Chester's Clean House: Bathroom

Showing posts with label Bathroom. Show all posts

How to Use a Sewer Snake

Clogged drains can be a real nuisance. They only seem to get clogged when I am in a hurry and need to get my day going. I don’t understand how, but my sink works just fine at night when brushing my teeth and then is completely clogged in the morning when I am trying to shave and get to work! I used to just use our Natural Drain Cleaner to clear blocked drains, which was until I bought my own sewer snake!

Why Buy a Sewer Snake

A home sewer snake or auger only costs about $30. When you compare that to the cost of each bottle of drain cleaner, it doesn’t sound too bad. Also, a sewer snake is not going to be nearly as harsh of your pipes and it is infinitely better for the environment! The drain cleaner that you keep pouring down the drain has to go somewhere after all. The other benefit to owning your own sewer snake is that the clog is taken care of immediately. You don’t have to wait for the drain cleaner to dissolve the clog to get your drain running again.

How to Best Use Your Sewer Snake

Whenever you are cleaning a drain, wear gloves. Remove any drain stops or any other obstructions from your drain to provide ease of access and to help make it easier to remove any materials that need to be extracted. Fish the end of the snake into the drain until you feel pressure. Pull the snake back about an inch and slowly push into the blockage as you spin the snake. By constantly moving the snake into the clog, you can break up the clog into smaller parts which will be easier to remove and this method is also easier on your snake. I place a couple of paper towels around the drain before I begin. I use these to clean off the snake as I am working the clog. They also act to protect my countertop and keep my post-snaking cleanup to a minimum!

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Keep Your Drains Running Clean

How to Kill Mold

Any home that has ever suffered from water damage knows the problem with mold. However, even if you haven’t had a recent flood or broken pipe, mold can still be a major problem. Mold exists anywhere that there is moisture. Bathrooms with improper ventilation and homes without dehumidifiers can quickly grow a mold problem.

Mold is alive, take away its source of food or water and it goes away!

Mold is a living thing. Is needs water and food to exist and it is always trying to grow more mold by releasing spores. These spores are the primary culprit of the respiratory and other health issues that are associated with mold. Anyone with a compromised immune system of who is prone to allergies should address any mold problems immediately. Black mold is especially dangerous and should be dealt with by professionals. Black mold removal is dangerous because it is extremely toxic. If you even try to remove black mold you will need to wear a respirator and wear full body and eye protection.

Mold Removal Products

There are several commercially available mold removal products. You need to be very cautious when using these as they can often be more toxic then the mold you are trying to remove. I have found that white vinegar or bleach (never mix bleach and vinegar) mixed with water are pretty good mold cleaners.

When removing mold always wear a mask or respirator. No matter how careful you are, when you disturb the mold, spores will be released. To reduce the number of released spores and to begin the cleaning process, wet down the area that you are going to scrub with a spray bottle filled with equal parts of water and white vinegar. Scrub the pre-soaked area with pure white vinegar and a scrub brush or sponge, depending on the surface that you are trying to clean. I admit, the white vinegar smell is strong, but it does dissipate very quickly. Test a small area of your surface before you start cleaning to make sure that is doesn’t discolor. Do not use bleach to kill mold in any living areas! Bleach, even diluted, will harm the surface that you are trying to clean and it will harm your family.

If you find mold on any of your drywall, make sure that you kill it immediately and solve your moisture problem. Once mold gets into drywall, you have to remove all of the drywall and replace it to kill the mold. Drywall is a perfect incubator for mold. It spreads across the paper and exists off of the moisture stored within the drywall. There is no mold cleaner for drywall mold. Always use waterproof drywall in bathrooms when remodeling!

Remember; until you address the moisture issue you will always have mold. If the mold is in your basement, you may have to install a sump pump and seal your walls. Also, look for any other sources of water or moisture. Mold doesn’t require much water so even the smallest leak or source of dampness is enough to sustain the mold. Adding a dehumidifier will also help. If you are getting mold in bathrooms or other interior rooms, look into installing an exhaust fan. Many different makes and models exist and some can be incorporated into light fixtures so that the fan turns on with the light. Remove the moisture, remove the mold!

