Living in a stinky home is not pleasant. Not only can grime buildup stink, but it can also cause breathing problems and even worse longer lasting health problems. However traditional cleaning chemicals can cause breathing problems as well. What can you do? Try to clean green with these simple tips:
Dishwasher smelling foul? Sprinkle in a handful of baking soda before your next load or between loads.
Remove the musty smell from sponges and loofas by soaking them overnight in four tablespoons of baking soda to one quart of warm water. Let them dry in the sun and they have new life!
Stave off bad smells in your refrigerator and freezer by leaving an open box of baking soda in your refrigerator all the time. Swap it out every month for optimum scent control.
Keep your trash can or recycling bin fresh smelling by sprinkling in a dash of baking soda every time you empty it. Also works great on big outdoor trash cans and helps keep the flies away!
Keep your closets from smelling musty and giving your clothes the same smell. Leave a container of baking soda in the corner of your closet and change out every few months to keep your clothes smelling fresh. Add a drop or two of essential oils for an even better scent.
Stinky gym bags? Sprinkle in a dash of baking soda to drive away smells.
Clean out ashtrays and remove the lingering smoke smell by scrubbing with baking soda.
Get the stink and stain out of plastic containers and lunch boxes with vinegar. Wipe with undiluted vinegar and let sit overnight. For tough stains let the container soak in a half and half solution overnight.
Clean and deodorize the oven with vinegar. Soak the oven with undiluted vinegar and let it sit for several hours or overnight. Then rinse well. For tough stains you can scrub them with baking soda.
Using baking soda and vinegar to clean can be a great way to cut through the grime and stink without further aggravating the problem. Try some of these easy cleaning tips in your home and see if you can breathe easier.
Author Bio:
This post is contributed by Christine Maddox. Currently she is pursuing her Master’s degree from University of Texas as well as blogging for www.4nannies.com. She loves to write anything related to parenting, kids, nanny care etc. She can be reached via email at: christine.4nannies @ gmail.com.
Read These Steps to Clean Your Dishwasher and Prolong It’s Life!
Dishwashers are extremely convenient kitchen tools to have around. It takes the chore out of washing your dirty dishes, leaving you more time to do other activities. Still, did you know that your dishwasher gets dirtier even as it’s cleaning your dishes? It seems strange, with it running hot water and soap frequently, but that actually doesn’t clean your dishwasher. Read these steps to take care of bacteria and get your dirty dishwasher clean again.
First, take out the bottom rack so you an examine the drain area for chunks of food that can plug the drain. It’s very important that you keep the drains clear, as clogging can cause damage to the pump and anything hard can also scratch your dishes. You would be surprised at the list of things dishwasher repairmen find in the drains-bones, chipped pieces of glass, crab shells, and even bits of gravel! This is just some of what those who provide a blocked drain service in Coogee have found down the drains. If you start smelling an unpleasant odor from your dishwasher or sink area and it is slow to drain, this could be due to a drain blockage further down the system causing wastewater or sewage to be backed up into your home. This is something you’ll want to get seen to by professionals as soon as you notice the problem. Those in the UK could enlist the help of this drain unblocking company in Essex.
Second, fill a cup with white vinegar and set it on the top rack of your dishwasher. Set it to the highest temperature available then run the dishwasher through a cycle. For this process, the only thing that should be in the dishwasher is one cup. With the cycle running, the vinegar will help clean your dishwasher by removing any loose grime, sanitizing your dishwasher, and helping to remove any musty odors.
Third, after sanitizing with vinegar, fill a cup with baking soda then sprinkle that around the bottom of the dishwasher. Run it through a short but complete cycle on the highest temperature. The baking soda will clean your dishwasher by refreshing the smell inside and brighten the insides by removing stains.
Here are some tips for preventing build-up in your dishwasher and prolonging that visit from the mechanic. Making sure you clean your dishwasher regularly will ensure a long life for your appliance.
1. Run your garbage disposal before every dishwashing. Since the dishwasher drains to the same pipe as your sink, make sure you keep the drain clear to prevent clogging and to stop you from needing to have a drain cleaning Brooklyn service come and sort it out for you.
2. Run the sink until the water gets hot. Running the water before starting the dishwasher will get you cleaner dishes because the cycle will start out hot. If you’re worried about wasting all that water, you could always put a bucket under the faucet and use it to water your plants.
3. Set your water to start at the right temperature. Check the thermostat on your water heater. Water that is cooler than 120F (50C) won’t clean well enough, but the water that is any hotter may scald.
4. Don’t pack your dishes too tightly. It’s good to run full loads to conserve energy and water, but if you pack your dishes too tight you may not be getting them adequately clean.
5. Don’t prewash your dishes before putting them in your dishwasher. Consider this for a second, detergent requires grease to do its job. If you wash all the grease before cleaning them in the dishwasher, then the detergent will start to foam up during the cycle, which is bad for your dishwasher.
Now that you have gone through all that trouble to clean your dishwasher, have some fun with these tips and tricks the next time you feel like experimenting.
