Carpet Cleaning Tips

Here at Chester’s Clean House we have focused on many different carpet cleaning tips over the years. Here are a handful of some of the best tips from the last few years.

Chester's Best Carpet Cleaning Tips:

• How to Remove Red Drink Stains from my Carpet  - How to remove a stain from your carpet using Dawn, a terry cloth, and an iron. Remove as much liquid as possible with a shop vac. Make a mixture of Dawn and warm water and dampen a clean terry cloth with the mixture. Place the cloth over the stain and place an iron on top set to the lowest temperature setting. Over the next 15-30 minutes the stain will be pulled into the cloth and out of your carpet! 
• Homemade Carpet Shampoo - Using 1/2 cup of laundry detergent, 1 teaspoon of ammonia, 1 tablespoon of white vinegar and about 4 cups of hot water you can create a great homemade carpet shampoo. Once you whisk the mixture together, use a sponge to lightly rub the lather over the carpet. Vacuum thoroughly once the lather has dried. 
• Removing Blood from Carpet and Microfiber - Spray the stained area with shaving cream and finished with a clean cloth and water. If the stain has set, use hydrogen peroxide and water to removed the dried blood. On microfiber, use meat tenderizer and water. After it dries, vacuumed thoroughly. 
• A Great Homemade Carpet Deodorizer - By combining equal parts of corn starch and baking soda in a medium sized bowl, you can create a great carpet deodorizer. To give it a wonderful scent, add about a dozen drops of lavender oil. You can add other essential oils as well to customize the scent. 
• Remove Grease Stains from Carpet - To remove a grease stain from carpet, rub baking soda into the stain. Let it stand for a few hours and then vacuum it up once it has dried. 
• Removing Wax from Carpet - The best way to remove wax from carpet is to gently remove as much wax as possible using a dull knife or similar object. Once you have removed as much as possible, cover the spot with a piece of brown paper bag. Run a warm iron over the bag. The wax will adhere to the paper bag. Remove the bag and repeat as necessary. Be careful of the iron's temperature. If you let it get too hot you can burn the carpet.

How to Clean a Mop

It doesn’t matter how often that you clean your floors, if you are not using a clean mop, all you’re doing is spreading the same dirt around. Most people don’t look forward to mopping their floors, but we all know that for large areas, there is still no substitute for the old mop and bucket! Don’t worry; we have a couple of great tricks to help you clean faster and better with that old mop.

Without a clean mop, you’re just spreading dirt around!

First of all, mops have gotten a lot better over the last decade. I recommend getting a mop with a self-wringing head, like the Lipman Twist mop. Besides keeping your hands cleaner, these mops have a removable heads that are machine washable. This makes keeping the mop head clean a snap and lets you replace it with a new one as needed. When you are done cleaning your floors with them, just throw them in the washing machine. Use the delicate setting with the water as hot as possible. Use minimal detergent and no fabric softener. Do not use any bleach as bleach can destroy the cleaning fibers, shortening the mop head's life! Some mop heads can also be thrown directly in your dryer. Just check the label and follow the directions. Do not use any dryer sheets, as they may reduce the cleaning power of the mop.

While you are mopping, make sure that you keep cleaning the dirt from the mop. If you can, rinse the mop often in a sink or washbasin before dipping in your detergent solution. This will make your cleaning solution stay clean throughout the mopping. If you do not have the ability to rinse the mop, get a second bucket filled with warm, clean water and use it as a pre-rinse before putting the mop back in your cleaning solution. This sounds like more work, but the increased cleaning power of a clean mop will reduce the overall time required to get great results! This also will allow you to use the same bucket of cleaning solution for a larger area, reducing the amount of cleaning products that you use.

If you do not have a machine washable mop, rinse and wring out the mop until the rinse water comes out clean. Use the hottest water that you can to kill off any bacteria. Store your mop with the mop head up and away from the wall. This will help it dry better and will reduce the chances of mold. You can always sanitize the mop head with a rinse of water and hydrogen peroxide after each use. Just make sure that you rinse it out completely when you are done.

Related Posts:

• Keep Your Floors Cleaner With These Mopping Tips 
• Homemade Floor Cleaner
• Use Area Rugs to Cut Down on Mopping
• Microfiber Mop, Cleaning Tool for the 21st Centry

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.

Related Posts:

• Hydrogen Peroxide - Cleaning, Sanitizing Wonder
• How to Kill Swine Flu, Bird Flu or Any Flu
• How To Sanitize and Disinfect With Steam
• The Germiest Places in Your House

It's COLD - Protect Your Home's Pipes!

