Cleans Like Magic

As a professional cleaner, people ask me to explain some of my favorite things to do to sparkle and shine up anywhere needing cleaning. Things I will always use as "staples" for moving or spring cleaning:

Glossy glass, Matte, Plastic, leather, or Vinyl surfaces- Honestly, water can do a LOT-especially hot or as a vapor in a steamer. The best thing to remove oil on a mirror or faucet is water with a clean rag. If you need a little something extra, then give it a kick with some multi-surface vinegar Windex. It uses the power of vinegar, but you don't have to tolerate or adapt to the odor and it cleans awesome.

Tough Scuffs, paint scrapes- A little water on a magic eraser. You don't have to buy the name brands to get  the same results. Most anything from a piece of furnishing scraping polish on the wall to wooden cupboards and floors with rubber shoe marks are pretty gentle and clean up the more stubborn things.

Kitchen Appliances (Except Ovens)- So who has a tough time with ovens, dishwashers, refrigerators or microwaves? Food stays somewhere for long enough that you could let the room sit in hot steam all day and still be unable to loosen up the cooked on or hardened ghosts of meals passed before? Some may use soft scrub or comet, but honestly, my favorite product to use is Bar keepers Friend. Bar keepers is great on hard water and getting black scuffs out of white porcelain kitchen sinks. In addition to a razor blade you can also scratch off hard water as well.

Hardwater that Lime-Away couldn't help- Lime-Away is not a terrible product. If you have a sensitivity to the strong chemicals that will eat away your rust and hard water, then I totally get it. I use it when I'm in a mad hurry! If you want a more natural alternative, then pumice stones are chemical free and work awesomely! Pumice Stones-especially for in your toilet. They work great by just scrubbing over all the stuff that just would not come off otherwise.

 

Ovens-As a good rule of thumb, ovens are the exception to using tons of Barkeeper's Friend. Ovens typically should go through the self-cleaning process, add oven cleaner, scrub with Barkeeper's Friend on a clean hot wet rag until it all comes off. Ovens are typically the hardest thing to clean, so if you need to grab a pumice stone at your hardware store and get it wet, then do so. Pumice will scratch if you are not watchful about how you use it. The more wet the stone is, the less damage it is likely to cause. Most times it is just fine, but always play it safe and always soak pumice stone prior to use. You are also able to remove other things that are hard and sticky with residue by peeling with the blade or a razor. Once all the surfaces of the glass is clean, then wipe out and shine with the multi-surface Windex!

When it comes to disinfecting, the best products to use that smell great, are home and pet safe, are of the Melaleuca Brand. I do not sell them, but they are the most natural and safe. The Sprays are great on mopping your floors, disinfecting your bathrooms, and also removing sticky residues. There are other products they have that are also great. See here for all health, home, fitness and beauty products in addition to cleaning: www.melaleuca.com 

The rest of the tricks are spot treating the stains on the walls, using the hose to vacuum around corners in the rooms, and continue to vacuum and dust around your home. If you come across any other home cleaning problems that you find you need a trick or two more for resolving, then please share and I will happily add to your needs list. In the meantime, there are other things you might like to try in the video below. Happy cleaning!