I find glass cooktops & ceramic cooktops especially difficult. They look so nice before you use them but I have never seen one that looks that way after even a small amount of use. Even 6 months of mild use leaves them looking less than perfect. The best recommendation is to never let food overcook or spill on the hot cooktop. Maybe having a super thick terry towel that you wet down so you can wipe a hot cooktop when you spill something but I am not sure that is realistic. When its cool super easy to remove spills but hot cooktop translates to more difficulty removing stains. Use the manufacture recommended cleaning solution for glass cooktops and ceramic cooktops cleaning. Otherwise use a non abrasive cleaner and nonabrasive scrubber. I have seen very badly stained glass cooktops where you have to use a more aggressive approach like oven cleaner and a plastic scrubber and you can restore those to some degree. My opinion as someone who has seen many many glass cooktops, is not to buy one unless you don’t cook much.
Coffee Stains on Clothes
Remove coffee stains from clothes : If you spill coffee on clothes or fabric rule number one is to rinse with cool water. For just plain black coffee blot with cool water and or rinse. If you don’t have a chance to get to the stain quickly you may have some additional steps. Try blotting with mild detergent and rinsing with cool water. For coffee with milk or cream blot or pre-treat with enzyme based pre-spotter and launder. Always inspect the fabric before drying, drying in dryer will often set the coffee stain. Even if you don’t have time to try a second attempt at removing the stain allowing the fabric to air dry will give you another chance at removing the coffee stain stain later.
Clear Web History : Cleaning your internet history on windows XP
Clear Web History
So you have been looking online for a anniversary present, a surprise vacation, or maybe things that you shouldn’t be looking at….here is how to clean or delete internet browsing history on Windows XP. It is a very simple process:
Click on Windows Start Icon in the bottom left corner
Click on “Control Panel”
Double-click “Internet Options”
Make sure the General tab is selected.
Click “Delete” in the Browsing History box.
Click “Delete History”
Click “YES” when it asks if you want to delete all items in your history.
To remove other evidence of where you have been browsing you should also repeat the above for deleting “Temporary internet files” and “Cookies” located in the same Delete browsing history window
Close the Browsing History box
Click OK at the bottom of the General box to exit.
Don’t count on this helping at work where most internet access is logged before it even reaches your work station – as a rule if you wouldn’t want your boss to see what you’re viewing online – just save it for surfing at home!
Cleaning Kids Toys :Kids toys smelling worse than the kids….
Cleaning Kids Toys
Lets face it kids are not really clean or neat. They put their hands in all kinds of creative places and then play with their toys and or put their hands all over your face to share the love (and or germs). Here are some ideas for cleaning kids toys. Bath toys or wash plastic toys with warm soap and water, or even the top rack of the dishwasher if they don’t have movable parts.
I usually wash soft toys in the washing machine (double check instruction label) on the delicate cycle. You can place them in a pillowcase and tie off the top for extra protection. For toys with electronics or ones that cant be washed use a cloth with worm water and soap and wipe the surface. For the parts with harder surfaces I use a magic eraser and rinse or wipe off residue with a cloth and plain water.
To be fair there should be some kind of warning system before you have kids saying you will be scrubbing and cleaning endlessly after them until the day they move out (and sometimes after), at least with prior knowledge maybe it would be slightly more bearable. Instead we have to wait until the kids have children before they appreciate the extent of the labour required to raise them.
Textured Ceilings
Popcorn ceilings or textured ceilings are very common as they help to hide imperfections in the ceiling drywall, which otherwise can be very evident.
Dust and small spider webs tend to get caught on these rough surfaces. Although they may not be entirely evident at a glance, even in the cleanest homes, most ceilings can accumulate noticeable dust after as little as a year.
The easiest way to clean this type of ceiling is using a vacuum with a soft brush attachment. Be very gentle so as not to knock off the texturing. Follow a methodical pattern to be certain you cover the entire surface of the ceiling. Even if you are very careful, don’t be alarmed if some texturing falls off.
