I tried the oxiclean on the nasty grout in a kitchen usually filled with teen boys and their big hairy dogs. Success! I made a more of a slurry than a solution because my grout was terrible. I have a fair sized kitchen and had no inclination to scrub on my hamds and knees, or even bend over enough for a dog to lick my nose, so i worked the solution in well with a stiff bristled synthetic broom. Shocking results. Try it!
Just tried the OxyClean on the floor in a small powder room that doesn't get much traffic; still, the white grout was dingy.
VERY disappointed. Followed directions in article and -- looked exactly the same as before. Waste of time and money. Back to bleach and fumes...
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We have natural stone slate tiles in our shower. What's the best way to get soap scum off?
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I am a Fabuloso convert. Works on everything and it smells nice.
Wait! Why would I wash my walls?!?! I have enough surfaces to wash. I Think my wall are fine
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For shower enclosures I highly recommend Hi-Sheen. It is honestly, hands down the very best shower enclosure cleanser available. You can buy it via Amazon.
How do I know? My parents owned a company that designed and installed shower doors and shower enclosure, plenty of their enclosures are all over Palm Beach and Miami, at some US embassies in the vicinity of Florida, oh and Mara Largo must to my shame these days. I worked with them for a couple years. We gave a can of Hi-Sheen post-install to the customer. They always came back to us to order more. We also cleaned the door/enclosure post install with it.
Another thing to do is get a small squeegee. After every shower give the door/enclosure a quick once over with it. You will need to clean it less often for the bit of effort.
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I should clarify; you only need to squeegee the inside of the glass as that's the only side to get steamed.
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I would recommend a large squeegee. Takes less time than a small one. Maybe 10 to 12 inches long would do it.
4 words to make the worst cleaning jobs ez: Mr Clean Magic Erasers. There are 2 varieties for matte & polished surfaces. Great for grout, walls, major appliances & disgusting stove tops.
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I've been cleaning painted woodwork with these. No drips, no rags. Easy.
MOLD: Bathtub silicone sealer: Try using gel toilet bowl cleaner. Let it sit (full -strength) for 20-30”, wash/wipe off. Works perfectly every time!!! I’ve been told that this treatment eventually destroys the sealer but still so much easier than removing/reapplying the sealer every 6 months. Pass it on....
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Two tips:
We dust our wooden venetian blinds using airline flight socks....Just put your hand inside, spray very lightly with water and vinegar....and wipe over each slat. You can clean both sides of each slat with the one hand. Then just toss socks in the washer.
We clean all of our glass shower screens with shampoo...the kind you get in hotel rooms....makes the glass sparkle...doesn't scratch, doesn't leave marks.
We have porcelain tiles in our showers and looking for cleaning ideas for them and the grout. Not sure about the oxiclean solutions. Any other ideas from anyone???
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Would love a suggestion for tricks on cleaning venetian blinds (other than just buying new ones), if anyone has one.
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Try a damp (water only) microfiber cloth for cleaning wood, plastic or metal blinds
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If the blinds are made of aluminum or plastic, they can be submerged in the tub with soapy water (not a lot, just to cover them), and rinsed; then let them dry out on a big towel. It beats cleaning every single slat manually.
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Carefully remove the entire blind from the window frame. Gently place in the bathtub, about one quarter full. Prepare the water with a small squirt or two of dishwashing liquid, OR liquid Laundry detergent. Use warm water. Swish the blinds around for a couple of minutes. Leave the blinds in tub, completely drain water. Refill with plain warm water. Swish around again. Drain the water. Allow to drain in tub for at least 30 minutes before removing. The rehang, place a towel on floor for errant drips. I have done this many times with both vinyl, metal and even wooden blinds. Only do one blind at a time, only use warm, NOT hot, water. And don't use too much cleaning solution or you'll have to rinse many times.
Best wishes.
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I love articles like this. I've actually never washed my walls - just vacuumed once in a while using the brush tool.
