Holiday Decorations
Holiday decorations do more than make your house pleasing to the eye; they evoke family traditions, memories, and sentiment. The lowliest decoration may occupy the most exalted position on your tree, mantle, or centerpiece. To ensure many happy holidays to come, proper cleaning and storage of your decorations are essential. New decorations often come with instructions.
Make sure you read them before cleaning.
To clean painted ornaments, separate them so you can pick them up one at a time by the hanger. Lightly dust each ornament with a feather duster. To try not to handle the ornaments, since the oils in your hands can damage the paint. If you need to touch the ornament, wear latex gloves. (This is a must if your ornament is old and fragile.)
To clean glass ornaments, spray regular glass cleaner onto a soft cloth and wipe gently. (Clean Plexigas with an acrylic or Plexigas cleaner, such as Brillianize Plexi Cleaner, available at some hardware stores and from plastic and glass specialist.)
To clean porcelain or crystal ornaments, use a feather duster, brushing across the surface in a downward motion. Don't handle crystal decorations unless you wear gloves. A buffing jewelry cloth is also great to use on crystal. Simply wipe over the surface with the cloth.
To clean resin and wood ornaments, a soft cotton cloth works well.
Again just wipe across the surface.
Sterling silver and gold-plated ornaments come clean when wiped with a polishing jewelry cloth. Apply the cloth in circular motions to remove dust and fingerprints.
Cleaning glittered ornaments is a tricky business. Try using a feather duster on one area. If a lot of glitter comes off, it may be best to leave the decoration alone.
Storing your clean ornaments properly will ensure they will be sparkling, dust free, and ready to hang the next year. Here are some tips:
A Holiday Recipe
Hoses
hose. If you need some extra cleaning muscle, dampen, a rag in warm water and add to it some biodegradable soap (available at camping stores). Rub it over the hose and use clean water from the hose to rinse. Still have some dirt stuck on the hose? Use a vinyl cleaner on vinyl hoses or rubber hoses coated with vinyl. Follow the manufacturer's instructions.
If your hose is stopped up and you have to kinks in it, you could have a buildup of calicum deposits from minerals in the water. Bend the hose back and forth along the entire length of the hose to break up the buildup. If there's nozzle on the business end of the hose, remove it and then turn on the water to flush out the loosened deposits.
Hot Tubs
If you're still getting cloudy water, or your jets aren't working properly, or gunk is appearing on the water, you may have clogged pipes, and you'll have to use a spa cleaning agent, such as Swiryl Away Plumbing Cleaner
To clean hot-tub covers, use a cover cleaning product designed for the task such as Leisure Time's Kover Kare & Konditioner or 303 Aerospace Protectant. Other vinyl cleaners or Spray Away will also do the job. Applying a paste wax to your hot tub cover is a good idea, because it creates a barrier between the cover and the sun, slowing down the sun's fading action.
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When the cleaning is done, you're ready to refill the spa with cold water. It will take about an hour. Then do your water tests and add the amount of chemicals and sanitizers recommended by your hot tub's manufacturer. Start the spa. It will take six to 12 hours for the water to reheat. Until the next water change and cleaning, your chemicals and filtering will keep the 102 degreed F water clear and fresh.
Holiday decorations do more than make your house pleasing to the eye; they evoke family traditions, memories, and sentiment. The lowliest decoration may occupy the most exalted position on your tree, mantle, or centerpiece. To ensure many happy holidays to come, proper cleaning and storage of your decorations are essential. New decorations often come with instructions.
To clean painted ornaments, separate them so you can pick them up one at a time by the hanger. Lightly dust each ornament with a feather duster. To try not to handle the ornaments, since the oils in your hands can damage the paint. If you need to touch the ornament, wear latex gloves. (This is a must if your ornament is old and fragile.)
To clean glass ornaments, spray regular glass cleaner onto a soft cloth and wipe gently. (Clean Plexigas with an acrylic or Plexigas cleaner, such as Brillianize Plexi Cleaner, available at some hardware stores and from plastic and glass specialist.)
To clean porcelain or crystal ornaments, use a feather duster, brushing across the surface in a downward motion. Don't handle crystal decorations unless you wear gloves. A buffing jewelry cloth is also great to use on crystal. Simply wipe over the surface with the cloth.
To clean resin and wood ornaments, a soft cotton cloth works well.
Sterling silver and gold-plated ornaments come clean when wiped with a polishing jewelry cloth. Apply the cloth in circular motions to remove dust and fingerprints.
