Guru of Grime

Microfiber dust mops are made of  ”micro” fiber so they pick up much more debris, dirt and dust than traditional dust mop heads and they contain the dust much better in the  fibers. Holding the dirt in the fibers is important otherwise it would disperse back into the air and fall back onto the floor. They can be used on all kinds of floors including granite, marble, wood, linoleum, VCT, saltillo and ceramic tile. They are very easy to use – the pads attach to the frame with velcro and after use can be thrown in the washer or re-used if not heavily soiled.  There is no need for dust mop treatment.  You may have to wet mop much less often the more you use your dust mop.  The floor will shine better and not have that dull lifeless look.  

Dust mopping, aka dry mopping, is your first and most important step to beautiful floors.

Continue reading

dust mops, flat mops, microfiber

I’ve been asked a bizzilion times if there is a technique to cleaning windows with a rubber squeegee……there is not. You can go side to side, up to down, or swirl. It’s whatever works for you and leaves no water streaks behind. Make sure you always wipe up your drips on the sills with a lint free rag and use a product in your water that won’t leave residue behind.

Continue reading

lint free rags, squeegees, window cleaning, window squeegee cleaning

The simple answer is YES. Now you want to know the WHY….right?

You should keep your glass cooktop clean by wiping after cooking and polishing weekly or monthly. The polish goes on like car wax and buffs off like car wax.   It removes a lot of the burned on messes but also protects the surface and makes future cleanings much easier.    Use a good polish, the cheaper ones don’t work as well or protect as well. 

Continue reading

ceramic stove tops, glass stovetops, stovetop polishing

How do they keep those restrooms in office buildings smelling so good all the time?  I’ll tell you – automated scent machines.  What’s that?  It’s a machine that is programmed by you to dispense scent from a can at periodic intervals.  You can set the machine to dispense only in the presence of light ,so if you turn the lights off, the machine will not dispense any scent.  You can also set it to dispense 24 hours a day at 5, 10, or 15 minute intervals.  It takes one “D” cell battery which should be replaced every 3-6 months depending on how you have the machine set up to dispense.  There are over 20 scents to choose from so everyone can find something they like.  These machines can be placed on a bookcase, plant ledge, or mounted on the wall with screws.

 The can can also be used as a manual spray, just hold the button down and you’ll get one spritz of highly concentrated scent.

These machines and cans are commercial grade, not what you’d find at the grocery store or discount store.

Imagine, odor control anywhere, 24 hours a day if you prefer.

Continue reading

It’s important to dust mop to remove the dirt and dust that can be ground into your floor. It doesn’t matter if it’s stone, wood, ceramic tile or VCT.  That dust can be ground into the pores of the floor and make it look dull and lifeless. Dust mop several times a week and you’ll see how much more shiny your floor becomes.

Traditional flat mops are made of cotton or a blend of cotton/poly.  They have a string like appearance and get into all the nooks and crannies to remove all the hidden debris. Sizes range from 12″ to 60″ depending on the size of the area to dust mop.  Remove them from the frame to wash when needed.  The more you dry mop you may find the less you have to wet mop or damp mop your floors.

Continue reading

dry mopping, dust mopping, flat mops

What about Cutting Boards? Whether your board is plastic, nylon or wood, they should be cleaned after each use and sanitized. Remove most of the debris from the cutting board with paper towels. Wash the board with a wet cloth and a tiny little bit of dish soap, then rinse with water. Mix a little sanitizing solution. I have three methods – bleach, vinegar, or hydrogen peroxide. 

Bleach –  Mix one tablespoon of bleach to one gallon of warm water for the plastic boards. Increase the bleach to three tablespoons for wood boards. Soak the plastic one for just a few minutes then let air dry. Liberally spray the wood cutting board and let it sit for five minutes then wipe dry. Never soak a wood board.

Vinegar –  To disinfect and clean your wood cutting boards or butcher block countertop, mix one part vinegar to four parts water or stronger if you like. The acetic acid in the vinegar disinfects, effective against E. coli, Salmonella, and Staphylococcus. If your wooden cutting surface needs deodorizing as well as disinfecting, spread some baking soda over it and then spray on undiluted white vinegar. It will bubble and foam….let it go for five to ten minutes, then rinse with a dish cloth soaked in cold water.

