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Friday, 30 May 2008 16:00 |
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Kitchens are the centers of our lives. We cook, converse, and
even eat in our kitchens. Perhaps that is why getting motivated
to clean a kitchen is 99.9% of the battle...and elbow grease is
the other 0.1%.
The reason for this is mostly because of all the rooms in a
house, the kitchen alone has the position of having the most
traffic, use, and just plain dirt!
To start yourself off, it can be extremely helpful to have a
checklist handy of all the possible things you can do so that
you can mark them off as you go. It also helps to have a
distraction to make the time go by faster, such as your favorite
music, book on tape, or TV show playing in the background.
When cleaning, always clean from the top of the room, and work
your way down (which saves a lot of time), except in the case of
washing walls, where you work from the bottom up to avoid
streaking.
So let"s start at the highest points. Each household is
different in layout, so be sure to adjust these hints to
specifically fit your particular dwelling. Begin with the tops
of any cabinets, that top of the refrigerator that"s been
needing wiped down forever, and any "higher ups" that you see
(except the walls...those are next to last)
Next lets get to the hardest parts. The mid-range, and mostly
the places that are hardest to clean, such as the oven, dishes,
sink, countertops, ect.
It is sometimes easiest to start in one corner and work your way
around in a circle. For an example, we will start with the oven.
It will make things go by easier and faster if you do the
hardest things first, and save the easiest things for last.
Using an all-purpose cleaner, clean off the top of the range,
and if you have a gas stove, take the burner grates off, and
soak them in a solution of water and oven cleaner, before
rinsing and replacing. If you have a self-cleaning oven, now is
the time to turn it on and clean itself while you skip to the
next item. If you are not so lucky, then the best cleaner to use
is either a commercial oven cleaner, or a paste of baking soda,
borax, comet, and water. Rub this paste into the walls, and wipe
clean with a damp rag. It may take a bit of elbow grease in
places, but will be worth it in the end. Be sure to clean the
window in the oven if you have one, and wipe down the outside
with an all-purpose cleaner.
Next go to the refrigerator, and wipe down the sides and door
first. Then take out everything inside..yes, EVERYTHING! Using
an all-purpose cleaner, or a mixture of water and baking soda,
wipe the sides, shelves, and clean out those veggie drawers! If
you have a real mess in the drawers, or something caked on, the
easiest way to clean them is to fill them with hot water, adding
a capful of bleach, and set them aside for an hour or so while
you clean, then empty out and wipe clean. Then replace
everything in the fridge, and be sure to add a small dish with
baking soda in it to capture all odors.
Now head over to the cabinets. A lot of people avoid cleaning
out cabinets because they assume it to be difficult when in all
reality, it isn"t so hard. To keep your cabinets clean, it is
very useful to purchase low-cost "non-slip" rolls of cabinet
liners. They come in a lot of colors, and not only keep the
shelves clean, but also extend the life of glasses, china, and
fragile dishes. So to begin cleaning your cabinets, work on one
at a time, and start by removing everything from the cabinet.
Once you have everything out, wipe down the inside, and lay down
your matting if you opted for that, or simply replace everything
in an orderly manner.
If there are any dishes, tackle them next. Wash the smaller
items first, then mid-sized and save the large and greasy items
for last. If you have a double sink, fill one side with water
and soap, and the other just fill with hot water as a "rinse"
since, and just toss the washed dishes in there, then move them
to the drainer. It saves a lot of time to do things this way
instead of washing each dish separately. you may wish to look at
my other articles for a more in-depth look at making cleaning
dishes easier.
Clean the countertops, and everything on them separately. For
kitchen countertops, an all-purpose cleaner with an added
de-greaser is a plus. I personally recommend using diluted
pine-sol in a spray bottle.
Clean a microwave as I have previously mentioned in an article
by placing water in a microwave safe bowl, and bringing it to a
boil in the microwave, and letting it sit for a 5-10 minutes,
then taking it out and easily wiping the inside of the microwave
clean.
After everything on mid-level is finished, then clean the walls
by using a solution of 1/2 cup bleach (OR Mr. Clean) to 1 gallon
of water. Using a sponge or rag, wipe the walls down by starting
at the bottom, and wiping your way to the top. That way, if any
water runs down, it won"t leave those hard to remove streaks!
Lastly, clean the floors. If you have a wood floor, use your
usual method. For vinyl flooring, I recommend using the
Mop-and-Glo two step method. They sell two bottles for two
steps. One cleans the floor, one waxes and shines it. If you
wish to use a cheaper method, a great way to skip the first step
is to mop the floor using a solution of 1 part ammonia to 2
parts water, and mopping with that to remove old wax and
residue, then using a mop-n-glo type floor polisher.
See that wasn"t too hard! As always, stay motivated, know that
you can do it, and REWARD YOURSELF afterwards!!
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Friday, 30 May 2008 09:00 |
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Your home office can be the central business center of the
home, and oftentimes with all of those papers and documents, it
may be hard to focus on where to get started, or exactly how to
clean.
Dust is public enemy number one when it comes to a home office.
It seems to pervade everything, including computer screens,
keyboards, bookshelves, and desktops. Of course we all know that
the leading killer of dust is pledge and a dustcloth, but here
are a few tips you may not have known.
To keep your computer and keyboards from getting dusty, purchase
plastic covers for them. You can also make your own out of trash
sacks, or, if you have a creative streak, by sewing custom
covers from fabric or old curtains.
If neither of those options work for you, there are other ways
of keeping computers and their equipment dust-free. The keyboard
dusters you can purchase are ideal for this. They are an aerosol
can that sprays intense bursts of air, and be used for more than
just a keyboard!
Did you also know that it is safe to use Windex on your computer
screens? Many people are under the mistaken assumption that
using Windex on a computer screen (or rough paper towels) will
damage the screen. Not so unless perhaps you own a computer
monitor from before 1990 (if you do, please consult the owners
manual that came with the monitor before cleaning). Also, a good
way to rid computer screens from dust longer, is after cleaning,
to give them one good final wipe down with a fabric softener
sheet (the kind that you thrown in the dryer). It takes away
most of the static from the screen that draws dust.
Also, you can easily clean a mousepad with regular dish
detergent and warm water. Just scrub the pad with dish soap,
rinse well with water, and pat dry with a paper towel!
A mouse is easily cleaned by removing the cover from in front of
the ball, taking out the ball, and cleaning out any dirt inside
with cotton swabs dipped in alcohol.
You can also save time and money in a home office in high
traffic carpet areas, and places where sliding chairs sit by
purchasing heavy plastic floor mats made for this purpose (just
like you see in office building) at your local office supply
superstore, such as Staples. This will make your floor cleaning
so much easier, and will extend the life of your carpet.
To give your office a quick lift if you have artificial flowers
or plants is to spray the pants directly with an aerosol air
freshener. Not only does it make the leaves instantly shiny, it
also leaves a pleasant scent that will last.
If you own a pet, like I do, and you are constantly trying to
remove pet hairs from chairs in your home office, a simple way
to remove them is to wrap clear shipping tape backwards around
your hand, sticky side out, and pat away at the chairs. An even
simpler and faster way is to use an old paint roller, wrapping
the tape backwards around it, and rolling it quickly across the
furniture to remove hair. The tape can be reused until it has
lost its stickiness.
Remember, motivation and perseverance are the keys to a clean
home! Stay focused, and best of luck!
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