Four Reasons YOU Should Donate a Coat to the 12th Annual Charlotte Coat Drive
August 22, 2022
As plumbing and air conditioning (A/C) pros, we are fans of giving some extra TLC to areas of your home that are impacted by air or water flow. And since we like to stay on top of the latest trends, we have rounded up the ultimate spring-cleaning hacks from various experts for those areas. Happy cleaning!
Freshen up your drains with this concoction from Good Housekeeping. They say this will keep drains flowing freely but is not a solution for unclogging (contact us for clogs!).
Mix 1/2 cup baking soda with 1/4 cup table salt. Pour the mixture down the drain, followed by 1 cup heated vinegar. It will foam and bubble.
Let it stand for 15 minutes tops.
Then run hot tap water for at least 15 to 30 seconds.
Source: Good Housekeeping
With your family using the shower regularly, you are giving those curtains quite the workout. And, unlike towels and wash cloths, you’re probably not giving them a regular wash, are you? Oprah magazine recommends placing fabric curtains and plastic liners in the washing machine with a small amount of laundry detergent. Run the cycle on warm/hot. The hack? Include a towel for added scrubbing action. Dry only the fabric curtains, on low. Hand/air dry the plastic liner.
Source: Oprah magazine
Mold and mildew – ew, yes. But we see it in many tubs and showers. Try this boozy fix! Todd Saunders, president of the Cleaning Specialists of America, recommends spraying the affected area with vodka, as its acids will cut right through grime. Leave it on for 10 minutes and then clean normally.
Source: redbook
This is basically effortless. To get rid of hard water stains, soak paper towels in undiluted vinegar and place them on the buildup. Leave them overnight and then scrub and rinse the next day.
Source: Better Home & Gardens
Soak a clean cloth in white vinegar and let it saturate the problem areas for 20 minutes. Rinse with clear water and voila – gone! The hack that Farmers’ Almanac provides? Use old pantyhose as your bathroom scrubber.
Source: Farmers’ Almanac
"Kool-Aid is non-toxic and it's full of citric-acid that will clean the toilet," says cleaning expert Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan. He recommends doing this as part of your bedtime routine. Flush and pour in a packet. Let it sit overnight and then flush again in morning.
Source: redbook
Many experts recommend waiting for a cloudy day for this task. Why? Warm windows dry the cleaner too quickly, leaving streaks. Don’t forget the outside of the windows too.
Want an all-natural solution? Better Homes & Garden suggests making your own glass cleaner solution with 1/4 cup rubbing alcohol, 1/3 cup vinegar and distilled water. And they recommend a double-sided squeegee; work in a tight S-pattern from top to bottom.
Hack for reaching cracks & crevasses? Oprah magazine suggests a deep-cleaning brush or toothbrush.
While you’re at the windows, give some TLC to your screens. Do you have a spare square of carpeting? HGTV says you can use that to clean your screen.
Source: HGTV (#5)
You’ve read our tip about reversing the ceiling fan in the spring to take them out of winter mode. As you do that, give them a good clean. How can you dust a ceiling fan quickly and efficiently? Slip a pillowcase over ceiling fan blades, one at a time, then wipe. This way, dust falls into the pillowcase, not on your furniture and floors.
Source: Better Home & Gardens
And to round out our list, we’re offering up a tip that will simply make your life easier! Doodads, toys, pet dishes, non-fragile glass light fixtures and more … it’s time to clean those items that don’t get a regular scrub-a-dub. The hack: put them in the dishwasher so you don’t have to hand wash every little thing. If you are concerned an item might be too fragile, maybe stick with the hand-washing for that one!
Source: redbook
