Brass
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Let's get down to brass tacks. There are two kinds of brass to consider--brass with a protective lacquer (most common) and raw brass. Raw brass is the bigger challenge to care for, since this copper-and-zic alloy oxidizes when it is exposed to air, resulting in tarnish. Removing tarnish from raw brass requires some elbow grease.
To remove dirt from lacquered brass, mix mild dishwashing liquid (such as Dawn) with warm water and apply it with a nonabrasive sponge or cloth. Rinse with fresh water and dry thoroughly with a soft cloth. Buff with an extremely soft cloth (cloth diapers are recommended) or chamois. Avoid terry cloth and paper towels, because they will scratch the surface.
To remove tarnish from raw brass, take a tip from antique dealers and the military: Use a metal polish like Brasso, which contains cleaners to eliminate the tarnish, abrasives for polising and oil to protect the brass from the air. Follow the instructions on the package. Use only a thin layer of metal polish--more is not better
Simple SOLUTIONS
Getting a Sticker Off >
To remove a sticker from brass, don't attempt to scrape it off-this could damage the finish. Apply rubbing alcohol or Besting Solvent and Thinner (available at art supply stores) to a cloth diaper. wipe the solvent onto the sticker and let it sit fro a few seconds. Then wipe the sticker and its gummy adhesive away. Buff with a clean diaper.
When Life Hands you Tarnish, Use Lemons
When a commercial brass cleaner isn't available for removing tarnish from raw brass, Michael Supranowitz gets dazzling results with a squeeze play. The owner of Handyman Services in New york City, Supranowitz slices a lemon in half, sprinkles the cut surface with salt, and then squeezes the lemon over the brass that needs cleaning.
He wipes down the brass with one soft cloth and buff the brass with a second soft cloth. The technique works equally well with lacquered and raw brass.
An alternative: Make a paste of baking soda and water (or just use toothpaste, also a mild abrasive). Apply the paste to a soft cloth and then rub the brass. Wipe clean with a fresh cloth.
Once it's clean, rub unlacquered brass with a light coating of mineral oil, olive oil, or lemon oil to protect it from further tarnish. Lacquered brass doesn't need this protection.
To keep your unlacquered brass gleaming, you will need to polish it every few months.
To spiff up soot-grimed brass fireplace equipment, the aforementioned cleaning techniques may not be sufficient. If so, try rubbing the brass with extra-fine steel wool (0000) or very fine emery cloth. Careful, you're in abrasive territory now. Rub the metal in one direction only--not with a circular motion. Once the brass is clean, follow up with a commercial brass polish.
Brick
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Exposed interior brick can be cleaned by simply putting the brush attachment on your vacuum cleaner and running it over the wall. The brush will loosen the dust and dirt, and the vacuum will suck it up.
On exterior brick that stays damp and shaded, mold, mildew, and algae are commonly a problem. To kill and remove the growth, mix 1 ounce of bleach with 1 quart of water in a bucket. If you find you need more strength, increase the bleach. Wearing rubber gloves, dip a stiff-bristled brush (not metal) in the solution and scrub the brick. To rinse, hose the brick down with fresh water.
Simple SOLUTIONS
Cleaning Under Pressure >
A high-pressure hose can work magic in cleaning brick, but be careful--the pressure can damage both mortar and bricks, especially bricks with a sand finish. Use a low setting and keep the nozzle 2 feet from the wall. Aim for the brick, not the mortar.
For cleaning dingy brick, some masonry professionals swear by lye, an oven cleaner like Easy-Off, or a drain opener like Drano. These are extremely harsh substances, so wear rubber gloves, long sleeves, and protective googles. Oven cleaner, which comes in an aerosol container, is easiest to work with. To use, spray on full strength oven cleaner. Lye and drain opener come in crystallized form. To use, pour 3 tablespoons of lye or drain opener crystals into a bucket and add 1 gallon of water. (This way you don't have to do any mixing.) Apply the solution with an old rag. Whichever cleaner you are using, let it sit for 15 minutes and follow up with a scrub brush. Apply the cleaner again if necessary and scrub once more. Rinse with water.
