Stairs and Steps:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------You're vacuuming away, knocking out room after room, and then you hit the stairs, which can be a cleaning roadblock, especially if they are carpeted. Such an awkard upward procession of small surfaces, so many dust-filled corners! And then there's the danger factor--tripping over the cord while both hands are busy juggling the vacuum cleaner and its wand. What to do?
Use vacuum cleaner savvy. If you don't have one already, buy an extension tube for your vacuum cleaner. Often 12 feet in length, an extension tube usually comes in an attachment kit that costs about $30. There are extenders for upright and canister vacs. Added to your existing 6 or 7 feet of hose, these extenders will allow you to leave the heavy vacuum cleaner on the ground floor while cleaning entire flights. Good-bye roadblock.
For carpet-covered stains, buy a turbo tool, which is also a relatively inexpensive (and well worth the money) add-on for your vacuum cleaner. Powered by the incoming air-flow (hence the name turbo), these attachments act like small beater bars to help loosen and pull up hairs, lint, and dirt from carpet pile. But because they don't need a power cord to rotate, they can be attached to extension hoses. Or, better yet, buy one of the new, reasonably priced compact vacuum cleaners made especially for
stairs. These are handheld and have long cords that are made to reach up a flight of steps.
Clean stairs from bottom to top. That way, you don't grind dirt into the carpet or spread it around on hardwood floors. After cleaning the broad stair treads, use a vacuum crevice tool to get into the cracks along the wall and where the vertical riser meets the tread. Periodically, vacuum the carpeted risers.
Stereo Equipment
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Cleaning electronic equipment, such as stereo components, usually makes people shudder. It's so complicated, they think. But it's not really--and it is important to keep your stereo clean, because dust and lint can damage the fine electronic parts. The following is a step-by-step cleaning approach that is easy and doesn't involve getting into the guts of the machinery.
Clean the front panels with a soft cotton cloth and glass cleaner. (First, make sure all components are off.) Don't spray the glass cleaner directly on the equipment. Instead, spray it on the cloth and gently wipe the cloth on the panel. For sensitive areas, such as around the panel controls and buttons, dust with a small, dry paint brush. Don't apply cleaner to these areas, since it could seep into the controls. The paintbrush is also a good hedge against accidentally changing your control settings.
To clean the component's chassis---that is, the sides and top--use a soft cloth that is either dry or lightly misted with glass cleaner. Don't wet the cloth, since any residue left on the chassis could collect dust and lead to corrosion. Never spray anything directly onto the chassis. Wipe away from, not toward, the vent holes to avoid pushing dust into the innards.
Dust the back of the unit, where the cable jacks are, with a dry paintbrush. Don't use cleaner around this sensitive area. If you must remove cables to access the rear, label the cable before-hand with masking tape or pre-printed stereo component labels, which are sold at audio stores. But be forewarned: Many components store data for user settings, clocks, and timers, and this memory can be lost when the component is unplugged from the electrical outlet.
Wipe cables down with a cloth misted with the same cleaner you used on the panels. Be careful not to pull any cables out.
See also Players, CD players and CDs, and DVD Players.
Stickers
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These days gummy, hard-to-remove stickers and price tags are plastered on almost every new product, from toys to toilets to individual Granny Smith apples. It's enough to make you want to stop shopping. Well, nothing could really do that--but stickers can be frustrating.
For stickers with water-soluble glue, the kind that must be dampened before applying, soak the sticker in a basin of warm water until the glue dissolves and the sticker comes off. If you can't soak it in water, soak a towel in water and apply that to the sticker.
To remove pressure-sensitive adhesive labels (those that are peeled from a bucking and then pressed into place, such as the stickers that come on glassware and the "My name is Bob" name tags you get at high school reunions), start by peeling as much of the label off as possible. Then rub the remaining adhesive off with your fingers the way you would "thumb-roll" rubber cement into small pellets. Coax up difficult adhesive with your fingernail or a dull knife.
If the adhesive is old or dried out, you may have to try a different method. Depending on the type of material the sticker is stuck to, try removing it with warm, soapy water or a 50-50 solution of vinegar and warm water. You might also try salad oil, WD-40, or acetone (or an acetone-based fingernail polish remover--that's the kind that smells like bananas).
If these tactics don't work, move up to solvents, such as lacquer thinner or rubber cement thinner, always being careful not to damage the surface.
