Outdoor Grill Cleaning Tips

Nothing says summer like barbeque parties. Friends, food, and fire come together and it is finally that season where you can walk around in shorts and catch up with old friends over a piece of a juicy steak in your well-manicured lawn or garden. However, it is not always sunshine and rainbow especially if you are the one who is often hosting these parties because you are left with a lot of dirty work to do and one of the most hectic tasks is having to keep up with your grill.

Fortunately, we are here to make such tasks a walk in the park and with the rundown of outdoor grill cleaning tips below then you can look forward towards barbeque parties in your home again.

Vinegar

Vinegar has been referred to as the liquid with 101 uses and true to that besides salad dressings and spicing up food, it is an efficient dirt and stain remover which will make cleaning your grill an easy-peasy task. All you need is white table vinegar, lukewarm water, aluminum foil and on top of it all, a spray bottle and you are good to go.

With the items ready here is how you go about the outdoor cleaning• Add two cups of the white table vinegar into the spray bottle then add two cups of water.

• Cork the spray bottle and then shake the mixture vigorously
• Spray the solution on the racks of your grill to saturation and let the solution dry for ten minutes
• As it dries pour out any remaining solution and refill the spray bottle with the vinegar again
• Also, fold the aluminum foil into a two-inch small square shape
• Lastly, spray the vinegar on the foil and use it as the scrubber for your grill.

You do not need to rinse and once you finish these steps then your grill will be ready for that major barbeque in your neighborhood

However, you can replace the aluminum foil with a normal cotton cloth cleaner if you feel that it will work best and if you loathe the vinegar smell then you can use the diluted solution you first created to finish the entire process.

Vinegar and baking powder

Vinegar has 101 uses but baking powder is the mother of all life hack substances as it has 1001 uses and cleaning your grill is one of them. This method helps you clean your grill grates and leaves them looking as good as new. What you need is baking powder, vinegar, and a large plastic bag and should be done overnight

• Mix one cup of white table vinegar and a cup of baking powder in a dish then stir
• Take your plastic bag (big enough for the grill grates to fit) put the grates inside and pour the solution you created in step one but be sure to pour it on the racks
• Close the bag and leave it overnight as doing so gives time for the solution to loosen the dirt
• In the morning, all you need to do is rinse your grill grates with a lot of water and it will be left looking spotlessly clean. If there is any grime residue remaining in the morning a grill brush will be the only tool needed to remove it because it has already loosened up. Also, keep in mind that mixing vinegar and baking powder causes fizzling so that should not alarm you and also ensure that you mix it in a big dish to prevent it from pouring.

Prevent further build up

You don’t have to keep on leaving your grill looking filthy at the end of the day because there are things you can do to prevent buildup and create an easy time for yourself during cleaning. Below are a few:

• Grease the grill grates with cooking oil before the cooking kicks off
• Scrubbing the grates with a raw onion before you start will also work
• After the cooking, you can again use a raw piece of a sliced onion to scrub or use a grill brush (without bristles) to scrape your hot grates to remove any stubborn dirt residues. Plus doing so helps prevent foul smells and ensure that your grill remains in tip-top shape

Final thoughts

With lifesaving solutions like vinegar and baking powder, outdoor grill cleaning shouldn’t be as hard as people make it look. You can now proudly accept to be the host for your school reunion party without having to worry about the condition of your grill because the above tactics will help you keep it spotless clean in readiness for your summer party or family reunion.
 

To Do or Not To Do With Cleaning Carpet Spots and Spills

Cleaning your carpet after a spill could go either way depending on how you do it. Although spills are common, you can clean it with ease if you do it right. However, you may also have to hire a professional carpet cleaner to remove the spot thoroughly.

Most professionals are trained, skilled, experienced and equipped to handle any type of spills or spots. When cleaning your carpet or upholstery, here are some of the things you should and shouldn’t do:

1. Don’t waste time - You should not wait for a long period of time before you act. It is advisable to act fast to prevent the spill from spreading to other areas or drying. Remember to use a white towel to clean the spill. This is important because it ensures that no dye from the towel will stain the carpet flooring.

