Cleaning Fun Facts and Surprise How To’s
I love learning about cleaning. I love learning about the cleaning techniques, the science of cleaning, the business of cleaning, just about everything there is to do with cleaning, I love learning about it.
One of my favourite ways to learn is from other cleaning companies and professionals. This is an industry where we truly love what we do. Where we feel honour and pride in what we do every single day.
It’s this excitement that has helped me and the rest of the Clean Club Calgary team continue to evolve, grow, and provide better quality cleans. In this spirit, today we’re going to share a few of our team’s favourite cleaning tips and tricks that we’ve learned over the years.
Clever Cleaning Products
Cleaning products aren’t always great, which is why we tend to stick to mild soap, water, and bleach for the most part. However, there are some products that we love because of their versatility and effectiveness. Three include Bar Keeper’s Friend, Tide, and Easy Off.
Bar Keeper’s Friend
Website: www.barkeepersfriend.com
This is a super versatile cleaning product, great for all kinds of scuffs and scruffs. You can use it on all types of surfaces, such as sinks, pots and pans (except non-stick), and bathtubs. Here are two fun clearing tricks to do with this product.
Front-load washing machine. The door is meant to stay open after running a load to let it dry out. This doesn’t always happen, causing mold to build up. Simply run a cycle with a scoop of their cleanser and you’ll freshen your machine right up.
Sneaker bottoms. Use a bit of Bar Keeper’s Friend to brighten up the bottoms and keep your sneaker bottoms scuff-free.
Tide
Website: tide.ca
Great for laundry AND great for cleaning other household items.
Baseboards and walls. Use a small scoop of Tide, mixed with warm water to wash down your baseboards and walls.
Barbecue. It’s barbecue season right now so this a timely tip! Fill a bucket with warm water, add a bit of Tide, wipe down the barbecue. Easy.
Sneakers. Want to get your whole sneaker clean and not just the bottoms? Then soak your sneakers in a bucket with Tide and Borat/Baking Soda. After soaking for an hour, remove and run through your washing machine. Wash with towels to keep the sneakers from bouncing around, helping to prolong the life of your washing machine.
Easy Off
Website:www.easyoff.us
This may be a bit controversial as this Easy Off can be a bit harsh of a product and many homes do not want to use this product. However, we find that if the self-cleaning option on your oven doesn’t do a good enough job of cleaning the racks do the following:
Pull the racks out and put them in a garbage bag.
Spray inside the bag with Easy Off.
Close the bag and leave for 1 hour.
Take out racks and rinse off.
You can also do this with your barbecue grills. Works like a charm...or a Clean Club Calgary team member!
If Easy Off isn’t for you, not to worry. Do the following:
Lay down an old towel in the bathtub.
Put in the oven racks.
Add 2 dishwasher pods with hot water and let soak overnight.
Take out, rinse off, dry and put back. You may have to scrub the racks, but the overnight soak loosens the grime, making this easier.
The Many Uses of Vinegar
There’s a reason why vinegar disappeared off the shelves in March 2020 alongside toilet paper and all other cleaning products. It’s because this is one of the most versatile household items that almost every house has.
Bathtub Jets
Issue: cleaning out the jet spouts. This allows the inside of the jets to be cleaned, removing any mold, soap scum, etc. from the jets themselves.
Items needed: white vinegar, one dish pod tablet (e.g. Cascade)
What to do: fill the jet tub with hot water. Add one cup of vinegar and 1 dish pod. Let jets run for 30 minutes. Drain tub. Refill and relax with your freshly cleaned jets.
Dishwasher
Dishwashers often become scaled with lime. This lowers the power of the cleaning and removal of food bits.
Items needed: white vinegar
What to do: place one cup of vinegar in the dishwasher and run through a regular cycle. Do this once a month to maintain.
Laundry Machine
Whether top or front loading, all laundry machines need to be cleaned once every month or two. This helps keep your machine clean and your clothes super fresh.
Items needed: white vinegar, baking soda
What to do: combine 1 cup of baking soda and 1 cup of vinegar in your laundry machine. Run through a regular cycle. Once finished, open the door to let the machine air dry. Do not do this with clothes in the machine.
Coffee Maker
One of my personal favourite home appliances, the coffee maker often needs to be descaled of lime. This will help keep your coffee tasting delicious and perking you up the right way!
Items needed: white vinegar, glass cleaning cloth.
What to do: Add ½ cup of vinegar to a pot of water. Run the water/vinegar mix through the machine as you would if making a normal pot of coffee. Afterwards, rinse and dry. Make it sparkle and shine - a coffee pot fit for scrumptious coffee - with a glass cleaning cloth.
Pleasant Freshening Tips
There are always forgotten items in the house when it comes to cleaning. Not to worry as we have fun tips to freshen a few of these often overlooked things.
Pillows
Pillows have so much hidden on them...even itty bitty mites. Washing pillows is a must - and you can use your washing machine more! Do it the right way, though, to keep your pillow nice and fluffy. Wash a minimum of two pillows at a time to keep the machine balanced. This also goes for dog beds (if they fit).
Stuffed animals
Did you know these can be washed? Trust us...you want to wash them if you haven’t yet. Just...trust us. Use the gentle cycle. If possible, place the plush friend in a laundry bag. You can find these in most dollar stores or in the laundry aisle at the grocery store.
Feather Duvet
To thoroughly clean this, they should be drycleaned. However, freshening up your duvet is one of the most beneficial things you can do for your sleep peace of mind. Put your duvet into the dryer. Add in dryer sheets and/or dryer balls. Run the heavy-duty program. This helps to kill any of those tiny mites who may have burrowed in somehow.
Bedsheets
I was born and raised in Hungary, where it is common practice to iron our bedsheets. To this day, when I am feeling low, overwhelmed, or just need a pick me up, I’ll iron my sheets before putting them on the bed. Crawling into a bed with freshly washed and ironed sheets is heavenly! There is nothing quite like it and I instantly relax and feel better. Ironing your sheets is essentially creating a fresh space for your mental health.
Air vents
Grime, dirt, hair, mud - so much gets caught in the air vents. Depending on just how dirty the air vents are, you can put them in the dishwasher, top shelf, and run them through for a turbo clean.
Do you have a fun cleaning trick you’d like to share? Did you try one of the above? I’d love to hear all about it your experience and your own unique hacks. Connect with me here.
Or - if you are really just looking for how to get someone to give you a quote so you don’t have to know these super fun tips, connect with me here. Happy to provide you with a quote that fits you!