With your kids being home for the summer there's A LOT more opportunity for dirt to be tracked into the house. Here are tips to help you get your home back to clean after your kids go back to school.
Here’s what you’ll need to clean your kitchen:
Run lemon or orange rinds through the garbage disposal to help remove any odors.
Have you noticed the drain in your kitchen sink is a little slow? Clean it out using a half cup of baking soda followed by a half cup of vinegar. Let sit for 5 minutes and then flush it with hot water.
Easily remove stains from a plastic cutting board using a lemon. Simply cut a lemon in half and rub it over the stained area.
Use a lemon to help you clean out your microwave. Cut up a lemon and place it in a cup of water. Microwave it on high for about a minute. Let it sit for 10-15 minutes and then easily wipe away the food and grease.
Brooms and mops simply move dirt around on the floor. A professional floor cleaning will get into the nooks and crannies to extract the dirt and remove it from your home.
Here’s what you’ll need to clean your family room:
Sprinkle baking soda on any of the soft surfaces in your family room. Let it sit for about 15 minutes and then vacuum it up. This will help remove any odors.
Are your kids a rough on your wood furniture? Rub any small nicks or scratches with a walnut to help hide the damage. If this doesn’t work, you can find wood stain markers at any local hardware store.
No matter how many times you’ve told your kids to use a coaster, inevitably they’ll still put their glass directly on the coffee table. Fortunately, there’s mayonnaise to the rescue. That’s right. You can use full-fat mayonnaise to remove water rings from your wood furniture. Simply apply to the water ring, let it sit for an hour and then wipe away.
Do your kids or pets get dirt and grime all over your furniture? Get it back to clean with a professional upholstery cleaning. Many furniture manufacturers recommend having upholstered furniture professionally cleaned every 12-24 months.
Here’s what you’ll need to clean your bedroom:
Start by washing your pillows and comforters. They only need to be washed a couple times a year, but it’s a good rule of thumb to clean them when the seasons change. This helps remove indoor allergens that can hide in upholstery or fabric.
To clean your mattress start by vacuuming it using the upholstery attachment. Then, to get rid of odors, sprinkle baking soda all over your mattress and rub it in. Let this sit for 10-15 minutes and then vacuum up all of the baking soda.
To clean your windows, mix a solution of one tablespoon of a dishwashing agent, like Jet Dry, with three tablespoons of liquid dish soap and two cups of water. Put the solution in an empty spray bottle and spray all over your windows. Rinse with a sponge and cold water.
If you have a ceiling fan, slip a pillowcase over each fan blade to trap dust while you wipe the surface clean.
Use a clean damp cloth to dust all other surfaces, including furniture, door frames and lamps.
If you have carpet sprinkle baking soda over your carpet and let sit for 10-15 minutes. Then vacuum up all of the baking soda.
If you suffer from allergies then you’ve probably heard about the importance of vacuuming your carpet regularly. But, normal vacuums can’t remove all of the indoor allergens that can hide in your carpet. That’s why it’s important to get your carpet professionally cleaned on a regular basis. Professional carpet cleaning can remove 94% of household allergens from your carpet.
Here’s what you’ll need to clean your bathroom:
Is your shower grout grimy? Mix a solution of ¾ cup chlorine bleach with one gallon of water. Use a stiff brush to apply the solution to a small area at a time. Scrub the area and rinse.
Need more help? Use Stanley Steemer’s Tile and Grout Cleaner.
Go through everything under your sink and toss out anything you don’t need.
Spot-clean walls and shelves where dirt builds up. In particular, make sure you get areas around the light switch and doorknob where germs and bacteria have a tendency to gather. To do this mix a solution of one cup ammonia and one teaspoon dishwashing liquid in a gallon of water. Then use a soft sponge to wipe down the walls.
Grout collects dirt and grime, often discoloring the surface. Regular spot cleaning doesn’t reach the hidden dirt that lies deep within the grout, so it’s important to get your tile and grout professionally cleaned. A professional grout cleaning can remove up to 96% of the allergens in the grout.
