Comments Off | Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Your Guide to Keeping House Cleaning Under Control
From the kitchen to the bedroom here is a how to for keeping your home neat and tidy.
Linda, the Queen of Clean, shares her secrets for a shipshape home.
FLOORS
The key with floors is to focus on high-traffic areas. If you keep those clean, your floors will stay fresh looking forever — well, almost.
Each week, attend to the most heavily traveled areas of your home. These include the hallways and entryways where your family walks all the time, and of course, the kitchen floor.
For wood floors: Vacuum with an appropriate vacuum or dust with a good microfiber dust mop to pick up dirt before you wash it. Then put hot water and up to six tea bags in a bucket. Make it strong. And wash the floor with that. The tannic acid in tea is really, really good for wood floors. It doesn’t stain; it’s inexpensive, natural and it’s safe for pets and kids. When you wring out your mop, wring it until it’s just damp; you don’t want to put a lot of water onto your floor.
For vinyl: Again, vacuum with an appropriate vacuum or dust with a good microfiber dust mop. Then put a gallon of plain water, or water with just a tablespoon of Borax, into a bucket. And wash your floor with that same microfiber mop.
For tile: As with all hard flooring, vacuum with an appropriate vacuum or dust with a good microfiber dust mop first. Caution, that ceramic tile owner’s stay away from vinegar-based cleaning products, it’s an acid and can etch your grout, she notes. Instead, you can use an all-purpose cleaner or a tablespoon of Borax in water, and remember to wring out your mop well as you’re working.
For carpet: Use the beater on your vacuum, set it for the appropriate height of your carpet and vacuum in different directions, and . If you do this twice a week, move horizontally once, vertically next. If its once a week varies your stroke, she suggests. To save time, remember to keep the canister or bag cleaned out, since you lose suction when it’s filled up. Make it a habit to dump it after you vacuum, .
KITCHEN
You already do the dishes, but are you doing everything else you should to keep it clean and fresh? Find out!
For countertops: Wipe up after cooking with a good all-purpose cleaner. You can also disinfect cutting boards with your own homemade solution of a quart of water mixed with a tablespoon of liquid bleach, .
For stovetops: A little baking soda on a damp sponge cleans your stovetop naturally. Best of all, you can use it without rubber gloves, . (Obviously, if you haven’t been using your stove, there’s no need to clean the cook top.)
For appliances: recommends that you keep a spray bottle filled with a homemade mixture of 50 percent rubbing alcohol and 50 percent water. This is great for chrome, glass and stainless-steel appliances. You can clean your other appliance faces with club soda, it can even be soda that’s gone flat.
For cabinet faces: Laminate cabinets clean up nicely with an all-purpose cleaner. For wood cabinets, buff them with lemon oil or Avon Original Bath Oil. Grease will roll right up and you don’t have to do any washing.
BATHROOMS
Sorry, folks. Nothing gets used more, so every week you need to do a thorough cleaning. Obviously guest bathrooms that don’t get much use are the exception to this rule. Give them a monthly pass.
For sink area: I wipe up mine daily with an all-purpose cleaner just to get the toothpaste and hairstyling residue off. Daily wiping up can spare you time and energy when you’re ready for your weekly blast.
For mirrors: Keep a spray bottle filled with a homemade mixture of 50 percent rubbing alcohol and 50 percent water. Never spray this directly onto your mirror, it can get behind the mirror and damage the finish. Instead, spray it onto your rag and wipe.
For glass shower doors: Take lemon oil, spread it on, go over it with a scrubbing sponge and then go over it with a soapy sponge, . Deposits and soap scum will come right off.
For your toilet: Here’s ’s craziest tip. Sprinkle the sides of your bowl with a few teaspoons of Tang (yes, the breakfast drink mix). Let it sit, then brush and flush. The acetic acid in Tang cleans it out beautifully. Even if you have a dog that drinks out of the toilet it won’t hurt him, and it really works, she adds.
For a vinyl shower curtain: Throw the shower curtain in the washing machine with a few towels, a cup of white vinegar and your detergent, then air dry. It should be squeaky clean.
BEDROOMS
The less clutter you have in your bedroom, the better it is. The problem: Clutter catches dust, and bedrooms are notoriously dusty, making them fertile ground for dust mites, a major allergen. Aside from laundering your sheets and comforters regularly, here’s what you can to do to keep a dust-free boudoir.
Vacuum under your bed at least every other week. (If you have allergies, keep carpet out of the bedroom altogether to minimize the problem.)
For the mattress: Vacuuming your mattress once a month helps discourage dust mites. For the mattress pad: Wash in hot water every month.
ORGANIZED OFFICE
When it comes to a desk or home office area, containment is everything, Here’s how to keep those stacks from overflowing.
Sort mail at the recycling bin & throw out all the junk and only bring in the stuff you need to keep. For the stuff you keep, make sure you have an in box and an out box to capture it all.
For papers: Every month, go through your papers and file them. Go through your files and toss anything that’s old or out-of-date. A shredder is essential. It helps protect your family and reduces the amount of trash that you have, .
KIDS’ ROOMS
The most important thing is giving kids a place to put their stuff.
Make it a ritual for kids to put their stuff away before bedtime. You may need to help the little ones, but as they grow older, they’ll learn how to do it and will do it themselves.
Kids can put away their own clothes if their dressers are anchored to the wall and their clothing rod is at the right height.
To keep the clutter down, only allow kids to have a certain amount of toys in circulation, advises take some away and store them in the garage or shed. The following month, your children can have a new selection to play with while the others go into storage.
So it’s time to get started. Take one room at a time and see your result SHINE!