Tis the season! The other morning I noticed a strange sound. Water was running in my house, but none of the faucets were open. After a quick inspection I found the problem. An addition to my house had been plumbed for water, but the outlets were never installed. The pipe under our sun room had ruptured from the terrible cold that has been hitting our area lately. I was lucky; a shut-off valve had been installed about two feet before the break. Once I got it closed, the problem was over.

This little incident prompted me to remember the key to not having pipes break in the winter, leave your faucets running when the temperature remains below freezing over-night. Just a little trickle of water is enough to avoid catastrophe. Trust me, the few cents that the extra water will cost you is much less than the cost of replacing a broken pipe! Insulating all of your pipes will also help protect them and will save you money with your water heater bill. But, understand that with sustained freezing temperatures, no amount of insulation will stop a pipe from breaking. So keep the water flowing!

How to Read Bottle Cap Codes With Ease

More and more companies are creating promotions with leading drink manufactures. The promotions use codes printed in the top of the bottle caps that have to be entered in online to enter a sweepstakes or redeem for a prize.

If you have ever tried to read these codes you will have noticed that they are really hard to read. Using the refracting properties of plastic you can use a flash light to light up the bottle cap, revealing the code. Hold the bottle cap to the lens of the flash light and the code will appear and be much easier to read like the image to the right. A flashlight that is the same diameter or less then the bottle cap works best.

Save Money And The Environment By Insulating Your Water Heater!

Your water heater is designed to hold a set amount of water at a set temperature. Being a large metal tank does not help this. The heat constantly is released through the metal tank and therefore the burners or electric coils must turn on again to increase the temperature. A simple way to save the heat longer is to wrap your water heater tank with insulation. There are a number of relatively inexpensive kits for insulating your water heater. They are available from most home improvement stores and only take a few minutes to install. The benefits of this may not be readily apparent, but this will save you a lot of money over the life of the water heater. The unit will run less, using up less energy and saving you money.

Also, insulate any exposed hot water lines in your home. The copper that is used for these lines wicks the heat right out of the water. This will help save you money because the water will retain its heat longer and you will not have to wait as long to get hot water out of your facet or shower, also saving you water.

If you want to save even more money and energy, try this little water heater trick. If your water can get scalding if allowed to fully warm up, you can definitely reduce the temperature on your water heater. Simply turn down the dial on the front of the unit until the output water is hot enough for dish washing and showering, but not hot enough to scald. This will again cause the unit to run less and waste less energy. Remember, the less energy that we all use reduces the demand on the energy companies and, thus, reduces the cost of energy for everyone!

Simple Snow Shoveling Tip

I cannot believe that I am already posting about snow shoveling, but we had a few flakes the other day prompting me to start prepping for the white stuff. I got my shovel out of the garage, checked it for any cracks, and put it in my mud room for easy access. I always spray the shovel with WD-40 (you could also use no-stick spray) and wipe off the excess. This causes the snow to slide right off of the shovel after each shovel-full of snow. In my opinion, shoveling is an annoying task to begin with and any help is tremendous! As always, lift with your knees and try not to hunch over the shovel as you work. Also, make sure that your shovel is the correct size for your body. I am over 6' tall and always struggled with shoveling until I found one that was actually made for people my size.

Reduce Clutter While Celebrating The Holidays!

Here is a simple trick to reducing clutter in your storage spaces. When you start pulling out holiday decorations, pull out two extra boxes. As you separate the bulbs that have become impossibly intertwined, also sort through the two other containers to separate what you need to keep and what can be donated or thrown in the trash. It is also a good idea to make the same commitment when you return the holiday decorations to their place of hibernation. Simple tricks like this make seemingly impossible tasks simple.

Non-Stick Cooking Spray On My Car!

I love finding new uses for products I already have. Here is a truly thinking-outside-the-box tip for a new use for non-stick cooking spray. You know how a long trip in the car will fill your grill with thousands of dead bugs? It’s unavoidable and requires a very deep cleaning to get them all out. Before you leave, spray your grill down with non-stick cooking spray. When you return the bugs will hose right off. This seems to work even better than just car wax, but it does require reapplication more often. Use it over your wax for the easiest cleanup ever!

Make Your Own Powdered-Cleaner Dispenser

Certain wonderful cleaning products, like Borax and baking soda, do not come in easy to dispense containers. Recycle the shaker top canister parmesan cheese comes in as a dispenser for these products. It quick and easy, just make sure you re-label the shaker. Nobody wants Borax in their linguini.

