There’s nothing like a Jacuzzi to relax and unwind in. Unfortunately, cleaning one is quite a strain. You probably leave this to your home cleaning agency but what happens if you have unexpected guests and the agency’s next visit won’t be until after the guests arrive? Can you manage to clean it yourself? You can, but it won’t be easy. The steps you need to take are given below but if you feel that anything is beyond you, don’t even try – call for a professional cleaner.
* First turn off all the electricity to the Jacuzzi
* If you have a submersible pump, place it in the deepest part of the tub and turn it on to drain out the water. Make sure you follow all the safety instructions.
* If you donХt have a pump you can use the old siphoning method, but it will be very slow.
* While the tub is draining, start cleaning the cover. Place it on a flat surface and using a non toxic vinyl cleaner start scrubbing one section at a time with a soft brush
* Once it is all clean, rinse and allow it to air dry.
* By this time your Jacuzzi should be empty so its time to get in – cleaning is easier from the inside.
* There will always be some water left at the bottom of the tub and this can be removed by using a few towels.
* You will need a non toxic spa shell cleaner and a scrubbing mitt which you can get at most spa shops.
* Spray the cleaner on one section at a time and start scrubbing with the mitt. Be careful not to scrub so hard that you damage the finish of the interior. Pay special attention to areas like the filter compartment that attract a lot of dirt.
* Once the whole tub is scrubbed clean, rinse the whole inner surface. Make sure none of the cleaner is left on the wall of the tub.
* Once the rinsing is done you will have to get rid of the dirty water that has collected at the bottom of the tub. Use the same method you did when you first drained the tub dry.
* Refill the tub and its ready to use.
It’s always advisable to clean the filter while cleaning the rest of the tub. To do this, follow the manufacturer’s recommendations.
“At the car wash… at the car wash, yeah!” It’s a school dance favourite (and, in my opinion, slightly annoying) and is the tune you’re most likely to whistle or hum if you clean your own car. While it’s nice (and very easy) to hire a car valet or even take your car down to the local drive-through car wash, with these days of rising petrol costs, you may want to cut a corner or two and do the job yourself.
What you will need to be your own car valet is a hose, a bucket of soapy water (warm water with any house cleaning detergent works as well as any “special” car wash product and costs much less), a generous amount of rags, polish or wax, a soft brush and a blade wiper for the windows (obviously, you can use the ones attached to your car for the front windscreen, but most other windows don’t have these). To save water, don’t keep the hose turned on the whole time; only turn on the tap when you need it.
You should always wash your car in the shade. This is because direct sunlight can dry the soap you use to wash the car too quickly, leaving smears and streaks behind. No matter what colour your car is, these streaks will show.
First of all, use the hose to get rid of any large and obvious bits of mud. This is especially true in the case of a 4×4 that actually gets used off-road. Pay particular attention to the mud flaps, the wheels and anything behind these that mud flicks up onto. Incidentally, did you know that up to a ton of mud can get onto the bottom of a logging truck?
Once you have hosed off the excess, begin using the soft bristle brush and the soapy water, working systematically from top to bottom, doing one side at a time. It may be best to do the windows first (splosh on some soapy water, scrub off any splattered insects then use the blade to get the water off and prevent streaking), as the water will get dirty. Depending on how big and/or grubby your car is, you may need to change the water.
Once you have soaped and scrubbed the car, hose all the soap off thoroughly. You can leave the job here – your car is presentable – but to protect your paint and to give a really glossy finish, it’s best to wax it.
You will need to dry your car before waxing it. A chamois leather or towel can be used, but it’s much easier to take your car for a quick spin down to the shops to do a few errands (who says that guys can’t multi-task?) and let it air-dry.
When you get back, apply the polish to all paintwork. Once you have applied it, buff it up. It is possible to buy tinted polishes that enhance the colour of your paintwork, or you can just stick to clear/colourless. Some proprietary car washes combine wash and polish/wax all in one.