The Best Home Floor Polisher

We have tile in our kitchen and bathroom. It gets dirty, but we always try to keep up with our spills and messes. However, after a while it just looses its shine and starts to look dingy and dull. Without regular polishing, tile floors start to appear to be dirty even when they are completely clean. This is due to the minor abrasions in the surface and to the small amounts of polish that are left over on the surface. Once your floor has hit this point, there is only one thing that you can do. Strip off any remaining wax and polish your floors!

Without a floor polisher, be prepared to spend a lot of time on your knees!

Now, when commercial companies need to strip and polish their floors, they bring in the big guns. They use large orbital buffers that can throw a man across a room. I know, I have wrestled with these things before! For home applications, there are only two choices. Going completely manual, and getting on your hands and knees and slowly stripping and polishing the floor. Or, number two; get a home-size floor polisher. I had a chance to play around with two different home floor polishers and I have to say that if you have more than one room with tile floors, these are a must have!

The Gloss Boss Buffer

This is a compact floor buffer with two heads that is perfect for small areas. It is very lightweight and quite powerful for its size. The buffer heads can be covered with different pads and scrubbers and it comes with two microfiber pads. It also cost under $100, making it perfect for homes with only a few tile floors.

Koblenz P-2500 Floor Scrubber/Buffer

Koblenz makes a large number of commercial-grade floor polishers. So, naturally, I expected a lot out of their home model. This unit cost just under $200, but it does boost a more powerful motor. It also has two rotating scrubbing heads and comes with a couple of different scrubbing/polishing pads. However, the weight is significantly higher than the Gloss Boss. This floor polisher is perfect for the home with multiple, large rooms with tile floors.

Both of these home floor polishers have major pros and cons. If cost is your only concern, the Gloss Boss is perfect for you. If speed and power are required, the Koblenz is the right choice. Either way, both units really impressed me. If you have the chance to demo these models, I highly recommend it. Just make sure that you use the right polishing liquid for your floor type. Check with the manufacturers’ website to find the perfect fit.

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Microfiber Mops

Keep Your Floors Cleaner With These Moping Tips

Floor Cleaning Week Recap

Cleaning and Maintaining Bathroom Sinks

Besides your toilet, your bathroom sinks are usually the messiest place in your bathrooms. Toothpaste drips, hair clippings, and all of the rest of our daily routines can quickly turn a beautiful porcelain sink into a messy disaster. Here are some great tips to keep it looking and working great!

Bathroom Sinks are almost always the messiest place in your bathroom.

For quick cleanups of your bathroom sink, use a little hydrogen peroxide on a sponge and simply wipe up the entire surface. As we mentioned in our post Hydrogen Peroxide – Cleaning, Sanitizing Wonder, hydrogen peroxide is both a great cleaner and a wonderful sanitizer for your sink.

To deep clean the surface of your bathroom sink, Bar Keepers Friend can remove even the worst stains. Read our full review in Bar Keepers Friend is My Friend Too to learn more about how you can use Bar Keepers Friend to not only deep clean your sink, but also polish your faucet and other bathroom fixtures to a fantastic shine.

One of the biggest problems that I have at keeping my bathroom sink clean and spotless is the amount of daily products that I use in the bathroom. If the surface is completely covered, you are never going to be able to properly clean the sink. By finding the right bathroom storage ideas from our article, Bathroom Storage Ideas, you can keep only the bare essentials out in the open. I now have enough storage space to not have to keep my razor and other necessities out in the open.

