Paneling:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Paneling comes in two main varieties: real wood and simulated wood, also known as hardboard. Real wood paneling, made of walnut, oak, maple, or other kinds of woods, is hardly different in quality
from the fine wood furniture in your home. It is usually either sealed with a hard surface coat, such as varnish or polyurethane, or it conains a penetrating stain or oil finish. Hardboard is a manufactured product made to look like real wood. and it is often coate in plastic. Understanding these differences is crucial when deciding how to clean your paneling.
To remove dust from raised molding, carving, or other features on either type of paneling, vacuum regularly using your vacuum cleaner's brush attachment, or wipe with a cloth. For hardboard, you can use a moistened dust cloth, but avoid using water on real wood. Moisture can damage wood.
To clean real wood paneling with a surface coat, such as polyurethane, you may have to use water, but begin by trying a spray-on furniture polish, such as Behold or Pledge. These products actually remove dirt and dust while adding a hard wax finish. For heavier cleaning, try a cloth lightly dampened with a neutral cleaner, such as Murphy Oil soap.
To clean real wood paneling with a penetrating finish, such as oil, use a cloth dampened with mineral spirits, which is a type of solvent. Wipe gently back and forth in the direction of the wood grain. Mineral spirits will lift dirt and grime but will also remove the oil finish, so when you've finished cleaning, you may need to touch up--or reapply--the paneling's oil or stain finish.
Clean simulated wood paneling the same way you would a glossy painted surface. Its plastic coating, while not impermeable, means you can wipe it down with a cloth using a solution of warm water and a squirt of dishwashihg liquid. If you need something stronger, try an all-purpose cleaner, but only after testing the cleaner on an inconspicuous corner of the hardboard. Clean from the bottom up, so your cleaning solution doesn't drip down, pick up grime, and leave dirty streaks.
Rinse the hardboard paneling with a clean, moist cloth or sponge. Once the surface is clean, dry well with clean towels so that the water won't damage the glue in the compressed wood beneath the coating.
Patios
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The bad news is that patios are outside: They wind up stained by grease drippings from the barbecue grill, rusty metal furniture, and leaf tannins. The good news is also that they are outside; you can have at those stains with heavy-duty cleaners-and, if worst comes to worst, a high-pressure power washer. If only you could do the same with dirty bathroom grout.
To reduce staining, sweep the leaves and other debris off your patio regularly. Use an outdoor-quality straw broom, a push broom, or a gas-powered leaf blower.
Give your patio a more thorough cleaning at least once a year using a solution of 1 gallon of warm water and 1 cup of trisodium phosphate (TSP), a relatively mild cleaner available at hardware stores. Use a stiff-bristled brush (a long-handled one will be easier on your back and knees) to scrub the patio. Rinse with a hose. TSP runoff will not harm surrounding foliage. Use the TSP solution to spot-remove grill grease, tannins and other stains.
To deep-clean a stone, brick, or concrete patio, use a pressure washer. Take care not to etch your patio material or injure yourself: Never use pressure rated at higher than 3,000 psi (pounds per square inch), never use a pinpoint nozzle (instead, use a 15 or 25 degree fan nozzle), and never hold the jet too close to the patio surface. If you rent a power washer, be sure to ask for detailed safety instructions.
Patio Furniture
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
cleaning patio furniture--which is usually made of aluminum or a painted metal, vinyl, or plastic--is a lot like washing the car. Pick a warn day, don your shorts and sandals, turn on the garden hose, and have fun. It doesn't have to be a big deal--once in the spring and once in the fall should be often enough.
Before you wet anything, begin by brushing off any large matter, such as leaves, sticks, and bird droppings. Put on a glove and use your hand or use a nylon-bristled brush. Doing this while the furniture is dry is easier and leaves less chance for staining. Now you can play with the hose.
