China
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The term fine china evokes images of fragile delicacy, but most china manufactured today is made to be functional as well as elegant. Companies know today's busy consumer wants utility as well as beauty. So most china made in the last 25 years in dishwasher safe and says so explicitl
y on the bottom of the piece.
A notable exception is dinnerware with a band made of a precious metal such as platinum or gold. The high heat of the dishwasher's drying cycle will cause the metal to soften. You should also avoid lemon-scented detergents, because they contain citrus, which can corrode the metal, whether you're washing by hand or machine. Hand-washing is also required for antique or hand-painted china. The force and heat of the dishwasher is too much for fragile pieces.
Washing china in the dishwasher does require a little extra attention. Load the pieces carefully so they won't bump into each other and chip. Make sure aluminum utensils and lightweight foil containers don't rub against dishes during the wash cycle, because that can create black or gray marks.
To hand-wash antique or hand-painted china, start by lining the bottom of the sink with a rubber mat or towel. Half-fill the sink with warm water and a mild dishwashing liquid. To prevent chipping, take care not to overload the sink with dishes. Remove rings and jewelry to prevent scratching the china and, for the same reason, wash flatware separately. Use a soft cloth or sponge for cleaning. Here are some more tips:
Starbucks coffee expert Chris Gimbl suggests brewing your own, coffee maker cleaning solution. He uses lemon juice instead of white vinegar because the smell is more pleasant.
Fill the reservoir half full with water, then to the top with pulp-free lemon juice, advises Gimbl, a spokesperson at the company's Seattle, washington, headquarters. (Use a ready-to-use lemon juice, such as Realemon, because squeezing your own takes too much time, not to mention requiring too many lemons! And straining out pulp and seeds "can be a real pain," Gimbl says.)
Run the coffee maker through its entire cycle. Discard the solution in the coffee pot, then run the brew cycle two or three more times with plain water until you don't smell lemon anymore. Wash all removable parts in hot, sudsy water,then rinse and dry.
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The term fine china evokes images of fragile delicacy, but most china manufactured today is made to be functional as well as elegant. Companies know today's busy consumer wants utility as well as beauty. So most china made in the last 25 years in dishwasher safe and says so explicitl
A notable exception is dinnerware with a band made of a precious metal such as platinum or gold. The high heat of the dishwasher's drying cycle will cause the metal to soften. You should also avoid lemon-scented detergents, because they contain citrus, which can corrode the metal, whether you're washing by hand or machine. Hand-washing is also required for antique or hand-painted china. The force and heat of the dishwasher is too much for fragile pieces.
Washing china in the dishwasher does require a little extra attention. Load the pieces carefully so they won't bump into each other and chip. Make sure aluminum utensils and lightweight foil containers don't rub against dishes during the wash cycle, because that can create black or gray marks.
To hand-wash antique or hand-painted china, start by lining the bottom of the sink with a rubber mat or towel. Half-fill the sink with warm water and a mild dishwashing liquid. To prevent chipping, take care not to overload the sink with dishes. Remove rings and jewelry to prevent scratching the china and, for the same reason, wash flatware separately. Use a soft cloth or sponge for cleaning. Here are some more tips:
- Wash or soak the items as soon after eating as possible,to prevent the problem of dried-on food and staining. Acidic foods such as mayonnaise and eggs can damage the glaze if left on for long periods.
- To remove dried food, soak the china in a grease-cutting dishwashing liquid, then scrub gently with a nylon scouring pad. Never use a metal pad, and avoid steel wool and gritty cleansers as well.
- Be careful when placing the dishes in the drainer to prevent scratches and chips.
Wash china figurines and sculptures by hand using the mildest saop--Ivory, for instance. Hand-dry with a soft cloth. If the piece has a wooden base, don't let the wood get wet.
See also Dishes.
Chrome
See also Dishes.
Chrome
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Chrome is common, all right: Older car bumpers are plated with it, as are toasters, electric frying pans, appliance handles, shower heads, metal shower frames, and faucets. Since chrome in usually plated onto another metal, be gentle when you clean it, or you can wear it right off. And don't get abrasive with chrome Cleaners with "scratch" in them can indelibly mar the surface.
To clean chrome, remember never to wash removable chrome items from your kitchen in greasy dishwater, because the next time the items get hot during cooking, that grease is a thankless task.