If you sink gets clogged, pour baking soda down the drain followed by vinegar or lemon juice. The chemical reaction that is caused by the two combining can power its’ way through even the toughest stain, all without having to resort to dangerous, and expensive, drain cleaners. As we mentioned in our article, Cleaning the Kitchen Sink the Non-Smelly Way, lemon juice leaves the sink smelling great whereas the vinegar leaves a pretty strong smell!

Chrome Polish

Chrome is one of those surfaces that cannot have any imperfections. Since chrome has a perfect mirror surface, any dirt or rust shows up immediately and ruins the entire look. Chrome has long been a standard for the automotive world, but it has also found its way into the home. Chrome accents have become commonplace on many household fixtures. Unfortunately, these fixtures usually exist around water, soap, toothpaste and other mess-makers. Luckily, we have a great chrome polish for you and a number of simple tricks to maintain the look of your chrome.

With a little elbow grease and a pinch of Nevr-Dull Metal Polish, you can bring even pitted, rusted chrome back to life. Nevr-Dull is available at most car parts shops and once you have tried it, you will find a thousand used for it. Nevr-Dull is perfect for cleaning and polishing brass, aluminum, steel and chrome. It removes even the worst tarnish and leaves behind only a light residue that, if you desire, can easily be wiped off with a microfiber clothe.

Bar Keepers Friend is also a great chrome polish. Use on a damp, clean cloth and work in circles to help buff up the chrome. Rinse well and dry to a perfect shine. Be sure to never use any abrasive cleaning pads. Chrome can be easily scratched.

Quick Tips for Keeping Chrome Fixtures Looking Great

An easy way to clean chrome fixtures is to wipe them down with a fabric softener sheet.
For really dirty fixtures try rubbing alcohol and a paper towel. You will be amazed at how well this can remove the nastiest spots.

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How the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser Saved a Bathroom

One of my friends has been in a little bit of a funk lately. He was laid off from his job six months ago and hasn’t been able to find full time work. He has been pretty depressed lately so I have been spending some extra time with him trying to cheer him up. The first thing I noticed when I when to his house was that he had stopped cleaning. His house was a disaster zone. There were pizza boxes and fast food bags everywhere. He hadn’t taken out the trash or done the dishes. After an hour of cleaning the kitchen and living room I had to use the restroom. That’s when I had the big shocker. The bathroom was disgusting. I don’t if know if I could really explain in words how bad it was.

Your Bathroom Can Make You Sick

The first thing I asked my friend is how he had been feeling. He said he had been fighting a cold for around a month. He said he would start to feel better but would always start to get sick again. He was surprised when I told him that it was likely that his nasty bathroom was making him sick. I showed him all the mold and mildew and explained how those can weaken his respiratory system, allowing other viruses and bacteria infect his body. So I convinced him that we need to deep clean his bathroom to help keep him healthy.

After looking around the house it was looking pretty bleak as to being able to clean the bathroom with my normal arsenal of homemade cleaners, so we started to tackle the task with the tools available. We had a bottle of Scrubbing Bubbles Foaming cleaner so I turned on the bathroom fan and sprayed the entire shower down and left the area until the fumes cleared. After an hour I went back to rinse the shower but there was still a thick layer of soap scum and hard water deposits. This was going to be a challenge. A quick perusal of the cleaning bucket brought me to one of my favorite cleaning tools, the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. The magic eraser is great at many tough cleaning jobs, but it does require a large amount of physical work. A good hour of rubbing and scrubbing later the shower was as clean as the day it was installed. Exhausted, I left feeling good about a job well done.

Two weeks later my friend let me know that he was feeling better, so much better that he got off the couch and got a new job. When we go through these tough times we all just need a kick in the butt to keep on going. If you are having a tough time or know someone who is, give them some help. We all need to work together to get out this funk.