Hydrogen Peroxide -  The kind you have in your medicine cabinet is usually 3% which will work just fine for this application.  Put some in a spray bottle.  After wiping off the cutting board, spray the hydrogen peroxide all over the board.  Allow it to sit for at least five minutes and wipe off or let it air dry.

Hydrogen peroxide is a powerful oxidizing agent, which means it works especially well on all organic (food, soil, plant, blood, or other naturally produced) stains and soiling.

Remember that in stronger concentrations, anything over 6% solutions,  it is considered a bleaching agent. So, rather than using stronger concentrations for cleaning simply allow standard 3% solution to work for a few minutes to achieve cleaning without any bleaching effect.

Not only that, but hydrogen peroxide leaves absolutely no residues, toxins or chemicals in the environment. It breaks down to water and oxygen, even while disinfecting and killing dangerous bacteria and viruses.

Unlike many new “anti-bacterial” cleaners now found to leave up to 70 percent of their active anti-bacterial agents behind, showing up in waterways, on agricultural lands and in forests and other natural environments, hydrogen peroxide truly “disappears without a trace” as a natural consequence of its exposure to the environment.

Countertops and all around the kitchen…..use one tablespoon of bleach per gallon of water and fill quart bottles. Spray on countertops (not recommended for stone), kitchen tables, sinks, and garbage cans.  Can also use the very safe hydrogen peroxide method.  Simply put some in a spray bottle and go to town on countertops, sinks, garbage cans, stove tops, glass, mirrors, you name it.

Continue reading

clean cutting boards, hydrogen peroxide for sanitizing, sanitize countertops, sanitizing cutting boards, vinegar for sanitizing

So I’m sitting here making my Thanksgiving list of things to do, buy or make.  I also prepare for the mess I’m going to make….and let me tell you, I make a mess.  However, with a few tips I’m going to share with you, I can keep the clean up to a minimum.

To keep the oven from appearing like a volcano shot off, I put a large sheet of heavy duty tin foil on the bottom of the oven. This helps keep the bottom of the oven clean when things bubble over or splatter.  This is also where spills can sit for weeks or months and become petrified.   I  found a pre-made spill sheet made like those disposable tins you can purchase ie roasting pans, pie pans and cookie sheets.   They are not always so easy to find so I substitute with the foil.  Make sure you use the large size foil to ensure you cover the entire bottom of the oven.  Do not place on any burner elements.  I also recommend using the heavy duty in case you get massive spilling or burning of the spillage.

To clean the oven, put a bowl of ammonia in a cold oven overnight.  By morning the baked on gunk should be easier to wipe away.  If you still have stubborn stains, make a paste out of baking soda and water.  Apply the paste and let it sit several hours or overnight, then scrub the stains with a non-scratch pad.  Wipe away the residue. 

Continue reading

cleaning ovens, ovens

Always blot your carpet stains with a clean towel. If you rub the stain, you’re actually grinding it deeper into the carpet.

Continue reading

You should clean your sponges often if not daily because dirt, germs and bacteria have the perfect haven for hiding.  Here’s a couple different methods to clean and sanitize them. 

You can simply pop the sponge in the top rack of your dishwasher or microwave the damp/wet sponge for about a minute.  The high temperatures will kill the germs and bacteria.  You can also soak them in a very mild bleach solution…..one tablespoon of bleach per gallon of water and let it soak for about five minutes.  The last method I’ll mention doesn’t get a lot of attention and that’s cleaning them with hydrogen peroxide.  Household hydrogen peroxide is 3% and works great  for sanitizing and removing stains.  Soak your sponge in 3% hydrogen peroxide for about five minutes and it will be germ free, fresh smelling and brighter in color.  You can purchase hydrogen peroxide in bulk at some health food stores as well as online.  Some people don’t like the smell of bleach so the hydrogen peroxide method would work great for those folks.

Continue reading

cleaning sponges, disinfecting sponges, kitchen sponge cleaning, sanitizing sponges