles, pet hair, etc, and that can really darken and grunge up your paint job (not to mention make a haven for mold and other icky stuff). After talking about my cleaning and organizing frenzy lately (and that's another thing that makes you find out just how unclean even a seemingly clean house can really be -- getting organized and putting stuff in boxes and bins), a couple people I know asked me what I use and what I've been doing. I suck at painting, I really do, but someone else asked me for painting advice. I thought I'd write it all down in case anyone else is interested in this -- it's spring, after all! (I'll tackle painting separately.) And I don't know about other people, but clean brightens my *mood*, too, not just my walls or floors. I feel so much better when I'm in the bathroom now -- a shiny new toilet seat cover I just installed, which takes ten minutes to put in, clean walls and lights, an organizing tray for the essentials on top of the toilet tank, and suddenly it's a lovely room again.One of the best bonuses about a cleaning binge, besides reduced allergens, bacteria, likelihood of pests, etc.? It's fantastic exercise, and so is painting.
Keep in mind that I have two overriding concerns -- a lot of commercial cleaners make me sneeze uncontrollably, dust is my biggest enemy besides grass, and I try very hard to do the green cleaning thing, though I have a few better living through chemistry fallbacks.
1. The greatest cleaning discovery I've ever made is Folex spot and stain remover. This stuff will even remove the paint-color stain if you spill (don't let paint harden on a rug, though, or you'll have to cut it off with scissors). Not a lot of big chain places carry this, but it's worth seeking out (their web site will list stores in your area). Most, if not all, commercial carpet stain removers are magnetic -- meaning, they pull the material making the stain back. Even after using them, the stain will frequently return, and they actually attract dirt *more* later on. Carpet pros will always tell you to stay away from these products. Folex is not only non-magnetic, it will bring up the oldest, worst stains and spots that even professional carpet cleaners can't remove (I know, because the last guys who did my carpet couldn't get the coffee stains out from a friend's spill, but Folex did, years after the fact) and they won't come back. Ever. It gets out pet barf and potty stains (though not urine odor--for that, you need a special odor product), oily stains, red wine, Pepsi and iced tea, ink, etc. THE best product evah.
2. Swiffer dusters. I said this in sisabet's cleaning post, and I'll say it again: If loving the Swiffer dusters is wrong, I don't want to be right. In general, I try really hard not to use throwaway things -- I keep a rag bag around, I wash things out to reuse them, etc. But these have solved a problem for me nothing else has -- my insane sensitivity to dust. Every trick for dusting made me sneeze like a snuff addict, even damp cloths. The Swiffers have reduced my sneezing to a couple achoos per session. They pick up everything, they don't leave icky films behind, there's no scent. Dust is the greatest enemy of electronics, and people who don't dust from time to time are asking for trouble. Get yourself a Swiffer duster and it becomes easy-peasy.
3. A wonderful new product that I've grown fond of is Method daily shower spray cleaner. You mist this over all the wet surfaces, including the door or curtain, and it cleans away soap scum, dirt, that pinky rust stuff, etc., so you don't have to. Bonus is that it smells really good -- it's ylang ylang scented, lightly, so everything smells fresh (kind of like a mild version of Lush's incredible shampoo bar Irresistible Bliss). I'm not usually into flowery scents, but this is lovely.
4. 20-Mule Team Borax. Anyone who's as old as me will remember this company as the sponsor of Death Valley Days, the program in the '60s hosted by then-just crappy old-time actor Ronald Reagan. But don't let that deter you! This stuff is a lot like baking soda in that it has dozens of uses, but even a little better than soda at things like helping out hard water, deodorizing, etc. I use it mostly as a laundry booster -- it helps whiten the whites and deodorize all the smelly stuff. I don't understand people who use bleach, or phosphate-laden detergents that destroy the environment. And bleach is one of the worst things you can do to yourself -- breathing it, getting it on your skin, etc. It kills. Yet there's this safe, non-toxic, phosphate-free product right there on the shelves, and the generic big-company-buying idiots won't buy it. Borax will help brighten laundry, but won't kill the environment while doing it.
5. Fancy-store cleaners are often expensive, like those from Williams-Sonoma or Restoration Hardware, etc., but they are also often really amazing cleaners. I used the RH Cucumber-Mint all purpose cleaner yesterday in a bucket of water to wash my bathroom walls, and they shine now. I've even used it on my tile floor and it does a decent job. The nice thing about these cleaners is that they're usually made from natural ingredients and have essential oil-based scents that are often just really inventive combos and lovely to smell. Cleaning is a hell of a lot more endurable when things *smell* good to you (or when they're fresh and unscented if you can't take any smells, even citrus). Even a lot of grocery stores are starting to carry fancy, natural all-purpose cleaners that you can use for counters, windows, walls, etc. I really recommend these because they're all-in-one: you don't need chemically Windex and nasty counter "antibacterial" sprays, etc. They're safer around pets and kids, too. They will usually last a long time, pack a lot of cleaning power, and reduce the amount of stuff you need to keep on hand.
