Hairbrushes
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Most of us don't clean our hairbrushes often enough. When we finally get around to it, we spend more time untangling that hair ball mess than we do on the cleaning job itself. Clean more often use the following tips, and you'll save time in the long run.
To clean a hair brush, first pull out any loose hair from the bristles.2 teaspoons of shampoo and 1/4 cup of vinegar in a sink filled with warm water. Soak the brush in the solution for several minutes. Pull a clean, wide-toothed comb down each row of bristles to remove any remaining hair.
Using a comb is often the easiest way. Then make your own economical and effective cleaning solution by mixing
By now, the solution should have loosened any buildup of oil, dirt, gel, and hair spray on the brush. Scrub the brush clean with a nailbrush (hold it down in the bathtub to contain the splatter) and rinse with warm running water. Let the brush air-dry.
To clean a makeup brush, avoid using commercial makeup brush cleaners, which often contain harsh chemicals. The chemicals aren't good for the sensitive skin of your face and can dry out a makeup brush, which can be quite expensive---especially the ones made of real animal hair (mink, yak, or squirrel). For a safe, nondrying alternative, mix 2 parts water with 1 part gentle fabric wash, such as Woolite. Dip the brush (tip only) into the solution. Don't dip the wooden or metal handle, because water can cause the bristles to fall out. Rinse in clean water. Repeat until the brush is clean (no more makeup color) and free of the wash solution. Dry the brush gently with a towel, being sure to move the towel "With the grain," or direction of the hair.
OOPS!
Hair Today Gone Tomorrow >
Amby Longhofer, owner of a Beverly Hills Salon, remembers a costly goof early in her career. She used to clean her first collection of professional squirrel-hair makeup brushes with dishwashing detergent: "I would submerge the entire brush in water. The detergent dried the hair out. The moisture dissolved the glue that held the hair to the handle.'
Hair Dryers
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Modern dryers require minimal upkeep.But that little bit of maintenance is essential. A dryer with a debris-choked filter can overheat. It will perform poorly, possibly even damaging your hair. To keep that warm wind blowing properly, plan to clear its filter every three months if you use it daily.
What's the big hairy deal? It's all about airflow.
Dryer work by fanning the surrounding air, directing it through the appliance's heating mechanism, and blowing it out through the nozzle as a stream of hot air. But the dryer pulls in dust and lint along with the air, those particles lodge in a screen that filters the air before it hits the heating coil. Enough debris can accumulate in the filter to block air from flowing through. That's when thing start to overheat. You may detect a warning odor like that (not surprisingly) of burning hair.
When a dryer overheats, its thermostat attempts to cool things down by tripping the heating coils off and on. You feel alternating hot and cold air blowing out, which won't provide the styling effects of consistently warm air. Extreme blockage may trigger the dryer's nonresettable shutdown device. Dryer demise.
To clean your dryer filter, first unplug the dryer. Premium dryers have a filter cover that lifts off, giving easy access for cleaning. Scrub the filter with a dry, soft-bristled brush or toothbrush to get out the lint, dust, and hair. Or use your vacuum with a crevice attachment. Pull out any stubborn bits with tweezers. If your dryer doesn't have a filter cover, you'll need to brush, vacuum or tweeze the filter from the outside.
To clean the dryer body and accessories, just wipe with a damp rag (not a wet one, which could drip water into the heating element). Even the stickiest, slipperiest hair products are generally water soluble, so a damp cloth should remove them.
Hammocks
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Hammocks are all about relaxing--which you wouldn't be able to do if you thought you were reclining in grime and mildew. Those backyard spoilsports mold and mildew thrive in moisture. Another threat to your hammocks is rot, caused by strong sunlight and detergents that wear away at a hammock's natural-rope fibers.
To make your hammock last longer, you need to keep it not only dirt free but as dry as possible. So a good dose of prevention is called for.
WATCHOUT
Skip sunbathing in your hammock. Sunscreens are like kryptonite for polyester and acrylic fibers, prematurely aging them. (Besides, that hammock's supposed to be in shade.) If you do spill sunscreen on a hammock, spot-clean it promptly with 1/2 teaspoon of dishwashing detergent in 1/4 cup of water. scrub with a soft bristled brush.
A good universal hammock-cleaning approach is to mix 1 ounce of mild dishwashing detergent with 2 gallons of water. Spread the hammock out on a large, debris-free, hard surface, such as a deck. Keeping the wooden spreader bars dry, scrub one side of hammock with a soft cloth or sponge, them flip it and clean the other side. A soft-bristled brush will let you gently scrub dirty areas. Rinse well with clear water and hang the hammock to air-dry, preferably in a low-humidity breeze but not in direct sunlight. Quick drying keeps the fibers strong and discourage mold and mildew. The hammock should be fully dry in two days. Other cleaning approaches depend on the fabric and construction of your hammock.
