Housekeeping Cleaning Tips

Sometimes the pots and pans you use to cook Thanksgiving food get crusted over and burnt. There is a lot of dairy and sugar cooked on this holiday, so don't be surprised if all your pans have a bit of crust that is hard to remove. 

You cannot legally leave your old furniture on the curb. It’s considered a hazard to put furniture on the street, and you can receive fines in some states and municipalities. There are exceptions to the rule if you call your trash collection service and request a large item pickup.

Coffee machines are super convenient to have in your home, especially cause so many of them come with timers now, so you don’t have to remember to turn the coffee pot on in time before heading to work or starting your day. However, one thing that gets super annoying is the need to descale it. But, it needs to be done! But what if you have a Breville Coffee Maker? How do you descale that?

The simple answer is that you should clean everything when you move out, but it’s more complicated than that. We’ve put together a cleaning checklist for moving out that isn’t meant to be done in any specific order. Instead, you can use this checklist as a guideline to clean up and get your deposit back at your pace, depending on your move-out schedule.

If you had an incident in your home that left your interior smelling of smoke, the first thing you need to do is air out the smokey areas. Even once the visual appearance of smoke is gone, there are still particles and smelly air that can keep your home smelling burnt.

Stainless steel sinks are a lovely addition to your  kitchen area or washroom. They are usually very clean and sharp-looking. Stainless steel sinks provide an industrial look that is still polished enough for any decor.

When you have no clothespins, but you have a home office with supplies, then you’re in luck. Binder clips are great for keeping documents together and can work just as well as clothespin alternatives.

Swiffers make it easy to clean your house without needing to drag a bucket around with you. The Swiffer’s cleaning solution is quite effective and eliminates the need to make a mixture of your own. However, Swiffers aren’t ideal for all applications. There are several things you should never clean with a Swiffer.

Water quality is always a topic of great interest for homeowners who want to be certain that the water flowing into their homes is safe for consumption. Those who err on the side of caution will purchase products like Brita pitchers to ensure they’re drinking clean water. But to work their best, they need to be clean, leading to the question, are Brita pitchers dishwasher safe?

Ah, new joys of parenthood. Lots of bottle filling, lots of new stains to get rid of, and tons of new things you never knew about keeping a good house. One of the first new stains you’ll run into as a parent is the awkward spill that happens if you drop diaper cream on a carpet. So, how do you get this stuff out of your pre-baby carpet?

If you have taken the time to examine the toothcare aisle at your local pharmacy, you will likely notice that charcoal or baking soda is infused into more toothpaste than ever before. These two common ingredients are now in dozens of popular toothpaste brands, and with both stating they are great at removing stains and bacteria. But in a world with so many toothpaste options, you are probably wondering if either of these common ingredients are effective, and if so, which one is superior?

Cast iron stove grates are found in many homes and businesses these days. Often, when you’re cooking something—like boiling pasta—water will run over a pot and onto the stove grates, and when this happens repeatedly the grates can become dirty. Also, there are some things—like bacon for example—that will splatter no matter how hard you try to avoid this.

It is quite rewarding to look at your fish tank, especially when the fish are healthy. The only downside of having a fish tank is that it requires lots of maintenance. Changing the water isn't fun, but it's necessary. So, how often should you change the water in a fish tank?

Any avid camper knows a decent sleeping bag costs a pretty penny. To give the bag a long life (and spare your wallet), proper care is a must.

You can’t safely clean a self-cleaning litter box if it’s connected to power. First, locate the control panel and press the “power” button. The location varies between units, so check the instructions if you can’t find the control panel.

Clogged drains can cause problems in the kitchen and bathroom. The last thing anyone wants is their kitchen sink to back up or their clogged tub drain overflowing. Luckily, in many cases, white vinegar is the perfect home remedy for unclogging drains, depending on the cause.

Everyone loves peanut butter. Nourishing and delicious, it is the perfect sandwich filling, especially with jelly or jam. It’s a versatile ingredient for a number of dishes, ranging from classic cookies to the famous peanut sauces of Indonesia. However, when eating or using peanut butter, an accident may sometimes happen, and some could fall onto your carpet. If this happens, how do you clean it up?

Nothing is more entertaining to the kids as making crazy animals and other shapes out of colored dough. Play-Doh can keep your kids busy for hours. But it can also keep you busy trying to get the bright colored mess out of the carpet later. Maybe the kids should only play with Play-Doh in a room without carpet next time. But now you have a mess to clean up.

America’s top-selling cookware brand, Copper Chef is known for their Cerami-Tech nonstick coating that makes sautéing and pan-frying fast and simple. Believe it or not, nothing will stick to the surface of a Copper Chef pan, which eliminates the need for cooking with added fats and oils. Since nothing sticks, Copper Chef pans are incredibly easy to clean. Oftentimes, all you’ll need is one pass with a soapy sponge and cleanup is done in a matter of minutes.

While ironing might not be everyone’s favorite chore, it’s sometimes part of the laundry process. Maintaining your ironing board and washing your ironing board cover are essential to keep your clothes from getting dirty all over again.