To clean chrome, try dishwashing liquid in warm water first, applied with an old toothbrush to work into cracks and crevices. Then rinse with water and polish to a shine with a soft cloth.
If that doesn't do the trick, use baking soda sprinkled onto a damp sponge or cloth.warm water and dry with another cloth.
Let the soda sit on the chrome for an hour, then rinse with
Or rub down chrome with undiluted cider vinegar or white vinegar--no need to rinse. Ammonia can also be used--but rinse it off with water and dry completely.
Here are some other tricks for cleaning chrome:
Chrome is common, all right: Older car bumpers are plated with it, as are toasters, electric frying pans, appliance handles, shower heads, metal shower frames, and faucets. Since chrome in usually plated onto another metal, be gentle when you clean it, or you can wear it right off. And don't get abrasive with chrome Cleaners with "scratch" in them can indelibly mar the surface.
To clean chrome, remember never to wash removable chrome items from your kitchen in greasy dishwater, because the next time the items get hot during cooking, that grease is a thankless task.
To clean chrome, try dishwashing liquid in warm water first, applied with an old toothbrush to work into cracks and crevices. Then rinse with water and polish to a shine with a soft cloth.
If that doesn't do the trick, use baking soda sprinkled onto a damp sponge or cloth.warm water and dry with another cloth.
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| sponge |
Or rub down chrome with undiluted cider vinegar or white vinegar--no need to rinse. Ammonia can also be used--but rinse it off with water and dry completely.
Here are some other tricks for cleaning chrome:
- Chrome range burner rings often get grimy and sticky. To shine them up rub with a paste made form vinegar and cream of tartar.
- Did a plastic bread wrapper melt all over your chrome toaster or toaster oven? Dab a little acetone or nail polish remover on the melted mess, then buff with a soft cloth. keep the remove far from plastic parts, because it could eat them.
- Rub a chrome surface with a half a lemon dipped lightly in salt. (if you have no lemons, use white vinegar and salt on a soft cloth.) Rinse well with water and buff to brilliance with a dry cloth or paper towel.
- For chrome trim on faucets, kitchen appliances, and cars, apply baby oil with a soft cloth and polish to restore luster. If hard water has left deposits, use a commercial cleaner, such as Lime-A-Way.
- Spliff up chrome furniture bases with cider vinegar or rubbing alcohol.
- To rid chrome of rust spots, especially on car trim and bumpers, crumple aluminum foil into a wad and rub with gusto, shiny side exposed. This technique also works wonders on golf club shafts.
Clocks
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When cleaning your clock, what you don't do is as important as what you do. The most important aspect of cleaning a mantelpiece, wall, grandfather, or other nice mechanical clock is maintaining the internal mechanism to prevent wear and tear. To take care of the inner workings, it's best to entrust your clock to an expert to have it cleaned and oiled. Clocks are too easy to damage going the do-it yourself route. Service the mechanism every two to three years. Remember that time may be your worst enemy, but dirt in any timepiece comes in a close second.
Cleaning and oiling the inner working of a clock are possible if you're exacting. The first step is to wipe the inner workings with a dry, soft cloth to get rid of the worst of the dust and grime. Then apply special clock oil, which you can obtain at clock shops but not at hardware stores. It typically comes with a penlike applicator. people often try using WD-40 first before they abandon the project and cart the clock to a professional. Don't do it! WD-40 is not a proper lubricant for clocks--it wears the mechanism out even faster, attracting dirt rather than repelling it. If you do clean and oil the clock yourself, use a clamp to hold
OOPS!
Springing into Action >
One occupational hazard to note before you embark on cleaning the insides of a mechanical clock: If you don't tightly clamp down the springs and other movable parts, they can go flying every which way. So says Roger Mackey, a clock repair and cleaning expert in Macfarlan, West Virginia. "I've seen clockworks go flying all over the room, chipping teeth and breaking stuff, recalls Mackey. who started cleaning and repairing clocks in 1968. His best counsel is to let the experts clean your clock, especially on the inside.
This Explanation Is Just the Ticket
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An entry about cleaning clocks would not be complete with out an exploration of the peculiar expression clean your clock, meaning "Punch you" or "knock you out." How did the dainty task of dusting off a timepiece get equated with such an act of violence? could it be that we've historically associated human faces and clock faces, and smacking one or the other would surely jolt loose any cobwebs?