To brighten soot-stained brick, try this old masonry trick. Mix 20 ounces of a cola soft drink (its acid adds cleaning muscle), 1/2 cup of a household cleaner such as Spic and Span, and 1 gallon of water in a bucket. Sponge the solution onto the sooty brick and let it sit for 15 minutes. Scrub with a stiff-bristled brush to loosen the soot. Rinse with a clean sponge and fresh water. (Outside, use a hose) To make the solution more powerful, add more cola. An alternative: Buy a commercial soot remover from a store that sells fireplace gear, follow the product's directions, and save the cola to quench your thrist on a hot day.
Bridal Gowns
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Unless your grown in wash-and-wear, never try to clean it yourself. Granted, a lot can happen between the alterations and the altar, and it usually happen when you're dressed and ready to walk down the aisle. But if you have an emergency kit for those last-minute accidents, a spill won't spoil your day.
To fix a last-minute stain, don't use spot cleaner on your gown. Just leave that can at home. If you're lucky, it might--might--remove the spot, but it also will damage the fabric. If you're going to use hair spray, apply it before you don your dress. Nothing dulls beading like hair spray.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Let's get down to brass tacks. There are two kinds of brass to consider--brass with a protective lacquer (most common) and raw brass. Raw brass is the bigger challenge to care for, since this copper-and-zic alloy oxidizes when it is exposed to air, resulting in tarnish. Removing tarnish from raw brass requires some elbow grease.
To remove dirt from lacquered brass, mix mild dishwashing liquid (such as Dawn) with warm water and apply it with a nonabrasive sponge or cloth. Rinse with fresh water and dry thoroughly with a soft cloth. Buff with an extremely soft cloth (cloth diapers are recommended) or chamois. Avoid terry cloth and paper towels, because they will scratch the surface.
To remove tarnish from raw brass, take a tip from antique dealers and the military: Use a metal polish like Brasso, which contains cleaners to eliminate the tarnish, abrasives for polising and oil to protect the brass from the air. Follow the instructions on the package. Use only a thin layer of metal polish--more is not better
Simple SOLUTIONS
Getting a Sticker Off >
To remove a sticker from brass, don't attempt to scrape it off-this could damage the finish. Apply rubbing alcohol or Besting Solvent and Thinner (available at art supply stores) to a cloth diaper. wipe the solvent onto the sticker and let it sit fro a few seconds. Then wipe the sticker and its gummy adhesive away. Buff with a clean diaper.
When Life Hands you Tarnish, Use Lemons
When a commercial brass cleaner isn't available for removing tarnish from raw brass, Michael Supranowitz gets dazzling results with a squeeze play. The owner of Handyman Services in New york City, Supranowitz slices a lemon in half, sprinkles the cut surface with salt, and then squeezes the lemon over the brass that needs cleaning.
An alternative: Make a paste of baking soda and water (or just use toothpaste, also a mild abrasive). Apply the paste to a soft cloth and then rub the brass. Wipe clean with a fresh cloth.
Once it's clean, rub unlacquered brass with a light coating of mineral oil, olive oil, or lemon oil to protect it from further tarnish. Lacquered brass doesn't need this protection.
To keep your unlacquered brass gleaming, you will need to polish it every few months.
To spiff up soot-grimed brass fireplace equipment, the aforementioned cleaning techniques may not be sufficient. If so, try rubbing the brass with extra-fine steel wool (0000) or very fine emery cloth. Careful, you're in abrasive territory now. Rub the metal in one direction only--not with a circular motion. Once the brass is clean, follow up with a commercial brass polish.
Brick
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Exposed interior brick can be cleaned by simply putting the brush attachment on your vacuum cleaner and running it over the wall. The brush will loosen the dust and dirt, and the vacuum will suck it up.
On exterior brick that stays damp and shaded, mold, mildew, and algae are commonly a problem. To kill and remove the growth, mix 1 ounce of bleach with 1 quart of water in a bucket. If you find you need more strength, increase the bleach. Wearing rubber gloves, dip a stiff-bristled brush (not metal) in the solution and scrub the brick. To rinse, hose the brick down with fresh water.
Simple SOLUTIONS
Cleaning Under Pressure >
A high-pressure hose can work magic in cleaning brick, but be careful--the pressure can damage both mortar and bricks, especially bricks with a sand finish. Use a low setting and keep the nozzle 2 feet from the wall. Aim for the brick, not the mortar.