Cleaning glittered ornaments is a tricky business. Try using a feather duster on one area. If a lot of glitter comes off, it may be best to leave the decoration alone.
Storing your clean ornaments properly will ensure they will be sparkling, dust free, and ready to hang the next year. Here are some tips:
- Store ornaments in a large box or rubber storage container (about 24 inches by 36 inches or smaller) or, if you still have it, in their original box.
A Holiday Recipe
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You can whip up an inexpensive solution for clearing ornaments in seconds, says John wood, operations manager of Extreme Cleaning in Arvada, Colorado, which offers holiday cleaning. The solution works magic on glass, plastic, and wood decorations.
Mix 2 teaspoons of vinegar in a cup of water and apply it to the decorations with a 100 percent cotton rag. Dip one corner of the cloth in the solution and then squeeze the rag. Put the rag over your index finger over the ornament surface.
By using one finger, you'll have more control and can pay attention to cleaning the details on the ornament.
Always test a small, inconspicuous area first. Be very careful with hand-painted or old painted decorations, because the dyes may not hold up as well. Lead or acid-based older paints will come off if cleaned with anything, so test, let the surface dry, and check for discoloration.
You can whip up an inexpensive solution for clearing ornaments in seconds, says John wood, operations manager of Extreme Cleaning in Arvada, Colorado, which offers holiday cleaning. The solution works magic on glass, plastic, and wood decorations.
Mix 2 teaspoons of vinegar in a cup of water and apply it to the decorations with a 100 percent cotton rag. Dip one corner of the cloth in the solution and then squeeze the rag. Put the rag over your index finger over the ornament surface.
Always test a small, inconspicuous area first. Be very careful with hand-painted or old painted decorations, because the dyes may not hold up as well. Lead or acid-based older paints will come off if cleaned with anything, so test, let the surface dry, and check for discoloration.
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- Place a thick layer of crunched-up tissue paper (use only nonacidic paper) in the bottom of the container.
- Lay a full layer of ornaments on top of the crunched-up-tissue paper on the bottom.
- Put the more sturdy ornaments on the bottom and the delicate ones on top. Don't use more than two layers. Try to offset the upper layer so that the ornaments don't sit directly on top of the ornaments below. Don't pack the ornaments tightly, because they might break.
- Wrap each ornament individually using just one layer of tissue paper for the ornament.
- Lay one or two layers of flat tissue paper on top of the first layer of ornaments,
- Place the second layer of wrapped ornaments on top of the tissue paper over the previous layer of ornaments.
- Store your container of ornaments in a cool, dry, out-of-the-way place.
Hoses
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Thankfully, hoses are almost--but not totally--maintenance free.
Always start cleaning garden hoses with the least abrasive method and work your way up. They probably require little cleaning other than removing dirt by spraying water from the hose onto the
Give your Garden Hose a Long and Happy Life
Thankfully, hoses are almost--but not totally--maintenance free.
Always start cleaning garden hoses with the least abrasive method and work your way up. They probably require little cleaning other than removing dirt by spraying water from the hose onto the
Give your Garden Hose a Long and Happy Life
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To increase your hose's life expectancy here are some more things you can do:
To increase your hose's life expectancy here are some more things you can do:
- Sure, hoses have UV retardants in them. Nevertheless, it helps to remove your hose from adverse conditions, such as sunlight and freezing temperatures. Over time, sunlight can break down the material so that it becomes brittle.
- While your hose isn't in use, store it on a reel to prevent it from forming kinks or knots. Place the reel out of sight (they're not that attractive, andyway) and out of the sun or on the east side of the house (so it only gets the morning sun).
- For winter storage, drain the hose and store it indoors. To drain it, first detach the hose from the tap. Starting at the end of the hose, pick it up so that the water runs through the hose ahead for you. Make large loops with the hose over your shoulder as you go. when you reach the end of the hose, all the water will have run out. If you have a long hose that's too heavy to loop over your shoulder, make loops around a bench or make your loops on a raised patch of ground.
- Place the hose out in the sun for two days to thoroughly dry it.
- store the hose flat in large relaxed loops. If you hang your hose, you'll get bends that may freeze and damage the material.
- Never walk on or drive over a hose. Hoses aren't designed to withstand that much external pressure.
