Drains
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A preemptive strike on your brains--before you get a full fledged clog--will make life oh-so-much easier and cheaper. When a drain becomes slow moving, you can prevent that looming call to the plumber by stopping the problem in its early stages. The solution couldn't be simpler. It employs common household items, and you don't even have to mix.
If you have a slow-moving drain, it means sludge is building up in the pipe. When that happens, pour 1 cup of salt into the drain, followed by 1 cup of baking soda. Then pour a full kettle of boiling water down the drain. The abrasive salt and baking soda will break down the clog. If the problem is congealed grease, the clog will loosen immediately. Don't turn on the tap for several hours, if possible. The longer that you go without diluting your work, the better.
If hair is the problem, you'll need a stronger solution. This one will work: Dissolve 2 tablespoons of cleaning soda, such as Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda (find it with laundry products in the supermarket) in 1 quart of hot water and pour it slowly down the drain. Let it work for 10 minutes:
then run hot water until the drain seems clear.
If a disposer-equipped drain is slow, the drain trap and garbage disposer are probably gunked up with food particles. To cure the problem, first pull out drain trap (that little basket like thing that sits in the drain hole at the bottom of the sink). Hold it inside the trash can and tap it to loosen the food, paper bits,bloated dog food, and such. Replace the drain trap, twisting the knob to the closed position, and pour 3 inches of warm water into the sink. Add 1 cup of baking soda. Turn on the garbage disposer and let it run only a couple of seconds before you twist the knob to the closed position, and pour 3 inches of warm water into the sink. Add 1 cup of baking soda. Turn on the garbage disposer and let it run only a couple of seconds before you twist the drain trap knob to the open position. The water pressure will push any remaining food particles through the drain trap and give the garbage disposer a good scrubbing at the same time. Turn on the tap for running water and let the disposer run until you get that free-spinning "all clear" sound.
See also Garbage Disposers.
expert advice
whip Up a Twister >
Before you get a clog that sluts down dinner party preparations, treat your drain to a little maintenance. Linda Cobb, best-selling author and Do It Yourself Network television host, says a monthly dose of the following homemade cleaner will ensure smooth sailing down the drain.
Pour 1/2 cup of baking soda right down the drain. Don't turn on the water yet. Instead, immediately follow the baking soda with 1/2 cup of white vinegar. "It will form a little, white tornado,' says Cobb, assuring that "this is a good thing." wait 30 minutes. Then flush with cold water.
Drawers
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we all have junk drawers--those receptacles for a thousand-odd objects that have no other obvious home. Do we ever just dump the whole messy menagerie into the trash? Of course not. There are treasures in there we'll need someday (if we can ever find them). But clean we must, if just to make sure nothing living has taken up residence within.
Sort through the contents of the drawer you want to clean first. Empty the drawer. Dump it. Everything, no matter how much it makes you cringe. Lay down some old newspapers before you start, and you'll save yourself the chore of vacuuming up all the grit, paper scraps, and bits of plastic that have broken off one gadget or another.
Separate the dumped contents into as many piles as you think necessary, beginning with "keep" and "toss" piles. You can sub-categorize, if you want. If you're like most people, you'll find a year's supply of pens. (Transfer the ones that still have ink to the mug or desk drawer where you store writing implements.) Eliminate everything you're not sure you'll need--that dried our highlighter is a good candidate.
To clean the drawer, you first need to check to see what your drawer is made of.
Down
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Washing down isn't brain surgery. In fact, you use only what you normally use to do laundry: Your washer and some detergent. It's all in the technique. If your washing machine is large enough, put in as many down items as it will hold: jackets, vests, pillows, even sleeping bags--nothing is verboten.
Do a test first--if you want to be sure the item will come out looking at least as good as it. Mix 1/4 cup of water with 2 tablespoons of powdered laundry detergent. Put a few drops on an inconspicuous spot of the fabric, such as on the lining, the hem, or an inside seam. Don't rinse. Wait until it's dry. Then you can see whether the dyes have been affected. It's the color of the item that you need to worry about; the down itself will be fine.