For cleaning dingy brick, some masonry professionals swear by lye, an oven cleaner like Easy-Off, or a drain opener like Drano. These are extremely harsh substances, so wear rubber gloves, long sleeves, and protective googles. Oven cleaner, which comes in an aerosol container, is easiest to work with. To use, spray on full strength oven cleaner. Lye and drain opener come in crystallized form. To use, pour 3 tablespoons of lye or drain opener crystals into a bucket and add 1 gallon of water. (This way you don't have to do any mixing.) Apply the solution with an old rag. Whichever cleaner you are using, let it sit for 15 minutes and follow up with a scrub brush. Apply the cleaner again if necessary and scrub once more. Rinse with water.
To brighten soot-stained brick, try this old masonry trick. Mix 20 ounces of a cola soft drink (its acid adds cleaning muscle), 1/2 cup of a household cleaner such as Spic and Span, and 1 gallon of water in a bucket. Sponge the solution onto the sooty brick and let it sit for 15 minutes. Scrub with a stiff-bristled brush to loosen the soot. Rinse with a clean sponge and fresh water. (Outside, use a hose) To make the solution more powerful, add more cola. An alternative: Buy a commercial soot remover from a store that sells fireplace gear, follow the product's directions, and save the cola to quench your thrist on a hot day.
Bridal Gowns
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Unless your grown in wash-and-wear, never try to clean it yourself. Granted, a lot can happen between the alterations and the altar, and it usually happen when you're dressed and ready to walk down the aisle. But if you have an emergency kit for those last-minute accidents, a spill won't spoil your day.
To fix a last-minute stain, don't use spot cleaner on your gown. Just leave that can at home. If you're lucky, it might--might--remove the spot, but it also will damage the fabric. If you're going to use hair spray, apply it before you don your dress. Nothing dulls beading like hair spray.
- If clumsy feet leave scuff marks along the bottom of the gown, make like a schoolmarm and mark over them with a piece of white chalk.
- Accidental spots or spills? Talcum powder will disguise them. Just sprinkle some talc on the spots and let it absorb the moisture. Barely noticeable.
- Whether a little dribble or a major spill has marred your gown. club soda is your best friend. It helps to treat any spills or spots immediately--they will only be more difficult later. Depending on the location of the stain, you might have to undress and dress all over again. Working from the inside out, use a man's dry handkerchief to blot up as much of the stain as possible. Be sure to dab, not rub. Then wet the handkerchief with the club soda and, again from the inside, dab, don't rub.
If the gown needs a final touch-up, press only on the inside of the gown. And don't use steam. If the fabric hasn't been prewashed, steam can create spotting or a color change. Place a dry handkerchief between the iron and the gown. (you don't want to use a towel, because terry cloth can leave lint.) Then press in a downward direction. Don't move the iron back and forth--it destroys fibers. Press one area, then move the cloth to another.
expert advice
A stick way to save the Day >
It's inevitable, Aunt Sally, who wears too much makeup, will make her way--rouged, lip sticked, and powdered--to your wedding gown. And she'll most likely smudge you with a kiss or a hug just before pictures are taken. With this little tip from Edwin Wudyka, owner of Huntington Cleaners outside Detroit, you'll be ready when Aunt Sally puts her head on your shoulder.
Dry cleaners use a formula they call "Paint-oil-grease" because that's what it removes. But if there's no time for dry cleaning--the photographer is waiting--take a can of WD-40 ("Nothing else," warns Wudyka) and spray a very light mist of the lubricant on a cloth. Then dab--don't rub--with the cloth to remove the makeup stain.
expert advice
A stick way to save the Day >
It's inevitable, Aunt Sally, who wears too much makeup, will make her way--rouged, lip sticked, and powdered--to your wedding gown. And she'll most likely smudge you with a kiss or a hug just before pictures are taken. With this little tip from Edwin Wudyka, owner of Huntington Cleaners outside Detroit, you'll be ready when Aunt Sally puts her head on your shoulder.
Dry cleaners use a formula they call "Paint-oil-grease" because that's what it removes. But if there's no time for dry cleaning--the photographer is waiting--take a can of WD-40 ("Nothing else," warns Wudyka) and spray a very light mist of the lubricant on a cloth. Then dab--don't rub--with the cloth to remove the makeup stain.
When the honeymoon is over, don't put off taking your gown to the dry cleaner. You might want to hand it down to someone or even sell it, and without the proper care, your once-priceless wedding gown will become yellow and useless to anyone else.