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How to Use Toilet Cleaners and Alternatives

There are many different commercially available toilet cleaners. These products all do a good job at cleaning your toilet. They do require using the old nasty scrub brush and it’s always a good idea to wear rubber gloves when using strong cleaners. If the stains in your toilet are very bad, I recommend using a plunger to lower the water level. Simply plunge the toilet a number of times until there are just a few inches of water left. Spray the stains with your toilet cleaner; let it sit for a few minutes to let it work on the stain with its full strength. Then scrub until the toilet is spotless. You can use hydrogen peroxide to clean your toilet. It’s safe for septic systems and easier on the environment!

In-tank toilet drop-ins are very popular because they limit how often you have to clean. They also help with reducing smells. These drop-ins usually contain bleach or other strong chemical cleaners. Make sure when you are cleaning your toilet that you do not mix chemicals. Using ammonia to clean a toilet with a bleach drop-in is a very dangerous idea!

I have always had a problem with drop-in cleaners. I find that as they dissolve they tend to break apart and can stop the seal from forming around the stopper causing the toilet to keep running. I have come up with a great solution for this. I place the drop-ins into the feet from old panty-hose. You can also use cheesecloth which is available at most cooking stores if you don’t have access to old panty-hose. Tie off the top of the panty-hose and hang them from the side of the toilet tank with a couple of paper clips bent backwards. By putting two drop-ins into the panty-hose and by adjusting the height of the drop-ins to suspend the tablets halfway out of the water, you don’t have to add new drop-in tablets as often.

Avoid Toilet Cleaners with a Little Maintenance!

Going to be away for awhile? Pour 1/4 cup of bleach into the bowel before you leave to come home to a sanitized and cleaned bowel.
To keep rings from forming, pour a half-gallon of white vinegar in the bowel every four weeks. Close the lid and let it soak overnight before flushing.
To avoid a slow drain and to minimize odors, pour one cup baking soda down your toilet weekly. With just a few simple steps, you can all but remove the need for breaking out the nasty scrub brush and rubber gloves!

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Bathroom Storage Ideas

Do you need more bathroom storage? I always do. Luckily, I found a few tips to help maximize the limited space that I have. When I moved into my current residence, I found out that the small bathroom closet was only a few inches deep. The medicine cabinet behind the mirror was the same. It was obvious that they were afterthoughts to the construction of the room and had to be fit into the width of the wall that they were set into. Now, as we all know, toilet paper is always cheaper in the 16 pack, for about a buck more you can go from 250 Q-tips to 1,000, and multi-packs of toothpaste and contact lens solution are always the best deal. Given the fact that not one bottle of contact lens solution will fit in my medicine cabinet; I had to look for other bathroom storage ideas.

To create more bathroom storage, I looked into utilizing my wasted space.

I found an over-the-toilet shelving unit at our local home store. It has adjustable legs and shelves allowing it to fit over any toilet. It is 12 inches deep and the shelves easily accommodate towels and tons of toilet paper. By adding a few aesthetic touches, you can draw the eyes of your guests away from the fact that the shelves are covered with toilet paper. It also stores my bars of soap and excess Q-tips.

Another bathroom storage tip was to purchase a small corner vanity. Because it has three shelves with doors on them, it is the perfect place to hide the bathroom necessities that we all have. We put a small plant on top and it makes a great accent piece in the wasted space that was just a small corner.

The final tip to improve your bathroom storage is to select one shelf in an adjacent room for the larger items. We keep our guest towels, the remainder of our bulk bathroom needs, and extra shampoo on the very top shelf of the bedroom’s closet that is nearest the bathroom. This serves as the primary storage for both of our bathrooms.

Now our medicine cabinet actually just contains medicine, razors, and the like. By finding better ways to utilize our wasted space in our bathroom, our bathroom storage problem is a thing of the past!

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How to Care for Travertine Tile

Travertine is a sedimentary rock that has a wonderful uniform color and is very strong. Recently it has made a strong resurgence as a building material in modern homes, but it has been used for thousands of years. In fact, the Colosseum in Rome is comprised of mainly travertine. This durable stone is very similar to limestone or shale and is now commonly used as flooring or a wall-covering. If your home has travertine tile, there are a number of tips that your need to know to make it last and make it look beautiful.

