Cleaning grout can be a tedious task; one trick I have used in the past is to spray the grout after a shower using a homemade mixture of bleach: Dilute the bleach with water 1 part bleach to 3 parts water before cleaning with it. Bleach is especially good for removing mold and mildew. It kills the mold and disinfectants too. It also removes stains and discolorations from white grout. Do not use beach on colored grout it can discolor the grout. Be careful when using bleach and any other cleaners, never mix cleaning chemicals especially those containing ammonia.
I also keep a plastic squeegee in the shower and do a quick squeegee of the walls and door to reduce the amount of hard water staining on the tile and grout.
Another quick option is to buy a Grout Pen which basically paints on a color to replace the dirty looking grout, but you have to clean first anyway before you can color the grout.
Cleaning Grout
Cleaning grout can be a pain but by doing some of the work on an ongoing basis it can make the task easier.
What is steam cleaning? Here is some basic info on the details of steam cleaning.
Steam cleaning is a term often mistakenly used when referring to carpet cleaning. Typical commercial carpet cleaning machines use wet extraction often using heated water, not steam. Steam vapor machines advertised these days on late night TV use water heated to a vaporwhich uses far less water than conventional carpet cleaning machines. The steam vapor machines use very little water measured in quarts per hour compared to carpet cleaning machine measured in gallons per minute.
A steam vapor machine is a cleaning system that uses steam to quickly, clean, and sanitize inanimate surfaces. This method of steam cleaning uses so little water items cleaned dry very quickly. This process is effective enough to disinfect or even sterilize the surfaces. The steam is produced in a boiler that heats tap water to high temperatures (240-310F/115-155C) to produce low-pressure, low moisture (4 to 6% water) water vapor (steam).
Steam cleaning
There are many companies that make vapor steam cleaners, with products ranging from higher-end industrial products to inexpensive consumer models.
Vapor steam cleaners are sold as examples of green cleaning since they do not require the use of chemical cleaning solutions. They are growing in popularity because of steam vapor’s ability to kill germs and in some cases disinfect without the use of chemical disinfectants.]Steam vapor has also been cited as effective in killing dust mites in carpet, bedding, and upholstery.
Vapor steam cleaners are often used in hypoallergenic environments because they do not require the use of additional cleaning chemicals, which results in better indoor air quality. Steam has been shown effective in combating mold, bacteria & viruses.
Steam cleaners are relatively new tools used for cleaning that do not require any chemicals. Here we have gathered some useful information for people wanting to know more about steam cleaners or people who are looking to buy one.
Two types of steam cleaners
There are basically two types of steam cleaners. The difference is based on how the steam is created in the apparatus.
Cooler but more humid steam cleaner, without a boiler.
This type will generate the steam without actually boiling water. This means that the steam will not be as hot as real steam but a bit cooler. On the other hand it will hold more water and therefore the steam will be more humid/contains more water.
Hot and dry steam cleaner.
The second type is a system that boils the water and thus creates a very hot steam, above 260 degrees Celcius usually. A boiler fed system creates a very low humidity steam, a so-called dry steam. These steam cleaners are therefore sometimes referred to as dry steam cleaners.
What kind of vapor steam cleaner should I choose?
The boiler fed system is likely best
The steam leaves less moisture on the surface. This means that the surfaces you clean dry much faster.
Boiler fed systems create much more heat than the non-boiler steam cleaner – steam temperatures over 300 degrees. Due to this excessive heat you need to scrub less and further the heat will sanitize as the high temperatures effectively kills germs and bacteria’s.
A little water goes a long way with a boiler fed system; one quart of water produces about a thousand gallons of steam.
Less moisture is left in the indoor environment, far better for those suffering from allergies.
No chemicals needed.
Portable steam cleaners (hand held steam cleaners) Portable steam cleaner are made as smaller and more handy devices. The hand held steam cleaners are less powerful than the regular steam cleaners but also cheaper. The applications vary, but are generally for smaller jobs such as cleaning a stove for example.
There are many options for steam cleaning systems on the market today, truthfully I am not convinced it is worth the expense overall. It seems like it just adds a piece of complicated machinery to your cleaning kit when the cleaning really can be done using tried and true cleaning methods. But no doubt steam cleaning is an environmentally friendly way to clean.
When should you be employing a commercial cleaning company to help with your cleaning? Certainly as a business you would hire a commercial cleaning company allowing your employees to focus on the work which makes your business successful. When would you hire a commercial cleaning company for yourself personally? There are a few scenarios where hiring one is essential for sure. As an example if you have any type of fire damage, you certainly need a trained professional in this case to evaluate and clean and repair any damage should a fire occur in your home. It may not necessarily mean it has to be a large fire, a small appliance fire and cause significant damage to a home from surfaces affected by the smoke damage which requires professional cleaning to electronics affected by the smoke etc
Another scenario where you would require a commercial cleaning company is if you have water, or mold damage to your home. A leak or burst pipe and cause tremendous damage that if not properly cleaned or accessed can cause even further damage or health issues if the leak is not repaired properly or cleaned up and dried out professionally. Even high humidity or warm, moist air condensing on cool surfaces can trigger mold problems. It is always best to have the mold evaluated and removed by a professional cleaning company.