If you really want to doll your car up, you can blacken the tyres and make them really dark and shiny.
Laundry chemicals and its effects on health: The laundry detergents which are normally used contain strong chemicals. Such strong detergents are harmful for clothes as well as skin. The clothes may lose their color and softness due to the household detergents. Some of the detergents form small buds of fabric on the surface of the cloth.
These detergents make the hands go dry. The upper layer of the skin gets damaged with the harmful chemicals used in the detergents. Skin problems vary from small skin irritation to sever ones. Studies have shown that continuous use of detergents containing harmful chemicals can cause neurological problems, poisoning and even cancer. To avoid all these problems, you can use eco friendly laundry detergents. There are several manufacturers in the market which produce the eco friendly laundry detergents.
Eco friendly laundry cleaning agents: As people have started understanding the drawbacks of chemicals, use of eco friendly detergents is increasing. These eco friendly cleaning agents are available in almost every type. There are eco friendly detergents, fabric softeners and bleach. These cleaning agents contain natural organic elements. These organic ingredients are not harmful for skin as well as for the clothes.
There are many eco friendly laundry detergents available in market. The laundry cleaners such as Seventh Generation are popular with many users. These products contain no dye or artificial fragrance. They are basically non toxic. This means no acids are used in the formula. The eco friendly laundry cleaners are generally bio degradable. This means the detergents can decompose naturally. This makes them environment friendly. You will not see a lump of detergent floating over the garden ground. It will immediately start decomposing. The water containing this detergent therefore is not harmful for plants.
The eco friendly detergents do not make use of artificial optical brighteners. These don’t contain phosphates and petroleum based agents. The detergents are mild on the skin. They are safer for septic tanks, as they do not cause oxidations and rusting.
The eco friendly liquid agents generally contain coconut and corn based surfactants. The natural and non animal enzymes remove the protein layer on the clothes. Thus the starch and protein stains are removed with the help of these enzymes. Borax is normally used for softening of water. Ingredients like sodium gluconate help in removing the soil. It acts like an anti re- deposition formula on the fabric. The eco friendly detergents mostly contain salt which acts as the cleaner and brightener.
The fabric softeners make use of derivations of soy. The formula when mixed with water softens the fabric. The eco friendly bleaches eliminate the chlorine ingredient. Hence it causes no chronic health hazards. Instead it uses hydrogen peroxide as the bleaching ingredient. The usage of this eco friendly bleach is similar to the normal chemical based bleach. There are special detergents for baby cloths in the eco friendly range as baby clothes are delicate. Any chemical detergent can harm the clothes. Hence using an eco friendly laundry detergent is advisable to all.
The eco friendly laundry detergents generally do not create much froth like the regular house cleaners. This is because the soap like ingredients are not used in eco friendly cleaners. However these can be used in the washing machine.
Fires in offices are more common than most people realize, especially in London’s high density business area. Most of these fires are small and easily put out by the office staff. They are usually caused by one of the many pieces of electrical and electronic equipment modern offices are so full of. While the damage is usually limited to the equipment itself, collateral damage in the form of smoke marks on the walls is very common.
While this can be cleaned up by your office cleaning agency, you can usually do it yourself without waiting for their next scheduled visit.
Begin by properly ventilating the area to get rid of soot particles that may still be suspended in the air and also the burn smell. Before beginning, wear safety goggles and rubber gloves. This is important since you will be working with paint thinner.
Lay plastic sheeting (or a thick cloth if plastic is not readily available) to prevent drips during the cleaning process from staining the floor or carpet. Start working from the top of the burn mark – use a step ladder if necessary – and going from side to side, work your way down. If more than one wall is affected, finish one completely before going on to the next.
Start by using a Chemical Dry Cleaning Sponge to wipe the soot off the wall. These sponges are easily available and a hardware store will have them or will be able to direct you to where you can buy one. Do not wet the sponge – it is designed to work when dry. Simply wipe the soot away with the sponge. Once the sponge gets saturated with soot, rinse it out, allow it to dry completely and continue using it until all the soot is off the walls.