2. Don’t scrub - Scrubbing not only facilitates spreading the spill but also pushing the stain deeper into the fibers. Instead of scrubbing, you should consider bloating. Bloating should be done from the outside as you advance inwards to avoid spreading the spill to a larger area.

3. Use recommended cleaning products - Besides reading the label, you need to use a test area to ensure that the cleaning product can remove the stain and cannot damage your carpet flooring. Reading the label is very important because it helps you understand the type of carpets it can be used on, directions on how to use the cleaning product and how to dilute (if it is required). When cleaning the spot, avoid adding too much water. When you add too much water to the spill/spot, you could end up saturating the carpet backing causing further damage. To avoid over saturating, the cleaning solution and water should be kept in a spray bottle. It is very easy using a spray bottle especially if you are doing it yourself.

4. Don’t let the spot air dry - Air drying causes the carpet to have rings and dimples. Therefore, you should take a dry cloth, place it over the wet area and place a heavy object on top of the dry cloth. Leave the area to dry overnight. This is important because the weight will keep the carpet flat and avoid rippling.

5. Vacuum or use a hand brush - After you’ve removed the spot, you need to vacuum the area thoroughly. You can either do it yourself or hire an expert to do it for you. Most people prefer doing it themselves because it saves time and money. If you will have to do it yourself, you need to be skilled and be patient to do it right. Alternatively, you can use a hand brush to ensure that you’ve removed the stain. Here are some benefits of vacuuming:• It improves your family’s health• Prolongs the life of your carpet• Improves home’s hygiene

6. Keep a close eye on the area - After the spill is removed and the area cleaned, you need to determine whether it has damaged your carpet, whether you need to clean the area again or if the job was done properly. You may have to clean the area more than once depending on the type of spill you’ve had, cleaning method used, type of carpet (fiber) you have and how often you clean your carpet.

If you have never cleaned your carpet, you can just hire a professional carpet cleaning in Auburn and Grass Valley. Alternatively, you can start cleaning the spill as you wait for an expert to arrive and do the job. Remember, hiring a professional carpet cleaner is not an easy task because you need to consider their level of experience, the equipment they use, check their license and whether they are insured among other things. Therefore, it is advisable to have contact numbers of several reliable carpet cleaning companies just in case you require carpet cleaning services.

Why Essential Oil Cleaners is a must-have Accessory for Every Household

Everyone, including you, wish to live in a home that’s not only clean but also disinfected.

However, when you look at the components of the standard home cleaners, you realize that resins and plant oils are major components. Historically, pure essential oils have been known to provide the best cleaning and disinfection of a home. But with the cost that accompanies the acquisition of essential oils, you may likely become a bit scared.  However, the good news is that you can make your homemade essential oil cleaners and sustainably rely on them for cleaning. This option is cost effective and offers excellent results.

Some of the common cleaners that require essential oil as component include eucalyptus, lemon, rose, pine, and cinnamon. The other important thing you should note is that you can easily acquire these oils from a natural food store near you, or even online. Remember, with essential oil cleaners, you’re sure to clean your household using a few drops effectively.

You can use essential oil cleaners to do almost any cleaning job in your home. Here are some of the common essential oil cleaners and you can use them to achieve your household cleaning goals.

Lavender All-purpose detergent

As the name suggests, you can use Lavender All-purpose detergent to do the general home cleaning. However, to prepare it, you’ll require filling the spray bottle up to ¾-mark, before adding some mild dish squirts into it. You can then follow the squirts with 3-5 drops of essential oil (preferably lavender), but you can use lemon or pine as a replacement for lavender. After you’ve made this preparation, you can use the resulting cleaner to clean kitchen surfaces, bathrooms, countertops, and any other surface within your home.

