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Q. My New Year’s resolution is to stop smoking. But how can I make my rugs, furniture and draperies stop smelling like cigarettes?A. Start from the top and work your way down cleaning smoke from your home, cleaning more than once if necessary and consider bringing in professional help as needed. From clothes to furniture, smoke can permeate surfaces and the odor and discoloration can be hard to dislodge, especially if they’ve been accumulating…
Understand the language of soaps and detergents.
ALCOHOL: A class of organic compounds containing one or more hydroxyl groups. The alcohols used in light duty and liquid laundry detergents are isopropanol or ethanol (ethyl alcohol). These alcohols are used at low levels in liquid detergent formulations to control viscosity, to act as a solvent for other ingredients, and to provide resistance to low and freezing temperatures encountered in shipping, warehousing, and use. &…
Summer’s here, and with it, the increased awareness of, and need for, sunscreen. We need the protection, but our tile floors? Not so much. Fortunately, there are easy ways to clean up when we accidentally slather and spray SPF on surfaces other than our skin.
Clothes
While that’s definitely good news for you and your kids, it sounds like the family wardrobe didn’t make out as well. But don’t fear; most commercially available bug sprays and sunscreens do wash out relatively…
For best results, always read and follow label directions on cleaning products. Labels will give specific instructions for types of surfaces the cleaner should or shouldn't be used on, how much to use and how to use the product. Also, read and follow the use and care guides that come with fixtures, appliances and other surfaces.
Do not mix cleaning products. Products which are safe when used alone can sometimes become dangerous if mixed…
From her many jobs as cook, cleaner, grocery shopper, chauffeur and social director, mom typically receives just one day off a year - Mother's Day.
In a 2000 national survey by American Cleaning Institute, 82 percent of moms said that they would like to see the housework vacation that they enjoy on Mother's Day happen more often.
"Today's mothers have to juggle so many more responsibilities than they did when the first Mother's Day was celebrated in…
Q. Our family really loves pumpkin – pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread, pumpkin soup have all been part of our Thanksgiving meal. Inevitably, we get pumpkin stains on our tablecloth and the cloth napkins we reserve for special dinners. How do I get these stains out?
Scrape off any excess pumpkin and then flush under cold water to loosen the stain. Pretreat with a prewash stain remover. Launder in the hottest water that's safe for the fabric, using chlorine bleach, if safe for…
Dishwashers are great time savers. To keep you and your family safe the American Cleaning Institute offers a dozen tips for dishwasher safety:
Place sharp items, like knives, with points down in the utensil basket.
Carefully place glassware to prevent breaking/chipping. Make sure they can’t rattle against each other when the dishes and glasses are sprayed with the water or when you slide the rack in or out.
Avoid overloading. Crowing glasses and plates can…
Getting into a home cleaning routine can make maintaining a tidy living space easier.Daily Home Cleaning TasksClean high-touch surfaces and do a quick sweep of high-traffic areas.Do laundry (if needed)Wipe kitchen counters and tables after meals and run the dishwasher.Put away clutter and spot clean.Weekly Home Cleaning TasksVacuum or mop floors in all rooms.Dust surfaces, including shelves and furniture.Clean bathrooms: wipe sinks, counters,…