Once the sponge has removed as much as it can, wet a regular sponge or soft cloth with paint thinner or pure alcohol and gently rub the stain until it is gone. Do not use water based home cleaners for this as they will only spread the stain and make removing it even more difficult. Be careful when rubbing as the more you rub, the more paint or polish will be removed from the wall. This is inevitable but the less the paint is affected, the less painting you will have to do. Once the stain is gone, pat the area dry with paper towels or a dry cloth.
Window screens are essential summer fitments for the house. It’s the only way you can let in all the fresh air you want without letting insects (and worse) enter your home. But keep in mind that screens trap dust and dirt and can become breeding grounds for all kinds of viruses. And dirty window screens look horrible. Keeping your screens clean and healthy is a two step process. The first step is to use a vacuum cleaner on them once a week. Fit the brush attachment on the hose and run it over the screen after making sure the suction is not so great that the screens get stretched or damaged.
The second is the mid and end of summer cleaning (perhaps more often if conditions demand it). This is work that can be added to the window clean part of your contract with your home cleaners if you do not want to do it yourself- it is a bit complicated.
* Remove the screens from the windows being careful to number each one so you know where to fit it back. Also mark the inner and outer sides so fitting them is easier.
* Similarly, keep all the hardware for each window separate so you know what to use where.
* Take the screens outside and lay them on a tarpaulin. Do not try to clean them while fitted in the windows – its messy and inefficient.
* Make sure you have someone to help you and hold the ladder if you are removing upper story screens.
* Using a garden hose, rinse off the surface dirt from each screen.
* Mix a solution of household detergent and water (or buy a commercial cleaning product) and using a spray bottle apply it generously on both sides of the screen.
* Allow the solution to soak in to the screen and loosen the grime. Give it at least 10 minutes for a home made solution or follow the instructions if you have bought one from the market.
* Using a soft brush scrub away on both sides of the screen be careful not to press to hard and distort the mesh.
* Wipe off all the grime with a sponge or cloth.
* Rinse the screen thoroughly on both sides using the garden hose.
* Look for any spots still blocked with dirt and repeat the process for those areas.
* Let the screen air dry.
* When completely dry, they can be re-fitted to the windows.
My mother used to be in charge of cleaning the brass candlesticks and the like in our local church (made sense – she was the vicar’s wife, after all). We used this pink proprietary polish for the brass that always made my hands itch after using it when I helped her polish everything. And then there was another polish for the silver chalices that had to be cleaned off thoroughly so we didn’t end up poisoning the whole congregation by mistake.
Is there some way to polish metal so it’s bright and gleaming the way it ought to be that won’t leave your hands itchy with harsh chemicals? Apparently, there are, and I don’t mean wearing rubber gloves, which is a solution used by many to protect sensitive skin when doing the regular domestic cleaning.
To clean silver, you can use aluminium foil, baking soda and boiling water. No, you will not have to put your hands in boiling water – that’s worse than any chemicals. How you do it is like this: line a bucket with aluminium foil and put the silver things to be cleaned on top. Mix boiling water and sodium bicarbonate together – one teaspoon of soda to one cup of boiling water. Pour it over the silver and let it react – you should see bubbles rising. Once this happens, fish the silverware out with tongs, rinse it well and rub it dry with a nice soft cloth. A similar method is supposed to work for grubby oven racks, except you coat the rungs of the racks with a paste of sodium bicarbonate and then wrap each rung with aluminium foil. Then you put them in the bath and pour hot water over and let the aluminium and baking soda react and do their job. For silver with egg stains, dipping the spoon (or other silver) in the water the eggs were boiled in to remove the stains. I can’t vouch for this one, as I have learned by experience that eating boiled eggs with a silver spoon tastes weird as the sulphur in the egg reacts with the silver.
Cream of tartar mixed to a paste with water is also supposed to be good for cleaning silver. Don’t expect to do this one in a hurry – it takes a week. If you want to try this method, wash the dried paste off the silver at the end of the week with hot soapy water.
