Floor Cleaning: Tips on How to Clean and Maintain Your Floor

A beautiful floor can provide extra attraction to your house especially when it is properly maintained. Whether your floor is made of tiles, hardwood or stone, cleaning it requires proper application. If you wish to clean your own floor, follow the tips below and you will surely keep your floor look pretty for the years to come.

Vinegar Solution

If your floor requires quick maintenance use a vinegar solution. Mix a half gallon of warm water to 3 cups vinegar (the ratio will depend on the size of the area you are going to clean) and then use a mop to clean the area. If your floor looks listless and dull then you definitely need to mop it with a vinegar solution.

You can use this cleaning agent to all types of floor except marble floors. Floor experts believe that vinegar won't work on hardwood floors as well. On the other hand, some home owners find this to be untrue. If you're curious about this, the best thing for you to do is test it yourself.

Cleaning Ceramic Floors with Squeegee

Like any other types of floors, ceramic floors are functional and beautiful only when it's new. As it ages, ceramic floors will eventually look dull. Cleaning it with vinegar solution is fine but cleaning with a squeegee can be better. Squeegee is used for window cleaning, but least assured that it can also clean your floor just as fine.

To clean, mop the area first with soap mixed with warm water. After which, improvise a pole where you will attach your squeegee (this is so that you won't hurt your back in the long run). Draw the pole across the floor removing the soapy solution as this will make the floor clean. Clean the squeegee with a dry cloth after every stroke.

Candle Wax Stain and Gum Stain

To remove this kind of stain on your floor you need the following: ice cubes, a dull knife, paper towels and iron. First you need to apply cold pressure using ice cube. See to it that the wax is still wet before you apply. After which, scrape the wax using a dull knife and cover the affected area with several layers of paper towel. Lastly, run a warm iron on top of the paper towels. This will allow the candle wax to soften and seep into the towels.

On the other hand, gum that finds its way on your floor can be troublesome if not treated right. To remove gum on your floor, simply apply cold pressure using ice cube and it will eventually harden. If you're sure that it's hard enough, scrape it off using a dull knife.

As tedious as it may seem, cleaning and maintaining your floor is not that bad. If you can find the passion to do so, you may as well enjoy a beautiful and shiny floor for as long as you wanted. Learning the tips above will surely help a lot, or if not give you added information on how to maintain your floor effectively.

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Five Common Foods Used To Clean Up Around The House

The local grocery store cleaning aisle can be pretty confusing. The aisle contains assorted products such has glass cleaners, stain removers, disinfectants and all purpose cleaners. But there's another aisle that may be just as useful for someone that is searching for household cleaning products. Believe it or not, the food aisle can contain products that are just as effective as the products found on the cleaning product aisle. Better yet, the food products are much cheaper. Check out five creative ways to use food to clean up around the house!

White bread cleans up shattered glass on floors and counters. It can be difficult to get all the tiniest pieces when glass is shattered,. And worse, those tiny pieces can hurt pretty bad if stepped on by bare feet. But there is a quick, easy and affordable solution that can be found in every kitchen. Simply use white bread to get the glass off the floor. Lightly press the white bread along the surface where the glass is shattered and the glass will stick to the bread. Be cautious and dispose of the bread properly to avoid contact with children and pets.

Ketchup cleans stainless steel sinks perfectly. Ketchup is really good at delivering a great shine to stainless steel sinks. Simply squirt ketchup into the sink and use a clean damp cloth to spread the ketchup around the stainless steel surface. Rinse with warm water and towel dry the sink.

Rice is a great coffee grinder cleaner. The oil from coffee grounds can hide in some places even when the coffee grinder appears clean,. Try using uncooked white rice in order to produce a clean, vibrant shine. For a regular blade system, add uncooked white rice up to the height of the blades. Run the grinder and dispose of the rice that will be coated in the sticky brown coffee residue.

Green tea removes odors inside a refrigerator. Use green tea leaves to deter odors in a refrigerator. Add green tea leaves to a bowl and place the bowl in the refrigerator. Even pungent odors such as garlic and onions will be absorbed by the tea leaves. Also, try rubbing hands with tea leaves to remove and absorb odors.

Club soda removes carpet stains. Attack carpet spills by blotting the stained area with club soda. Then, pour club soda over the area and scrub with a damp cloth. Red wine stains & urine stains can also be removed using this technique.

Obviously, there are plenty of foods that should never be used while cleaning around the house. It's a good idea to be cautious and never assume that all food products are effective at cleaning around the house. However, don't be scared to use these five food products because they will save anyone both time and money.

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How to Clean Mirrors!

Not the most exciting topic ever, but if you've ever tried to clean a mirror you will understand how frustrating it can be. From one angle it looks clean, only for you to move across the room to see unsightly streaks or smears.

Searching the Internet can produce all sorts of weird and wonderful answers for getting the glass of your mirror to sparkle. From using scrunched up newspaper, mixing white vinegar with concoctions of chemicals, through to using coffee filters as cloths. I am sure that all of these solutions hold merit, but in actual fact achieving that desired shine is so simple...