Ingesting non-potable water shouldn’t seem like a major problem in well-developed countries like the United States. But in 2017, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) reported close to 500,000 hospitalizations and 7,000 deaths from waterborne diseases.

We all have heard about how great baking soda is for cleaning all sorts of things from dishes to teeth. In fact, many of us have been using it to clean stains out of the carpet, so why would we think that baking soda would leave a stain on the carpet? Well, it happens.

Stainless steel fixtures, appliances, and cutlery are welcome inside most homes because of how easy they are to clean. They even resist certain kinds of stains better than other materials.

Granite is one of the most popular home building materials. It’s especially popular inside the kitchen where it is often the material of choice for creating gorgeous countertops.

Pinesol has been around since the late 1920s and has made its way into every household in America at one time or another. People use it as an all-purpose cleaner to clean their showers, toilets, floors, and countertops. But, are you able to use this on your carpet? That’s the real question.

Being a new mom is arguably one of the important jobs in the world. Without mothers, life simply does not exist!  It’s safe to say being a new mom is also one of the most demanding jobs in the world. Yet, nearly 87% of women become mothers. Thanks to the many women that came before, modern mothers just seem to know how to maximize each free second. What’s sleep? More importantly, can this go in the dishwasher?

Electric skillets are handy gadgets in the kitchen. Versatility is the name of the game with modern electric skillets. No longer just for frying, many new electric skillets allow you to pan fry, sauté, deep fry, or steam foods easily and quickly. However, many cooks wonder if they can put their electric skillet in the dishwasher.

Filtered water is not only healthier for you, pulling out dangerous contaminants from tap water, but it is a convenient and easy way always to have water at your fingertips. Brita is a popular brand that makes several water filtration devices to help bring you safe and delicious tap water. While having filtered water is a modern convenience, it does require a little upkeep to ensure that your Brita water filter is regularly changed to allow the filter to work to its intended ability.

Mildew smells damp, unpleasant, and pungent. When carpet smells of mildew, finding a solution is often high on most people’s priority list. If there is mildew on your carpet, you have a problem to solve. Luckily, you can get rid of it using a few household products.

Home is where the heart is, but it can be detrimental to your health if you don’t pay attention to your surroundings. Indoor air quality affects everything from your mental health to your lungs, skin, and eyes. Many homeowners understand this but ask the question: Why is my home air quality bad?

Marshmallows are an amazing part of almost every summer and fall season. You can’t make smores without them, and let’s just face it, Halloween wouldn’t be the same without marshmallow ghost treats. The thing is, sometimes, they can end up in awkward places…such as the carpet. So how do you get this sugary treat off your rug?

Cleaning your toilet can be a big pain, but it’s one of those chores that you must do on a regular basis. Thankfully, bleach can make the job a whole lot easier and a lot less gross. If you’ve had to deal with stubborn stains that won’t seem to fade in the past, you may have found yourself wondering if you could leave bleach sitting in the bowl to do the hard work.

Do you know that feeling when, on opening the door of your dryer, you see the unmistakable signs of oily residue smeared all over your clothing? (We hope you said no!) Not only do you have to clean your dryer, but you’re also stuck trying to figure out exactly how to get the melted Chapstick out of your clothing. However, don’t worry, we have the answer for you!

Aquaphor and other health aid ointments help heal the skin and reduce pain or irritation. Unfortunately, they can quickly leave oily stains on clothes and household linens, such as sheets and towels. Although oil-based stains are among the hardest to deal with, they can be eliminated. So, how exactly do you get Aquaphor out of your clothing?

Mesh laundry bags are a must-have for washing your most delicate pieces of clothing. However, can you throw the same mesh laundry bag in the dryer afterward?

Cluttered floors make it hard for professional cleaners to vacuum and mop surfaces. This can add to how long it takes, make their jobs harder, and even mess up their schedule. The last thing you should do is leave clothes, shoes, and toys on the ground before cleaners come.

Those dry erase markers are excellent tools for giving presentations at work or school. But they are not so great when they leave spots on your carpet. Even though they erase like magic from a whiteboard, it does not disappear from the carpet that way. There are many solutions to getting dry erase marker out of your carpet.

Nothing is inviting about dirty gym equipment. Not only is it unsanitary, but your gym equipment will only get dirtier with time if you don’t clean it. Zogics is a popular brand of disinfectant wipes that many people use to clean their gym equipment. 

Ceramic mugs are great for a lot of reasons. One can customize a ceramic mug to make it unique, and often ceramic mugs hold sentimental value. And of course, ceramic mugs make it easy to drink hot liquids like tea and coffee.

Your Airbnb guest won’t leave a kind review if the bathrooms and kitchen in your home are dirty. Clean bathrooms and kitchens go a long way in making a great impression on your Airbnb guests. Deep clean these rooms as if you’re showing your home to potential buyers. 

The first method you should try to remove stains from your cutting board involves your kitchen sponge, soap, hot water, and elbow grease. Use the same method you would use to wash your other dishes, only apply extra effort to the stained area.