To clean brass, mix equal portions of white flour, vinegar and salt. Rub it on the brass, leave the paste to dry – just like regular polish – then wipe of with a damp cloth. Half a lemon dipped in salt can be used to scrub badly stained brass.
One traditional method for cleaning copper is to use buttermilk – wipe it on and leave for ten minutes before cleaning off with a damp cloth. But who has buttermilk these days? Instead, use a paste made from salt and vinegar. Rub this on, leave it for a minute or so, then rub off again. The book I found this tip in did not mention whether keeping salt and vinegar crisps in a copper bowl helps keep the bowl clean, but I wouldn’t recommend it, as copper isn’t good for you in large amounts.
Other metals not listed above can be cleaned with plain old baking soda and a bit of water to mix it to a paste. With this method, you have to leave the paste to cake on for an hour so it can react with the corroded metal. Take the old paste off with a damp cloth.
There is a lot to be said for good old stainless steel – it’s so easy to clean and keep shiny.
Most of us have seen lavender or at least heard of it. It seems to be one of those bits of detail that often gets included in historical novels: women going door to door hawking dried lavender to householders (“Won’t you buy my sweet lavender, kind lady?”).
Why has lavender been popular for such a long time? Yes, it smells delicious and it looks attractive, but there’s more to lavender than that. Just for the record, before I describe the benefits that lavender confers on humanity, I need to explain that two types of lavender exist. French lavender is more decorative, and is widely grown in gardens and is used as a cut flower, either fresh or dried. This variety consists has a flower head that looks a bit like a pineapple and is crowned with a frill, which can be pink, white or purple. This variety looks nice and smells reasonable, but is not the sort used in perfumery or for extracting essential oils. The type grown commercially for its scent is English lavender. This variety usually has bluish purple flowers that grow on the stem and look a bit like tiny grains of purple wheat. Both sorts can be grown at home very easily.
The very name of lavender hints at how it has been used over the centuries: it comes from the Latin word lavare, meaning “to wash”. Lavender in various forms has long been a staple product in many a laundry. Firstly, this is because lavender gives off a smell that is pleasant to humans but is highly repellent to fleas and to clothes moths. Traditionally, dried lavender, either in bags or “bottles” made from the stalks, were tucked into linens kept in storage. Also, lavender water was often sprinkled on clothes prior to ironing. This impregnated the clothing (or other items being ironed) with the delicate scent – and made the task of ironing much more pleasant for the laundress. These are old-fashioned methods, but they work just as well today.
Dried lavender can also be stored in pantries to keep pests out of stored grains and flour. However, take care if trying this for yourself that the grain or flour does not take on the scent. Otherwise, you’ll get a rather odd sort of “aromatic rice”…
Lavender has more benefits, however, than just being an attractive scent and vermin repellent. As if these two weren’t enough, the essential oil of lavender is a powerful antiseptic. The essential oil is very powerful at killing bacteria and other unwanted nasties. To freshen a sickroom – or any other stuffy room that may be prone to bacteria – try putting some of this essential oil in a burner or diffuser, or even dab it on a cool lightbulb! This essential oil can be mixed with vinegar to make a cleaning fluid that is antiseptic and effective – and much gentler on your skin and the environment than many commercial antiseptics. Commercial cleaners and disinfectants often have a fake lavender smell in them (if they do, they’re usually tinted purple), but don’t be fooled. If you read the ingredients label, you very seldom find real essential oil of lavender listed.
Essential oil of lavender is also reputed to help calm and soothe in moments of stress. Maybe we should all take a bottle of essential oil with us to work or keep a lavender bag in our desk drawers!
Lavender oil, incidentally, was the oil that started the aromatherapy movement. When the French scientist Rene-Maurice Gattefosse burnt himself in his laboratory, he plunged the burn into the nearest liquid, which happened to be lavender oil – a classic case of serendipity. When he noticed that his burn healed very quickly with minimal blistering and redness or any infection, he began to research the medicinal and other properties of essential oils.