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hose. If you need some extra cleaning muscle, dampen, a rag in warm water and add to it some biodegradable soap (available at camping stores). Rub it over the hose and use clean water from the hose to rinse. Still have some dirt stuck on the hose? Use a vinyl cleaner on vinyl hoses or rubber hoses coated with vinyl. Follow the manufacturer's instructions.
If your hose is stopped up and you have to kinks in it, you could have a buildup of calicum deposits from minerals in the water. Bend the hose back and forth along the entire length of the hose to break up the buildup. If there's nozzle on the business end of the hose, remove it and then turn on the water to flush out the loosened deposits.
Hot Tubs
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How often should you clean you hot tub? Depends on how often you use it.
How often should you clean you hot tub? Depends on how often you use it.
- If two people use it three nights a week, clean it thoroughly and drain it every three months.
- If you have a lot of kids, and the family uses it up to six nights a week, step up your cleaning to every two months.
- If your hot tub is more for decoration than relaxation, clean it as needed. You'll still have to test the chemical level weekly.
- If your aren't keeping track of your use, here's a good rule of thumb:Don't keep the water in longer than three months--six months maximum. You won't need a calendar to know when you've waited too long. The water will be cloudy or foamy, or it'll smell like a science experiment.
Cleaning your hot tub's filter is important because a dirty, worn out filter will fail to trap spa contaminants and will put undue strain on your spa's pump motor and heater. Remove your filter and rinse it weekly with water to get rid of coarse dirt and debris. Take a garden hose, apply the stream at a 45 degree angle, and give it a pressure washing inside and out. Allow the filter to dry. Next, remove any fine particles of dirt carefully with a brush or by applying a stream of compressed air (from an air compressor or from an aerosol can, available at supermarkets as well as camera, computer and discount stores) to the filter's outer surface.
If algae, suntan oil, or body oils still leave a coating, soak teh filter overnight in a degreaser cleaning solution, such as Filter Fresh or Leisure Time Filter Clean (available from your hot tub dealer). Some experts recommend that you soak the filter monthly in a degreaser. If clogging persists, check your water chemistry and adjust, drain, and clean the tub, or buy a new filter catridge. Replace the filter annually.
Every three months, drain the water and clean the acrylic shell inside and out with a nonsoap-based cleaner such as Spray Away, a spa and nautical product that cuts grease easily. Spray it on the tub, let it sit for a minute, and then wipe off any scum or stains, or rub with a sponge. Refill the spa right away--or wax if after cleaning with an aerosol wax, such as Highlight Spa Brite spray wax, or Novus 1 plastic Clean & Shine. You'll find that old, clean cotton T-shirts make great buffers. Be sure not to spray the cleaning solution and wax into the jets.
If algae, suntan oil, or body oils still leave a coating, soak teh filter overnight in a degreaser cleaning solution, such as Filter Fresh or Leisure Time Filter Clean (available from your hot tub dealer). Some experts recommend that you soak the filter monthly in a degreaser. If clogging persists, check your water chemistry and adjust, drain, and clean the tub, or buy a new filter catridge. Replace the filter annually.
Every three months, drain the water and clean the acrylic shell inside and out with a nonsoap-based cleaner such as Spray Away, a spa and nautical product that cuts grease easily. Spray it on the tub, let it sit for a minute, and then wipe off any scum or stains, or rub with a sponge. Refill the spa right away--or wax if after cleaning with an aerosol wax, such as Highlight Spa Brite spray wax, or Novus 1 plastic Clean & Shine. You'll find that old, clean cotton T-shirts make great buffers. Be sure not to spray the cleaning solution and wax into the jets.
If you're still getting cloudy water, or your jets aren't working properly, or gunk is appearing on the water, you may have clogged pipes, and you'll have to use a spa cleaning agent, such as Swiryl Away Plumbing Cleaner
To clean hot-tub covers, use a cover cleaning product designed for the task such as Leisure Time's Kover Kare & Konditioner or 303 Aerospace Protectant. Other vinyl cleaners or Spray Away will also do the job. Applying a paste wax to your hot tub cover is a good idea, because it creates a barrier between the cover and the sun, slowing down the sun's fading action.
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When the cleaning is done, you're ready to refill the spa with cold water. It will take about an hour. Then do your water tests and add the amount of chemicals and sanitizers recommended by your hot tub's manufacturer. Start the spa. It will take six to 12 hours for the water to reheat. Until the next water change and cleaning, your chemicals and filtering will keep the 102 degreed F water clear and fresh.
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