To wash a down item, it's fine to use a dryer, but be sure to do it at the low temperature setting. Some people toss in their sneakers or tennis balls to keep things fluffed. (If you do, make sure they're perfectly clean.) But you don't have to use anything at all.Instead, partway through the drying cycle, remove the down item from the dryer and fluff it by hand. Then return it to the dryer. If your machine has an automatic sensor to tell you when drying is done, ignore it. Down can fool the sensor. The cover may be dry, but the feathers inside may still contain moisture.
expert advice
Down and Dirty >
Your down garment probably has a tag that says you have to dry-clean it. But if the tag just says "Dry Clean", you can get away with gentle machine-washing, says Lucinda Ottusch, lead home economist
for the whirlpool Institute of Fabric science. If the tag gets wordier-"Dry clean only"--pay heed. whichever you decide, stick with one method of cleaning or the other, warns Ottusch. Don't alternate dry cleaning with washing. Dry cleaning removes all the natural oils from the down, which makes the feathers brittle. If you then wash the garment, the feather will break.
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A preemptive strike on your brains--before you get a full fledged clog--will make life oh-so-much easier and cheaper. When a drain becomes slow moving, you can prevent that looming call to the plumber by stopping the problem in its early stages. The solution couldn't be simpler. It employs common household items, and you don't even have to mix.
If you have a slow-moving drain, it means sludge is building up in the pipe. When that happens, pour 1 cup of salt into the drain, followed by 1 cup of baking soda. Then pour a full kettle of boiling water down the drain. The abrasive salt and baking soda will break down the clog. If the problem is congealed grease, the clog will loosen immediately. Don't turn on the tap for several hours, if possible. The longer that you go without diluting your work, the better.
If hair is the problem, you'll need a stronger solution. This one will work: Dissolve 2 tablespoons of cleaning soda, such as Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda (find it with laundry products in the supermarket) in 1 quart of hot water and pour it slowly down the drain. Let it work for 10 minutes:
then run hot water until the drain seems clear.
If a disposer-equipped drain is slow, the drain trap and garbage disposer are probably gunked up with food particles. To cure the problem, first pull out drain trap (that little basket like thing that sits in the drain hole at the bottom of the sink). Hold it inside the trash can and tap it to loosen the food, paper bits,bloated dog food, and such. Replace the drain trap, twisting the knob to the closed position, and pour 3 inches of warm water into the sink. Add 1 cup of baking soda. Turn on the garbage disposer and let it run only a couple of seconds before you twist the knob to the closed position, and pour 3 inches of warm water into the sink. Add 1 cup of baking soda. Turn on the garbage disposer and let it run only a couple of seconds before you twist the drain trap knob to the open position. The water pressure will push any remaining food particles through the drain trap and give the garbage disposer a good scrubbing at the same time. Turn on the tap for running water and let the disposer run until you get that free-spinning "all clear" sound.
See also Garbage Disposers.
expert advice
whip Up a Twister >
Pour 1/2 cup of baking soda right down the drain. Don't turn on the water yet. Instead, immediately follow the baking soda with 1/2 cup of white vinegar. "It will form a little, white tornado,' says Cobb, assuring that "this is a good thing." wait 30 minutes. Then flush with cold water.
Drawers
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
we all have junk drawers--those receptacles for a thousand-odd objects that have no other obvious home. Do we ever just dump the whole messy menagerie into the trash? Of course not. There are treasures in there we'll need someday (if we can ever find them). But clean we must, if just to make sure nothing living has taken up residence within.
Sort through the contents of the drawer you want to clean first. Empty the drawer. Dump it. Everything, no matter how much it makes you cringe. Lay down some old newspapers before you start, and you'll save yourself the chore of vacuuming up all the grit, paper scraps, and bits of plastic that have broken off one gadget or another.
Separate the dumped contents into as many piles as you think necessary, beginning with "keep" and "toss" piles. You can sub-categorize, if you want. If you're like most people, you'll find a year's supply of pens. (Transfer the ones that still have ink to the mug or desk drawer where you store writing implements.) Eliminate everything you're not sure you'll need--that dried our highlighter is a good candidate.
To clean the drawer, you first need to check to see what your drawer is made of.
- For wood, use a little wood oil soap, mixed according to directions, or mix 1 quart of warm water with 2 tablespoons of dishwashing detergent in a large bowl.
- For laminated plastic, use 2 tablespoons of white vinegar mixed 1 quart of warm water.
- For metal drawers, put some baking soda in a small bowl and add just enough water to make a paste.
Thoroughly soak a sponge and squeeze well, then wipe away at the drawer, inside and out. You can let the drawer air-dry, but if you're in a hurry to stow the junk again--only the must-keep stuff--dry it with a paper towel.
Dust
Dust
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The average American house accumulates 40 pounds of dust a year. Dust varies from house to house and from location to location around the country. Generally speaking that film that your kids love to write their names in is made up of particles of more than 5,000 different materials, including skin flakes, pet dander, pet hair, human hair, food bits, pollen grains, mold spores, insect parts, sawdust, an fiber.