6. Swiffer WetJet has helped me with one of my biggest cleaning problems -- mopping. For tall people, mopping can be an even more backbreaking chore than normal. I hate it so much, my bare floors all look like crap. But this is a much quicker and simpler fix -- you just put in a couple batteries, attach a canister of fluid, stick the Velcro'd pad on, and mop. Easy enough to do even with one hand. It doesn't clean quite as deeply or well as a traditional mop, but there's no wringing, and though again, I don't like throwing things away, it helps me do something I need to do more often. The scent of the fluid can be overwhelming to someone like me who hates those commercial-cleaner product smells, but I just open a lot of windows. This one's a trade-off for me, but I definitely feel like the trade is a better deal if it gets me to do something I should do more often than once a year.
7. Method laundry detergent is relatively new on the market, but boy am I smitten with this stuff. The two scented versions smell divine (and I don't ever say that about scented laundry products. I don't know who picks the smells for method, but they have good taste), clean like hell, and they come in these incredible, designy, smart-looking packages that are so small you can pick them up with a couple fingers. They're triple concentrated so they're quite small (I see some other detergents are following suit now), and that means less waste and less plastic packaging. Natural ingredients only, and the scent-and dye-free one is excellent for people with sensitivities. Method's web site has a nifty little laundry starter kit you can get for $13 that has a bottle of detergent, a bottle of fabric softener, a box of dryer sheets, and a little caddy.
8. Good old white vinegar cannot be beat for basic cleaning, especially for grease cutting. A lot of people run it through their coffee makers, and that's all, but it is one of the best all-purpose cleaners around. I used it on my dirty, greasy kitchen walls and they came out shiny white again. Segueing into the painting subject that I'll do later, most paint how-tos will tell you that you must use TCP to clean your walls in preparation for painting. Nuh-uh. Trisodium phosphate is yet another chemical you can totally do without, and just use vinegar. Wash your walls down with a cup or two in a gallon or two of warm water, and everything's ready to go. Paint doesn't adhere to dirt or films of dust or grease, so you really do have to wash things down first. I personally love the smell (and taste) of vinegar, but I know a lot of people don't, but it dissipates quickly.
9. Microfiber cleaning cloths and cleaning wands are suddenly popping up everywhere, and there's a reason for their popularity -- they don't scratch delicate stuff, they pick up dust like a Swiffer, and some of them come in really clever designs, like on a long, L-shaped rod that you can sweep under a bed to pick up the giant dust elephants. Some cloths even have no-stitch edging to further prevent scratching. And these are the kind that you don't throw away -- you use and wash, or shake out, so less crap goes into the landfill, always a huge plus.
10. Speaking of marks on walls. Before I even get started with wall-washing of any sort (whether just on a cleaning binge, or in preparation to paint), I use this thing called a magic Eraser. There are a couple versions of this product, one made by Mr. Clean (who I notice is looking less like Yul Brynner these days and more like Hulk Hogan or something) and one by Scotch. Both work essentially the same -- they are a soft white sponge-like thing that you wet down, and then rub over spots on walls (I've used it on melamine, vinyl window trims, etc.) or other items to get stubborn marks off (black rubber scuffs, crayon marks, other marks). They really do work, astonishingly enough -- I was very doubtful when I bought it). Scotch's has a blue scrubby side for harder marks or crusty things. I think, though, I like the Mr. Clean version a bit more, just because even though the Scotch's blue side helps it keep its shape (they basically disintegrate as you use them), and the Scotch one is cheaper, that scrubby side makes it harder to "pick up" the dirt on the walls -- water tends to run down a bit. It might work better for others.
11. Bartender's Friend is a scrubbing agent that I really depend on -- and as with many things I like, it has multiple uses. It is most often used for cleaning and shining metals like pots and pans, etc., but if you have a porcelain sink, like I do, you know how hard it is to keep it white without using bleach-based scouring powders such as Ajax. This is the say no to bleach alternative -- cleans sinks beautifully, polishes copper and brass and such, shines up other metals, scours pans clean, and so on. Though it's more chemical than other things I use, I've found natural and sand-based scouring powders lacking, but this does the trick.
12. This isn't a cleaning product, precisely, but one of the things I did recently in my pare down and organize quest is to join a nationwide (possibly even worldwide, I'm not sure) organization's e-mail list called Freecycle (you can find out whether there's something in your community by visiting freecycle.org). You can join a Yahoo groups list if there's a group in your area, and post either offered or wanted items. I avoided it after my friends told me about it for a long time, because I wasn't ready to meet people or have people in my house. I really wish I had done it sooner -- I've offered a lot of things and always find a taker, the people have been nice, they don't necessarily have to come in if it's a small item, and it's amazing what people want and request that you might have hanging around the house, unused. It keeps tons of crap out of landfills each year, and is just a fantastic resource for people who really do care about reduce, reuse, recycle. If you're moving, paring down, or just cleaning up, you can't do better than to join up with this list.