1. Wash hats! Baseball caps usually don’t hold up in the washer, but they do hold their shape fairly well in the dishwasher. Just run your hats through the rinse cycle once, but don’t use soap.
2. Steam salmon! Wrap your salmon well with tin foil and your favorite marinade. Be sure to seal it well. Run a full cycle, drying process included (don’t add soap though, of course). This will steam your salmon perfectly; it will be moist and it won’t leave that fishy smell in your kitchen.
3. Clean vacuum attachments! Make sure to shake all the loose dust and hair into the garbage first so you don’t have to clean your dishwasher out again. Put the attachments in the silverware basket, then run a cycle.
4. Wash your kids toys! Small plastic toys like Hot Wheels or action figures can go into the cutlery closure. You could also put them in a mesh bag or the plastic basket. This can be done for pet toys, too!
5. Wash your potatoes! Instead of having to wash them individually by hand, set them on the top rack and run them through the rinse cycle.
6. Make yourself a warming oven! If you are expecting a company and don’t have enough ovens to keep all your hard-cooked dishes warm, try putting some in the dishwasher on the dry cycle (make sure you don’t set it to wash), and you have yourself a makeshift warming oven.
7. Wash gardening tools! Garden and household tools can go into the dishwasher if they have plastic handles. If there’s any chance that they have chemicals on them, make sure to wash them separate from your dishes, then make sure you keep your tools safe and dry in a garden shed.
8. Wash your light fixtures! Wash your light fixtures in a very gentle setting. This is much easier than dusting them.
9. Wash thongs, wellies, and crocs! Run a wash cycle with a small amount of baking soda to clean any plastic footwear you have.
10. Wash combs or hairbrushes! Combs and hairbrushes made of plastic material are dishwasher safe and can go in the cutlery tray to be washed. Don’t use wood or boar-bristle brushes, as that can damage your brush. Protect the drain by removing all the hair from the hairbrushes first.
NOTE: For most of these items, you should wash them separately from your regular dishes.
Get the Most Out of Your Hydrogen Peroxide With These 30 Tips
Today I will be giving you some tips on cleaning with the miracle compound H2O2, also known as hydrogen peroxide. This product is used in tons of cleaners today; you can always spot the brands that contain H2O2 because they have “Oxy” in the name. Hydrogen peroxide is a great cleaner that you’re able to use in any room of the house. It’s safe for kids and pets, cheap, readily available, and best of all, it actually works! However, getting it in your eyes can cause damage so keeping it away from the face is advised; when using the substance in laboratories, being positioned close to a storemasta eyewash station safety shower would be a good health and safety measure to avoid permanent damage. Here are some interesting facts about hydrogen peroxide:
Because hydrogen peroxide is basically the same chemical makeup as water (with an extra oxygen atom), it breaks down quickly and harmlessly in oxygen and water.
You can find it in all living matter
Your body’s white blood cells naturally produce H2O2 to fight bacteria/infections.
Vegetables and Fruit naturally produce H2O2. This is why it is so healthy to eat fresh produce, among other things.
It is found in large doses in a mother’s first milk, and when fed to the baby it boosts their immune system.
The different uses for hydrogen peroxide are endless. Here are a couple of ideas you can utilize the next time you grab a bottle of this miracle cleaner.
In the Kitchen
1. Clean sponges of bacteria. Sponges get gross after a couple weeks of use, so use hydrogen peroxide to revitalize your sponges. Soak them in a mixture of half H2O2 and half warm water for ten minutes, then rinse thoroughly.
2. Wash your fruit and vegetables naturally. Add ¼ cup to a sink full of cold water, then rinse thoroughly afterwards.
3. Add a couple of ounces of H2O2 to the detergent before turning on your dishwasher for a sanitizing boost. You can also make your dish soap more sanitizing by adding 2 oz of 3 percent hydrogen peroxide to the bottle.
4. Clean your kitchen appliances with hydrogen peroxide. It’s great for cleaning places that you store and cook food because hydrogen peroxide is non-toxic.
5. Remove gunk from pots/pans by combining hydrogen peroxide with baking soda until you get a paste. Rub this onto the dirty dish and let it sit for a while. After enough time has passed (it really depends on how baked-on the gunk was), grab a sponge and some warm water and the gunk should wipe right off.
6. Clean your countertop and cutting boards. Let the hydrogen peroxide bubble for a few minutes, then scrub and rinse like normal.
7. Wipe your kids’ lunch boxes/bags with hydrogen peroxide to sanitize.
8. Just like using lemon juice on apples, you can use hydrogen peroxide on your leftover salads to keep them from wilting. Use a mixture of one tbsp of H2O2 to half a cup of water and spritz your salad to keep it looking and tasting fresh.
In the Bathroom
9. Freshen your breath by using hydrogen peroxide as a mouthwash. It will kill the bacteria that causes halitosis.
10. Between uses, soak your toothbrush in hydrogen peroxide to keep it clean. This will also prevent the transfer of germs. This is an extremely tip to use if your family has a cold or the flu.