To remove dirt, pollen, tree sap, and other grime, use a hose to spray down your outdoor furniture and then scrub it with a nylon-bristled brush dipped in a bucket of warm water with a squirt or three of dishwashing liquid. Use an old toothbrush for cleaning out small crevices. Rinse by spraying with the hose.
WATCH OUT
TO avoid stripping away the protective coatings often found on vinyl and other materials used in patio furniture, don't scrub with abrasive brushes or pads and don't clean with bleach, bleach-based cleaning products, or solvents.
What about mildew? Mildew grows only on organic material, which means that if you have mildew-covered vinyl seat cushions, the mildew has probably sprouted on pollen and other organic droppings that have accumulated. It also means that you don't need bleach to kill it. Just scrub off the organic matter, and the mildew will be gone too.
To protect your patio furniture's frames, polish them with a car wax. Following the manufacturer's directions, lightly wax the frames' arms, legs, and other exposed areas. Two thin coats are better than one thick coat. Use it on painted metal, aluminum, and plastic. Car wax gives the furniture a nice shine and protects it from rain, dust, tree droppings, and other harmful substances. Be careful
however, not to get the wax on the vinyl, like leather, needs to breathe to stay pliant and strong, the wax is bad for it because it clogs its pores.
To restore aluminum furniture's shine, wipe it down with a cloth soaked in a 1-to-1 solution of vinegar and water. Aluminum does not trust, but it can tarnish when exposed to airborne pollutants. The vinegar solution helps, as does coating the frame with car wax. Don't clean aluminum with alkaline cleaners, such as ammonia, baking soda, or trisodium phosphate, which will discolor it.
For patio umbrellas, see Umbrellas.
expert advice
The vinyl Color Code >
Some vinyl colors stain more easily than others. When they took the lead out of vinyl, says Joe Griffin, of Contract Furnishings, Inc., browns and beiges began to stain worse. Other easy stainers: peach, rose, mauve, red, burgundy, and orange. Yellows, greens, blues, and whites
don't stain as easily.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Paneling comes in two main varieties: real wood and simulated wood, also known as hardboard. Real wood paneling, made of walnut, oak, maple, or other kinds of woods, is hardly different in quality
from the fine wood furniture in your home. It is usually either sealed with a hard surface coat, such as varnish or polyurethane, or it conains a penetrating stain or oil finish. Hardboard is a manufactured product made to look like real wood. and it is often coate in plastic. Understanding these differences is crucial when deciding how to clean your paneling.
To remove dust from raised molding, carving, or other features on either type of paneling, vacuum regularly using your vacuum cleaner's brush attachment, or wipe with a cloth. For hardboard, you can use a moistened dust cloth, but avoid using water on real wood. Moisture can damage wood.
To clean real wood paneling with a surface coat, such as polyurethane, you may have to use water, but begin by trying a spray-on furniture polish, such as Behold or Pledge. These products actually remove dirt and dust while adding a hard wax finish. For heavier cleaning, try a cloth lightly dampened with a neutral cleaner, such as Murphy Oil soap.
To clean real wood paneling with a penetrating finish, such as oil, use a cloth dampened with mineral spirits, which is a type of solvent. Wipe gently back and forth in the direction of the wood grain. Mineral spirits will lift dirt and grime but will also remove the oil finish, so when you've finished cleaning, you may need to touch up--or reapply--the paneling's oil or stain finish.
Clean simulated wood paneling the same way you would a glossy painted surface. Its plastic coating, while not impermeable, means you can wipe it down with a cloth using a solution of warm water and a squirt of dishwashihg liquid. If you need something stronger, try an all-purpose cleaner, but only after testing the cleaner on an inconspicuous corner of the hardboard. Clean from the bottom up, so your cleaning solution doesn't drip down, pick up grime, and leave dirty streaks.
Rinse the hardboard paneling with a clean, moist cloth or sponge. Once the surface is clean, dry well with clean towels so that the water won't damage the glue in the compressed wood beneath the coating.