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no subject
Date: 2006-05-08 08:28 pm (UTC)God, yes (still living the horrors of reno and paint in my bathroom) and I'm putting this in my memories. Thank you for all the great tips!
no subject
Date: 2006-05-09 06:15 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-05-09 09:56 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-05-08 08:47 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-05-09 06:19 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-05-08 09:18 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-05-09 06:21 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-05-09 06:24 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-05-08 10:07 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-05-09 06:24 pm (UTC)Folex is the greatest invention of the century! And it's not chemical, to boot, which makes it even more fantastic, plus no icky smell.
no subject
Date: 2006-05-09 06:48 pm (UTC)I SO love the fact that Folex doesn't smell horrible and waft chemicals into the air--first time I got the stain off the carpet without coughing my brains out, I nearly did a little dance around the apt.
no subject
Date: 2006-05-08 10:08 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-05-09 06:26 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-05-08 11:27 pm (UTC)I love the magic erasers. Target has their own brand now, just like the Mr. Clean, but cheaper. I use them all the time. And I love my Swiffer Wet Jet. I'm with you on trying not to use disposables, but I recycle so much that I just don't feel guilty anymore about the few disposables that I do use. It's all about balance for me.
We just painted three rooms in our new house. We did it before the furniture arrived which makes things so much easier. The room I'm using as a home office was lavendar. And while I like lavendar, I did not see myself being able to work while surrounded by this particular shade. I painted 3 walls a sandy yellow and the fourth wall (the window wall behind my computer monitor) is a terracotta color. It's warm and soothing, but still bright enough to keep me pepped during the day.
Good luck with more painting. And thanks for the cleaning tips. I've never used Borax, but I might have to give it a try. My husband is a mechanic and grime from work gets on everything, not just his work clothes.
no subject
Date: 2006-05-09 06:31 pm (UTC)That's a great point on the not feeling guilty since you recycle so much else. I try so hard not to buy stuff with useless packaging that the times I do, I shouldn't feel so bad about throwing things out.
I'm just loving the effects of the painting. It's hard hard work, but the rewards are just... really astronomical for me, considering how much as been going on in my life. Color is a great therapy.
no subject
Date: 2006-05-09 06:32 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-05-08 11:40 pm (UTC)tips for cleaning miniblinds?
Date: 2006-05-08 11:56 pm (UTC)I'm with you guys on the Swiffer wet mop, etc. - it's almost impossible for me to bend over to scrub, and while it doesn't get it quite as clean as a 'regular' mop, at least it gets *done*.
Re: tips for cleaning miniblinds?
Date: 2006-05-09 12:39 am (UTC)I dampen my hands a little with water, then sort of scrunch the Swiffer sheet up in my hands, then wipe each blind.
I have also known people who fill the bathtub with a mild cleaining solution, take the blinds down, and then dunk and swish them. I haven't tried this myself.
Re: tips for cleaning miniblinds?
Date: 2006-05-09 06:36 pm (UTC)Re: tips for cleaning miniblinds?
Date: 2006-05-09 06:36 pm (UTC)Lately, honestly, I run Swiffer dusters over them, sometimes a bit damp. It's not great, particularly around the cords, but it helps a little. And sometimes I just vacuum with the soft brush attachment. Again, around the cords it misses things, and my vacuum is a big awkward, but it's pretty easy.
I'm actually going to re-blind my house soon. Part of it is the cleaning thing, but I put these in here when I first moved in because I had no money and needed something besides sheets on the windows. I've really regretted it because of the cleaning! But I still think, oddly, I'm going to get minis on a couple of windows, but not metal ones -- they seem harder to clean to me than wood or faux wood.
no subject
Date: 2006-05-10 05:50 am (UTC)It is possible to refill your Swiffer WetJet! At least a few times. If, like me, you love the thing but can't stand the overpowering smell of the stock cleaner, this is a godsend. I've got mine refilled with a bit of Murphy's and water. I'm not the one who hacked it (Paul did), but I think you use channel locks to open it, then cut or file the locking tab off of it. I need to get him to write the instructions up for me.
no subject
Date: 2006-05-11 08:06 am (UTC)More tips
Date: 2006-05-13 08:01 pm (UTC)14. Vinegar and Bleach. "Adding white vinegar to diluted household bleach greatly increases the disinfecting power of the solution, making it strong enough to kill even bacterial spores. Researchers from MicroChem Lab, Inc. in Euless, Texas, report their findings today at the 2006 ASM Biodefense Research Meeting." http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-02/asfm-vik021306.php
Yes, it works, but there are warnings. Chlorine gas is a by-product if you use too much bleach. Dilute one cup of household bleach in one gallon of water and then adding one cup of white vinegar.
Kills mold and mildew almost instantly. I use it in a spray bottle, or sometimes in an old squeezable mustard bottle to get the coverage where I need it. Spray on and wipe off. Use in a well ventilated area.
Jay H
no subject
Date: 2010-10-06 04:33 am (UTC)a lot from them.Thanks for sharing.
appliance repair in Vancouver BC (http://www.vancouverappliancerepair.com/)