Walls:
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There are two major sources of the dirt that gets on walls; stuff that comes off people's hands and stuff that comes out of thin air. How often your walls need washing will depend largely on the hands and air that touch them. If you have a smoker or a wood-burning stove or fireplace in the house, your walls will show it. If you have children, your walls will reflect their handiwork.
To dust walls, a lamb's wool duster works well. Or wrap a microfiber dust cloth or clean white cloth around a broom and dust with that. It's especially useful on the highest places and for the ceiling.
To remove spots, rub gently with an art gum eraser, available at arts and crafts and office supply stores, or with a paste of baking soda and water. Use mineral spirits on grease and WD-40 (both available at hardware stores) on crayon marks. Use rubbing alcohol on ink or marker. (Apply cleaners to the cloth, not wall, and test on an inconspicuous area first.)
Three cleaning solutions for washing walls that are painted or covered with vinyl paper include the following:
One cup of borax (sold in the detergent section of supermarkets) and 2 tablespoons of dishwashing liquid in 1 gallon of warm water.
One cup of ammonia, 1 teaspoon of dishwashing liquid, and 1gallon of water
If you're washing before applying new paint, a good cleaner to use is trisodium phosphate, also called
TSP, available at hardware and paint stores.
Keep the cleaning solution in one bucket and plain water for rinsing in another bucket. To protect the floor, use a drop cloth.
RULES OF THE GAME
Work Your Way Up >
Don't start at the top and work down when you wash walls. Dirty water runnig down a dirty wall leaves worse streaks than dirty water running down a clean wall.
Apply cleaning solution over a small area at the bottom.
Wash, using circular strokes.
Rinse with plain water
Dry with a towel.
Move up.
To keep water from running down your arms when they're raised, use this trick: wrap rags around your wrists and hold themselves with rubber bands.
To clean the walls, wash with one of the solutions mentioned above using a natural sponge, available at hardware or home improvement stores, or a white cloth. Follow the guidelines in the Rules of the game above for applying the cleaning solution. Reach the high points by standing on a sturdy stepladder tall enough that you won't need to stand on the upper two steps.
See also Painted Surfaces and Wall Coverings.
Washers and Dryers
Every now and then you have to give back. That is, clean the washers and dryers that do so much cleaning for you. Fortunately, it's easy to do---and these machines even help to clean themselves occasionally.
To clean the exteriors of your washer or dryer, you don't have to do a lot. The most common spots are blotches of spilled laundry detergent, fabric softener, or bleach. They're all designed to respond best to warm water, right? So wipe them up with a cloth dipped in a solution of warm water and mild dish-washing liquid, which will vanquish dirt and dust, too.
To clean a washer's interior, open the washer and wipe down the inside of the door using the same solution of warm water and mild dish -washing liquid on the cloth that you used on the exterior. Use
an old tooth brush to clean the crevices of the molded frame around the door. If you have a removable bleach dispenser cup, take it out a clean it. If it's built in, clean it as thoroughly as you can, using a paper cleaner, if necessary. The rest of the interior of your washer gets a pretty good cleaning every time you use it.
simple SOLUTIONS
Keep Your Dryer's Duct Clean >
If you keep your dryer's filter clean but it still isn't as efficient as it used to be, the duct ushering the air outside may be blocked. Detach the duct from the back of your dryer and clean it out. ( Do this once a year as a matter of habit.) Make sure the vent cover on the outside of your house is clean and in place. (Replacements are available at home improvement stores.) This should prevent rodents and birds from taking up residence in your vent and really slowing down the airflow.
If your washer develops a musty odor, you can easily cure it by running the machine through a wash cycle without any clothes in it. Use the hottest temperature setting available and a medium or high water level. While the washer is filling, pour in 2 cups of bleach. As a preventive measure, follow this routine once a year.
When cleaning a dryer, task No. 1 is to clean the filter. Dryers work by heating air, drawing it across your wet clothes to sop up the moisture, and pushing the soggy air outside through a vent. So the name of the game is air traffic control. If that airway gets clogged up,your dryer won't be able to do its job, and your power bill will skyrocket needlessly. So clean the filter before or after every load of clothes.
Cleaning a dryer filter is very straightforward. Most dryers have a removable filter made of metal or plastic. Pull the filter out of the dryer, hold it over a trash can, and scrape the little blanket of lint
off the filter to a sink and clean it with warm water and a mild dish-washing liquid.
If you discover crayon marks inside your dryer, run the dryer empty for five minutes to heat it up
and soften up the marks. Then wipe them away with a cloth dipped in a solution of water and dish-washing liquid.
Wastebaskets
The details of cleaning wastebaskets vary according to the materials they're made of, but the beginning is always the same: Take the waste out of the basket.
To clean a wastebasket made of a natural material--such as cardboard, paper, wicker, straw, or wood--use a vacuum cleaner with the small brush attachment. If the basket becomes soiled, wipe it
with a damp cloth or sponge. Don't use harsh cleaners.
To clean a plastic or metal wastebasket, wash it with a solution of 1/4 cup of baking soda or borax (available in the detergent section of supermarkets) in 1 gallon of warm water. U se a cloth, a sponge, or, for more challenging dirt, a stiff brush. Rinse and dry with a soft cloth.
simple SOLUT IONS
Less Wasteful Waste Handling >
Using a liner makes cleaning a wastebasket easier. But buying new plastic bags is a waste when households are awash in perfectly usable plastic and paper bags from stores.