Travertine tile will last forever, if you take care of it with these simple steps!

Make sure that your travertine tile has been properly sealed by the installer. If you do not know if it was sealed, clean and seal the surface yourself. This will ensure your travertine lasts for years. You can tell if your travertine tile has been sealed by the behavior of a drop of water on the surface. If the water beads up, your sealer is still good, if it does not bead it is probably time to reseal. Many different sealers exist that allow you to choose the level of gloss that you want. Just make sure that your sealer is for porous stone and that you follow all of the directions for its' use. If you are unhappy with the amount of shine that you get after your first sealing, a second coat of sealer will increase the gloss. If it's too glossy, just give it a few weeks of normal wear and tear to reduce the gloss!

Clean you travertine tile often with a dry mop often. This removes all of the grime that will act as an abrasive to the surface. Travertine is extremely strong, but will wear down over time as will any natural stone. Travertine contains small deposits of materials that give it a unique look. These deposits sometimes break away from the tiles. These holes can be filled with stone epoxy before your next sealing, just make sure that you match the color before you fill in the holes. Stone epoxy is not easy to remove if you get the color wrong!

Travertine tiles, even the best honed ones, are still porous. Without proper sealing, liquids will penetrate the surface. This is why travertine tile is not ideal for kitchens or bathrooms, unless you keep up with the sealing!

With a little routine maintenance, your travertine tile will look great and stand up to hundreds, if not thousands, of years of heavy traffic!

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The Sonic Scrubber – A Review

A while back, a new TV infomercial started showing off the amazing cleaning power of the Sonic Scrubber. No task was too much for this little dynamo! It powered through everything that was thrown at it. Is this the greatest cleaning product ever made? Well, not exactly. The Sonic Scrubber definitely has some wonderful uses, which I will explain later. But it also has a few limitations.

The Sonic Scrubber can truly power through really tough, really small stains.

What the Sonic Scrubber has gotten right. Although it does look like an oversized electronic toothbrush, the speed of the oscillations and the power of the motor turns this device from a tool for oral hygiene to a cleaning machine. The device is lightweight and powered by AA batteries. Surprisingly, the batteries actually last quite a long time, even when I used my rechargeable ones! The different scrubber heads insure the right size and scrubbing surface for the job, and the device can truly power through really tough, really small stains.

What is lacking and not mentioned in the commercials for the Sonic Scrubber is that you will never be able to clean large areas with this device. Unless you have a dozen Sonic Scrubbers and a dozen friends helping, you will never be able to clean an entire room. You must also be careful to let the device do the work. Do not try to use your own strength to help clean faster. The device is just not robust enough to be muscled around!

The Sonic Scrubber is great at the really tough spots. Let it do the work by just using minimal pressure. Use the speed of the scrubber to do the hard work. Using the right cleaner for the type of stain is also of vital importance. For tough, problematic stains, such as grout or around a soap dish, the Sonic Scrubber is fantastic. If you are trying to clean an entire tile bathroom, you had better not plan on doing anything else for quite a while! The Sonic Scrubber kit is available at Amazon and you may just find out that it is the perfect little scrubber for your needs!

Sanitize Home and Office - Don't Miss the Obvious!

With the flu virus going around, its in our best interest to do what we can to minimize the risk to others and ourselves. Everywhere I go today, I find alcohol wipes and hand sanitizer. Even my local grocery store now has a cart sanitizer station at the entrance. There is a one gallon jug of hand sanitizer at the receptionists' desk at our office. The local shopping mall has sanitizing stations throughout. These are all good steps, but I find it interesting that we often miss the obvious places.

Sanitize your home and work by paying attention to everything that you touch daily!