Pine floor cleaner

You can use essential oils like pine, spruce or lemon to prepare this floor cleaning detergent. However, to constitute it, you need to mix a quarter a cup of white vinegar (should be distilled) with a quart of water, then followed by 5-10 drops of your preferred essential oil. The last step involves the use of the resultant cleaner, where you use a mop to apply it on the floor. Finally, after applying the soap, take a few minutes before using clean water to rinse the floor to get rid of the soap.

Lemon Vacuum cleaner

As most people who’ve used vacuum cleaner can tell you, prolonged use of the equipment makes it have a musty smell. You can, therefore, put a small tissue in a container and add about five drops of this lemon essential oil, and let the tissue to soak. Once it’s thoroughly soaked, let the vacuum suck it. That way, the vacuum will lose that rusty foul smell. In addition, if your case your vacuum has a water reservoir, you can add about three drops of the oil into it.

Laundry and carpet treatment

You can also use essential oils to disinfect your laundry or carpet after cleaning. All you need to do is to add about five drops of essential oil such as the tea tree oil to your laundry detergent when washing your carpet or laundry. In addition, you can use the essential oil to remove the stain from your clothes or even carpet. In this case, you will need to add a few drops of the oil onto the stained area and thoroughly brush the fabric. You can, later on, put the laundry in question into the washing machine for washing.

As you may have noted, there are arguably 1000+ ways you can use essential oils in doing the cleaning in your home. Unlike oil-based cleaners, essential oils give the best results.

However, to get the full benefits of essential oils, you need to be a bit crafty in preparing essential oil cleaners.

Also, there’s plenty of information out there that suggest the best essential oil and detergent combination that can help you achieve your desired cleaning goal. For example, you can use Orange essential oils in polishing your furniture – it works by moisturizing the wood.

Lastly, to keep your costs for using essential oils down, you can go for essential oil mixtures instead of the pure essential oils – this option will not only give the desired result but will also ensure the whole cleaning process remains sustainable. It is also worth noting that you need to take precautions when using essential oils.

For instance, essential oils are known to cause skin irritations and therefore, you need to be cautious. Besides, pregnant mothers should avoid essential oils, and so should the children and even pets.

How to get your Carpet Dry after Cleaning

Every carpet owner has some days to do the cleaning and shampooing of the carpet. After the cleaning, the owner is sometimes left with the task of getting it dry completely.

Getting rid of moisture helps in the prevention of mildew growth. This helps to minimize the chances of bacterial growth associated with the moisture. Immediately after cleaning, the following should be done to the carpet.

Keeping off the carpet

After cleaning the carpet, it is imperative to keep yourself off it for a period of about two hours. Anyone who walks on it will cause the fibers to be flat, a condition that increases the amount of time it takes to dry. If one is obliged to walk on it, he or she should do it with the white clean cotton socks under his feet.

Spend the least time drying

The faster your carpet dries, there lower the risks of mildew growing. The longer it takes to get dry, the higher the chances of the mildew growing. If the mold grows on it, you will be obliged to replace it, if not treating it. Treatment is expensive and you don’t want to incur costs of treating the smelly carpet. Overall, faster drying is highly recommended.

Use of air power

Use of warm air while drying the carpet is crucial, because it helps it dry faster.

• Use of fans - Additionally, if you have some fans on your ceiling, consider turning them on to keep the air circulating fast, hence faster drying. Moisture from the carpet evaporates into the air during drying. This only happens when the air upon which the moisture evaporates is drier. These fans cause the air to get dry hence faster drying. The same case applies to a blower.
• Use of a blower - A blower can carry out the task efficiently. If the drying is carried out indoors, open the windows to have a flow of air into the room. The air will make the drying period to be fast.
• Use of air conditioners - Another method is by use of air conditioners. This tactic works efficiently in a cold environment or when the windows are in a poor condition to be opened. Air conditioning is the best dehumidifier as it sucks the moisture out of the woolen carpet.

Do it professionally

In case you are not a professional in cleaning the carpet, it would be better to hire one. A professional carpet cleaner will rarely wet your carpet for long. They will not only make your it dry but also provide the highest level of hygiene. He is careful to extract as much water as possible.