First, take off any easily removable trim and shoulder pads. Then search out those devilish spots that you so glibly ignored while you were whooping it up at the reception. Dry cleaning usually removes the obvious--makeup, grass stains, food spills--but you may also have gotten some invisible spills (Champagne is a classic) that show up later. If you can remember where they are, give the dry cleaner a heads up. Otherwise, when your gown is preserved and stored, the Champagne stains will be, too.
When you store your gown, don't put it in plastic or expose it to sunlight. Instead, ask the dry cleaner to wrap your gown in acid-free tissue and store it in an acid-free box. This is the best way to slow the aging process.
Briefcases
When you store your gown, don't put it in plastic or expose it to sunlight. Instead, ask the dry cleaner to wrap your gown in acid-free tissue and store it in an acid-free box. This is the best way to slow the aging process.
Briefcases
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To clean the inside, empty the briefcase and shake it over a trash can to getrid of broken pencil leads, scraps of paper, and the grit and grime that accumulate in offices, airports, and the trunks of cars. Vacuum out everything else, using a hand vacuum cleaner or the crevice attachment of a
regular vacuum cleaner. Use a spritzer bottle of water to laundry or dishwashing detergent on a small terry cloth towel and rub lightly on any persistent stains. Immediately wipe the lining with a dry cloth. Don't close the case--let it air-dry.
lightly spray the lining. Pour a little
To clean the outside, use a liquid saddle soap or put a couple of drops of detergent in a small bowl of warm water. Swirl to create some bubbles. Dip a washcloth in the water and quickly wipe down the briefcase. If your briefcase has a zipper, take a dry bar of soap and rub it down the zipper. It will clean and lubricate the zipper at the same time. Remove excess soap by wiping with a dry washcloth.
Brocade
To clean the inside, empty the briefcase and shake it over a trash can to getrid of broken pencil leads, scraps of paper, and the grit and grime that accumulate in offices, airports, and the trunks of cars. Vacuum out everything else, using a hand vacuum cleaner or the crevice attachment of a
regular vacuum cleaner. Use a spritzer bottle of water to laundry or dishwashing detergent on a small terry cloth towel and rub lightly on any persistent stains. Immediately wipe the lining with a dry cloth. Don't close the case--let it air-dry.
 |
| Dirty with papers |
To clean the outside, use a liquid saddle soap or put a couple of drops of detergent in a small bowl of warm water. Swirl to create some bubbles. Dip a washcloth in the water and quickly wipe down the briefcase. If your briefcase has a zipper, take a dry bar of soap and rub it down the zipper. It will clean and lubricate the zipper at the same time. Remove excess soap by wiping with a dry washcloth.
Brocade
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Brocade isn't just a fabric. It's a combination of fabrics woven into a raised design. So when attempting to clean it, you must take into consideration te fabric contents of the weave. Brocade can be made of wool, cotton, silk, synthetic fiber, or any combination thereof. The cleaning depends on the fiber. But an on the spot remedy often does the trick.
Removing a stain from brocade is an inside job. First, remove as much of the stain as possible by lifting it off with a dull-edged knife, such as dinner knife. Don't treat the remaining stain from the top, or you'll just work the stain into the fibers. Force the stain out from the back by placing the fabric, stain-side down, on an absorbent terry cloth towel. Club soda will help lif the stain. But if you don't have any, use lukewarm tap water. Pour a little on a paper towel and dab it on the stain, forcing it onto the terry cloth towel. Dab a spot, then move to another spot and dab again. Keep dabbing until the stain disappears.
Brocade isn't just a fabric. It's a combination of fabrics woven into a raised design. So when attempting to clean it, you must take into consideration te fabric contents of the weave. Brocade can be made of wool, cotton, silk, synthetic fiber, or any combination thereof. The cleaning depends on the fiber. But an on the spot remedy often does the trick.
Removing a stain from brocade is an inside job. First, remove as much of the stain as possible by lifting it off with a dull-edged knife, such as dinner knife. Don't treat the remaining stain from the top, or you'll just work the stain into the fibers. Force the stain out from the back by placing the fabric, stain-side down, on an absorbent terry cloth towel. Club soda will help lif the stain. But if you don't have any, use lukewarm tap water. Pour a little on a paper towel and dab it on the stain, forcing it onto the terry cloth towel. Dab a spot, then move to another spot and dab again. Keep dabbing until the stain disappears.
No comments:
Post a Comment