There could be many reasons for needing or wanting to drain your Keurig coffee maker. It could be a move, or perhaps it’s being sold, or maybe it just hasn’t been used for a while and needs refreshing. Perhaps it is even that new shiny Keurig model that goes so well with your new kitchen remodel? Whatever the reason is, it inevitably leads to one question above all others, and that question is about how to drain a Keurig B60.

Pet ownership has a miraculous way of turning people into cleaning gurus, even with a pet as “self-sustaining” as a cat. Let’s face it. Cats clean up after themselves for the most part, but even the daintiest of kittens can still have gross byproducts. A good example of this is dealing with cat litter that’s gotten stuck to carpeting after Fluffy uses the litter box. So, how do you fix this issue?

You think you smell Raid in your house, even though it’s been days since you used the insecticide  eliminate ants and termites? Well, chances are that you went on a little overkill while trying to get rid of the insects. Raid has a strong odor, which takes time to wear off, especially if you empty a can to eliminate the insects.

If you are someone who gets bitten by mosquitos in the summer months, then you will be happy to know Epsom salts can help. Not only will an Epsom salt bath help your skin feel better, but dissolved salts can also help relieve itching associated with mosquito bites.

Unfortunately, urine can leave stains and smells on clothes even after they have been laundered. It can seem that the odor is an unpleasant permanent feature of the affected garments. However, various natural and chemical products can return the item to its original fresh-smelling state. 

When it comes to comfort, no other mattress beats memory foam mattresses. This is due to the ability to adapt to your body size and shape. However, memory foam mattresses can also get dirty, and if you’re looking to clean them, one question will cross your mind; can a memory foam mattress be steam-cleaned?

Some states ban sauna suits, while others say they’re okay. You can use them to shed unwanted water weight and fit into your favorite clothes. But can you put sauna suits in the dryer after you wash them? Here’s what you need to know.

When you buy a Coach purse, it’s an exciting purchase. It’s hard not to feel fancy sporting their signature Cs at an event or even for everyday wear. When owning a designer item like a Coach purse, you’ll want to keep it looking fresh and brand new. However, it is important to be careful when cleaning these bags to avoid unintended damage.  This raises the question, is it possible to wash a Coach purse in your washing machine? 

You should tell your landlord that your apartment is dirty if you just moved in. It’s a great idea to take pictures and even videos of the mess before you talk to your landlord. This will come in handy if they try to dispute your claim. 

Maintaining a clean and beautiful home starts with good habits. You can buy all the right appliances, plant the best flowers, and sleep in the softest sheets, but it’s cleaning and maintenance that keep your home in its original splendid condition. You can create good habits with routines. One of the best routines you can have is to perform certain cleaning tasks every day.

Do you let your pets sleep or spend time on your bed? If so, then your bedding is likely full of loose hair and oil that your pets excrete through their skin. There is nothing wrong with that, that is, unless you wait too long to wash your bedding. 

In recent years, memory foam has become the pillow material of choice because of its long lifespan. Memory foam pillows can either be one solid piece or shredded pieces of foam.

Clothes, clothes, everywhere, and not a thing to wear? Maybe that’s because you have so many clothes, you get overwhelmed whenever it’s time to get dressed. If your closet is ready to burst, it’s time to learn how to declutter your closet and take back control of your wardrobe.

If you have a lot of floor space in your home, then you might have a great way to burn calories without even knowing it. Mopping the floors can burn anywhere from 100 to 300 calories in an hour. Mopping is an activity you do standing up, and uses many of your muscle groups, from your lower body to your core, and especially your upper body.

I have a confession to make: I love cooking up a greasy breakfast. It’s a vice of mine, big time. And when I cook with a lot of oil and bacon, the grease crackles and flies all over the cabinets. After my cooking sessions, my cabinets are a royal mess. The good news is, there are a couple of handy ways that you can clean greasy cabinets without losing your mind. Wanna know the secrets?

Wondering how you should clean your baby’s bottles? You’re not alone! Like anything regarding your baby, you want to ensure that you are upholding the highest standards for hygiene. So, this brings us to the question at hand: can you wash baby bottles with dawn dish soap?

No matter how hard you try, it always seems like something gets spilled or tracked on your carpet. As clean as you try to be, sometimes things just get tracked into the house on someone’s shoes or your dog’s feet. Motor oil is one of those stains that make you want to panic. But you don’t have to.

When you add a pet to the family, shedding is often an inevitable part of the deal. But even though you adore your furry friend, that doesn’t mean you have to love their hair all over the place. If you’d rather spend more time loving your pet than cleaning up their fur, consider dogs or cats that don’t shed a lot.

If you’re looking for an alternative to traditional flatware and cooking utensils, bamboo is an excellent choice. Not only is it more affordable than silver flatware, it is also durable, lightweight, and incredibly eco-friendly. In fact, the environmentally-friendly nature of bamboo is the main reason why bamboo kitchen utensils have become so popular in recent years.