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Post by horseatemymoney on Apr 22, 2015 9:15:37 GMT -5
For cleaning burnt on food of the bottom of a sauce pan, put a thin layer of washing powder (the type used for clothes) cover this with about 1/3 of an inch of water, then put it on the lowest setting on your stove. You do not want the water to boil, just gently steam. Do not let the water boil dry. After 20 mins or so, the food will start to come off a lot more easily.
For greasy surfaces, rub with a cut lemon, leave for a few mins, rinse and repeat if necessary.
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Post by ohblondie on Apr 22, 2015 10:15:29 GMT -5
desi..If you have years of built up grime on ther walls - it might take several tries to get them clean. I often wipe the walls and leave them damp so that the crud softens. I then take the scrubby side of the sponge and go at it. It has taken me a couple of sessions to get them clean. For limescale I use a product called LimeAway. Again - if the build up is bad - it might take several attemps to get it clean.
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Post by desi on Apr 22, 2015 10:33:42 GMT -5
ohblondie, that is a good reminder, thank you! You are so right - it took several sessions to get my bathtub and my toilet clean. I will have that in mind when I attack the kitchen walls. One more question: what is the best way to clean the metal things that cover the gas light on my stove? Don't know what they are called, here's a photo of one that is similar to mine - we have a very old stove: Mine are black from years of food spill (yes, I know, I know), gas flames and what else. What's the best way to get them clean?
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Post by 7sweetbabiesgranny on Apr 22, 2015 11:15:17 GMT -5
I like those metal scrubbies With some comet, not sure if it's the best But it works for me!
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Post by horseatemymoney on Apr 22, 2015 12:01:24 GMT -5
Anyone got any tips for getting candle wax out of the carpet. I have had a lump of it stuck beside the fireplace and can't get it off. Am hiding it under a magazine rack at the moment.
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Post by angela on Apr 22, 2015 12:30:27 GMT -5
horseatemymoney! Oh what an awesome name! Thanks for the tip on the Coke in the toilet bowl. I will try this for sure. I love that idea about the rubber soled shoes. I don't have carpet but I can certainly see how this can work. I have read that putting ice on the candle wax makes it brittle enough to chip off cleanly. I haven't had occasion to try this myself though so maybe someone with first-hand experience will chime in.
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Post by charis on Apr 22, 2015 12:31:20 GMT -5
desi--I used to clean my burner grills with Easy-Off oven cleaner and it got them 100 percent clean. Use the kind that doesn't require heat, put the grills in an old roaster pan or similar vessel, spray liberally with cleaner and leave for time stated on can. When time is up, rinse in sink under gentle water flow while wearing rubber gloves. Rub black marks off carefully with an old cloth. Do not blast with water or vigorously employ a scrub brush as you could flip cleaner into your eyes.
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Post by horseatemymoney on Apr 22, 2015 13:25:58 GMT -5
Hi Angela, thanks for the tip about the ice, I will have to try that. If you have wooden floors, you can use a rubber broom to pick up pet hair www.tesco.com/direct/tesco-rubber-bristle-broom/212-6234.prdThis is the type of thing I mean. A bit like a rubber curry comb that you use on a horse or goat. Just use a bucket of water to dip it into. It really stops the hair from flying around and going everywhere.
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Post by ohblondie on Apr 22, 2015 14:00:24 GMT -5
For candle wax I take heavy paper (several pages of newspsper works), place the paper over the wax and place a hot itong over the paper. the iron heats the wax and the paper soaks it up. the paper prevents the iron from scorching the fibers of the carpet.
I swear by this. I clean wax off of the rugs, my wool coat (candle wax from christmas eve services), the rugs at church (christmas eve candle drips)
As far as my burners - I soak them in hot soapy water but mine were alreadya darker metal. I will have to try the easy off tip.
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Post by horseatemymoney on Apr 22, 2015 15:13:30 GMT -5
Thanks Ohblondie, I will give that a go if I can remember where I put my iron. It is not something I use very often. I actually enjoy ironing, once I start. It's the thought of doing it that puts me off.
For the burners, I use a steel wool pad, impregnated with soap, we call them brillo pads in the UK. Very good for baked on grease.
One more tip. For a mouldy fridge or dish, soak all removable parts in baby bottle sterilizing stuff, made up as directed. Clean the main body of the fridge, and leave to dry naturally.
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Post by stevie on Apr 22, 2015 15:52:39 GMT -5
For candle wax I take heavy paper (several pages of newspsper works), place the paper over the wax and place a hot itong over the paper. the iron heats the wax and the paper soaks it up. the paper prevents the iron from scorching the fibers of the carpet. I swear by this. I clean wax off of the rugs, my wool coat (candle wax from christmas eve services), the rugs at church (christmas eve candle drips) As far as my burners - I soak them in hot soapy water but mine were alreadya darker metal. I will have to try the easy off tip. The paper plus hot iron (or cast iron skillet) works really well. May take a couple-three passes for a heavy wax accumulation. Cleaning painted walls (I am a painting contractor) may be an impossible task to get right, especially if the walls were painted with cheaper builder-grade or apartment paint, which isn't really designed to take much if any cleaning. Avoid ammonia or alcohol-based cleaners, since both will degrade and dissolve most water-based paints. Vinegar and water, or a magic eraser, are more effective. Trick for those with glass shower doors: after cleaning, spray and buff with furniture polish. Immediately removes hard water scale and provides protection from build-up for weeks afterwards.
