Housekeeping - A-1 Cleaning Service, LLC.

October 16, 2012May 2, 2020

How To Clean Your Dishwasher and More!

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.

Be clean and have fun!

If you liked this post, you should check out some of our other posts like our Guide for Spring Cleaning or how to Clean Oven Grease Naturally.

October 9, 2012March 16, 2014

30 Uses For Hydrogen Peroxide

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.

*BONUS* Follow this link to find out how to Use Hydrogen Peroxide to Treat Urine!

If you liked this post, check out some of our other helpful cleaning posts like Carpet Stain Removal Tips or our Spring Cleaning Guide.

October 5, 2012March 9, 2024

15 (Different) Uses For Blue Dawn Dish Soap

Great Cleaning Tips Using Original BLUE Dawn Dish Soap!

Blue Dawn Dish Soap is no longer limited to just washing your dirty dishes. While it works amazingly well for cleaning pans, pots, glass, tupperware, or any other diningware you can think of, it’s everything else it can clean that makes it so useful to have around the home. In fact, Blue Dawn is almost as versatile as baking soda when it comes to cleaning products! Here are a few tips that will make cleaning your home that much easier.

1. Pretreat Stains from Clothing or Upholstery
It seems that most stains people tend to get are oil based stains; this is one of the hardest kind of stains to get out. Some examples of oil based products that commonly end up on clothes/furniture is lipstick, butter, motor or cooking oil, grease, and certain pen inks. Dawn dish soap can take care of these stains for you! All you have to do when faced with an oily stain is apply the soap directly to the stain and scrub the spot with a toothbrush until the oil stain is removed. For clothes, launder as you normally would after this.

2. Make your ant problem disappear
Getting rid of ants is easy with Dawn Dish Soap. Spray a mixture of water and Dawn directly onto countertops, floors, sinks, or wherever the ants seem to be. This will leave behind a residue that ants refuse to walk across. It is also safe for kids and pets, so you don’t have to worry about any harsh chemicals. If you spray the solution directly on an ant, Dawn will penetrate their exoskeleton and kill them on contact. This also works for wasps and cockroaches. If you have a bigger infestation than you initially thought, you’ll want to get in contact with professional exterminator services such as pest control Olathe KS that provide their services in many other areas too!

3. Window Washing
Clean your windows like a pro with Blue Dawn! Fill a spray bottle with only three drops of Dawn to a gallon of water, then clean your windows the same as you would with any other window cleaner. This will leave your windows shiny and streak-free!

4. Remove Stains from Your Driveway
We always want to keep our driveways clean because they’re one of the first things people see when they arrive at your house. This is why people get pearland pressure washing companies to clean their driveway regularly. But what do you do if you find there’s a stain on your driveway? A lot of concern with using chemicals is whether it is biodegradable or not. There are many chemical degreasers and solvents that could get rid of outside stains, but they aren’t really good for the environment. Blue Dawn, though, is and it can take care of stains in your driveway. First, use the kitty litter method to pick up all the extra oils then use warm water and Dawn Dish Soap to further remove oils from your pavement with great effectiveness. Finish the job by using a little elbow grease and a scrub broom on the spot, and your driveway will soon by stain free!

5. Take Control of Smelly Pets and their Pesky Pests
Were you aware that Dawn can kill fleas on contact? It is not as expensive as dog/cat shampoos, and safe for the babies who are too small to be given medicine for their flea problems. For bathing larger animals, use 1 tsp per gallon of water and half a tsp for smaller animals. Make sure to rinse THOROUGHLY or the leftover residue will dry and cause mild skin irritation for your furry friend. To help add moisture to their fur and skin, finish the bath with a few drops of conditioner.

*BONUS* To completely get rid of fleas, make sure to clean any furniture your pet may use often as well as the carpets. Wash your pet beds in warm water mixed with Dawn soap. To clean carpet or upholstery, fill a 16oz spray bottle with water and 1 tsp of Dawn Dish Soap. Shake well to mix them together, then spray the solution onto whatever needs cleaned. Let this sit for 15 minutes, then wipe down with a damp towel and vacuum (for the carpet).