Commercial Cleaning
When you have large volumes of cleaning to be done is another situation where you would require a commercial cleaning company, like a post construction cleaning. Even a very small renovation will cause enough dust and dirt to make doing it on your own a task too tough to tackle.
The last scenario where you would want to hire a commercial cleaning company is if you just want a greater quality of life, and don’t want to do the cleaning anymore. Part of it is just not wanting to have to work after you have finished work. So you can relax when you are home. Allot has to do with how neat you are in your day to day life, if you are always tidying up after doing the cooking, etc. Then maybe major cleaning is never really necessary. But if you are like me and have young children and teenagers in the house no matter how neat or on top of it you are a major cleaning is always in the cards each week. Either way, take the time to research the prospective cleaning company you hire, are they experienced in the type of cleaning you need to get done. Does the company do a lot work in the area where you need the cleaning done? This is important because if they do not do a lot of work in your area when your regular cleaner is sick, they will not be able to replace them easily. Do they have insurance? Have they done police record checks on their employees? These are all things to consider when looking for a commercial cleaning company.
Whatever your refrigerator or freezer is, may it be a small and simple one or the big ones like the American style fridge freezers, it is of paramount importance that you maintain it properly and clean it regularly so as to avoid the foul smell that it may produce. Maintaining fridges helps not only in getting rid of foul odors but in prolonging its life as well. There are many ways and materials that may be used to clean any fridge. Some tips are listed below.
For a fridge that has a day or two of odors, baking soda will work, however if the fridge has been absorbing fragrant odors for several months, you have to be more aggressive to remove the smells.
The first step,is to thoroughly clean the fridge removing all the items shelf by shelf and wiping down with a general purpose cleaner will go a long way to removing smells. For more persistent smells try a shallow pan of active charcoal, which you can find at your local pet store or aquarium supplier. Let this sit for a few days and see if it helps enough to make it tolerable. Another great hint is to fill a shallow pan with fresh ground up coffee. This smell is very powerful, and is easily absorbed by the plastic. This masks the problem rather than removing the odors, but it is likely better to smell coffee, than, well, whatever it smelled like before.
For more severe smells that will not be removed by conventional means, we have one final idea. Empty the fridge being sure that it is turned ON. Crumple up some old newspaper, and mist the paper with water. Stuff the fridge full of these big balls until it is entirely filled. Replace the old newspaper, with new, freshly moistened newspaper balls every other day. Repeat this four or five times (yes, this will take a week to 10 days!).
It is possible the fridge will require defrosting once you have done this, if the moisture has migrated up the freezer, and don’t forget to empty the drip tray as well!
Even when you are done all this, the baking soda, and/or ground coffee won’t hurt, although the coffee may tend to flavor unsealed food as well. Fridge smells can be persistant but remember to faster you clean messes or throw out old food the easier it is to keep your fridge smelling fresh.
New carpet can improve the appearance of any room, but how can carpet that is walked on every day continue looking new? To keep your carpet clean, it’s necessary to vacuum regularly with a strong, well-functioning and properly-filtered vacuum cleaner. Unfortunately, due to traffic, children, pets and normal wear, carpet fibers inevitably become soiled, and a dull appearance results. And no matter how much you vacuum, eventually you will need to call a professional carpet cleaner for a professional carpet cleaning.
Regular professional cleaning using a Certified Firm is as important to your carpet as having a trained mechanic perform routine tune-ups on your car. While your carpet may appear clean on the surface, periodic cleaning by a certified technician can remove what you can’t see and help your carpet retain its fresh, beautiful appearance.
Carpet Cleaning
The largest association which certifies and trains carpet cleaners is the www.iicrc.org unfortunately anyone can by carpet cleaning equipment, but all too often they have no training which can lead to poor carpet cleaning or outright damage to your carpet or upholstery.
Small pieces of food that stick to the non-stick waffle grid should be easy to remove by using a pastry brush to brush off the food bits. Try doing this when the grid is still a little warm and not completely cooled off. For washing off the excess oil, if the grids are removable hand wash in sink with soap and water. If the grids are not removable then hand wash with soap and water. Never soak or completely immerse appliances like waffle grills in water.
In this post, we’re going to talk a little about grout cleaning, but before we do, I thought it might be helpful to provide a little background.
Grout used between tiles and is a mixture of cement, color, and sand.
If not properly maintained by sealing and cleaning grout will become discoloured and full of mold and mildew. So when possible apply a grout sealer whenever installing tiles and grouting plan to apply grout sealer which will make the grout cleaning much easier.
Dirt will collect porous holes on the grout surface and if it is not sealed, the grout will discolor because there is no protective sealer which covers, fills and permeates the porous surface. If not sealed, even mopping the floor will cause discoloration to the unsealed grout. All the dirt-filled holes will hold on tightly to the dirt and the mop will just move the dirt from one little hole to the other. When mopping, your tile grout (which has a rough surface) basically cleans the dirty mop by allowing the dirt in the mop water to fill in the tiny holes.