Dust Busters
Here are some no-fuss tricks to try when you want to do some spot dusting:
The average American house accumulates 40 pounds of dust a year. Dust varies from house to house and from location to location around the country. Generally speaking that film that your kids love to write their names in is made up of particles of more than 5,000 different materials, including skin flakes, pet dander, pet hair, human hair, food bits, pollen grains, mold spores, insect parts, sawdust, an fiber.
Dust Busters
Here are some no-fuss tricks to try when you want to do some spot dusting:
- To clean stained or natural-finish woodwork, put a tea bag in hot water and let it cool. Then dampen your cleaning rag or sponge with the cooled tea and run it over the woodwork.
- To clean blinds, which can get filmy with dust, wipe the slats with a cloth dampened with vinegar, which sanitizes as it cleans. This is a good trick for chandeliers, too.
- To remove dust, lint, or hair from furniture or an item of clothing, wrap masking tape around your hand and then press your hand and then press your hand over the surface of the item. Unwanted fuzz, dust, or lint will stick to the masking tape.
- To get rid of all the dust trapped in a pleated lamp shade, use a small, medium bristled paintbrush. This works for figurines, too.
- To give freshly dusted furniture a pretty sheen, mix 1/2 teaspoon of light olive oil (not dark) in 1 quart of water. Apply with a clean rag.
Just pushing dust around is what many methods of dusting do. Feather dusters are great, for instance, for cleaning blinds--as long as you make sure to shake the duster outside frequently. A dry dust cloth just moves the dust or suspends it.Even a vacuum cleaner--unless it uses a HEPA (high efficiency particulate air) filter--redistributes a certain amount of the dust it's supposed to be snaring, but it's still the major weapon in the dust war.
Why do we dust? Aesthetics are a big reason, of course. But there are some health concerns related to dust. Dust can be a reservoir accumulate in household dust. In addition, there are a lot of elements in dust, such as mites, that can cause allergic reactions related to asthma.
To dust a room and cut down on the time dusting takes, vacuum everything first-furniture, walls, windowsills, upholstery, the coffee table, it doesn't matter. Vacuuming is key to dust removal,because it removes a lot of dust without creating a dust storm in the process. damp cloth, and your room should be dust-free for a while.
Follow up with a
Naturally, you want to truly remove the dust, rather than kicking it up into the air. Electrostatic cloths. Grab-it Mitts, for example, hold the dust. A damp washcloth or microfiber cloth will also hang on to the dust. But if you use a washcloth instead of disposables, be sure you wash it after every use. When the damp cloth doesn't seem to be quite enough, mix 1 tablespoon of lemon extract in 1 quart of water. Use the solution to redampen the cloth, and you'll cut through the film.
DVD Players
Why do we dust? Aesthetics are a big reason, of course. But there are some health concerns related to dust. Dust can be a reservoir accumulate in household dust. In addition, there are a lot of elements in dust, such as mites, that can cause allergic reactions related to asthma.
To dust a room and cut down on the time dusting takes, vacuum everything first-furniture, walls, windowsills, upholstery, the coffee table, it doesn't matter. Vacuuming is key to dust removal,because it removes a lot of dust without creating a dust storm in the process. damp cloth, and your room should be dust-free for a while.
Naturally, you want to truly remove the dust, rather than kicking it up into the air. Electrostatic cloths. Grab-it Mitts, for example, hold the dust. A damp washcloth or microfiber cloth will also hang on to the dust. But if you use a washcloth instead of disposables, be sure you wash it after every use. When the damp cloth doesn't seem to be quite enough, mix 1 tablespoon of lemon extract in 1 quart of water. Use the solution to redampen the cloth, and you'll cut through the film.
DVD Players
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The more mechanical parts your DVD player has, the more susceptible, because they are moved from environment to environment. Dirty discs or lenses lead to mistracking, skipping, irregular speed, and lousy reproduction quality. When your player displays any of these symptoms regularly, it might be time to give it a good, careful going-over.
Cleaning the player's lens is the most important part of keeping the player running smoothly. But don't open anything that requires a screwdriver. Most warranties become void if you open
WATCH OUT
Never put a damaged warped disc into the player. It can hit the laser arm, which requires perfect alignment to work properly. It's an ounce of prevention that counts.
The more mechanical parts your DVD player has, the more susceptible, because they are moved from environment to environment. Dirty discs or lenses lead to mistracking, skipping, irregular speed, and lousy reproduction quality. When your player displays any of these symptoms regularly, it might be time to give it a good, careful going-over.
