More Spring Cleaning Tips

I know that we have had a couple of previous spring cleaning posts that I hope you enjoyed, but I hope you enjoy more spring cleaning tips even more! This is a direct conclusion to our last week’s post of Spring Cleaning Tips. This week we are continuing with some more easy and simple cleaning tips that can be done year-round.

MAKE THAT GROUT SHOUT: When cleaning bathroom and kitchen tiles, make sure you are doing so with a cleaner that has “neutral pH” on the label, Zep and Odo Ban are a couple of companies that make these. If you can’t get a hold of this kind of cleaner, you can also mix baking soda and water for a homemade cleaner. To make it: pour 1/2 cup baking soda into 2 gallons water and mix very well. Then apply the liquid with a string mop or sponge mop. For grout, use the same baking soda and water mixture, but for tough stains, call in the pros.

TRICKY COUNTERTOP STAIN REMOVAL: Getting rid of stains on granite can be

tricky, but the key to clean encounter success is to wipe up stains ASAP. Also, Make sure to have your countertop sealed a few times as soon as it’s installed. You’ll know it’s sealed properly when water beads and forms droplets on the surface. Though it may seem that once is enough but have it sealed again a year later. You can remove soap scum or mildew with a solution of 1/2 cup ammonia in a gallon of water. For most coffee or juice stains, you can use a little hydrogen peroxide in water, plus a few drops of ammonia. For everyday wear-and-tear, buff away small scratches with superfine dry steel wool, called grade 0000 (the finest.)

PUT YOUR BOOKS IN LINE: Sort books by size and subject. Remove and discard any ripped dust jackets. Line books, some vertically, some horizontally, in a rhythmic pattern. This will add some pizazz to the shelf instead of seeing the same distribution of books. If you have extra space get bookends to add style to the room and maybe a few chochkis!

CLEAN RUGS NOT DRUGS: You should clean your area rugs every four or five years. If

it’s in an unused area of your home you can wait every 10 years. Overcleaning contributes to wear and tear. Really fine silk rugs need to be cleaned only every 20 or 30 years. For treating stains at home, keep a bottle of club soda on hand. Stains caused by pets, coffee, orange soda, red wine, and anything with dye or an acid-base are the hardest to remove. The key to clean success- move ASAP to act quickly. Pour club soda directly onto the area, let the soda absorb into the yarn, and it will neutralize the acid. Blot again and again, until the residue is gone. For bloodstains, you should use milk instead, and for soil and grease-based stains, mix 1 part Ivory soap detergent with 16 parts water. If you still see residue when it dries, call an expert.

MAKE YOUR SILVER SHINE: The best method to get your silver gleaming again id to use a toothbrush and Hagerty Silver Foam on your silver. This foam isn’t too abrasive and it’s water-soluble. If you have a really bad black tarnish, Simichrome Polish is also a great cleanser. Make sure you never put your silver in the dishwasher and when you store it, put it into anti-tarnish cloth bags to save you from having to scrub it again.

DIRTY WOOD FLOOR-NO MORE:  To keep your wood floors looking like new you need to avoid oversanding, make sure to place trivets or saucers under plants to avoid water damage, use furniture protectors to avoid scratches, (these can be bought at a furniture or hardware store). Make sure that you also damp-mop once a week with a mild soap like Murphy Oil Soap and if they don’t have your floors sealed to avoid water damage or scrapes into the actual wood.

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