Nowadays, we see that most people are much concerned about their health. So almost all the individuals opt for a personal gym in contemporary times. The personal gym mostly comprises of equipments which are solely dedicated to keep one’s figure in check and of course to maintain health. How to clean your personal gym equipments is laid clearly in the following steps.
Mostly it is seen that the rough handling of the gym equipments makes them look quite dirty. Only a superficial wipe of the personal gym equipments may not be enough to keep them clean. It is always seen that the handles of the most gym equipments like treadmill, biker which are used extensively gets exposed to hands which are full of grim and dirt.
If the personal gym equipments are not cleaned on a regular basis then it is likely that their longetivity will also be at stake. A treadmill which is dirty for a long span of time would lead the overloading of the motor. One will also notice certain changes in the speed. You should throughly cleanse your treadmill once in a week atleast to ensure its smooth functioning. You must make use of any kind of lubrication only if it is suggested by the manufacturer. While cleaning the frame and the console you must make use of a slightly damp cloth. After the cleansing process of the personal gym equipments get over then they should be checked and by properly putting in the plugs and switching them on to see whether they are functioning properly.
Most of the people are so busy in their lives that they hardly get time to clean their personal gym equipments. If you follow the general maintenance tips following the user’s manual then you will see that all your personal gym equipments are functioning at their best. Start practising the cleaning tips in order to keep your equipment in perfect condition.
With the rise in that of maintenance of fitness equipments, many new procedures are being launched in the market. The gym home cleaning supplies are also easily available in the market and they ensure the appropriate operation of the personal gym equipments. However it should be noted that you should take care of the cleaning procedure with the help of an expert because a little more or a little less solution might obstruct the proper maintenance of your gym equipments. Yoga mats should be washed frequently and if the matt is just slightly soiled than you can make use of a spray bottle or a damp sponge. The spray bottle solution should consist of a mixture made of two cups of water and four drops of dish washing soda. After that you can proceed to wipe the yoga mat just by wiping off the extra water.
The gym equipments should always be free from bacteria and regular cleansing ensures that it will operate smoothly and would run for a long span of time thus helping you to keep those tyres in control.
When was the last time that you cleaned out your dog’s kennel or basket? If you’re wondering where that foul doggy smell is coming from (and it’s not something brought in on the bottom of your shoe, in which case, you have a carpet cleaning problem), there’s a good chance that it’s the dog’s kennel or basket.
The dog will hate you washing their basket, as the smell is comforting and soothing for the dog. However, you’ve got to live with the pong. Question to ponder: if dogs have such sensitive noses, how come they can put up with stronger stinks that revolt the weaker human sense of smell? You will have to find some way to compromise, especially as dogs can really sulk if you dare to disturb their place (although a big Rottweiler or bull-mastiff with a case of the sulks has its funny side).
An inside basket or kennel will need to be cleaned more frequently. A good rule of thumb is to vacuum it when you vacuum the rest of the house. This will stop the worst stink offenders building up to an unbearable level, but will not totally strip your dog’s familiar smells away from the bedding. You won’t be able to smell it (much); they can. Vacuuming will pick up shed hairs and skin flakes, and this will also help to reduce the asthma risk.
But C-day will have to come eventually and the dog’s bedding will need to be washed. To compromise on the smell issue, don’t use highly scented laundry soaps. Yes, you can put most modern dog bedding into the washing machine on the delicate cycle, and you can put old-fashioned dog bedding in the form of old towels and blankets through the machine as well. Or you can handwash the bedding, using ordinary soap, preferably unscented (this makes a good domestic cleaning job for children to do – the novelty of the task plus the foamy bubbles make it attractive). Dry dog bedding thoroughly, just as you would your own.
