TweetNow that spring has almost sprung, to quote the famous old bit of doggerel that is rapidly turning into a cliché, it’s time to start thinking about eating outdoors in the warmer weather. And the really big question is: did you clean your barbecue before you put it away for the winter? Oh dear. You’re going to have to clean it now, aren’t you?
Ideally, you should clean off any residues left from cooking after each barbecue session, in much the same way as you would clean a saucepan or grill tray after cooking in it. This is fairly easy to do – a quick wipe with a paper towel or two (or a nice reusable cloth) and maybe some dishwashing detergent (of the sort for washing by hand) some warm water and a dishbrush. Do this once the barbecue has cooled down or you run the risk of burning yourself and/or melting the plastic bristles of the brush. Believe me, burnt-on melted plastic is a pain to remove.
However, there are some things that you can do to help clean the barbecue while it’s still hot. Turn the flame up to high and this will burn off a lot of the gunk. It will pong horribly and emit black smoke, but don’t panic. After you have turned the flame off and the hot plate is still a hot plate, sprinkle salt all over it. Then, once the machine has cooled down, brush the salt off. It will have absorbed a lot of the liquid fats, etc., and it will also help to scour the metal.
Once you have done either of these post-cleaning methods, you should dry your machine and coat it lightly with a little vegetable oil to “season” the metal (the same as people used to do with cast-iron skillets and stop them from rusting).
Too late now. You’re confronted with rancid fat, mysterious burnt on bits, mould and rust. What are you going to do now?
First of all, switch the barbecue on. While it’s heating up, find a wire brush and spray dispenser. Fill the spray dispenser with water. Spray the water over the hot plate and get busy with the wire brush. This will be like steam cleaning for your barbecue and remove a lot of the rust as well And it kills the mould.
If you don’t want to do this – or if you still haven’t got a new gas cylinder for the barbecue yet – then you can clean the top off with a mixture of baking soda and water, plus a good dollop of elbow grease. Enjo cloths also do a great job at cleaning barbecues, especially the special green ones designed for fats and grease. A paste of salt and vinegar will help remove the rust – you may need to leave the paste on for about ten minutes and you will need to scrub it off fairly hard. Try not to use one of those commercial cleaners and rust removers but stick to the home-made natural rust removal methods: you are going to eat off that barbecue.
I’m not going to pretend that cleaning off a barbecue that has been left neglected is a picnic – I’ve done it myself – but the experience should be enough to teach you to clean, dry and season the barbecue machine properly before you put it away next time. It’ll mean one less spring cleaning job next year.
TweetHousehold cleaning products contain antibacterial ingredients which are widely available and used by a lot of people. Such products are also quite popular. A possible benefit of using the antibacterial product for home hygiene must be weighed against theoretical risk for antibiotic or antiseptic resistance. Studies and research surveys have been conducted too, to view the benefits of the household cleaning products to the household people using it on a frequent basis.
Surveys conducted on the product usage: There is an advantage of such community based studies as it has an opportunity to track down infections, if any in the household. It was found that, even though such antibacterial cleaning and hand washing products are being used frequently in the United States, a lot of people spread skin bacteria by using products having non-antibacterial soap. Dirty hands are the primary source which spread numerous viruses; one can avoid such bacteria by regularly using the antibacterial ingredients.
The primary concern of such studies was to measure the public health effect rather than determining the causative agents and surveys were conducted about the access of infections symptomatically. This was done because specific symptoms measured the load of household illness.
Findings of such surveys done: The findings, however conclude that some of the infections can be caused by either not using the antibacterial products or by using too much of such products and not washing the hands properly after using the same. Further, the spread of diseases like gastrointestinal infections or any skin infection can be due to hereditary factors as well where household members have lower immunities and resistance to disease.
This survey conducted even suggests that the care providers and the manufacturers should educate the consumers on the appropriate use and limitations of any household antibacterial products. There is also an additional research which is indicated to understand the possible health benefits connected with the increased use of household cleaning products, irrespective of whether such products contain antibacterial ingredients or not.
Interventions: The household people are recommended to use antibacterial products for laundry, hand washing and for general house cleaning. All such products are available at the counter.
Usage of the antibacterial product: Over the past few years, there has been a majority of household cleaning products which advertise antibacterial qualities and the demand for this has increased. However, too much usage of such products is not recommended and improper usage of the product can cause the surviving bacteria to change and become super germs to avoid the antibacterial ingredients. Such germs are antibiotic resistant. If a person wants to use antibacterial products, he should ensure that he uses them for the proper duration in order to prevent their adverse effects.
One can even reduce indoor air pollution. Ones home may become an energy efficient domain which can reduce the use of certain resources like coal or oil. And, the reduction of fresh air in the house can cause the indoor air to be more polluted with toxic chemicals and fumes.
Tweet* In spite of all the promises made by a lot of commercial cleaning products, water is all you really need for the majority of jobs, such as wiping down tables and dusting. Water dissolves an awful lot of smears and will float dirt off. If you have a lot of dusting to do (around windowsills, on bookshelves, etc), you will need several rags, as one will get dirty very quickly. Warm water is not necessary but it can make things a bit more pleasant.
