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Angie's Cleaning Tips can now be found at The Property Carer

How to Clean Plastic and Artificial Plants

Plastic plants should be dusted regularly with a good wash about every 2 months. Take the plant out of the container and rinse in the sink, bath or under a gentle shower spray. Gently rub the plants while washing down to loosen any dirt. Turn off tap and lightly shake the plants to remove excess water. Allow to air dry.

As with plastic plants, dust artificial silk and cloth plants often. Silk and cloth plants can be washed with water but need to be checked for bleeding prior to washing. To check if the plant is suitable to wash with water take one of the leaves or flowers and rinse it under water, lightly rubbing it. If it doesn’t bleed or fray than it should be ok to wash the complete plant. Put the plant in the sink, bath, shower or lightly hose down outside. Like the plastic plants, rub plant while washing to aid the removal of dirt. Once washed, shake excess water off and allow to air dry.

Tip: Soaking in saltwater may assist with stain removal on artificial plants and flowers.

Cleaning roasting and baking pans.

We all have a dirty pan or two which we’ve put away for another day to clean. Alas, it is quite simple to clean roasting and baking pans with just baking soda, hot water and vinegar.

Sprinkle the baking tray surface well with baking soda. Combine 1 cup of boiling water and 1/3 cup of vinegar and pour onto the baking soda. Allow the products to work. The fizzing action will remove the roasted food particles.

After letting the pans soak for 10 minutes drain the fluid and wipe the roasted food particles away with a kitchen paper. Next wash the roasting and baking pans in hot soapy water.

To stop food particles sticking, line the trays with baking paper prior to cooking or wrap tray in tin foil. Also if a recipe states heat oil ensure the oil is heated in the pan prior to adding the food, the oil forms a layer which causes a steam effect and stops the food from sticking to the pan.

Mr Clean Magic Eraser will remove ball point pen, crayon and scuff marks from doors and walls.

As a cleaning business with many holiday homes, we often see marks on walls and doors when cleaning. Some of these are wear and tear hand marks, or accidental scuff marks from suitcases but others are deliberate marks from ball point pens and crayons.

Until we discovered Mr Clean Magic Eraser we used many different methods to clean walls and doors. Now all the cleaners keep the Eraser in their kit as it is a powerful cleaning tool that can clean more than walls and doors.

Ball point pen, scuffs marks, mould and crayons all come off best with ‘Mr Magic Eraser’ just damp the sponge and wipe the mark away. Mr Magic Eraser works well on most painted walls, however always test a small spot first to ensure that paint is not rubbed away when you use the eraser. Not all paint is washable!

Methods we used prior to Mr Magic Eraser are:

For a pencil mark or drawing the easiest way to get the mark off the wall is to use an eraser.

Liquid sugar soap is the best for washing down walls with lots of hand marks on. If there is only a few hand marks simply spray some spray and wipe and wipe clean.

Another method is to use Ajax powder/jiff or gumption. Take a rag and put a little of the cleanser on the rag and than rub it over the crayon mark. After rinse the rag and wipe off the residue. Again test spot an area of the wall first to ensure the paint work does not fade.


WD40 can also be used to get marks off the wall. Spray the mark with WD40, let sit for a few minutes than wipe off.

With no hard scrubbing and the ease of use, Mr Clean Magic Eraser if our choice to get the walls looking bright and clean again.

How to Clean Lamp Shades

A small chore often overlooked is cleaning the lamp shades.

There are different types of lamp shades which include: paper, fabric and glass. Before you start to clean your lampshades please turn off the lamp and unplug from the power point.

Paper shades should not be cleaned with water. The best way to clean a paper lamp shade is to use a soft bristled brush and dust gently. Do not use a vacuum as the vacuum’s suction may tear the paper. – I use a paint brush to dust but a shaving brush is also a great dusting tool.

Fabric shades can be vacuumed with the brush nozzle attachment. They can also be dusted with a brush, however for a deeper spring clean, fabric shades should be damp washed with a soapy solution. Before washing the lamp shades remove it from the base. Wash with a sponge dipped in washing up liquid and water. Wipe evenly from top to bottom of the lamp shade and then rinse with a cloth dipped in water again rubbing gently and evenly. Leave to dry away from direct sun light. When the lamp shade is off, damp wipe the lamp base and dry wipe the light bulb.

Glass shades can be cleaned with a soapy rag, simply wipe the glass shade and then rinse with a clean rag dipped in water. Dry off with a cotton rag to remove any streaks. If you prefer you could use a mirror or glass cleaner to clean the glass lamp shade.

How to Clean Glass Stove Tops

Your glass stove top should be wiped down immediately after use, but we all know this does not always happen. The most important thing however is not to reheat and use your stove top until you’ve wiped down any previous spills.

Although your glass stove top is usually heat and scratch resistant you still need to take care when cleaning. Do not use abrasives cleaners or sponges. The roughness of the cloth needs to be kept to a minimum.

If using strong spray cleaning detergent, leave it to settle onto the surface and loosen the spills before your wipe. Cleaners need time to react and lift the dirt. The longer you leave the cleaner the better, however do not let the cleaner dry out.

I like to use a Cerapol Ceramic Glass Cooktop cleaner from Hillmark, this product is easy to use and the company has a scraper to use on cook tops for the burnt on spills. As with a spray cleaner you need to let the product work and give it time to react with the spills.

