How To Clean Anything

After pushing and fighting your way through the crowds at Staples or Wal-mart to get all your school supplies, if you have younger children, you’ll be getting the standard pen, pencil and crayon stains in clothes. If you have older children or husbands you will have ink stains. Leaving pens in laundry and causing hours of extra work (cleaning ink stains from clothing and the dryer) is standard fare for older kids and husbands to be sure they never have to laundry again. Don’t fall for it.

Crayon is relatively easy to remove from fabrics. Your first instinct may be to scrape off the crayon, but please resist this urge! Instead, liberally coat the area with liquid detergent and let the garment sit overnight. Then, wash the item, following the care label instructions

As for crayon on hard surfaces, spray some WD-40 on your cleaning rag and wipe; it works well.

For dry cleanable items, it is best to leave the stain as is, and bring the item to a professional. The stain will be easier to remove if you don’t disturb it with a potentially damaging home remedy. If you’re finding pencil marks on your kids’ clothes, there’s a quick method of cleaning them up so they look as fresh as the first day of school. Believe it or not, you’re going to start by using the same method you used to get rid of pencil marks back in school … an eraser! Use a clean eraser carefully, rubbing lightly. Then apply liquid soap or a tiny amount of ammonia, using one part ammonia with five parts water. (Remember, only use ammonia in a well-ventilated area and never mix it with bleach or vinegar.) Rinse and then launder.

An eraser is a great cleaning tool if you have scuffs on the kitchen floor or walls. Many times you will have success removing scuffs with an eraser (use a white nylon eraser). Do it before getting the floor wet; you would be surprised how often it works. Hey, anything, which will save you from having to pull out a mop, has got to be a good thing.

Now for the dreaded ink stain. Using hairspray on an ink stain, which is sort of an “old wives tale”, was recommended in the past strictly for its alcohol content. The alcohol or volatile solvent is just the way the goopy stuff is delivered to your hair, the solvent dissipates into the air leaving the “stuff” which makes your hair solid in hurricane force winds. So in a nutshell, hairspray is probably not the best idea for removing something like ink stains. I know the saying “Fight fire with fire” is popular, but “Fight ink stains with goopy hair varnish” is not likely to catch on any time soon.

To remove ink from clothes have terry towels or paper towels, dry-cleaning solvent or rubbing alcohol handy. Always read and follow the care instructions and any warnings on the garment label. First, sponge the area around the stain with the solvent or alcohol. Then apply the alcohol or solvent directly on the stain. Next, place the stain face down on clean white, cleaning towels. Apply alcohol or solvent to the back of the stain. Replace towels frequently.

Continue until no further ink is removed. Then rinse thoroughly. Rub with heavy-duty liquid detergent and launder in hottest water safe for fabric, with bleach safe for fabric. Always check for color fastness first. Some ink on white fabric may be removed with a dye stripper. You should be able to find this in areas where package dyes are sold. For stains on colored fabrics, check for dye stability in a hidden area before using.

Remember, heat sets ink stains. Act quickly as a precaution check your laundry before putting it in the dryer.

We all know that one of the goals of cleaning is to make our environment more pleasant to be in.

Manufacturers spend a lot of time, effort & money to give their products a pleasing, long-lasting & effective odor. With the right smell, the cleaning products we use can be made to seem however the producer wants them to be perceived by the end-user (stronger, milder, disinfectant, fresh, etc.).

We thought it would be valuable to our audience to get a better understanding of what to look for & how to evaluate the various scents out in the marketplace. After all, we all want the world to be a sweeter smelling place.

What are fragrances?

Basically, scents are derived from essential oils – either natural or synthetic. The more expensive natural oils are distilled from various plants such as rose, jasmine or lavender. Less pricey synthetic oils, also called fragrance oils, are typically found in cleaning products. Very cheap, low quality synthetics tend to have a sharp & unpleasant odor.

Scent families

The main categories of fragrances are the following: floral, citrus or fruit, oriental & herbal. Cleaning products can have any or a combination of the above. However, most cleaning products usually are either herbal (pine) or citrus (lemon).