6. Unclog Your Drain
Instead of calling a plumber, try Dawn Dish Soap to get rid of clogs in your drain. To make the solution boil 3-4 tbsp of Dawn in a pot full of water. Pour this mixture down the clogged sink drain, but be careful not to burn yourself! This will break down most sink clogs because Dawn can break down grease. If it’s not just grease blocking pipes and there’s still a blockage then you can get Tucson plumbers to help get rid of it. Failing to address the problem in time could cause the issue to snowball and become even more costly to fix. This is why you should find professional plumbers local to you and contact them so that they can come and solve whatever plumbing problem is getting you down. Perhaps turning to the likes of Elite Plumbing in El Monte could be the solution to your problem and return your plumbing to working order once more.

7. Clean Grimy, Messy Tools
Dawn is a lifesaver for cleaning tools in your workshed because of how tough it is on grease. Right after finishing your automotive projects, soak your tools in Dawn and water to remove all the grime and oils from them. Many mechanics also claim that Dawn can keep the tools from rusting.

8. Find Leaks with Bubbles
Find a puncture in any tire by mixing Dawn Dish Soap and water and brushing the soapy mixture on the leaky tire. The exact location will be easy to find because it will bubble in that spot. You can try this same method with anything that holds air to find a hole.

9. Keep Glasses Lenses Clean and Defogged
Prevent fogging of your lenses by rubbing a drip of Dawn Dish Soap on eyeglasses and the wipe them off. This will clean them and leave a film that prevents fogging.

10. Get Gunk Out of Your Hairbrush
Mix 1 tbsp of Dawn Dish Soap, 1 tbsp of borax, and ¼ cup of water, soak your dirty combs and brushes in the mixture. Rinse well and let dry.

11. Keep Yourself Clean When Painting
Before starting a paint job, rub straight Dawn Dish Soap over your hands and arms, wherever you think paint might end up, and let dry. When you’re finished painting, any paint that may have gotten on your will wash right off your skin.

12. Clean Up Your Fireplace
You can use Dawn to remove soot that has settled or hardened onto the external bricks of your fireplace by combining equal parts Dawn Dish Soap and Morton Salt. Add enough water to this mixture to make a cream, then rub the mixture into the brick with a cloth. Wait 10 minutes, then scrub the dried solution with a stiff brush and wipe clean with a wet sponge.

13. Make Your Grill Look Good-As-New
Clean up your grill for those Sunday dinners out on the deck. First place the grease-coated grill in a trash bag that can be sealed. Using a half cup of Dawn Dish Soap to a gallon of water, pour the soapy mixture over the rack that’s inside the bag, seal it, and let it sit overnight. The next day, scrub the grill with a wire brush and rinse.

14. HAVE FUN!
This is a giant bubble recipe used in bubble makers at many museums for children.

Gently stir a mixture of half a cup of Ultra Dawn, half a gallon of warm water, and 1 tbsp of glycerin (available at any drug store). Skim the foam off the top, because too much foam keeps bubbles from forming. Then just dip bubble wand and begin blowing. Have fun!!

15. Save the World!
Sort of at least-You can use Dawn to do your part in saving wildlife. By supporting Dawn products, you are also supporting efforts to clean oil spills and protect wildlife across the globe. Dawn Dish Soap is the preferred wildlife cleaner after an oil spill. According to the “International Bird Rescue Research Center,” Dawn is the most effective at removing grease while not harming the skin of birds. It is also biodegradable and doesn’t contain phosphates.

DAWN WILL DONATE $500,000
TO HELP SAVE WILDLIFE THIS YEAR!!
Over the past year, Dawn donated a total of $500,000 ($250,000 each) to two wildlife organizations-The International Bird Rescue and The Marine Mammal Center (TMMC)- so when you’re using these tips just remember, you’re supporting a company that contributes back in a great way!

On a side note if you ever need a carpet cleaning service, and you live in the beautiful Eureka CA area. Give A-1 Cleaning Service, LLC a call. They also perform carpet cleaning in Arcata Ca.