Spend a few extra moments today and pay attention to everything that you touch in your home and office. You will be surprised at how many different things that you touch. In your home, do not forget the doorhandles. Since everyone has to use them, they are more likely to carry germs and viruses than anywhere else. Make sure that you sanitize cabinet handles. We all focus on our toilets and sinks, just don't forget the parts that we actually touch daily, like the faucet handles. If you share your car, sanitize your door handles and steering wheel. At home and work, sanitize your keyboard and mouse, just make sure to not get any fluid into the devices. If you use a sanitizing wipe, wring it our first to reduce and chance of liquid getting into your devices. Don't forget about your cell phone and your home phone!

Easy Steps to Keep From Getting Sick

These easy to follow steps really do work. I have been doing these things naturally for the last several years and I haven't gotten sick. This was really important last year as the Swine Flu was passing through our town. I came home from a business trip the day my son was diagnosed with the Swine Flu. This was pretty early on in the epidemic, so we really didn't know what to expect. He was really sick and soon after my wife and daughter also came down with it. For the next week and a half I had to take care of them, while trying not to get the flu myself. During this period I took these steps to the next level and was going over every surface with a disinfecting wipe as soon as the infected person left. I even sprayed down the couch with Lysol whenever they got up. My wife thinks I was a little paranoid, but I never did get the Swine Flu. And after watching their suffering; I'm glad I didn't. So remember these basic sanitizing tips and maybe you won't get sick either.

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Hydrogen Peroxide - Cleaning, Sanitizing Wonder

Over the years, we have offered many great cleaning tips that use hydrogen peroxide. Ever wonder why it’s such a great cleaning agent? Hydrogen Peroxide (H₂O₂) is a mild acid, but it is a very strong oxidizing agent which means that as it combines with other molecules, it gives off oxygen. Because of this, Hydrogen Peroxide can be used very successfully as an anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, and anti-mold cleaning agent. It also is very good at bleaching surfaces.

Hydrogen Peroxide is safe to use around the house and is non-toxic, especially in the low concentrations that we recommend using. It is also fairly inexpensive, and easy to obtain at almost any grocery or drug store. It can also be bought in bulk at restaurant supply stores.

When you clean with Hydrogen Peroxide, you get an added bonus. It sanitizes your sponges every time you use it. No need to worry about spreading nasty stuff around!

Practical uses of hydrogen peroxide:

Spray on and wipe down wooden cutting boards to disinfect
Use to sanitize bathrooms and kitchens, just a splash on a sponge will do
Can be used to clean toilets, and is septic system safe
Can be diluted into a spray to clean vegetables and fruits
Can be used in your washer instead of bleach, just treat it as if it were bleach
You can even bleach your hair with a highly diluted mix of H₂O₂ and water!

Some of our classic cleaning tips using Hydrogen Peroxide are:

The Most Useful Kitchen Cleaning Aid – Silicone Scraper Spatula

There is one tool that we use every day in our kitchen that I don’t know how we lived without it. It is a Silicone Scraper Spatula. A what you ask? This little tool works magic on the dishes, counters and so much more. We use it to loosen caked on food from the counter or microwave, to get that burned on stuff off from the bottom of pots and pans, or to get the food off of plates before we put them into the dish washer. You don’t have to limit it to the kitchen though. Another great use is to remove that dried toothpaste that always finds its way around the kids bathroom sink. Buy one today and let me know all the great uses you find for it. I know you will find it as useful as I have.

Homemade Clorox Wipe Cleaing Tool

As with most of us, I am always interested in finding new ways to make tasks that I don't enjoy quicker and easier. I was recently watching a TV ad for a car window cleaner that was pretty much a scrubbing pad on a stick. It didn't really impress me, until I was cleaning my bathroom. I like to use Clorox disinfecting cleaning wipes around the toilet and sink. They are quick and easy for the fast cleanups. They do a great job on the tile floor as well, but I hate having to put my face in the toilet to wipe up behind it, especially in the guest bathroom!