The takeaway

Cleaning of carpets is crucial and drying them cannot be overemphasized. Emphasis should be made to dry it as opposed to overlooking the activity to have them simply cleaned. Leaving your carpet wet after cleaning is in itself a recipe for trouble. Mold and mildew are prone to attack it and the result will not be pleasing. More danger lurks in having it wet. Thus, it is very crucial to dry the carpet thoroughly after cleaning.

Bad Habits That Make Your Home Dirty

Let’s face it. We all have those small but bad habits which make it harder for us to maintain a clean home. It is usually very hard to recognize the damage we impose on ourselves because we have come to accept our bad habits as the standard practice.
 
The problem is the continued practice of these bad habits will probably send you and your family to the hospital.
 
Want to break these bad habits?
 
Here are the top 6 bad habits that make your home dirty.

Leaving dirty socks and clothes on your bedroom floor

A hard day at work leaves one feeling drained not only emotionally but strength-wise. That is why a vast majority of family members end up dropping dirty socks and clothes on the floor. As the week progresses, more socks and dirty clothes will litter the floor and by the time house cleaning and laundry day comes, it will be hard to find a complete pair of socks.
 
To kick this habit away, simply buy one of those large wicker baskets and position one in each bedroom. This should now be the new home for dirty clothes. During laundry day, everyone can simply take their basket to the laundry room and empty it.

Dropping wet towels on the bathroom floor

This is another bad habit that many people practice without knowing it. Leaving a wet towel on the bathroom floor will promote the growth of mildew. In addition, the wet towels will start to have a musty smell especially if you leave them wet for a long time.
 
To kick this habit, simply install a bathroom towel holder or hook. Once you have taken a bath and dried yourself, hang the towel on the hook or holder. You can take a step further by printing stylish or funny messages on the bathroom door or beside the towel hook or holder like “Keep Calm and Hang Your Towel.”

Having a cluttered kitchen

Let’s face it. No one likes to do the dishes but we have to do it to keep pests and vermin away. It is quite common to find family members dumping dishes in the kitchen sink immediately after meals. This is usually followed by dirty pots.
 
Apart from this, there is the bad habit of not storing clean dishes which means they will be left on the kitchen counter or sink. To avoid having a cluttered kitchen, store your utensils and cooking appliances in cabinets, pantries or drawers. This will leave your kitchen looking organized.

Having a messy living room

It is quite easy to turn your living room into a pigsty what with all the magazines, books, blankets, dirty coffee mugs and empty wine bottles. Just like its very easy to turn your living room into a pigsty, it’s also very easy to ensure it remains clean and tidy.
 
Start by organizing the magazines and books. Fold the blanket and take it to your bedroom. Take the dirty mugs and empty wine bottles to the kitchen. Finally, arrange the cushions.

Not placing items back where they belong

We all remove items from their proper storage and not return them. It can be a magazine, a book, pen, notebook, toys, clothes, a pair of shoes or even cereal boxes. Leaving items all over the room will lead to your home looking untidy. The magazines will be littered all over the living room table while the toys will be left on the floor. This habit will extend to your clothes and pair of shoes in your bedroom.
 
To avoid this, create a policy where all family members return items where they belong to after using them.

Having a cluttered entryway

Just like your kitchen or bedroom, it is quite common to find the entryway littered with dirty shoes and a bunch of coats. If left as is, the entryway will be dirty. Before you know it, your pets will troop from the outdoors and proceed to carry dirt into the rest of the home.
 
To avoid this, add a hook or two for coats, hats, scarves and a shoe rack for shoes. Don’t forget to add a welcoming mat at the door.

Final Thoughts

There you have it. Top 6 bad habits that you probably did not know about. Now that you are aware of the above bad habits, its best to avoid them. If you have a family, make a point of identifying any bad habits that leave your home cluttered and dirty. Develop house cleaning policies that will help to keep your home clean, de-cluttered and organized.