If the ceiling is stained from a water leak, or pop, champagne or food being sprayed, there is no way to clean it, however there are products that allow you to spot spray paint an area with a matte off white color which unfortunately will never be an exact match, but it will be close for an aged ceiling.
Carpet Stains Removal:How to Remove Egg stains from the carpet
To remove egg stains from the carpet act quickly! When egg dries it can become semi-permenant, so acting fast will help increase your odds of success.
- First scrape up as much of the egg as possible, and use a spatula or the pancake flipper to scrape off as much of the egg as possible.
- Mix a solution of warm water, a small amount of dish detergent, and 2 tablespoons of white vinegar.
- Apply half of this solution to the stained area, and with paper towel or a clean dry rag, blot up the water solution until the area is dried.
- Repeat the process with half the remaining vinegar solution, and again blot up.
- Repeat one last time if required, to remove the last of the egg residue from the carpet.
This should remove the vast majority of the egg residue, and prevent a permenant hardened stain in your carpet. It would be wise to perform a full carpet extraction as soon as possible to ensure all the residue has been removed – but use the vinegar solution before you call the carpet stain cleaners or head to the grocery store to rent an extractor or it may be to late to remove the stain!
Window and Door Screens
This work is often done in the spring before bug season, or at the end of summer if you store your screens for the winter season. Try to pick a warm day with a bit of a breeze to facilitate drying.
The proper way to clean screens is to remove them from the window frames or doors. If you are planning on cleaning multiple screens at one time, (and it is best to considering the set up!) it is wise to number both the screen and the window with a permanent marker before starting.
Construct a simple wooden 2X4 frame on a flat smooth deck or patio big enough to accommodate your largest screen. Cover the frame with a heavy plastic or tarp and fill it with water and a few teaspoons of dish washing soap.
Lay one screen at a time into the frame, and gently brush it with a soft brush, or a synthetic broom. Brush both directions and along the screen frame before flipping the screen over and repeating the procedure on the other side.
Lift the screen out of the frame and allow the cleaning solution to drain off before rinsing the screen off with a garden hose sprayer on a gentle setting. Give the screen a quick shake and set it against a fence or wall in the sun or breeze to permit drying.
If you are storing your screens, it is best to protect them with a piece of cardboard or plywood and cover them with an old bed sheet or plastic tarp to keep them from getting dusty before the spring.
Before replacing your screen, using a bucket and sponge or clean rag, wipe the frame of the window to remove any accumulated dust.
In the event you cannot remove your screen, you can vacuum with a soft brush attachment, which will remove the bulk of accumulated dust. Using a plant mister, spray the screen with a water/dish soap solution, and using a dry clean cloth, wipe off the screen. If possible clean the exterior, then the interior.
How to wash your hands…properly
According to the Canadian Pediatric Society here are the four steps to proper hand-washing. I should also add that you wash for about 15-20 seconds, about the same time as it takes to sing the Happy Birthday song.
Four steps to proper hand washing
- Wet your hands under running water.
- Scrub your hands well with soap.
- Rinse your hands under running water.
- Dry your hands with a clean towel.
When water and soap are not available, use premoistened hand wipes or alcohol-based hand rinses. Keep hand rinses out of the reach of children because they may be harmful if swallowed.
Pool skimmer
Save money make your own pool skimmer. This idea probably only works for smaller pools like kids wading pools or the quick set up above ground pools. But it works very well and will save you $20 on buying a pool skimmer. Take a wire hanger bend it to a circle shape and pull an old pair of panty hose over the wire hanger tie the legs to hold it in place and cut off the remaining excess legs and you have a pretty effective pool skimmer, better than some since the panty hose doesn’t even allow the smaller particulate to go through like some skimmers.
How to clean an oil spill in the garage
Its a good to have a bag of cat litter in your garage…even if you don’t have a cat. Its great for any kind of spill or oil leak. Just cover spill leave for a day or so and sweep up. Repeat the process if necessary.
For stubborn stains you may have to use a regular detergent and warm water and scrub with a deck brush and rinse. You can upgrade to a commercial degreaser (found at hardware store or any janitorial supply store). TSP (found at hardware store) is also a strong cleaner that can be effective. Never mix chemicals.