Outdoor dog kennels don’t have to be cleaned as frequently, but they still need to be done. The inside of an outdoor kennel can get quite nasty, as dogs will frequently take bones in to gnaw and leave them there. And it get’s worse – this writer’s dog is a real wimp about rain and decided to poo inside the kennel. That was not the nicest clean-up job! If you were sensible when you bought the dog, you bought a kennel that comes to bits easily so you can clean without any problems. Solid or wooden kennels are harder.
Start by pulling out all the bedding and other debris. Get rid of any bones or other nasties. Give the bedding a good shake to get rid of the dog hair, then either put the bedding out to wash or dump it. Then arm yourself with warm soapy water. Scrub out the inside of the kennel, then use the hose to rinse the soap out – soap residues can make the dog’s skin itch if not rinsed properly. Then turn your attention to the outside. Finally, dry the inside of the kennel. A take-down kennel is good here, as it can be left open to dry in the sun and air. If you don’t have one, use a towel and dry thoroughly. Finally, put the bedding back in.
Once you’ve washed dog beds of any kind, put a treat for the dog (preferably not a messy one – something like a rawhide strip or a dried pig’s ear is good) in the bedding to encourage them back to it and to console them for any loss of the familiar smell.
Many commercial metal polishes and metal cleaners contain some pretty harsh chemicals – the ones that are designed to remove rust and tarnish are the most toxic and they are not what you want to breathe in. Let’s not even think about the environmental hazards of manufacturing the stuff. It’s better for the environment – both on a large scale and at the household scale – to make your own metal polishes and cleaners.
Of course, not all metals are the same, so different metals require different sorts of polish and different treatments.
Brass: Make a mixture of ordinary table salt and either lemon juice or vinegar. Rub this over the metal and leave it to sit a while to start reacting with the metal. Heating the vinegar or lemon juice will speed up the process. Rub well, then rinse off. It is probably better not to use this mixture on an antique piece, as the acid may damage it (this applies to all metal items that can be cleaned with acid-based homemade cleaners/polishes). Get a professional house cleaner to clean this for you.
Copper: This can be cleaned in the same way as brass and leaves saucepan bottoms gleaming. Alternatively, do not polish it at all to allow the characteristic verdigris of aged copper to develop.
Bronze: This does not actually need polishing or having the tarnish removed, as the green patina is part of the character of aged bronze. Bronze should be dusted, or else lightly wiped with a cloth to remove any dirt clinging to it. Do not get bronze wet – it doesn’t like water.
Pewter: Like bronze, this metal needs only minimal cleaning and can come up with a reasonable shine just from buffing with a soft cloth or a “silver cloth”. If a jug, mug or goblet made of pewter has ever had a toxic polish used to clean the inside, do not attempt to use it for drinking, as this metal is very absorbent, but the toxins may leach out into the liquid drunk from the glass (hmm – this fact might be useful for detective fiction involving a poison mystery).
Silver and silver plate can be cleaned with a silver cloth. You can make your own silver cloth by soaking an ordinary soft cloth in a mixture of 4 teaspoons whiting (try your local hardware store), 2 T ammonia and 3 cups water. Do this outside or in a well ventilated place, and avoid breathing in the fumes. Wring it out, wearing rubber gloves, then leave it in a ventilated spot until it is only just damp, then store it in a zip-lock bag until you need it. Silver (but not silver plate) can be cleaned by dissolving a handful of washing soda in warm water and placing a bit of aluminium foil at the bottom of the dish. Dip your silver in and leave it for a few minutes then dry. If you have silver items with a very intricate design worked in the silver, do not over-polish it. The experts say that a little tarnish helps the design of the silver stand out better so it can be appreciated.
Stainless steel: This can be washed with regular detergent along with your regular load of crockery. Rinse well to prevent water spots on the steel.
Chrome can be cleaned with a little household ammonia. However, ammonia is very damaging to paintwork of cars, so be careful not to spill it, and also be careful not to breathe in the fumes or to get it on your skin. Better still, use baking soda applied with an old toothbrush or a soft cloth and rinsed off.
Gold does not usually need any special polishing – just dust it and wipe off any grime.