Nor is it necessary to change the liner each time the basket is emptied, unless the trash is food or other sloppy stuff. For dry trash, just empty
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There are two major sources of the dirt that gets on walls; stuff that comes off people's hands and stuff that comes out of thin air. How often your walls need washing will depend largely on the hands and air that touch them. If you have a smoker or a wood-burning stove or fireplace in the house, your walls will show it. If you have children, your walls will reflect their handiwork.
To dust walls, a lamb's wool duster works well. Or wrap a microfiber dust cloth or clean white cloth around a broom and dust with that. It's especially useful on the highest places and for the ceiling.
To remove spots, rub gently with an art gum eraser, available at arts and crafts and office supply stores, or with a paste of baking soda and water. Use mineral spirits on grease and WD-40 (both available at hardware stores) on crayon marks. Use rubbing alcohol on ink or marker. (Apply cleaners to the cloth, not wall, and test on an inconspicuous area first.)
Three cleaning solutions for washing walls that are painted or covered with vinyl paper include the following:
One cup of borax (sold in the detergent section of supermarkets) and 2 tablespoons of dishwashing liquid in 1 gallon of warm water.
One cup of ammonia, 1 teaspoon of dishwashing liquid, and 1gallon of water
If you're washing before applying new paint, a good cleaner to use is trisodium phosphate, also called
TSP, available at hardware and paint stores.
Keep the cleaning solution in one bucket and plain water for rinsing in another bucket. To protect the floor, use a drop cloth.
RULES OF THE GAME
Work Your Way Up >
Don't start at the top and work down when you wash walls. Dirty water runnig down a dirty wall leaves worse streaks than dirty water running down a clean wall.
Apply cleaning solution over a small area at the bottom.
Wash, using circular strokes.
Rinse with plain water
Dry with a towel.
Move up.
To keep water from running down your arms when they're raised, use this trick: wrap rags around your wrists and hold themselves with rubber bands.
To clean the walls, wash with one of the solutions mentioned above using a natural sponge, available at hardware or home improvement stores, or a white cloth. Follow the guidelines in the Rules of the game above for applying the cleaning solution. Reach the high points by standing on a sturdy stepladder tall enough that you won't need to stand on the upper two steps.
See also Painted Surfaces and Wall Coverings.
Washers and Dryers
Every now and then you have to give back. That is, clean the washers and dryers that do so much cleaning for you. Fortunately, it's easy to do---and these machines even help to clean themselves occasionally.
To clean the exteriors of your washer or dryer, you don't have to do a lot. The most common spots are blotches of spilled laundry detergent, fabric softener, or bleach. They're all designed to respond best to warm water, right? So wipe them up with a cloth dipped in a solution of warm water and mild dish-washing liquid, which will vanquish dirt and dust, too.
To clean a washer's interior, open the washer and wipe down the inside of the door using the same solution of warm water and mild dish -washing liquid on the cloth that you used on the exterior. Use
an old tooth brush to clean the crevices of the molded frame around the door. If you have a removable bleach dispenser cup, take it out a clean it. If it's built in, clean it as thoroughly as you can, using a paper cleaner, if necessary. The rest of the interior of your washer gets a pretty good cleaning every time you use it.
simple SOLUTIONS
Keep Your Dryer's Duct Clean >
If you keep your dryer's filter clean but it still isn't as efficient as it used to be, the duct ushering the air outside may be blocked. Detach the duct from the back of your dryer and clean it out. ( Do this once a year as a matter of habit.) Make sure the vent cover on the outside of your house is clean and in place. (Replacements are available at home improvement stores.) This should prevent rodents and birds from taking up residence in your vent and really slowing down the airflow.
If your washer develops a musty odor, you can easily cure it by running the machine through a wash cycle without any clothes in it. Use the hottest temperature setting available and a medium or high water level. While the washer is filling, pour in 2 cups of bleach. As a preventive measure, follow this routine once a year.
When cleaning a dryer, task No. 1 is to clean the filter. Dryers work by heating air, drawing it across your wet clothes to sop up the moisture, and pushing the soggy air outside through a vent. So the name of the game is air traffic control. If that airway gets clogged up,your dryer won't be able to do its job, and your power bill will skyrocket needlessly. So clean the filter before or after every load of clothes.
Cleaning a dryer filter is very straightforward. Most dryers have a removable filter made of metal or plastic. Pull the filter out of the dryer, hold it over a trash can, and scrape the little blanket of lint
off the filter to a sink and clean it with warm water and a mild dish-washing liquid.
If you discover crayon marks inside your dryer, run the dryer empty for five minutes to heat it up
and soften up the marks. Then wipe them away with a cloth dipped in a solution of water and dish-washing liquid.
Wastebaskets
The details of cleaning wastebaskets vary according to the materials they're made of, but the beginning is always the same: Take the waste out of the basket.
To clean a wastebasket made of a natural material--such as cardboard, paper, wicker, straw, or wood--use a vacuum cleaner with the small brush attachment. If the basket becomes soiled, wipe it
with a damp cloth or sponge. Don't use harsh cleaners.
To clean a plastic or metal wastebasket, wash it with a solution of 1/4 cup of baking soda or borax (available in the detergent section of supermarkets) in 1 gallon of warm water. U se a cloth, a sponge, or, for more challenging dirt, a stiff brush. Rinse and dry with a soft cloth.
simple SOLUT IONS
Less Wasteful Waste Handling >
Using a liner makes cleaning a wastebasket easier. But buying new plastic bags is a waste when households are awash in perfectly usable plastic and paper bags from stores.
Nor is it necessary to change the liner each time the basket is emptied, unless the trash is food or other sloppy stuff. For dry trash, just empty
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