The biggest culprit for 'dirt' on mirrors is dust, especially around the edges next to the frame. My first piece of advice is therefore to start from the middle of the mirror and work outwards. Starting at the edges is the most natural way to start your cleaning, but by doing so with a mirror you are more likely to spread the condensed dirt right across the face of the glass, making the task at hand much more difficult.

Step 1: Dust!
Using a clean dry cloth, start in the middle of the mirror and move the surface dust on the mirror to the edges. You can then go around the frame edge to clean away any loose dirt.

Step 2: Wash!
Put a tiny drop of washing up liquid in a bowl of warm water. The amount of liquid should be so minute that you simply get a couple of surface bubbles on the top of the water and nothing more, it should almost be as though there is nothing in the water. Rinse a new cloth in this water and ring it out so that it is just damp (not dripping water) and wash the surface of your mirror, again from the middle outwards.

Step 3: Dry!
This stage is vital if you want that perfect shine. Use a dry, lint-free cloth and literally dry your mirror and you've guessed it, start in the middle and work outwards.

Working in the industry that I do, cleaning mirrors is a regular occurrence for me and it was actually my window cleaner that recommended this technique to me, because after all a mirror is just glass at the end of the day.

So when you are following these simple steps think like a window cleaner: Middle then edges. Dust! Wash! Dry!

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Butcher Chopping Block Maintenance: How to Clean and Oil in Five Easy Steps

Wooden counter tops add warmth and beauty to any kitchen. Unlike other trendy counter top surfaces, wooden counter tops are timeless and never go out of style. They also add functional value to a kitchen that appeals to chefs and foodies. However, they are not completely care free. They need to be kept clean and sealed in order to maintain the surface. Proper maintenance will not only lengthen the life of your counter top, but will keep it hygienic. Five easy steps for maintaining all of your wooden cutting surfaces, including counter tops and chopping blocks are listed below.

You will need:

Dish detergent

Scrubby sponge

White vinegar

Either lemon juice and salt Or water and baking soda

Mineral oil

Step one - Clean.

Cleaning the board with warm soapy water and a scrubbing sponge will get off any visible debris and will remove a small amount of oil from the board. Use warm water and scrub gently. You aren't trying to sanitize with this step so don't use hot water. Hot water is unnecessarily aggressive and will damage the board over time. Rinse all of the soap off when the surface is clean.

A word of caution - do not submerge portable boards in water. Water will soak into the wood fibers causing the wood to swell and warp. This breaks the glue bond in the lamination. Then as the wood dries, it cracks.

Step two - Sanitize.

Sanitize your butcher board by wiping it down with full strength white vinegar. Why vinegar? Vinegar is an effective disinfectant against common kitchen bugs such as e.coli, staphylococcus, and salmonella. Vinegar is not damaging to the wood fibers like chlorine bleach. Chlorine bleach is corrosive and it's effects are accumulative. Over time it changes the color of the wood and it breaks down the lignan (the natural glue between the fibers). The wood will look ashy even after it is oiled and the fibers will have microscopic tatters for bacteria to hide in. It's a good idea to keep a spray bottle of vinegar handy to use as a regular sanitizer for your wooden cutting surfaces.

I use vinegar and air drying to sanitize my wooden counter tops and it works great. However, if you need extra assurances, you can allow your butcher board to dry after the vinegar treatment, then wipe it down with 3% hydrogen peroxide.

After sanitizing, you can move to steps four and five, allowing the board to dry and then oiling it. Or you can do some additional deep cleaning as in step three if you have a heavy build up of oils, odors, or stains.

Step three - Deep Cleaning

Make a paste of salt and lemon juice OR water and baking soda. Using a scrubby sponge, lightly swirl the paste around focusing on stains if you have any. This paste mixture will lightly strip away old oils. It will also deodorize the wood and lighten stains. Both lemon juice and baking soda are aggressive cleaners so don't allow them to just sit on the board for hours. Just gently scrub the paste around for a few minutes and rinse it completely away when you are done.

Step four - Dry

Allow block to dry completely....over night is best. A dry environment is the best defense against bacteria, mold and virus. Allowing the board to dry completely before oiling it helps to lock moisture OUT rather than sealing it in. Also, the dryer the wood is, the more easily it will soak up oil.

Before you oil your butcher board look it over. If you still have stains use a sanding block to remove light stains or use a palm sander with a fine grit paper to sand down the entire board.

Step five - Seal with oil

Oil your butcher board. Oiling your wooden counter tops and cutting boards helps to protect the wood from damage and keeps the surface hygienic. The oil creates a water resistant barrier. It keeps the wood dry and keeps bacteria out. The best oil to use is food grade mineral oil as it will not go rancid the way vegetable based oils will. This can be found in the laxative department of your local drug store or you may find it also at your local hardware store. Just pour a little onto the board and rub it in with your clean hands or use a clean lint free rag. If you really want to pump up the water resistance of your oil, you can warm it and add bees wax or paraffin to it. Use a ratio of one part wax to nine parts oil. When this oil has soaked into your wood, it will leave behind a thin waxy layer that is even more water resistant!

