General Cleaning Tips

Baby wipes are miracle workers. They can be used for dusting, polishing shoes, and cleaning car dashboards. They will even remove stains from carpet! They will even remove hard to get out things like motor oil and blood.

Use baking soda on just about any cleaning job when you need some extra help but don’t want a harsh abrasive.

Use a squeegee on smooth surfaces.

Don’t mix cleaning products. Ammonia and bleach are toxic. Remember common cleaners such as windex and comet meet this don’t do rule. Allowing cleaners to set for several minutes will ease the cleaning job.

Use old or unmatched socks to clean yucky places like around the toilet. Then, when you’re done, just throw away the sock!

Instead of buying the new, wet wipes for the Swiffer sweeper, I made my own. (It took 2 wet clothes just to barely clean my kitchen floor, and I did this everyday.) I had old cloth diapers lying around that I didn’t know what to do with; the really nice, thick ones. I prepared my cleaning product, put it in the sink. Then I put the diaper in, gently wring it out, and put it on the Swiffer. I have to say, because of the thickness, it did a better job of getting the floor clean, and when it was dirty I just went to the sink, rinsed it out and put it on again. I threw it in the laundry pile when I was done. I have also heard of using old receiving blankets cut down to size for this.

Earth friendly tips: When you buy cleaning products, look for ones that are non-toxic, biodegradable, phosphate-free, and chlorine-free. Use natural fiber sponges. Reduce paper use. Use rags instead of paper towels and cloth napkins instead of paper napkins.

When you dust, start at the top and work down.

To remove pet hair from anything, just add a little liquid fabric softener to your bucket or spray bottle. Mix with plain water and spray lightly on fabric let dry, then vacuum or brush off.

Dampen the dustpan before you sweep up your pile of dirt. Dust won’t drift right back out.

A thorough dusting will help preserve your furniture and draperies

When dusting, gather the dust in the cloth and do not scatter or stir the dust.

Keep a paint brush on hand to help out with the dusting. A paint brush is perfect to get down in crevices and get the dust out. I also keep a stencil brush when the paint brush doesn’t do as good of a job as I would like. It’s a little stiffer and seems to work better to get dust out of some places.

Vacuum cleaners are great dusters. The upholstery attachment is handy for things like cobwebs, lamp shades, the television screen and the heating vents/cold air returns. Crevice tools will reach odd places and window sills and such.

They have a lot of new styles in dusters now. Try to match some to your cleaning style. Narrow ones are great for things like computer keyboards and the cooling coils under the refrigerator. Some of the long ones are capable of being bent into shapes, and can get to odd places. Try bending them into an L shape for getting cobwebs along room edges or ceiling fan blades. The static-type dusters work well on knick-knacks and what-nots.

It may be best to use just plain old water on a cloth to wipe dust from most surfaces. Not soaking wet, but just barely damp to pick up the dust.

Wear an old sock on each hand like a glove and go at dusty surfaces with both hands at once.

Reuse old dryer sheets for dusting instead of the new Pledge or Swiffer cloths.

Use paint brushes to dust cracks and hard to reach places in telephones, stereos, computer keyboards, etc.

If you have a vacuum cleaner with lots of attachments, put it to work. It can easily dust things like window blinds, ceiling fans, window screens, shelves, books, knick knacks and more. Great for picking up dry spills, cleaning under the refrigerator and the refrigerator coils.

Use the vacuum cleaner to quickly clean kitchen drawers without removing everything. Place a layer of cheesecloth over the suction tube and vacuum out any crumbs, dirt and debris.

Good commercial cleaners are “The Works”, “Bonami” and “Barkeepers Friend”.

Undiluted white vinegar straight from the jug makes quick work of tougher cleaning problems involving hard water deposits or soap scum.

To disinfect and clean a hard surface, use rubbing alcohol. Use it on any surface that you would normally use window cleaner on.

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