Granny's Best Carpet Cleaning Secrets: Removing Stains With Vinegar

One of the best uses for vinegar is removing tough stains from carpets.

Removing stains with vinegar is perhaps one of the most effective and environmentally friendly ways to get even the toughest set-in grimy spots from a carpet. As a young pup growing up in the shadow of the Rocky Mountains, I can remember my Granny using some of her time-tested, old-school methods for keeping a spotless and almost sterile-clean house. Many of those old-time recipes included using vinegar cleaners for just about any room in her house. One of her favorites was using vinegar to clean stains from her carpets. She was a loving soul but one of the things that Granny hated most was stains in her carpets. With so many grandkids running through her house every day, there were a lot of spots, stains and dirt.

How to Remove Stains with Vinegar

While it may not lift out every type of stain from your carpet, using white distilled vinegar as cleaner will take out just about any stain. Here's how you do it: First, dissolve 2 tablespoons of salt in about 1/2 cup of white distilled vinegar. Rub the solution into the carpet stain, let the area dry and then simply vacuum. If you have a larger stained area, try mixing 2 tablespoons of borax into the vinegar-salt mixture and treat in the same way.

Spot Treatment with Vinegar as Cleaner

You can also make a spray-on spot treatment by mixing 1 part vinegar with 5 parts water. Get a second spray bottle and fill it with a solution of 5 parts water and 1 part non-sudsy ammonia. To treat spot stains in your carpet, soak a cloth with the vinegar solution and saturate the spot or stain. Let it sit for a few minutes and blot dry with a clean cloth. Now spray the ammonia solution on the spot or stain and blot dry. Repeat this alternating treatment until the spot is gone.

What Granny Knew About Removing Stains with Vinegar

Some folks tried to encourage Granny to start using some of the commercial cleaning products available from the local grocery store. They claimed these new-fangled cleaners would save her time and help Granny to get the job done quicker. Granny simply smiled and went on doing as she had done for so many years. Perhaps she knew more than she was telling about these natural cleaning methods, or maybe she was just stubborn. Either way, those old-fashioned ways of cleaning are making a big comeback in this era of environmental awareness.

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How to Get the Most Value Out of Your Laundry Detergent

Shop with laundry detergent coupons

Whether you prefer to search through mailers and fliers on a weekly basis for coupons and mail in rebates or online at your favorite coupon website, there are numerous deals to find. Popular brands will routinely provide coupons and rebates for their various products. Often when a new product line is introduced, the manufacturer will offer some type of incentive to get you to try the new product out.

Buy in bulk

Wholesalers like Costco and Sam's Club will often sell bulk quantity detergents and cleaners, potentially saving you money. Make sure to compare the package size or the number of loads you can get from each container, both for powder and liquid detergents. Ultimately, you're looking for the lowest cost per unit or cost per load when you're trying to find the best deal.

Follow the detergent directions carefully

Even if you save a few bucks on your laundry detergent purchase, if you don't pay attention to amount you should be using per load, you're potentially using too much, which will ultimately cost you money. If a liquid detergent is supposed to be dispensed in 2 oz portions, but you don't bother to measure and end up using 3 oz at a time, you're wasting 50% of the product!

Buy only detergents are on sale

Depending on how retailers and grocery stores stock up on a particular brand or product line, they may eventually be in a position where they need to move product to make room for upcoming shipments of other goods. This means that the grocery store or shop might be offering up a sale to clear shelf space, which is a good time for you to consider make a purchase and stock up.

Search online auctions for potential deals on detergent

Sellers on eBay.com will offer up all kinds of stuff, including cleaning products and laundry detergents. Doing a quick search for your favorite brand names may reveal a good deal. Make sure to evaluate any potential shipping costs to determine if the overall purchase is a better deal than what you could get otherwise at your local grocery store.

Discount and Dollar Stores

Often times, these specialty retailers will have a batch of detergent that they buy cheap from some other retailer and in term are able to offer you the consumer low prices. Check around to see what kinds of deals are out there. Even ask the shop keepers to see if they regularly get detergents to sell.

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Several Uses of an Industrial Pressure Washer

An industrial pressure washer is one of the most powerful and efficient cleaning machines presently available. These machines offer unmatched output pressure levels and temperatures. Some of the latest models provide output pressure levels as high as 8000 psi and output temperatures as high as 330°F.

However, industrial pressure washing machines are not just about cleaning power. They are specialized equipment for particular cleaning tasks. For example, you can find low flow pressure washing equipment for auto detailing and high pressure washers for heavy-duty industrial degreasing.

This article deals with various uses of industrial pressure washing machines and specifications of most suitable machines for the task.

Heavy-Duty Degreasing
Degreasing is perhaps the toughest of all cleaning tasks. It requires powerful cleaning machines. A pressure washer with more than 3000 psi is an essential prerequisite for carrying out this task. The higher the output pressure of the machine, the more efficient and quicker the cleaning process will be.

High pressure washers carry out industrial degreasing tasks by pumping their output onto industrial equipment and factory floors to blast away grease, dirt, oil stains, and dust present.

Graffiti Removal
Graffiti removal is another cleaning task tailor-made for pressure washing equipment. For graffiti removal, one does not require an extremely powerful machine suitable for degreasing. The output pressure level of the machine can stay inside the 3000 psi mark.

The mode of working is the same, though. The output of the machine washes away all the markings and graffiti from the walls. For outdoor cleaning of walls, a hot water pressure washer powered by a combustion engine is the best choice. Gasoline, diesel, or propane can be used as fuel.