Odor Counteractants , Deodorizers & Disinfectants

It is important to recognize the different ways used to control odors. Odor counteractants (also known as malodorants) are products that actually destroy the odor itself. They employ technology that actually changes the odor on a molecular level thus making it undetectable by our noses. Malodorants also will have a scent of their own to help with the process. These products are mostly used by professionals & are found at janitorial supply stores.

In contrast, deodorizers are strictly a cover up to mask offensive odors. Their effectiveness can vary according to the extent of the problem. Through trial & error and many years of experience, manufacturers have become very adept at developing scents that overpower and neutralize bad smells. However, once the deodorizing scent has dissipated the unpleasant odor will return.

Disinfectants are a whole other class of products. They eliminate odors by attacking their source. Using germ & bacteria killing chemicals, disinfectants (or germicides) clean surfaces of odor producing mold, mildew & other nasty bugs. While this class of products will have a scent of their own their value is derived from their ability to kill the actual odor source.

What to do?

Here is a general guide for what fragrances help best for various odors.

We hope this helps you a little to unravel the world of fragrances used in the never-ending cleaning battle we all must wage. However, as we leap into the 21st. century the latest trend for cleaning products is to have no scent at all. It remains to be seen if our world can be made clean enough so that indeed we will no longer need artificial scents to make it a pleasant place to live in.

We at Howtocleananything.com love the Olympics as much as the rest of you.  However, being so obsessed with cleaning as we are, we started to wonder about Olympic achievements of a different sort. Consequently, after exhaustive research (thank you Guinness Book of World Records!), we are proud to present the following H.T.C.A. Gold Medal Winners..

Car Washing: to the Carol High School students of Yakima WA. who washed 3844 cars in 8 hours on May 7 1983.

Garbage Collecting: to the 50,405 people who cleaned the California Coastline on Oct. 2 1993.

Bed Making: to Wendy Wall (of Sydney Aus.!) who made a standard bed “hospital style” in 28.2 seconds on Nov. 30 1978.

Shoe Shining: to 4 chaps in London England who shined 14,975 shoes “on the hoof” on June 15 1996.

Clothesline: to the citizens of Bavel Netherlands who strung up 17,298 ft. of freshly washed laundry on June 2 1996.

Lawn Mowing: to Jay Frick of Monroe Ohio who built a 60 ft. wide lawn mower which cuts an acre of grass in only 60 seconds.

Garbage Can: to Durban South Africa that constructed a fiberglass trash can 19 ft. 9 in. with a capacity of 11,493 gallons in Sept. 1991.

Carpet: to those high stepping Rockettes who kicked their way down a Red Carpet of 52,225 sq.ft. in N.Y.C. on Feb. 13 1982.

Garbage Dump: to the Sanitation Dept. of New York for their 3000 acre facility on Staten Island which processes 4,368,000 ton of garbage per year.

Sewage Works: to Stickney Ill. for their plant that handles 802 million gallons of waste a day.

Finally, after extensive toxicology testing which revealed illegal levels of many banned substances, we are revoking the Gold Medal from the folks of the Ixtoc 1 oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico. From June 3 1979 to Mar. 24 1980, they spilled 505,600 tons of crude oil creating a slick 400 miles long.

Now you have our 2000 Cleaning Olympics medal results. Like N.B.C., we offer no apologies for our lack of live coverage or for the fact that many of the events ended long before we presented to you.

Paul R. Coats

1. Examine all pads for splits and seating, including octave key pads. Replace as necessary.

2. Check operation of the octave key. Finger G and operate the octave key. The pad on the neck vent should remain closed, the pad on the body vent should open and close. Finger A and operate the octave key. The pad on the neck vent should open and close, the pad on the body vent should remain closed. Lubricate if needed. If it still does not work correctly, consult a repairman.

3. Finger middle finger C. Check that the little pad just above the first finger of the left hand closes. On Yamaha saxes adjust the left stack screw. On other makes a repairman must shim with cork or felt.

4. Finger 1-4 and 1-5 Bb. Check for proper adjustment by depressing the Bis Key. Adjust at the setscrew just above the F pad.

5. Finger D and work the G# key. The G# pad should remain closed and the tone should not change. If the G# pad opens even slightly it will prevent low C#, B, and Bb from speaking and prevent proper use of articulated G# fingerings. Adjust the G# setscrew.