If the pressure-sensitive adhesive label is on wood, blot with rubbing alcohol or heat with a hair dryer to remove.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------You're vacuuming away, knocking out room after room, and then you hit the stairs, which can be a cleaning roadblock, especially if they are carpeted. Such an awkard upward procession of small surfaces, so many dust-filled corners! And then there's the danger factor--tripping over the cord while both hands are busy juggling the vacuum cleaner and its wand. What to do?
Use vacuum cleaner savvy. If you don't have one already, buy an extension tube for your vacuum cleaner. Often 12 feet in length, an extension tube usually comes in an attachment kit that costs about $30. There are extenders for upright and canister vacs. Added to your existing 6 or 7 feet of hose, these extenders will allow you to leave the heavy vacuum cleaner on the ground floor while cleaning entire flights. Good-bye roadblock.
For carpet-covered stains, buy a turbo tool, which is also a relatively inexpensive (and well worth the money) add-on for your vacuum cleaner. Powered by the incoming air-flow (hence the name turbo), these attachments act like small beater bars to help loosen and pull up hairs, lint, and dirt from carpet pile. But because they don't need a power cord to rotate, they can be attached to extension hoses. Or, better yet, buy one of the new, reasonably priced compact vacuum cleaners made especially for
stairs. These are handheld and have long cords that are made to reach up a flight of steps.
Clean stairs from bottom to top. That way, you don't grind dirt into the carpet or spread it around on hardwood floors. After cleaning the broad stair treads, use a vacuum crevice tool to get into the cracks along the wall and where the vertical riser meets the tread. Periodically, vacuum the carpeted risers.
Stereo Equipment
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cleaning electronic equipment, such as stereo components, usually makes people shudder. It's so complicated, they think. But it's not really--and it is important to keep your stereo clean, because dust and lint can damage the fine electronic parts. The following is a step-by-step cleaning approach that is easy and doesn't involve getting into the guts of the machinery.
Clean the front panels with a soft cotton cloth and glass cleaner. (First, make sure all components are off.) Don't spray the glass cleaner directly on the equipment. Instead, spray it on the cloth and gently wipe the cloth on the panel. For sensitive areas, such as around the panel controls and buttons, dust with a small, dry paint brush. Don't apply cleaner to these areas, since it could seep into the controls. The paintbrush is also a good hedge against accidentally changing your control settings.
To clean the component's chassis---that is, the sides and top--use a soft cloth that is either dry or lightly misted with glass cleaner. Don't wet the cloth, since any residue left on the chassis could collect dust and lead to corrosion. Never spray anything directly onto the chassis. Wipe away from, not toward, the vent holes to avoid pushing dust into the innards.
Dust the back of the unit, where the cable jacks are, with a dry paintbrush. Don't use cleaner around this sensitive area. If you must remove cables to access the rear, label the cable before-hand with masking tape or pre-printed stereo component labels, which are sold at audio stores. But be forewarned: Many components store data for user settings, clocks, and timers, and this memory can be lost when the component is unplugged from the electrical outlet.
Wipe cables down with a cloth misted with the same cleaner you used on the panels. Be careful not to pull any cables out.
See also Players, CD players and CDs, and DVD Players.
Stickers
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
These days gummy, hard-to-remove stickers and price tags are plastered on almost every new product, from toys to toilets to individual Granny Smith apples. It's enough to make you want to stop shopping. Well, nothing could really do that--but stickers can be frustrating.
For stickers with water-soluble glue, the kind that must be dampened before applying, soak the sticker in a basin of warm water until the glue dissolves and the sticker comes off. If you can't soak it in water, soak a towel in water and apply that to the sticker.
To remove pressure-sensitive adhesive labels (those that are peeled from a bucking and then pressed into place, such as the stickers that come on glassware and the "My name is Bob" name tags you get at high school reunions), start by peeling as much of the label off as possible. Then rub the remaining adhesive off with your fingers the way you would "thumb-roll" rubber cement into small pellets. Coax up difficult adhesive with your fingernail or a dull knife.
If the adhesive is old or dried out, you may have to try a different method. Depending on the type of material the sticker is stuck to, try removing it with warm, soapy water or a 50-50 solution of vinegar and warm water. You might also try salad oil, WD-40, or acetone (or an acetone-based fingernail polish remover--that's the kind that smells like bananas).
If these tactics don't work, move up to solvents, such as lacquer thinner or rubber cement thinner, always being careful not to damage the surface.
If the pressure-sensitive adhesive label is on wood, blot with rubbing alcohol or heat with a hair dryer to remove.
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