To clean while cotton or cotton-polyester rope, just spot-clean dirt using 1 part gentle fabric wash, such as Woolite, to 8 parts water. If you see mold or mildew, draw the hammock a bath in your tab and soak it in a mild bleach solution (1 capful of chlorine bleach per 1 gallon of water) for 30 minutes.
To clean synthetic fabrics such as polyester and acrylic, bind the hammock so that it won't tangle--if it is a model that has no spreader bars, such as Mayan-style hamaca. Fold the hammock in half, bringing the two end rings together. Bind it with twine just below the rings, then at the fold, and family in the middle of your bundle. This keeps the hardware out of the strings and saves the strings from becoming a tangled puzzle. Drop the bundle into a pillow case and tie it closed. Put it in the washing machine on the gentle cycle and add 2 ounces of gentle fabric wash. After washing, unbind and spread the hammock out to dry. Give it two days, and you'll be back in the swing of things!
You can also hand-wash it in a solution of 1 part gentle fabric wash to 4 parts water.
If the yarn is solution-dyed, meaning the dye was added when the synthetic was still liquid, you can rid it of mildew and stains by hand-washing it in a bleach-and-water solution. Don't go any stronger than a 50-50 mix. Use rubber gloves and test for color fastness on an inconspicuous corner.
To clean colored rope, fabric, or quilted fabric hammocks, scrub using 1/4 cup of laundry detergent in 5 gallons of warm water. Test for colorfastness first. Hit mildewy area with the mild bleach solution suggested above for cotton-rope hammocks. Spot-wash hammock pillows using your mild dishwashing detergent solutions and a soft-bristled brush. Avoid soaking the batting inside.
If your hammock has wooden spreader bars, they will come covered with a protective coating such as marine varnish, which you can replenish every six months. You'll find marine varnish at hardware stores and marine supply stores. Follow the directions on the label. If your hammock is suspended on a wooden frame, touch up the frame with linseed oil every three to six months.
expert advice
A pool Is Your Resource >
Want a quick way to clean your cotton- or cotton-polyester rope hammock? Take it for a swim, says Laurie Rudd, marketing director of the Hammock source, makers of Pawleys Island hammocks. Holding the spreader bars, take the bed of the hammock for a few laps through the chlorinated water of your swimming pool. The pool's mild chlorine will help bleach it clean. Rinse it thoroughly with water and hang it up to dry.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Most of us don't clean our hairbrushes often enough. When we finally get around to it, we spend more time untangling that hair ball mess than we do on the cleaning job itself. Clean more often use the following tips, and you'll save time in the long run.
To clean a hair brush, first pull out any loose hair from the bristles.2 teaspoons of shampoo and 1/4 cup of vinegar in a sink filled with warm water. Soak the brush in the solution for several minutes. Pull a clean, wide-toothed comb down each row of bristles to remove any remaining hair.
By now, the solution should have loosened any buildup of oil, dirt, gel, and hair spray on the brush. Scrub the brush clean with a nailbrush (hold it down in the bathtub to contain the splatter) and rinse with warm running water. Let the brush air-dry.
To clean a makeup brush, avoid using commercial makeup brush cleaners, which often contain harsh chemicals. The chemicals aren't good for the sensitive skin of your face and can dry out a makeup brush, which can be quite expensive---especially the ones made of real animal hair (mink, yak, or squirrel). For a safe, nondrying alternative, mix 2 parts water with 1 part gentle fabric wash, such as Woolite. Dip the brush (tip only) into the solution. Don't dip the wooden or metal handle, because water can cause the bristles to fall out. Rinse in clean water. Repeat until the brush is clean (no more makeup color) and free of the wash solution. Dry the brush gently with a towel, being sure to move the towel "With the grain," or direction of the hair.
OOPS!
Hair Today Gone Tomorrow >
Amby Longhofer, owner of a Beverly Hills Salon, remembers a costly goof early in her career. She used to clean her first collection of professional squirrel-hair makeup brushes with dishwashing detergent: "I would submerge the entire brush in water. The detergent dried the hair out. The moisture dissolved the glue that held the hair to the handle.'
Hair Dryers
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Modern dryers require minimal upkeep.But that little bit of maintenance is essential. A dryer with a debris-choked filter can overheat. It will perform poorly, possibly even damaging your hair. To keep that warm wind blowing properly, plan to clear its filter every three months if you use it daily.
What's the big hairy deal? It's all about airflow.
When a dryer overheats, its thermostat attempts to cool things down by tripping the heating coils off and on. You feel alternating hot and cold air blowing out, which won't provide the styling effects of consistently warm air. Extreme blockage may trigger the dryer's nonresettable shutdown device. Dryer demise.