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Post by better on Apr 24, 2015 11:01:13 GMT -5
Desi, a good dash or 2 of the cheapest plain old cloudy ammonia in a bucket of hot dishwashing liquid soapy water great for every greasy hard to shift sticky greasy residue on top of fridges, kitchen cupboards, and KITCHEN WALLS TOO- never had any paint of mine degrade or if it did I never noticed it. Needs to be rinsed off with clean water. Wear gloves, open all windows and doors cos cloudy ammonia stinks and is not good to breathe in enclosed area- it dissolves greasy sticky residues- better than any and every spray and wipe cleaner on the market. I think I still have a proper tried, tested and published recipe for plaster walls (old Martha Gardener/Mrs Beaton's type recipe), but am going to bed now. I will post the recipe tomorrow (if I still have the book)- I use the above simple version of dishwashing liquid and ammonia often on all walls and kitchen cupboards, appliances, range hoods, of my house. Gets rid of smoke stains too when used with microfiber cloths. But my walls are not concrete- just painted plaster. Use microfiber cloths and lots of them because once dirty they are best washed in washing machine to clean them out.
Note: I've always found liquid sugar soap useless for dirty walls. Just use it as a prep wash for painting but useless for cleaning.
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Post by better on Apr 25, 2015 3:38:34 GMT -5
For Desi's kitchen walls, I'm back again, from Household Hints and Tips by Elsie Agnes Allen, Hinkler books 2003, reprinted 2004 (twice), page 18:
"Wash painted walls or ceilings that have been stained by smoke or gas heaters with A bucket of hot soapy water 8 tablespoons of borax powder half a cup cloudy ammonia"
I used the above recipe once for living room walls and ceilings (great results), and thereafter have ommited the borax with equally good results using microfiber cloths. I know Desi you did not ask for smoke stained walls, but difficult kitchen walls, but I believe this will work just using lots of cloudy ammonia and dishwashing liquid and microfiber cloths. Always start at the bottom of a wall and work upwards. This may sound like extra work, but it is easier to wipe dirty trickles off a clean surface than off a dirty one.
The very next page - page 19 states to clean kitchen bench tops- "make a mixture of one part ammonia to four parts water and wipe". I believe this is only for really sticky gunky surfaces and too strong for regular use- have never tried it- would stink the house out too much and needs lots of ventilation. Note the strong smell does dissipate with doors and windows open and does not linger forever- ammonia is the best cleaner for really gungy dirty oily sticky stuff with dust stuck on top of it all to boot. Stevie you are right in that lots of people recommend avoiding ammonia and alcohol based cleaners, and recommend vinegar and water, or even plain good quality pencil eraser rubbers but in my experiences these have always been piss weak good for nothing cleaners, as has been liquid sugar soap IN MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE. And I have never damaged any of my walls but I do always rinse with clean cloths dipped in bucket of clean water and never use this more than twice a year (should probably do it every 3 months but am happy when I do it once a year). I put extra very strong ammonia and dishwashing liquid mix to clean rangehoods and air conditioning thin striped outlets FAST AND EASY- I always let it sit for about 10 minutes (before it dries) and wipe over with damp cloth or wet scrub brush, then rinse everything off in shower using handheld shower hose, then leave to dry in windy area outside. Like New.
Found a tip on page 24: Start of Quote: "Paint can be removed from washable clothes with a mixture of equal parts of ammonia and turpentine. Rub the spots with the mixture then wash in soap suds. Hot vinegar will remove paint from cotton clothes". End of Quote. I have never tried this. ALWAYS REMEMBER OPEN ALL WINDOWS AND DOORS AND DO NOT MIX CHEMICALS- INCLUDING DO NOT MIX CLOTHS WHICH NEED WASHING WHICH HAVE BEEN USED ON DIFFERENT CHEMICALS.
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Post by better on Apr 25, 2015 3:49:31 GMT -5
Here a 1000ml=1 litre, bottle of cloudy ammonia costs $1.20, and is available in every grocery store.
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Post by better on Apr 25, 2015 3:56:50 GMT -5
Have to copy and paste this here too- cos I love it:
got this great tip below by Charis today in the Working in 3's thread. Charis wrote:
"wiped up lots of things using new method of filling a bowl with cleaning cloths in morning (maybe 10 or 12?) and pouring water and a dot of some kind of cleaner along with it then taking them out one by one through the day when I have two minutes and using up one cloth at a time. I keep another bowl for the dirty ones. I plan to wash and dry them and pop them unfolded right back in the bowl"
Must start using this brilliant system!
Charis I totally love your system of preparing batch of wiping cloths every morning- much faster than perpetual washing and rinsing of 1 cloth, and making better use of microfibre or other cloths just sitting in drawers waiting their turn and often the ones at the bottom of the drawer getting musty from under-use. Can also be done using better quality paper towels which would withstand a longer soak. Anything mucky can be put in a third container to soak in a small amount of bleach for 10 minutes before rinse and going in with others waiting for wash. WARNING DO NOT MIX EVEN DIRTY CLOTHS TO SOAK WHICH HAVE BEEN USED ON DIFFERENT CHEMICALS.
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