Every type of counter top needs basic maintenance. Granite needs polishing. The grout in a tile counter top needs scrubbing. A wooden counter top or butcher chopping block needs to be cleaned and oiled. With a little bit of care your wooden cutting surfaces can last life times and add functional value to your kitchen.

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Clean Air Means Less House Cleaning and Dusting? Yep, Sure Does!

Does it seem like you're cleaning all the time? And every time you turn around, there's another layer of dust on that piece of furniture? Time for carpet cleaning...again?! Does house cleaning ever end??!!

Let's face it. Very few of us have time to constantly clean and dust. We're just too busy! Plus, in this economy, most of us don't have the extra money for house cleaning services, either! Where does this dust and dirt come from anyway?

Well, it's a combination of stuff we track in from outside, the dust from your ducts / air conditioner vents, and tiny particles that are released when our hands and feet rub across furniture, bedding, carpets, etc. The air that's moving inside the room picks up the particles and those particles settle on everything, and there you go-more dusting and cleaning to do. Ugh.

You mean having clean air can really help us keep up with our fast-paced lives, reduce house cleaning time and the cost of cleaning supplies? Absolutely. It just makes sense. If you can remove the particles from the air, then there will be less to settle and accumulate-in the corners, and in our noses! And you'll get the added benefit of feeling better, with less sneezing and coughing, or even asthma attacks. Don't forget, dust is very dirty stuff, composed of dirt, dead skin cells, dust mite/insect parts, pet dander, bacteria, viruses, pollen, mold spores and more. In a month or so, you'll be happy to notice that you just aren't buying as much cleaning supplies, cleaning services, Swiffer duster refills, carpet cleaning--and probably less allergy medications!

So how do we do clean up the air? All you need is a 1) a good allergy rated filter in your home a/c system, 1500 rating or higher, and 2) get a quality air purifier that can handle the amount of air in your home or room, and has a true HEPA filter, which will remove 99.97% or higher of the particles floating around. Be sure to change the air filter in your home at least every 3 months, and the HEPA filter in your air purifier as indicated by the manufacturer. And the air purifier will actually extend the life of the home air filter, too, so that's another cost reduction!

One very good air purifier we found that is very good for getting rid of dust is the Blueair 403 This unit features durable steel construction, a powerful HEPA filter that removes up to 99.99% of particles, healthy negative ions to further purify the air, and an available lifetime warranty. This will handle rooms 375 square feet and smaller.

For larger spaces, up to 1500 square feet, the Aller Air 5000 Exec works very well.This air purifier features a true HEPA filter, a pre-filter, and a full 18 pounds of activated carbon to remove chemical vapors and odors-vapors and odors that cause allergy attacks, headaches, and more! Got headaches that you can't put your finger on? It really could be in the air!

Both of these air purifiers will definitely reduce the need for house cleaning and dusting, and leave you more time for the important things like family and fun times.

As always, if you have any questions, give us a call at 1-800-701-2513. The expert staff at Air Purifiers and Cleaners.com is standing by to help.

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Get a Deeper Clean with Commercial Cleaning in Melbourne

If you've hired a commercial cleaning company in the past, but all they did was pull a vacuum cleaner and empty the waste bins, then you were wasting your company's money.  A professional service offering commercial cleaning in Melbourne should do a lot more than that.  In fact, they should make sure your business is cleaned from top to bottom and inside and out.  That way, not only will it look great for you and your employees, but for your customers too.  CIA can provide thorough cleaning like commercial window cleaning and commercial floor cleaning, but that's not all.  We offer a wide array of services to keep your company looking its best.  Those services also include blind, curtain and upholstery cleaning, pressure washing, façade detailing, builder's cleans, vacate cleans, landscaping, gardening and reticulation, waste management, pest control, maintenance and repairs, and even graffiti removal.  With a company that provides all of these services, you can be sure not detail will go unnoticed.

Window Care

Unlike other companies, we make sure that both sides of the windows are clean.  Pollution from the outside can cause a film to appear on your windows over time.  We will clean this so that it is streak free and get rid of oils from pollutants and fingerprints.  On the inside, there are a lot of indoor pollutants that cause windows to look steamed up.  We will make them look crystal clear so your customers can see right through to the products and services you provide.  You want your windows to be welcoming, portraying the best parts of your business.  If they are all smudged, customers will worry about the interior cleanliness.  By hiring CIA, you will get high quality, commercial window cleaning whenever you need it.

Floor Care

Hopefully, your company brings in a lot of business, and consequently, a lot of foot traffic.  All that traffic also means a lot of dirt though.  That's why it's important to get commercial floor cleaning regularly.  Not only does that mean vacuuming on a regular basis, but also steam cleaning and mopping when necessary. There are bound to be more than few stains that will need spot cleaning too.  You don't want your customers distracted as they wonder what on earth could have made that stain, when you're trying to get them to focus on buying products.  With regular, deep cleaning though, your floors can look professional all the time. 

Just make sure you get the best when it comes to commercial cleaning in Melbourne.  That way, you don't end up paying more in order to have the same job done twice.  With CIA, you'll get our quality assurance every time at a price you can afford.  Because you can't afford not to keep a clean company, both for your employees and your customers.

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