Need to clean your home? Your laundry? Get stains out? Cleaning can be easy enough if you have the
right tools and attitude. Use cleansers that work (don't try all the lousy ones that don't just because
they are cheap), and know which tools and products work best. Come back often - we'll keep adding more and more tips.
Cleaning Tips:
Cleaning Clothes: Stains and clothing care.
Deodorant stain or odor - use a stain remover on the spots and rub in, let it set for 5-10 minutes. Then pre-wash with
the hottest water that is safe for the item. Wash again with detergent. For odor, try putting baking soda paste (baking
soda mixed with water) on the area and let it set for 5-10 minutes before washing - rinse the paste off and pre-treat with
stain remover for several minutes, then wash.
If you get spray paint on your leather running shoes (like my daughter did) - I found that
once it was dry, I could use fingernail polish remover to remove the paint, or at least lighten it a lot.
When drying laundry - put the shirts and slacks in the dryer (unless instructions tell you not to) and let them
dry to a slightly moist state - then take them out and hang immediately. This will avoid having to iron in most or
many cases. Pull out one or two items at a time, and lay out so not to flatten each other. Keep the others rotating in the dryer
so they keep fluffing up. Never load the dryer so full that the clothes don't have freedom to tumble easily. If there are
already wrinkles that have set, just spray some water on those areas and let dry while hanging, and you can also try to
weight it on the bottom with clothes pins.
FREE Stain Removal Guide from WebClothes!
Cleaning in the Home:
Try to tidy after yourself on a daily basis so it won't seem so overwhelming to clean up once it
becomes a disaster area.
Clean From the Top Down
Fuller Brush...the cleaning experts!
Cleaning products and solutions - need a special type brush to clean with?
Use cloth diapers for dusting and as cleaning rags - they work
incredibly well and are gentle.
Wine Spill? Find out how to clean up a wine stain.
Maintaining & Cleaning Your Woodwork
Want to save time cleaning your floors? The slickest systems that do the cleaning for you are the Roomba and Scooba
series robot cleaners. They are robots that you let loose and they will make paths around your floor while cleaning up
for you - all without your supervision! Let the Roomba vacuum all your carpets, let the Scooba clean and mop your
wood or hard floors. People who have these systems just love them! Free up your time and let the robots clean up for you! Now -
let Roomba Verro even clean your pool! Even one for stubborn pet hair.
Vacuum carpets weekly and go over areas slowly to give the vacuum a good chance to pick up all the deep down dirt and
top hair layers. Vacuum your mattress and pillows as well, weekly or so - to pick up all the dust mites and their
waste - you could have allergies due to dust mites. They feed on your dead skin cells, so vacuuming will pick
that up as well.
Go Vacuum Free Shipping Center,
Coupons, Discounts and Exciting Offers on Uprights, Canister, HEPA and Allergy Vacuums!
Dysan upright with the cyclone effect, no lost suction - my personal favorite. Hoover, Eureka, Dirt Devil and more.
Heavy duty vacuums and household vacuums.
Basic Shower Head Cleaning Tips
Easy toilet cleaning maintenance - every week or two, or between cleanings,
pour 1/2 cup or so of bleach in the toilet. It will kill germs and anything
trying to grow in the toilet, plus get it back to white (if it's a white toilet)
in the bowl. I do this before we leave on trips as well, so
bacteria won't grow while gone. Not so necessary to deep clean as often this way. Do
not put bleach into the water tank, and don't let it sit anywhere other than the bowl.
Removing Candle Wax Spills
Cleaning the refrigerator - you can clean it over several days, in about 5-10
minutes a day. Start with top shelf and empty the shelf. Wipe shelf and above plus
fridge wall - use a solution of warm water and baking soda (that will help with
ridding the smell in the fridge). Put everything back, then another day do the next
shelf below. It's not such a daunting task this way. If you start at the top, any other drips or dirt
fall below, and you'll clean them when you get to the lower shelf.
Do you get those pesky little flies (looks like fruit flies) in your kitchen or around your trash can? Don't panic
but do clean up the area very well - no fruits, no crumbs, no sticky messes. Then take your trash can outside and wash it
out - use bleach. And before you go to sleep, pour about 1/4 cup bleach down your sink drain, then put the stopper in. Pour
a little more into the stopper. If you have a disposal sink and another washing sink side by side, or two sinks in the kitchen,
do the same for each drain. Leave them capped and and go to bed. The next morning you can pull up the stoppers (use a fork or
tongs - don't touch the bleach) and go about your business. There should be a dramatic decrease in these pests, and if they aren't
gone, do this again the next night. They are mainly a sanitation isuue and you just need to get your dirt under control - they like
to hang out in the food particles stuck down the drain, and in trash cans - whereever there is food and garbage of interest to them.
Perhaps you need more heavy-duty, industrial cleaning solutions.
Or more gentle, but effective, non toxic cleaners.
Storage Solutions to Make Cleaning Easier!
Cleaning Pet Odors and Stains:
No More Odors!
Pick up all kinds of small particles and dander with a HEPA vacuum.
Cleaning supplies for pet odors & stains,
carpet spot & stain removers.
PetGanics - clean your pet messes and save.
Heavy-Duty Cleaning:
Discount Janitorial Supplies
Discount Restaurant Supplies
Brand Name Janitorial Supplies and Cleaning Products
Misco Cleaning Products
Safe, Non-Toxic Cleansers:
Safe, non-toxic cleaners for the home, laundry, and more.
See the "Products" link, then "Newbrite". Generally non toxic, with no offensive smells, in these
cleaners. They are very effective in their cleaning power - I won't use anything else for most areas of the house.
Safe, non-toxic personal cleansers for yourself - bath gel, shampoo, toothpaste and
much more.