My mind went back to the car window cleaner. If only I could attach the disinfecting wipes to a scrubber pad with a short handle, it would make my life so easy. I went looking for anything that I could use and found the perfect handle. Our old dish scrubber with the plastic handle! The scrubbing pad was almost completely gone, but the handle was perfect. I drilled a small hole through the handle and I wrap the disinfecting wipe over the end and push a small nail through the holes securing it to the remains of the scrubbing pad end. The handle is curved and gets into all of the tight spaces around my toilet! Seeing as how we were just going to throw the dish scrubber away, I was very happy with how it turned out. I am now thinking about attaching two alligator clips to the handle to make changing pads easier.

Please let us know about any unique cleaning contraptions that you have come up with. Not all of us love to clean, but we all love getting done faster!

Using a Black Light to Find and Destroy Germs

Germs live all over our houses. Even after we clean they can still be there. A trick I use around the bathroom and kitchen is to use a black light to find the hidden and stubborn germs. Just dim the lights a little and wave a black light or UV light about 6 inches above the area you want to check. Many types of germs and organics will fluoresce or glow under the UV light of a black light. Once you see the glow you know where to clean more thoroughly. Black lights are also helpful in finding old dog and cat urine stains in carpeting. You can clean much better when you know where to real trouble spots are, just be warned that you will forever look at your bathroom in a new light!

A Great Bathroom Freshing Idea

For eco-friendly bathroom freshening, just place a few drop of your favorite essential oil inside you toilet paper rolls. With every spin, it will sweeten the air of your bathroom; lavender essential oil works great and has a fresh clean scent. If that isn’t enough, just pour some of the essential oil into a small dish and put it somewhere out of the way. It will freshen as it evaporates.

Bar Keepers Friend is my Friend Too!

For removing rust stains in your bathroom, cleaning your countertops in your kitchen, and just about anywhere that you need a little muscle, Bar Keepers Friend is fantastic. Bar Keepers Friend is also good at polishing brass, copper, and chrome. Just use little on a damp, clean cloth. Never use with any abrasive scrubbers, because you can easily scratch the surface. Just rub, rinse, and wipe dry to prevent spots.

Clean Those Hard To Reach Places Without Hurting Your Back

One of the toughest places I have to clean is the tile behind the bathtub in our master bathroom. I either have to crawl into the tub or really stretch to get back there. I don't like to be in the tub when I clean, as it can get pretty slippery and we all know that too many home accidents happen in the tub or shower. Leaning over to get back there isn't good for my back either. I use a toilet brush to help me get back there. Just buy an extra one next time you go to the store. It would be gross to use your real one and they only cost about $2. The other trick I use is to cover the end with a microfiber cloth which I secure using a rubber band. That way I can spray my cleaner on one side, scrub, then flip over the brush to clean up the cleaner and polish with the clean side. The bristles on the brush have just the right amount of spring and stiffness to give you some extra leverage.

Awesome Trick for Cleaning Your Toilet Easier

This is one of those things that I think will make everyone's lives a little easier and cleaner! Before cleaning your toilet bowl, plunge the bowl a few times with your plunger to reduce the water level in the bowl. This gives your cleaning product direct access to any stains, reduces the dilution of the cleaning agent, and reduces the amount of splashing during cleaning. Happy toilet cleaning!

Plumbing Woes! Install Cut-Offs!

Today I had a horrible realization. A cold-water pipe that leads to my upstairs bathroom gave out. My basement was quickly flooding with water. The biggest problem was that there were no cut-off valves installed in my plumbing, I had to shut off the water main to stop the leak. My uncle and I fixed the problem, but this taught me a very valuable lesson that I hope to save you from. Any time that you have any plumbing work done, have the plumber install a cut-off valve at every pipe transition that they install. They are relatively cheap, only take a few more minutes to install, and will save you from having to shut off your home's water just to fix a simple problem like a corroded pipe. Water damage will live with your home for years. It causes mold and invites a number of other problems. Having the ability to shut off water to just certain areas of your home is priceless!