For more great cleaning tips, see some of our other posts like our tips for Removing Grass Stains or Must Haves for Your Cleaning Kit!

June 6, 2012May 2, 2014

The Twelve Most Essential Cleaning Tools

Make cleaning a breeze with these essential cleaning tools.

Folks often confess that their cleaning arsenol consists of supplies they bought, used once, and stored in the attic for the next garage sale. They have separate cleaners for toilets, showers, baths, carpet stains, clothing stains, 5 window cleaners that all streak, all the cleaning tools ever advertised and none of this stuff works, Let’s widdle this down to the necessities and take the confusion and expense out of cleaning. The following list is geared to serve a typical home.

1) Start with a divided tote tray found at hardware stores. Do not use cleaning aprons unless you like trips to the doctor to straighten your neck due to the weight. Or worse email me asking what to do after bumping a sprayer and the cleaner ruined your antique coffee table.

2) A large plastic cup to hold a plastic scraper, stiff bristled toothbrush, non-scratch pad or other small cleaning tools.

3) A plastic container with holes in the lid filled with baking soda. You can also use a clean, plastic parmesan cheese shaker. Use baking soda to scrub sinks, tubs and shower floors and toilets.

4) A gallon of vinegar. Use to remove hard water stains in the sink and add a bit to your diluted concentrated cleaners. Vinegar boosts the cleaning ability of a cleaner. If your concentrated cleaner calls for one ounce per quart of water add ¼ cup of vinegar and use ¾ of an ounce of cleaner.

5) Toilet bowl brush – do not use the ones with the metal ring as the metal part scratches.

6) Sink brush

7) Two clean spray bottles for dilution – three if you use my Wood Care. It’s the only wood cleaner and conditioner on the market that can be diluted.

8) A concentrated eco-friendly all-purpose cleaner like my CleanEz. They clean most counter tops, appliances, toilets, showers, tubs, clothing and carpet stains. No you don’t need separate products to do these chores. Concentrated cleaners save you a bundle of money so look for concentrates.

9) A streak free, concentrated bottle of glass cleaner. I carry a good one called Benya. Make certain it does not contain acids or ammonia so it’s safe for Corian, granite and marble countertops. Glass cleaners are especially useful for frameless glass showers (Glass Shower Direct let you design showers online) and large windows. This is because they can leave you with a streak-free shine.

10) Color coded towels. I use blue terry towels for the bathroom, white for the kitchen and a green one for the floor. Then baby diaper cloths for dusting and lint free towels for windows. Windows and glass are the only safe surface for microfiber. Buy the expensive microfiber cloths. The cheap ones leave lint and smear.

• Note: I use color coded towels because they are faster. You’ll dig for hours looking for the right towel to clean the bathrooms, or kitchen or dust. Don’t waste the time. Color code your towels for fast cleaning.

11) A good mop. Of course, I’m a bit prejudiced but I feel the one I manufacture is faster and outlasts anything on the market. Plus, it does cobwebs, walls, windows, and dries off cars, RVs, and boats. Again you may not want to use microfiber mops unless you want to replace or refinish flooring. You can also look into flooring options such as concrete (probably done by professional concrete contractors Columbus GA or elsewhere) to get durable flooring material. Concrete may take longer than other materials for wear and tear, which could make it more sutaible for interiors as well as exteriors.

12) A good vacuum cleaner. Here is where we may part company. After using Kirbys, Hoovers, Eurkea’s and half a dozen others during my 12 years professionally cleaning, I’m hooked on the Meile vacuums, even ones that you can hold in hand are powerful. This is a personal choice but I’ve been very pleased since switching to Meile. They are expensive and worth every penny. If you’re having trouble deciding on a good vacuum cleaner, I’ve found this site to be helpful: http://appliancehunter.co.uk/cheap-vacuum-cleaners/
Lastly always refill your bottles when you finish cleaning. That way they are ready to go for spills or quick clean up.

By Mary Findley
http://goclean.com.