Patios
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The bad news is that patios are outside: They wind up stained by grease drippings from the barbecue grill, rusty metal furniture, and leaf tannins. The good news is also that they are outside; you can have at those stains with heavy-duty cleaners-and, if worst comes to worst, a high-pressure power washer. If only you could do the same with dirty bathroom grout.
To reduce staining, sweep the leaves and other debris off your patio regularly. Use an outdoor-quality straw broom, a push broom, or a gas-powered leaf blower.
Give your patio a more thorough cleaning at least once a year using a solution of 1 gallon of warm water and 1 cup of trisodium phosphate (TSP), a relatively mild cleaner available at hardware stores. Use a stiff-bristled brush (a long-handled one will be easier on your back and knees) to scrub the patio. Rinse with a hose. TSP runoff will not harm surrounding foliage. Use the TSP solution to spot-remove grill grease, tannins and other stains.
To deep-clean a stone, brick, or concrete patio, use a pressure washer. Take care not to etch your patio material or injure yourself: Never use pressure rated at higher than 3,000 psi (pounds per square inch), never use a pinpoint nozzle (instead, use a 15 or 25 degree fan nozzle), and never hold the jet too close to the patio surface. If you rent a power washer, be sure to ask for detailed safety instructions.
Patio Furniture
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
cleaning patio furniture--which is usually made of aluminum or a painted metal, vinyl, or plastic--is a lot like washing the car. Pick a warn day, don your shorts and sandals, turn on the garden hose, and have fun. It doesn't have to be a big deal--once in the spring and once in the fall should be often enough.
Before you wet anything, begin by brushing off any large matter, such as leaves, sticks, and bird droppings. Put on a glove and use your hand or use a nylon-bristled brush. Doing this while the furniture is dry is easier and leaves less chance for staining. Now you can play with the hose.
To remove dirt, pollen, tree sap, and other grime, use a hose to spray down your outdoor furniture and then scrub it with a nylon-bristled brush dipped in a bucket of warm water with a squirt or three of dishwashing liquid. Use an old toothbrush for cleaning out small crevices. Rinse by spraying with the hose.
WATCH OUT
TO avoid stripping away the protective coatings often found on vinyl and other materials used in patio furniture, don't scrub with abrasive brushes or pads and don't clean with bleach, bleach-based cleaning products, or solvents.
What about mildew? Mildew grows only on organic material, which means that if you have mildew-covered vinyl seat cushions, the mildew has probably sprouted on pollen and other organic droppings that have accumulated. It also means that you don't need bleach to kill it. Just scrub off the organic matter, and the mildew will be gone too.
To protect your patio furniture's frames, polish them with a car wax. Following the manufacturer's directions, lightly wax the frames' arms, legs, and other exposed areas. Two thin coats are better than one thick coat. Use it on painted metal, aluminum, and plastic. Car wax gives the furniture a nice shine and protects it from rain, dust, tree droppings, and other harmful substances. Be careful
however, not to get the wax on the vinyl, like leather, needs to breathe to stay pliant and strong, the wax is bad for it because it clogs its pores.
To restore aluminum furniture's shine, wipe it down with a cloth soaked in a 1-to-1 solution of vinegar and water. Aluminum does not trust, but it can tarnish when exposed to airborne pollutants. The vinegar solution helps, as does coating the frame with car wax. Don't clean aluminum with alkaline cleaners, such as ammonia, baking soda, or trisodium phosphate, which will discolor it.
For patio umbrellas, see Umbrellas.
expert advice
The vinyl Color Code >
Some vinyl colors stain more easily than others. When they took the lead out of vinyl, says Joe Griffin, of Contract Furnishings, Inc., browns and beiges began to stain worse. Other easy stainers: peach, rose, mauve, red, burgundy, and orange. Yellows, greens, blues, and whites
don't stain as easily.
No comments:
Post a Comment