6. For advanced players: Check intonation of low Eb, D, C#, C, and B. Adjust the felt bumpers. Use a good tuner for this!

7. If all else is O.K., doping the pads helps even on new pads! Old stiff pads are sometimes softened with pad dopes. Use the Lavoz “Pad Saver” swab. These two steps will greatly extend pad life, more than paying for the cost of the pad dope and swab.

8. Lube the neck cork with cork grease, Chap Stick, or Vaseline. I use Singer Sewing Machine Oil on keys. Oiling the keys twice a year is adequate.

9. Wipe the sax several times a week with a damp cloth and buff dry. Wax with Pledge several times a year, or spray with Runyon Lacquer Life. Silver colored keys on student line saxes are nickel plated and need no special care, just wipe clean.

10. Never leave the reed and ligature on the mouthpiece when the instrument is stored. Wash the mouthpiece daily with lukewarm (never hot) water. At the very least, wipe dry with a tissue or cloth after playing. Use a brush if necessary–a Gerber baby bottle nipple brush works well. Soaking the mouthpiece overnight in vinegar will remove saliva stains. Keep a minimum of 4–8 reeds at all times. Keep reeds in a good reed holder such as Vito or Lavoz Reedguard VI. Never store your reeds in the plastic “Novapack” containers that reeds come packaged in. Never play the same reed two days in a row. Play reeds on a rotation schedule and they will last much longer. Wrap the mouthpiece and neck in soft cloths (old gym socks work well) or commercial neck and mouthpiece bags. Do not allow them to rattle around loose in the accessory compartment of the case. Mouthpieces are often damaged beyond repair this way.

11. When transporting your instrument on the bus (or shipping) place bubble wrap in the case around the sax and accessories. Do not use a “Gig Bag” unless you are willing to hand carry your instrument at all times and hold it in your lap for trips. Compact “Flight Cases” are available that have minimum size and the strength necessary to protect your instrument. I can recommend the SKB Contoured Pro Sax Cases (my personal choice), the Winter Flight Cases, Pro Pac Contoured Cases by Pro Tec, and the Selmer Walt Johnson Gig Cases (used by the Air Force’s Airmen of Note). These are all truly “roadworthy”.

Tools & Chemicals:
Soft cloth, water, general-purpose cleaner, Windex etc.

Technique:
It is wise to unplug your phone before cleaning. This avoids electrocution and accidental calls to Cuba, or your mother in-law. Also you don’t want to inadvertently reprogram your phone when wiping the keys. Almost all commercial telephones that are part of a system retain the programming when unplugged, and household phones usually have power failure back-up batteries to save programmed numbers.

1. Spray your cleaning cloth and wipe the hand set thoroughly to remove heavy soil from make up, grease, etc.. A toothpick or pin can be used to clean the small holes or slots. Use caution though, as the microphone and speaker inside the handset can be damaged by punctures, and never allow liquid to enter these holes.

2. If you have an extremely dirty dial pad use a cotton swab and alcohol to wipe individual numbers and between them. With the telephone unplugged, spray your cleaning cloth and wipe the face of the keys by pressing down on the numbers to wipe them thoroughly.

3. In the event you do allow liquid to leak into the handset, or if you accidentally give your phone a double latte, unplug it immediately. Turn the phone over to allow as much liquid to drain off as possible. Wipe it thoroughly and allow it to dry for at least a day before trying to plug it back in. If the microphone is wet (at home often caused by teething babies) it will short, effectively muting the phone. You will be able to hear the caller, but they will not be able to hear you. Before punishing your toddler with no Barney, be sure to check that the mute button is not pressed.

4. If you are lucky enough to have a phone handset that lets you unscrew the microphone and speaker covers, cleaning is a snap. Unscrew the cover with all the holes in them, throw them in the sink, scrub like mad, rinse, dry and re-assemble. This is ideal, especially if there is a phone user that likes to reach out and lick someone. Handsets are swarming with germs, and should be sanitized often, especially if there are multiple users. Unfortunately these older style phones are becoming less common, and most newer phones, while they can be taken apart to clean, often need elastic bands and glue to be put back together again.