Water runoff is a problem when cleaning outdoor locations. Cleaning workers must ensure that the place has sufficient drainage facilities. It would be better to use industrial pressure washer machines with low flow rates in such situations. Normally, flow rate increases as output pressure increases. However, there are specially made machines that have low flow rates and reasonably high output pressure.

Hard Surface Cleaning
Hot water pressure washing machines are suitable for regular hard surface cleaning tasks such as cleaning floors and metal surfaces. These machines are used for various hard surface cleaning tasks in almost all commercial buildings, ranging from educational institutions to hotels and restaurants.

For indoor cleaning, an electric pressure cleaner is the most suitable choice. These machines work efficiently and without much noise. And, unlike machines that burn fossil fuels, electric pressure washing machines do not produce combustion exhaust, which increases the humidity within indoor areas.

Auto Detailing
Pressure washing machines are used for cleaning automobiles as well. One thing to ensure is that the machine does not have an output pressure level exceeding 1500 psi. The flow rate also needs to be low. Otherwise, water run-off could cause extreme fines.

There are specially made industrial high pressure washer models for auto detailing. These machines have modest output pressure levels, low flow rates, and high output temperatures. Portable machines are best suited for large-scale auto detailing.

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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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Tile and Grout Cleaning

Tile and grout cleaning done on a regular basis can help in making the kitchen or the bathroom attain a new look all the time. Grout is the cement like substance which joins the tiles on the floor and walls. To remove it a grout saw, a tool for scrapping or just a mixture of water and sugar can be poured over the tiles for softening the grout after which it can be removed. When you use the scraper tool or the grout saw for grout removal you need to be very careful not to damage the tiles.

Tile and Grout Cleaning For Marble

Marble requires regular maintenance as it is a material which is beautiful. Marble in white or off white shade tends to look dirty and stained if not cleaned on a regular basis. When it is used in an exposed area, it is necessary to be careful about it.

To clean out the dirt and stains from the marble's white surface, is a difficult task. But these will need to be followed if the original colour and finish has to be maintained for a long period of time. If the right kind of methods is followed you can retain the original appearance of marble.

Tile and Grout Cleaning By Preventing Scratches and Damages

By nature marble is porous and to prevent chipping and scratches on the surface the cleaning process needs to be carefully done. Due to constant use the kitchen countertops are prone to a lot of staining and the same applies to flooring in marble. Some of the processes used for cleaning can take away the shine on the surface.

The drying and the mopping technique is the best one to follow. Just add some washing up liquid in a bucket of water. In the liquid mixture first dip in the cloth and then mop the dirty areas. When this is done, a gradual process of stain removal takes place Once again, plain water can be used for mopping. Polish with a soft cloth to bring back the shine.

Tile and Grout Cleaning With Special Material

Also available is chamois a special kind of leather for cleaning marble. It has a soft texture that is velvet like that helps in polishing the marble after the cleaning is over. All that you need to do is moisten the chamois first and then rub the marble surface with it.

Another cleaning agent called poultice is a great cleansing agent to get rid of grime, dust and dirt. An action of the capillary kind helps in sucking out the stains by the absorbent cleaning agent called poultice which is available readily in many of the shops for home improvement. Clay can be dampened to prepare the poultice. On the marble that has been stained, this poultice can be applied and kept for just fifteen minutes and then removed. If the marble floor is only dirty and not stained, plain water can be used for mopping. If proper tile and grout cleaning methods are adopted you can have a nice clean looking kitchen or flooring.

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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 Get Rid of Clutter on Tables and Counters to Live an Organized and Decluttered Lifestyle

Flat surfaces can be a blessing and a curse. Isn't it nice to see a cleaned off table - just think of all the things we could do; we could set the table for a big family meal, we could sit and use it for crafts, we could let children use it for their homework or drawings, there are so many possibilities! Unfortunately as soon as we have a flat surface cleared we usually start putting things back onto it. It's almost like the side table, kitchen counter, entryway table, coffee table, bathroom counter, and every other flat surface has a clutter magnet on it! There's no arguing here - keeping these surfaces clear is tough for anyone. A good way to deal with these is to go through the normal decluttering process and get to the clean surface. Once you have done that take a look at what you want and what you like on that surface. Does it have a lamp that you use? Is there a picture that you want to display? Figure out what you like the best and how many items this is - we want to limit the number to something reasonable, but we also want to be comfortable with what we choose. Once we have this figured out you will know how many things should be there. When you start to see how this can help you maintain a decluttered environment this should become second nature.

If we let some things sneak back onto a surface, don't worry too much about it. Set a time when you will go over the area and pick things up and put them back where they belong. We can't have a spotless and totally organized house one hundred percent of the time - we would go crazy even trying! The idea is to get used to regularly keeping things under control. This might mean putting your books away every night, cleaning up when you get home from work, or taking Saturday afternoon to pick up after yourself. It is certainly a give and take - you don't want to spend so much time picking up that you start hating spending the time doing it, but you don't want to wait so long that it becomes a huge project again! We want to find what works best for ourselves. It takes time and a little trial and error. After a few weeks it should be fairly evident what works best for you. If by the end of three weeks you can't seem to get a good system going on a regular schedule I suggest setting aside five or ten minutes three nights a week to pick up and clean off your surfaces. Write them down, make a checklist, or set an alarm - just make sure that you are following through and sticking to a schedule. It is like many other habits - you have to keep doing them for it to be effective, the first few weeks can be the most trying but it does become much easier after that.

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