Bottom line, if your grout is not sealed, it will become nasty, dingy and covered in dirt; thereby increasing the amount of grout cleaning you are going to have to do! Mold and mildew that is lurking in your damp shower will turn your grout to a nasty shade, too — all the way from a delicate pink to mottled brown, speckled or even solid black.
The best way to clean it is to use water and general purpose cleaner to loosen the dirt from the grout and use a wet/dry vacuum to pull the dirt back up and out of the holes. Look for a stiff brush or a brush designed for grout, which are usually narrow and have tapered brushes. Scrubbing using a general purpose cleaner is fine, you can use a dilution of chlorine bleach and water mixed at 1 part bleach and 5 parts water. The bleach dilution is particularly effective in cases where you have mold or mildew.
Once you have cleaned the grout take the time to seal the grout with a very good remember you get what you pay for, grout sealer. If you elect not to seal the grout, you will have a very nasty mess in a short amount of time – which will cause you to again go out and search the Internet for this page. If you don’t protect your grout with a sealer, it will become dirty and very difficult to maintain – period. Also use floor mats in your door ways to help keep the floors clean. In cleaning prevention is the key, using an entrance mat, or doing the extra work to seal the grout will go a long way to make ongoing grout cleaning much less work.
The Spin & Go mop actually is very light and easy to use. It has a decent amount of microfibers in the mop head. The handle comes in three sections and is easy to put together. The length of the handle is average and workable, but it is not heavy duty enough for my liking. The pail is also very light, has a good handle design so it is well balanced when moving when full of water. I never got a sense that it was ever in danger of spilling, which is very good even compared to commercial style mop buckets. You can actually empty the bucket from either side. There’s also a clear maximum water level line, and that keeps the weight of the bucket easy to manage.
The mop spinning mechanism works well and it feels like it would stand up to many years of use it feels very well made and solid when using the spinning mechanism. You can spin as much or as little as you want and it does does a good job of removing water. I feel the ability to control the amount of water on your mop by spinning it less or more is the spin and go mops greatest strength. I have laminate floors and a typical yacht or string mop just can’t be wrung out enough to safely use on the wood type flooring. I just hate using flat mops on the wood flooring because it takes so much effort to wring them out etc. The spin mop can be spun so there is very little water in the mop so I find it effective on my laminate floors.
As a floor mop there’s no wringing which is a bonus since you get the performance of a typical string mop with added technology of micro-fibre strings and a very efficient wringing/spinning system. Virtually no bending since spinning simply uses a little foot action (and I mean a little); lightweight mopping that requires hardly any effort; and cleaning performance is very good. The spin wringing function is definitely this mop’s best feature as is the lightweight design, making it ideal for the younger helpers, seniors or those that find it a challenge to clean floors. It should also be noted that the ability to remove the mop head is also a huge benefit, by removing the mop head it makes it very easy to launder the mop head. You are going to be able to a better job cleaning when your tools are clean as well. Typical string mops get dirty and cannot be cleaned very well so they become mildewing or dirty between cleanings making your cleanings less than perfect over time until you replace the mop etc.
Definition: For a lot of people a string mop is what they picture when you say the word “mop”. On a string mop, long cotton strings are attached to a mop head. The mop head, with proper care, might last for 2-4 weeks.
String or yacht mops work well on many hard surface types, but because they are super absorbent and hold a lot of water, care should be taken when they are used on wood floors. String mops are able to clean edges and corners very effectively. Although string or yacht mops get tangled easily, there are many designs on the market that have the strings banded together to help prevent tangling and extend the life of the mop head. When using on wood or laminate floors you have to wring out very well, in most cases a flat mop is better on wood floors.
To care for a string mop, the mop head must be thoroughly washed or rinsed after each mopping session. Then the mop head has to be allowed to dry completely. Allowing the mop to sit dirty or dampened will cause it to mildew.
This post is in honor of my 13 year old daughter who is certainly in the top ten worst dishwasher loaders of all time. I try to give her pointers but I am sure she just ignores my advice in the futile hope that she will eventuallybe excused from helping around the house. Here are four important tips for efficient dishwasher loading, to get to most out of each load and not waste energy re-washing etc.
Number one…load large items at the back or sides, so you do not block other dishes on the bottom or top racks from getting sprayed/cleaned.
Number two…the dirtiest dishes get placed near the centre of the dishwasher where there is more spray action.
Number three…don’t allow your utensils or dish nest, alternate spoons and forks etc to be sure they are cleaned with maximum efficiency.
Number four…place delicate or small items on the top rack, don’t allow stemware or other delicate items touch each other to prevent breakage or chips etc.
Its important to not overload the dishwasher either, however just having 3 plates on the bottom rack and a few cups on the top rack while half the sink is still full is not great either. That’s just being a lazy teenager, think of it as saving the environment by packing and using the dishwasher efficiently.