To clean your dryer filter, first unplug the dryer. Premium dryers have a filter cover that lifts off, giving easy access for cleaning. Scrub the filter with a dry, soft-bristled brush or toothbrush to get out the lint, dust, and hair. Or use your vacuum with a crevice attachment. Pull out any stubborn bits with tweezers. If your dryer doesn't have a filter cover, you'll need to brush, vacuum or tweeze the filter from the outside.
To clean the dryer body and accessories, just wipe with a damp rag (not a wet one, which could drip water into the heating element). Even the stickiest, slipperiest hair products are generally water soluble, so a damp cloth should remove them.
Hammocks
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hammocks are all about relaxing--which you wouldn't be able to do if you thought you were reclining in grime and mildew. Those backyard spoilsports mold and mildew thrive in moisture. Another threat to your hammocks is rot, caused by strong sunlight and detergents that wear away at a hammock's natural-rope fibers.
To make your hammock last longer, you need to keep it not only dirt free but as dry as possible. So a good dose of prevention is called for.
- Before its maiden swing, spray your hammock, with fabric guard, following the label instructions. Renew the treatment every three to five months.
- Don't hang the hammock in full sun, as the rays will fade synthetics and weaken cotton.
- Find a dry indoor spot to store the hammock in bad weather or whenever you won't be hanging out for a while.
WATCHOUT
Skip sunbathing in your hammock. Sunscreens are like kryptonite for polyester and acrylic fibers, prematurely aging them. (Besides, that hammock's supposed to be in shade.) If you do spill sunscreen on a hammock, spot-clean it promptly with 1/2 teaspoon of dishwashing detergent in 1/4 cup of water. scrub with a soft bristled brush.
A good universal hammock-cleaning approach is to mix 1 ounce of mild dishwashing detergent with 2 gallons of water. Spread the hammock out on a large, debris-free, hard surface, such as a deck. Keeping the wooden spreader bars dry, scrub one side of hammock with a soft cloth or sponge, them flip it and clean the other side. A soft-bristled brush will let you gently scrub dirty areas. Rinse well with clear water and hang the hammock to air-dry, preferably in a low-humidity breeze but not in direct sunlight. Quick drying keeps the fibers strong and discourage mold and mildew. The hammock should be fully dry in two days. Other cleaning approaches depend on the fabric and construction of your hammock.
To clean while cotton or cotton-polyester rope, just spot-clean dirt using 1 part gentle fabric wash, such as Woolite, to 8 parts water. If you see mold or mildew, draw the hammock a bath in your tab and soak it in a mild bleach solution (1 capful of chlorine bleach per 1 gallon of water) for 30 minutes.
To clean synthetic fabrics such as polyester and acrylic, bind the hammock so that it won't tangle--if it is a model that has no spreader bars, such as Mayan-style hamaca. Fold the hammock in half, bringing the two end rings together. Bind it with twine just below the rings, then at the fold, and family in the middle of your bundle. This keeps the hardware out of the strings and saves the strings from becoming a tangled puzzle. Drop the bundle into a pillow case and tie it closed. Put it in the washing machine on the gentle cycle and add 2 ounces of gentle fabric wash. After washing, unbind and spread the hammock out to dry. Give it two days, and you'll be back in the swing of things!
You can also hand-wash it in a solution of 1 part gentle fabric wash to 4 parts water.
If the yarn is solution-dyed, meaning the dye was added when the synthetic was still liquid, you can rid it of mildew and stains by hand-washing it in a bleach-and-water solution. Don't go any stronger than a 50-50 mix. Use rubber gloves and test for color fastness on an inconspicuous corner.
To clean colored rope, fabric, or quilted fabric hammocks, scrub using 1/4 cup of laundry detergent in 5 gallons of warm water. Test for colorfastness first. Hit mildewy area with the mild bleach solution suggested above for cotton-rope hammocks. Spot-wash hammock pillows using your mild dishwashing detergent solutions and a soft-bristled brush. Avoid soaking the batting inside.
If your hammock has wooden spreader bars, they will come covered with a protective coating such as marine varnish, which you can replenish every six months. You'll find marine varnish at hardware stores and marine supply stores. Follow the directions on the label. If your hammock is suspended on a wooden frame, touch up the frame with linseed oil every three to six months.
expert advice
A pool Is Your Resource >
Want a quick way to clean your cotton- or cotton-polyester rope hammock? Take it for a swim, says Laurie Rudd, marketing director of the Hammock source, makers of Pawleys Island hammocks. Holding the spreader bars, take the bed of the hammock for a few laps through the chlorinated water of your swimming pool. The pool's mild chlorine will help bleach it clean. Rinse it thoroughly with water and hang it up to dry.
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