Cleaning the player's lens is the most important part of keeping the player running smoothly. But don't open anything that requires a screwdriver. Most warranties become void if you open
WATCH OUT
Never put a damaged warped disc into the player. It can hit the laser arm, which requires perfect alignment to work properly. It's an ounce of prevention that counts.
the casing. You're better off sending it off for service. Instead, just press the button to open the mechanical drawer where the DVD sits. Spray a gentle blast of compressed air inside the opening to force out any dust or lint. It's not a bad idea to spray the disc tray, too. Be careful to hold the can perfectly level. Otherwise, you might get a shot of the propellant in its liquid form, and you never want to have anything liquid form, and you never want to have anything liquid near a DVD player. And don't hold the can any closer to the player than the distance recommended on the can. You control the intensity fo the blast by adjusting the distance between the can and the player, and you don't want to damage the laser reader mounted on an arm inside. It's that arm that reads discs, the same way an old-fashioned record player needle reads vinyl.
some manufacturers make special lens-cleaning discs that will keep the laser lens good as new. Just open the drawer that holds the DVDs and place the cleaning disc in the tray. When you close the tray and hit play, the cleaning action begins. some cleaning discs, such as Maxell's, use an angular brush made of ultrafine synthetic fibers containing copper. Such discs not only clean the DVD player's lens, but also dissipate static that will attract dust.
To clean a player's exterior, a simple wipe-down with a soft, dry cloth is usually all that's needed. If the cabinet is extremely dirty, mix some dishwashing liquid in water and get your cleaning cloth just barely damp before wiping it down. Avoid cleaning solvents (for example, alcohol), since they could damage the casing.
Simple SOLUTIONS
Cleaning DVD Discs >
Keeping your discs clean is the first step in maintaining a DVD Player, because discs can carry dirt into the player's interior. Always hold them by the edges. A shot of compressed air is the quickest way to rid discs of dust. If a disc needs more attention, wipe it with a soft, dry cloth, starting at the center of the disc and moving straight out to the edge like the spokes on a wheel. Don't use solvents or household cleaners on a disc.Always store a disc in its case to keep it dirt-free. Keep it out of direct sunlight and away from heat sources.
some manufacturers make special lens-cleaning discs that will keep the laser lens good as new. Just open the drawer that holds the DVDs and place the cleaning disc in the tray. When you close the tray and hit play, the cleaning action begins. some cleaning discs, such as Maxell's, use an angular brush made of ultrafine synthetic fibers containing copper. Such discs not only clean the DVD player's lens, but also dissipate static that will attract dust.
To clean a player's exterior, a simple wipe-down with a soft, dry cloth is usually all that's needed. If the cabinet is extremely dirty, mix some dishwashing liquid in water and get your cleaning cloth just barely damp before wiping it down. Avoid cleaning solvents (for example, alcohol), since they could damage the casing.
Simple SOLUTIONS
Cleaning DVD Discs >
Down
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Washing down isn't brain surgery. In fact, you use only what you normally use to do laundry: Your washer and some detergent. It's all in the technique. If your washing machine is large enough, put in as many down items as it will hold: jackets, vests, pillows, even sleeping bags--nothing is verboten.
Do a test first--if you want to be sure the item will come out looking at least as good as it. Mix 1/4 cup of water with 2 tablespoons of powdered laundry detergent. Put a few drops on an inconspicuous spot of the fabric, such as on the lining, the hem, or an inside seam. Don't rinse. Wait until it's dry. Then you can see whether the dyes have been affected. It's the color of the item that you need to worry about; the down itself will be fine.
To wash a down item, it's fine to use a dryer, but be sure to do it at the low temperature setting. Some people toss in their sneakers or tennis balls to keep things fluffed. (If you do, make sure they're perfectly clean.) But you don't have to use anything at all.Instead, partway through the drying cycle, remove the down item from the dryer and fluff it by hand. Then return it to the dryer. If your machine has an automatic sensor to tell you when drying is done, ignore it. Down can fool the sensor. The cover may be dry, but the feathers inside may still contain moisture.
expert advice
Down and Dirty >
Your down garment probably has a tag that says you have to dry-clean it. But if the tag just says "Dry Clean", you can get away with gentle machine-washing, says Lucinda Ottusch, lead home economist
for the whirlpool Institute of Fabric science. If the tag gets wordier-"Dry clean only"--pay heed. whichever you decide, stick with one method of cleaning or the other, warns Ottusch. Don't alternate dry cleaning with washing. Dry cleaning removes all the natural oils from the down, which makes the feathers brittle. If you then wash the garment, the feather will break.
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