There are a few theories floating about, but Cassell's Dictionary of Slang gets the most specific:
The term clean the clock is old United States railroad terminology. To stop suddenly, the engineer would hit the air brakes, bringing the air gauge (or "clock") down to zero--or "clean." cleaning a person's clock, then, meant bringing the person to a dead halt. All board with this explanation?
When cleaning your clock, what you don't do is as important as what you do. The most important aspect of cleaning a mantelpiece, wall, grandfather, or other nice mechanical clock is maintaining the internal mechanism to prevent wear and tear. To take care of the inner workings, it's best to entrust your clock to an expert to have it cleaned and oiled. Clocks are too easy to damage going the do-it yourself route. Service the mechanism every two to three years. Remember that time may be your worst enemy, but dirt in any timepiece comes in a close second.
Cleaning and oiling the inner working of a clock are possible if you're exacting. The first step is to wipe the inner workings with a dry, soft cloth to get rid of the worst of the dust and grime. Then apply special clock oil, which you can obtain at clock shops but not at hardware stores. It typically comes with a penlike applicator. people often try using WD-40 first before they abandon the project and cart the clock to a professional. Don't do it! WD-40 is not a proper lubricant for clocks--it wears the mechanism out even faster, attracting dirt rather than repelling it. If you do clean and oil the clock yourself, use a clamp to hold
OOPS!
Springing into Action >
One occupational hazard to note before you embark on cleaning the insides of a mechanical clock: If you don't tightly clamp down the springs and other movable parts, they can go flying every which way. So says Roger Mackey, a clock repair and cleaning expert in Macfarlan, West Virginia. "I've seen clockworks go flying all over the room, chipping teeth and breaking stuff, recalls Mackey. who started cleaning and repairing clocks in 1968. His best counsel is to let the experts clean your clock, especially on the inside.
This Explanation Is Just the Ticket
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An entry about cleaning clocks would not be complete with out an exploration of the peculiar expression clean your clock, meaning "Punch you" or "knock you out." How did the dainty task of dusting off a timepiece get equated with such an act of violence? could it be that we've historically associated human faces and clock faces, and smacking one or the other would surely jolt loose any cobwebs?
There are a few theories floating about, but Cassell's Dictionary of Slang gets the most specific:
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down springs and other movable parts. (See the Oops sidebar.) And don't put too much oil on the gears and the plate.
Cleaning the exterior of a clock, assuming it's a wooden clock, is done as you would do any other fine piece of furniture. Use a furniture oil to feed the wood. (Lemon oil works well and smells pleasant.) To dust a clock case, use a dust remover, such as Endust or Lemon Pledge, spritzed on a soft cloth, not on the clock itself.
Wipe the piece covering the face--be it glass, acrylic, or another clear plastic--with a clean, soft cloth. If you know the cover, is glass, it's OK to use a window cleaner, such as Windex or Cinch, but never spray the cleaner directly on the clock. Spray it on the cloth and wipe ever so gently.
Coffee Grinders
Wipe the piece covering the face--be it glass, acrylic, or another clear plastic--with a clean, soft cloth. If you know the cover, is glass, it's OK to use a window cleaner, such as Windex or Cinch, but never spray the cleaner directly on the clock. Spray it on the cloth and wipe ever so gently.
Coffee Grinders
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Wake up and smell the coffee! Whatever you do when cleaning out that electric coffee grinder, don't take it swimming. Immersion in water can ruin a perfectly good grinder.
Clean a coffee grinder after every use. Lest this become on electrifying experience, always begin by unplugging the unit. Brush out the grinder with a pastry brush, old toothbrush, or special coffee grounds brush, sold at gourmet kitchen stores and some coffee shops. This doesn't have to be grind--simply make sure you leave the stainless steel inside the grinder shiny, so that tomorrow's batch of beans won't be sullied by stale grounds from yesterday's pot. (The organic oils in coffee beans can get funky fast.) Wash the plastic lid with a sponge in dishwashing liquid and warm water, rinse and dry with a soft cloth.
Two more methods you can try:
Dampen a paper towel and swab the inside.
Run a small handful of uncooked white rice through the coffee than coffee beans.
Most coffee experts advise against using your machine for grinding dry spices, by the way, since the smells from grinding ingredients such as cinnamon sticks and dried basil are nearly impossible to get out.