Here's another tip, invest in a good air purifier. It'll cut your dusting by half. Be careful though, many on the market do a good job of trapping allergens but somehow manage to not capture much of the larger dust particles. Honeywell and others are you listening? I'll pay a lot of money for a model that does an excellent job of capturing dust and pollutants from open windows.
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What do you use?
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We’ve used Austin Air Filters for years. VERY expensive, and the replacement filters (every few years) are too. BUT: these machines help tremendously with combating allergies, and the rooms they are in get much less dusty. More importantly, an electronic air filter installed at the furnace makes a huge difference.
When I had a cat I didn't need to do spring cleaning as I was cleaning (especially vacuuming) constantly. Now...
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‘ There is no need to do any housework at all. After the first four years the dust doesn’t get any worse’
Quentin Crisp
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A dear friend of mine advised that she doesn't dust as it leaves a fine patina on things!
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Or move.
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I could read about spring cleaning for days! And I never get tired doing it!
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How about you come up to St. Paul and do my house, Kat?!
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Please lend me a little of that enthusiasm.
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It's 2018. How about showing a man cleaning his home in the illustration?
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Here is a man who is not afraid of doing house cleaning; in fact I find it therapeutic, particularly on days that I cannot go to the gym. Better than showing a man, what about a couple, doesn't matter the gender combination, but shows division of labor.
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My husband will perform a cleaning task - after I ask him every day for three months.
Easier to do it myself.
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To clean scum from shower walls, use a mixture of Dawn dish soap and vinegar. For the exact proportions, just do a google search. Works like magic! I could not believe it the first time I used it.
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If you have a lot of hard, uncarpeted surfaces in your home, I cannot recommend too highly investing in a floor washing machine, to save you from the back-breaking work of mopping. I have a Hoover Spin Scrub (they retail at around $140, but you can get a reconditioned machine - as new - on Amazon, for half that). The machine has rotating brushes to scrub the floor and two tanks - one for hot water and a mild soap solution (I use a couple of caps full of Mrs Meyers all-purpose solution) and the other to collect the dirty water that the machine sucks back up. I always vacuum before I use my floor washer and it's sobering to see how much grime the latter still picks up.
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Particularly in a smaller apartment, it's not the mopping that is most labor intensive-- it's lifting and moving everything around, vacuming, then after mopping, moving everything back.
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This is the tedious part I despise..moving little trinkets when dusting, furniture to another room...sorry, cleaning around the furniture does not do the job.
This dryer sheet trick DOES work, but only to prevent build-up of soap scum, AFTER the door is cleaned. Seriously.
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First thing I noticed about this article was that a female was chosen for the picture. Although it is true that I am the one who generally is cleaning the house, this depressed me no end!
Christina Robison
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Oxy and grout: way too complicated. Mix one half cup powder into a gallon of very hot water, in a bucket. Stir well, allow to dissolve for five minutes. Mop the floor with the solution, use plenty of it, do not mop dry. Allow to dry for about 30 minutes, or more. Mop again, using a cleaned mop and fresh hot water. Repeat if needed, i.e. floor sticky or mop water very dirty. Then, have some ice cream or wine.
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I'm supposed to be washing my walls?! Is that a thing that people do?
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In the past. A long long long time ago. Today, they just move.
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Yes, yes it is.
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Thanks for the chuckle!...who washes walls? If it's THAT bad, then it's time for a paint job.
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alas, i just tried the dryer sheets on the shower doors/walls, with no luck (used Bounce dryer sheets). I did not have an especially scummy door either. I'll keep trying, but I'd like to hear from others as to whether this works, because it sounds good. next, the oxy stuff on the floors....
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We have very hard water and the only thing that worked for me was Bon Ami (or Bartender's Friend) and a green 3-M pad.
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Doesn’t the Bon Ami scratch the glass?
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Bartender's Friend won't scratch. I use it to clean my ceramic stove top. It is what the manufacturer recommends.
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About ceiling fans: Once I've got the ladder out, I'm in "cleaning" clothes already & I find it easier to use a dry Swiffer to clean the blades (and dust the light bulbs as well), b/c I'm going to vacuum or mop the floor below it afterwards anyway.
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Great tips and also motivating, thanks!
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