Once you’ve dampened down your cook top with the cleaning spray or cleaner and let it sit awhile,you than need to take a soft damp cloth and wipe over the surface to remove the cleaner and spills. Paper towel can be used to wipe down the stove top or a washable microfibre cloth. A scraper may need to be used to remove burnt on marks. Please use a plastic scraper or scraper specified for Ceramic Glass Cooktops and use on a damp surface.

Rinse your cloth with lukewarm water and re-wipe the surface until all the cleaner has been removed. Dry the cook top and Voilà your cooktop should look like new.



http://www.hillmark.com.au/Products/Cerapol.aspx

How to Clean Windows.

Windows should be cleaned about twice a year, however if you live on the beach and get plenty of sea spray you will need to clean more often.

Very little equipment is needed for window washing. I like to use a window washer, a squeegee, lint free rag, a squirt of dishwashing liquid and a bucket with water.

Add a squirt of dishwashing liquid to your bucket of water, not too much as you do not want lots of suds. Soak the window washer in the water and run your hand over it to release some of the water back into the bucket.

Wipe the window washer over the windows, starting from the top left corner moving across and down the window. With the window washer move all the small particles to the bottom of the window as not to scratch the window when you squeegee. Ensure the window is wet enough before you squeegee.

Using the squeegee wipe the suds of the soapy pane in a reverse –S pattern. At the end of each stroke, wipe the squeegees blade with a lint free rag. (Cloth diapers are great for this)

Remove any water remaining on the edges of the glass with the rag. A good rag or chamois will not leave streaks.

Hot Tip: Windows at the beachside with sea salt should be washed with water only – no detergent.

How to Clean Your Ceiling Fans.

A ceiling fan can get very dirty and is often overlooked as it is above eye level. If dust is noticed on the blades of the ceiling fan, the top of the blades maybe think in dust.

You only need a sturdy step ladder, a few clean clothes and pledge or spray and wipe to give your fans a great clean. Stand on a stepladder where you can reach the blades comfortably. It is not important to see the top of the blade but do check you can reach the blade with ease. Using a microfiber cloth, wipe the blades from the middle near the motor to the outer edge. The dust will stick to the microfiber cloth. Ok if it is years and years of dust than it will fall to the floor for you to vacuum up after.

After you have dusted the blade, damp wipe the blade with a clean cloth which has a little of your cleaning spray on. Don’t forget to wipe the underneath of the blade.
Rotate the fan so you can reach the next blade and repeat process until all blades are clean.

Each week when cleaning, wipe the blades with an extendable feather duster, this will control the dust that collects on the blades.

How to clean The Range Hood.

The function of the range hood is to catch the grease and steam and smells from cooking. It therefore gets pretty dirty and greasy. There are many types are range hoods and they are best cleaned according to the manufactures instructions.

Clean the outside of the hood whenever you’re cleaning your kitchen. Use warm water with washing up liquid. Soapy water is the best to remove the grease, however if the hood is very greasy ammonia can be used. Wash the hood with a soft cloth and dry with a soft cotton cloth. Should the range hood be metal it can be finished with a stainless steel cleaner.

Never use wire or steel wool or abrasive pads on the range hood as it can scratch.

The metal filters over the fans do need cleaning too sometimes, these can be placed on the top shelf of the dish washer, if you have no dishwasher soak the filter in soapy warm water. Use a handy brush to scrub clean, and allow to stand to drip dry before returning to the range hood.

Naturally the inside of the hood needs to be cleaned too. Dishwasher soap and water is great for removing grease from the fan blades and the light blubs. Never clean your range hood light or fan when they are on.

Note: if you range hood fan has too much grease on it can put strain on the motor and pose as a fire hazard.

How to Clean Wooden Blinds.

Wooden blinds look great but they need regular care to maintain. Blinds should be dusted with a feather duster regularly.

Before cleaning your blinds you may want to lay down an old sheet to collect the dust as it falls. This will save you some time vacuuming later.

Blinds can be cleaned with a soft damp cloth. A handy way is to wear an old pair of fabric gloves. Don’t have a glove than use an old sock.

Close the blinds. Run a feather duster over the blinds to remove some of the built up dust.

Open the blinds. Dip the glove/sock in warm soapy water and squeeze out the water. You want a damp glove/sock, not a wet one. Put on the damp glove or sock and run your finger along the top and your thumb along the bottom of the blind. Work from the middle of the blind to the outer edge. When your glove/sock gets too dirty, dampen again. Repeat until all slats have been cleaned. This is a long process but only needs to be completed twice a year if the blinds are dusted regularly.

Once you’ve cleaned the whole blind slat by slat, close the blind and gently wipe over the whole set with a clean cotton cloth.

If you wipe down the slats of the blinds with fabric softener sheets after cleaning and drying them, you can postpone the dust build-up.

Note: When washing wood blinds, do not over saturate the wood. Wipe excess water off immediately to avoid discoloring or warping.

Cleaning Fly Screens

Flyscreens are a great to keep the bugs out but they are also a dirt trapper.
If you have looked after your fly screens and cobwebbed them from time to time you may just need to brush and vacuum the dirt off the screen on the inside and outside.
If however your fly screens need a spring clean, remove them if possible and place flat outside. Brush the screens, than hose down with a pressure hose. No pressure hose, no worries, wash the screens with a hose and brush excess dirt away.
Let dry, than refit to windows.
It has been said that you can prevent spiders spinning their webs on your screens if they are rubbed down with lemon oil.