11. Clean your toilet bowl. Pour ½ cup of hydrogen peroxide into the toilet, let stand for twenty minutes, then scrub and flush.
12. Whiten the grout in your bathtub/shower. First dry the surface well, then spray it with hydrogen peroxide. Let it sit for a while, then scrub the grout with an old toothbrush. This process may have to be repeated a few times.
13. Remove mildew and soap scum from shower curtains with hydrogen peroxide. For plastic curtains, wipe down with H2O2 and then rinse. For cloth curtains, put them in the wash with a bath towel, then add your regular detergent plus one cup of hydrogen peroxide to the rinse cycle.
14. You can kill any bacteria/viruses in your shower or tub with hydrogen peroxide. This is what the bubbling is doing!
15. Use baking soda and H2O2 to make a paste that’s good for brushing your teeth. Mix baking soda and hydrogen peroxide until you get a paste, then brush. This helps kill bacteria, so it’s good for the first stages of gingivitis. If you mix this solution with salt, hydrogen peroxide will work as a whitening toothpaste as well. Even though this might be another way for people to get their teeth clean, not everyone is going to feel confident in giving this a go. With that being said, it may be easier to check out sites like HTTPS://WWW.DURHAMDENTAL.NET/OUR-SERVICES/, in the hopes of booking an appointment at Durham Dental (or a local clinic). Leaving something like this to the professionals may be for the best, especially if there is uncertainty.
16. According to some physical therapists, adding ½ a bottle of H2O2 to your bath water can help to detoxify the body. Some are still skeptical about this claim, but bathing has never hurt and the addition of hydrogen peroxide will leave both you and your tub squeaky clean.
On Cloth Materials
17. Hydrogen peroxide can remove yellowing from lace curtains or tablecloths. Fill your sink with cold water and 2 cups of three percent H2O2. Soak for at least an hour, then rinse in cold water and air dry.
18. You can use hydrogen peroxide to pre-treat stains on clothing, curtains, tablecloths, etc. Soak the stain in 3% H2O2 for a little bit before tossing it in the laundry. You could also add one cup of hydrogen peroxide to your whites to boost brightness. It works just as well as the green bleach alternative.
19. Get rid of the musty smell in your bath towels. Combine ½ cup of vinegar and ½ cup of hydrogen peroxide and soak the towels for 15 minutes. Then wash normally.
Miscellaneous
20. Control the fungi in your aquarium. Don’t worry, this won’t hurt the fish any. Use sparingly in this case.
21. Dab some H2O2 onto acne or pimples to clear your skin. However, since the skin on your face is sensitive, it would be wise to use something natural, such as CBD oil or creams (available from online dispensaries like Blessed CBD), which may be less harsh on the skin and might offer better results.
22. Clean humidifiers and steamers by adding one pint of hydrogen peroxide to a gallon of water, then running them.
23. Add natural highlights to your hair using hydrogen peroxide. Spray a solution of half water and half H2O2 on wet hair to create subtle, natural highlights.
24. Ward off the fungus that grows on your plants. Next time you spritz your plants, add a little hydrogen peroxide to the water to help out your plants.
25. Hydrogen peroxide helps improve the health of new sprout seeds. Use 3 percent H2O2 once a day to spritz the seed whenever you remoisten. You can also use hydrogen peroxide diluted in water to improve your plant’s root system.
26. Clean your children’s toys and play area. Hydrogen peroxide is safe to use around kids and people with respiratory problems because it isn’t a lung irritant. Spray toys, doorknobs, toyboxes, baby gates, anything your kid comes into contact with on a regular basis.
27. Help make foot fungus go away. Spray a mixture of half H2O2 and half water on your feet (especially the toes), every evening and let it dry. Alternatively, you could soak your feet in this solution to help soften calluses or disinfect wounds.
28. Remove ear wax with 3 percent hydrogen peroxide and olive or almond oil. Add a few drops of oil, then H2O2. After a few minutes, tilt your head to the side to remove the wax and the solution.
29. Brighten your floors. Combine a gallon of water with ½ cup of hydrogen peroxide then scrub your floors. Because H2O2 is so mild, it is safe for all floor types, and you won’t have to rinse.
30. De-skunkify yourself with 1 qt of three percent H2O2, 1 tsp Dawn Dish Soap, ¼ cup of baking soda, and 2 quarts of warm water. Wash with this to make the skunk smell go away.
Today I will be giving you some tips on cleaning with the miracle compound H2O2, also known as hydrogen peroxide. This product is used in tons of cleaners today; you can always spot the brands that contain H2O2 because they have “Oxy” in the name. Hydrogen peroxide is a great cleaner that you’re able to use in any room of the house. It’s safe for kids and pets, cheap, readily available, and best of all, it actually works! However, getting it in your eyes can cause damage so keeping it away from the face is advised; when using the substance in laboratories, being positioned close to a