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It’s time for out new Best Carpet Cleaner Guide series, and we have the experts for a dose of advice coming from straight professional experience!
Essential Cleaning Tools For The House From An Expert Cleaner
Hi, I’m a professional cleaner and I figured you might want to hear from me. Since you put the accent on “all times” I will be listing must-have cleaning tools as I tried to keep it basic.
- Microfiber cloth. Suitable for all cleaning, even without detergents and doesn’t scratch surfaces!
- Rags. For the really dirty work. Use anything from old clothes to towels, doesn’t really matter. Throw in the washing machine after you’re done and have it ready for the next cleaning.
- Vacuum. Cleaner might seem a little obvious, but it has to be mentioned. Easy and efficient cleaning of floors, hard to reach angles and especially spider web removing!
- Baskets help you transport and store more. They ease the home decluttering.
Tips on Yellow Stains
To remove yellow stains from kitchen appliances – Mix 1.5 oz of baking soda (around 40 grams) and twice as much chlorine bleach. Pour 10 oz (300 ml) of warm water to your solution and apply it to the yellowing. Wait it out for a couple of minutes and then rinse with lukewarm water.
That one stain on your sofa – get yourself a spray bottle and craft the following mixture – 1 part white vinegar and 2 parts rubbing alcohol. Saturate the area, wait 2 minutes and then spray with water or wipe with a damp cloth.
Leather shoes refresher – the vinegar to water proportion for cleaning leather shoes or jackets would be 3 parts of water and 1 part vinegar.
The 3 rules for carpets and furniture – don’t over-water the fabric; blot gently, never scrub a new stain, because it will get right into the fabric; motion goes from the end to the centre of the stain (prevents ring-effect)
Things You Shouldn’t Clean With Vinegar:
- Irons – the iron’s inner parts are sensitive to the vinegar and may become damaged. DO NOT fill your iron with vinegar. If you want to avoid clogging simply empty its container after every use.
- Egg stains – if you had the misfortune to drop an egg – vinegar is NOT your friend. It will make the egg change to a semi-solid state making it more difficult to remove. Sprinkle a good amount of salt on the egg and wait for 15 minutes. After that the egg will be coming off easy because the salt is hygroscopic.
- Stone, Granite and marble surfaces – the acidity of the vinegar is not at all good for those. Instead – dish soap would be a great option here.
Other Cleaning Task Hacks
- Unclog the sink – the nasty things hiding in the drain can be put away with just a little vinegar + baking soda. Pour the baking soda first (half a cup), and then add the vinegar. Wait out the foaming from the mild chemical reaction and wash it off with hot water.
- White appliances – the cleaning solution consists of 1:1 water to apple cider vinegar and just a little dish soap. Doesn’t matter if it’s your dishwasher or fridge, this homemade cleaner will work for you. Keep in mind that the same can be used on the inside of the fridge for removing food stains and getting rid of gross smells. The mixture is also ideal for window cleaning (except without the dish soap), just remember to use newspaper instead of a rag.
- Microwave + oven – where the food deposits are a bit more persistent you can do the following: get a heat resistant (glass preferably) bowl and fill it with your apple cider vinegar and water solution. Heat up until it boils. The evaporation will weaken the food soils, which then can be easily wiped off.
- Glue stains of tape and stickers – pure apple cider vinegar will do the trick here. Spray the spot and wait for about 2 to 3 minutes. You can now scrub it for good.
- Room & trash can odours – to defeat the unpleasant smells you will have to soak a slice of bread in apple cider vinegar. Leave it in the smelly room as close to the source as possible (ideally leave it in the rubbish bin) and wait until the next day. Overnight the vinegar will absorb any horrible smells haunting the place.
- Even a toilet cleaner – it goes the same as with unclogging the drain, with the slight difference that you need to let the vinegar sit overnight. Pour a whole water glass of it in the bowl and wait until tomorrow. When you come back throw in half a cup of baking soda. Time to scrub what’s left and flush it away! This method can be used all over the bathroom. If you want to clean a certain surface and get rid of the mean germs – wipe with apple cider vinegar in two tours with a 15 minutes interval. After half an hour of this sprinkle with baking soda and use hot water to rinse.
- That one stain on your sofa – get yourself a spray bottle and craft the following mixture – 1 part apple cider vinegar and 2 parts rubbing alcohol. Saturate the area, wait 2 minutes and then spray with water or wipe with a damp cloth. Test if it leaves colour on a small patch first!
- If you consider getting rid of annoying fruit flies cleaning then this is for you. Fill a small cup with apple cider vinegar, cover the top with tinfoil or cellophane and pierce a few holes. You just made a one-way trip for all the fruit fly invaders.
- Sunglasses cleaner – sprinkle a very soft cloth with a little apple cider vinegar and wipe them clean. Enjoy your no longer dimmed vision.
- The cooking pan – boil 50% apple cider vinegar + 50% water in your old pan for about 5 minutes and behold the food soils being dissolved.
- Leather shoes’ refresher – the vinegar to water proportion for cleaning leather shoes or jackets would be 3 parts of water and 1 part vinegar.
- Dirty keyboards – if you dampen a rag with vinegar and carefully wipe the keyboard and between the keys, you will not only clean it but sterilise it as well.
- Inside the dishwasher – if the dishwasher has those hard water buildups already, you can fill the soap dispenser with vinegar and run it on “pots and pans” mode. Remember to remove the inner basket beforehand.
- Wood clearance – To restore the look of your favourite wooden furniture you would need to mix ¼ cup of vinegar with ½ cup of vegetable oil. Give it a gentle wipe.
- Bonus: this same solution works wonders for your stainless steel utensils.
- Blocked shower head – pour some vinegar in a plastic bag and then wrap it around the clogged shower head. Leave it overnight. It would be wise if you secure it with a rubber band as well. The next morning remove the bag and as always – rinse with hot water.
- Bathroom mould – the recipe for this one is 1 part sodium borate (Borax), 2 parts vinegar and 4 parts water. Actively stir for 30 seconds and then take a paper towel. Dip it in and use it to remove the mould spots.
Final Wrap
And that’s the final from the experts!