* While doing so will make your manicurist gasp in horror, fingernails are superb cleaning tools. You can’t beat them for cleaning wax off wood or tablecloths (in the case of a tablecloth, you may need to get the last bit of residue off by padding the area of the spill with a lot of loo paper or tissues, then holding a hot iron over the spot to melt the wax so it can be absorbed by the paper). And they also help get stubborn fly-spots and the like off windows.
* Newspapers are great for window cleaning. Scrunch them up and use them to buff the glass up after spraying on whatever window cleaner fancy. The ammonia based products can be tough on the eyes and nose, but dilute vinegar (the best natural alternative, closely followed by dilute vodka) works just as well. Change sheets of newspaper as soon as they look damp or they will disintegrate and leave papier-mâché all over the window, TV screen (a CRT glass screen) or shower door.
* Keep old toothbrushes. They are perfect for getting into lots of little nooks and crannies that get covered with gunk. Have one for cleaning around the hinge of the loo seat and another one for other scrubbing jobs (e.g. around filigree or fretwork in wood).
* If you have to scrub a floor on your hands and knees, get hold of one of those kneeling mats sold in garden shops. Don’t use a cushion – it will get soaked and grubby.
* Use a transistor radio or a ghettoblaster to give yourself something to listen to as you work. Cleaning can be done on autopilot. Using an iPod or other personal stereo with a headset is possible but the cords can get in the way as you work.
* A feather duster made of real feathers is great for cleaning computers, as they use static electricity to pick up dust and other gunk from keyboards and off plasma/LCD screens. Hen feathers are pretty good, but ostrich feathers are better still, if you can get them. These look like the classic sexy maid prop, but if you want to use one for this purpose, have one for work and one for… play… as the work one picks up heaps of dust. Give a feather duster a good shake outside on a windy day to get rid of the dust.
* Work systematically when vacuuming. As you will need to go back and forth over a section of carpet, it’s best to divide the floor up into sections and work section by section. This means you are less likely to miss any of the floor.
TweetHouse cleaning products are expensive. I can go into a supermarket and spend a hundred pounds on cleaning products alone. Now modern research tells us that many of the products we use and spend so much money for carry toxins. They are also telling us that these cleaning products can be hazardous to our health in the long run.
Therefore, I decided to do my own research and I came up with many ways to clean your home inexpensively. The mixtures I came up with are cleaning recipes to create natural cleaning products that you can easily make using the products you already have in your home. These cleaning mixtures are safe and not hazardous to your health and in the long-run will save you lots of money.
Now with the holidays coming up I am sure you need to save every possible penny. So, let us begin. Below is a list of cleaning recipes for all areas in your home.
Glass:
- To wash your windows use 2 to 3 tablespoons of vinegar to three liters of warm water. Dry with rutted newspaper for sparkling results.
- Do you have dirty vases in your home? Put in 1 tablespoon of vinegar and fill with warm water. Leave it to soak for 10 minutes. Rub the vases with a soft cloth then rinse.
Wood Floors:
- Mix one part olive oil with one part lemon juice. Rub on furniture or apply with a spray bottle, then polish the wood with a dry cloth. Use this mix to make wood floors gleam.
Vinyl, Laminate or Ceramic Floors:
- Mop vinyl, laminate or ceramic tiled floors with 8 tablespoons of vinegar watered down in 3 liters of hot water.
- For pet odors and stains in carpets, mix equal parts of vinegar and water. Apply to affected areas. Use the mixture with kitchen paper towels, until moisture is absorbed. You may need to repeat the process one or two times.
Stainless Steel:
- Clean and shine any stainless steel surface with a paste of soda and water. Apply freely with a damp cloth. Leave for about 5 minutes, then wipe.
Microwaves and Ovens:
- Clean with a cloth dampened in equal parts of vinegar and water.
- To remove microwave odors, place some lemon slices in a bowl of water. Then put on high for a few minutes.
Baths, shower doors, tiles and grout:
- To get rid of body oils and soap scum use two parts soda to one part vinegar or lemon juice. This will create a thick paste. Use the thick paste with a damp cloth. Leave for 10 minutes then rub with a brush or sponge. As you rinse it off, drains will be kept fresh too. Use this mix on shower doors, sinks, tiles and grout. If cleaning grout, rub with a toothbrush.
Mildew and mold:
- To get rid of black spots use one part vinegar or lemon juice to one part baking powder. Apply and leave for one or two hours. Rinse off. It may need to be reapplied or left longer, depending on how severe your mold or mildew is.
Air Freshener:
- Baking soda eliminates odors. Mix 8 tablespoons with three drops of your favorite essential oil. Place in a decorative bowl or vase.
- Soda in the bottom of ashtrays absorbs smoke smells. It is also like sand for stubbing out cigarettes.
- Put some essential oil on a light bulb. When on, the heat will diffuse the fragrance.
Toilet:
- Keep the toilet clean and fresh – put eight tablespoons of soda in the bowl. Leave overnight.
- Sprinkle soda onto a damp cloth to clean toilet seat and tank, then wipe with a wet cloth.
Drain cleaner:
- Use one part soda, with four parts hot vinegar. Leave overnight if possible.