Coffee Makers
Wake up and smell the coffee! Whatever you do when cleaning out that electric coffee grinder, don't take it swimming. Immersion in water can ruin a perfectly good grinder.
Clean a coffee grinder after every use. Lest this become on electrifying experience, always begin by unplugging the unit. Brush out the grinder with a pastry brush, old toothbrush, or special coffee grounds brush, sold at gourmet kitchen stores and some coffee shops. This doesn't have to be grind--simply make sure you leave the stainless steel inside the grinder shiny, so that tomorrow's batch of beans won't be sullied by stale grounds from yesterday's pot. (The organic oils in coffee beans can get funky fast.) Wash the plastic lid with a sponge in dishwashing liquid and warm water, rinse and dry with a soft cloth.
Two more methods you can try:
Dampen a paper towel and swab the inside.
Run a small handful of uncooked white rice through the coffee than coffee beans.
Coffee Makers
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Coffee makers often get corrupted with minerals and other impurities from the water you use to make that good cuppa Joe. The harder the water, the more deposits it will form on the inside of your coffee maker. To keep your coffee maker perking along, clean it at least once a month--if you use the maker every day--to rid it of this whitish scale, or every two months if you brew a pot less often. Failing to clean your coffee maker's inner workings will affect heating and brewing time and will adversely affect the taste and aroma of your coffee. Always check your owner's manual before embarking on any of the following cleaning methods. In general no electric coffee maker should be immersed in water.
To clean an electric drip coffee maker--the most popular variety on the market today--you have your choice of three tried-and-true methods:
Coffee makers often get corrupted with minerals and other impurities from the water you use to make that good cuppa Joe. The harder the water, the more deposits it will form on the inside of your coffee maker. To keep your coffee maker perking along, clean it at least once a month--if you use the maker every day--to rid it of this whitish scale, or every two months if you brew a pot less often. Failing to clean your coffee maker's inner workings will affect heating and brewing time and will adversely affect the taste and aroma of your coffee. Always check your owner's manual before embarking on any of the following cleaning methods. In general no electric coffee maker should be immersed in water.
To clean an electric drip coffee maker--the most popular variety on the market today--you have your choice of three tried-and-true methods:
- Fill the water reservoir, half with cold water and half with white vinegar. Place a clean paper filter in the basket--minus the java, of course. Run the coffee maker through its entire cycle. Repeat the brewing cycle two more times, using plain water each time to flush out the remaining crud.
- Fill the reservoir with water and add 2 tablespoons of decalcifier (such as CLR Calcium Lime Rust Remover, available at hardware stores) or 2 tablespoons of water softener pellets. Turn on the coffee maker and run it once through the complete cycle, then a second time with plain water.
- Fill the reservoir with hot water and add a denture tablet. Run the machine through its complete brewing cycle, then run it once more using plain water.
Wash the coffee carafe in hot water with dishwashing liquid and rinse with water. Then remove any other removable parts and do the same. You can wash these pieces in the top rack of the dishwasher, but their colors may fade. If so, buff them with a soft dry cloth.
To clean an electric percolator--the kind your mom and grand mother made famous--fill the pot with water and add 1/4 cup cream of tartar. Run it through the complete percolating cycle, then wash well with hot, soapy water, rinse completely with fresh water, and let dry.
expert advice
Brew Your Own cleaning Solution >
To clean an electric percolator--the kind your mom and grand mother made famous--fill the pot with water and add 1/4 cup cream of tartar. Run it through the complete percolating cycle, then wash well with hot, soapy water, rinse completely with fresh water, and let dry.
expert advice
Brew Your Own cleaning Solution >
Starbucks coffee expert Chris Gimbl suggests brewing your own, coffee maker cleaning solution. He uses lemon juice instead of white vinegar because the smell is more pleasant.
Fill the reservoir half full with water, then to the top with pulp-free lemon juice, advises Gimbl, a spokesperson at the company's Seattle, washington, headquarters. (Use a ready-to-use lemon juice, such as Realemon, because squeezing your own takes too much time, not to mention requiring too many lemons! And straining out pulp and seeds "can be a real pain," Gimbl says.)
Run the coffee maker through its entire cycle. Discard the solution in the coffee pot, then run the brew cycle two or three more times with plain water until you don't smell lemon anymore. Wash all removable parts in hot, sudsy water,then rinse and dry.
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