Fall Is The Time To Plant Bulbs

Today I spent a good part of the day helping my parents dig up and replant their flower gardens. My parents have just about every tool available for gardening and I have to admitt that the DR Mantis tiller does a really good job. I kept feeling like I want to add about 25 pounds of weight to it, but the user's manual clearing warns against this idea. (Others must have done it with really bad results!) One tool that did not work at all was the bulb auger bit that my Dad had bought. If you have any clay in your soil, this thing is a joke. No matter how tight I chucked the bit, it kept pulling out once it got clogged up with the clay. We did have great luck with the mini post-hole digger that was advertised as a bulb planter. It worked great, took no time, and cleaned up fairly easy. We got into a cycle of my mom putting the bulb were she wanted it, I followed and dug the holes, my Dad put the bulbs in and covered them with dirt, and my three-year-old nephew stomped the ground flat. We all had a good time, and it only took about 20 minutes to plant an entire garden!

How To Keep Your Halloween Pumkins Fresh Longer

Halloween is approaching and I’m starting to see pumpkins everywhere. Which brings us to today’s tip. When you first bring your pumpkins home, it’s important to get rid of all the bacteria that comes home with it. Although it isn’t harmful to us, it is harmful to your pumpkin. That bacterium is the stuff that starts the rotting process. To prolong the life of your pumpkin, mix a cup of bleach into a gallon of water then use that to wash your pumpkin. Make sure you get bleach water on every part of its outside shell. Your pumpkin will last for weeks without molding or rotting for weeks, even after you carve it.

Reduce the Holiday Dinner Cleanup Blues

With the holiday season approaching, I can’t help but look forward to those huge family dinners that come with the season. Even with relatives bringing a dish or two, it’s always the host’s kitchen that winds up producing the lion’s share. The best way to keep thing humming along smoothly is to clean as you go. Before you even begin your prep work, fill the sink with a few inches of hot soapy water. Wash cutlery, sauce pans, cutting boards, anything that’s through with its current task. If you need any of those items later in your preparations, they will be clean and ready to go. Refresh the water and dish soap as necessary. When the meal is through, you won’t have an already devastated kitchen awaiting all the dinner dishes.

So You Left Your Laundry In The Dryer Too Long...

If you leave a load of laundry in the dryer for too long everything turns into a wrinkly mess. This happens to everyone from time to time as life can get pretty busy. To re-fluff and de-wrinkle the load, just lightly dampen a towel and throw it in. Run the dryer for about ten minutes. Use a bath towel for a large load and a hand towel for smaller ones.

How to Unshrink A Sweater

Okay, so you’ve shrunk a sweater in the laundry. We've all done it. It’s hopeless, right? Not necessarily. There might be a chance to save it.  Follow these instructions and you may end up with a wearable sweater, even if it has been a while since you shrunk it.

Unshrink Sweater Home Remedy

Fill a sink with room temperature water and dissolve in a few teaspoon of hair conditioner. Just about any brand will work, just make sure it's not a shampoo and conditioner combination or shampoo plus. The soap in those will work against you.  Soak the sweater in the solution for 5-10 minutes. Then lay it out on a large dry towel. Gently stretch the sweater into its original shape and size. Be very careful to stretch it evenly. Let it dry completely in that position. Knitters use a similar technique when blocking a sweater. It doesn’t work in every scenario but many sweaters can be saved. I saved my favorite Woolrich Sweater one this way!

Protect Your Sweaters in the Future

You can protect your sweaters in the future by using this technique to dry your sweaters.  Just lay out a towel or even buy a special sweater drying rack.  Lay the sweater flat, in a natural position and let the sweater dry for a day.  Make sure to not have the sweater hanging from anything because gravity can do just the opposite and stretch your sweater.  If your sweater is stretched out, you can also try the above method, but don't use any conditioner.  Good Luck.

Freshen More Than Your Fridge With Baking Soda

Your fridge isn’t the only place in your home that can use a box of baking soda. Instead of hosing down your closet with a chemical air freshener, just place an open box of baking soda, or one with the breathe-through sides, on the back of the top shelf of any closet you want to freshen up. It will absorb odors just like it does in the fridge.

Creative Uses For Your Dishwasher

If you’ve got small children, you probably don’t have much time to clean. Here’s a quick to tip to save you time. Be creative with your dishwasher. Any hard plastic or rubber toys can be cleaned and sanitized in the dishwasher. Just make sure you place smaller toys on the upper rack.

Safely Clean Your Delicate Lamp Shades

Many people have pleated lamp shades in their homes. These can be a pain to dust. If the lamp shade is very hardy, you can you the long hose attachment on you vacuum to get at that dust. But if the shade is made of a delicate fabric, that may damage the overall look of the shade. For those delicate pleated lamp shades, use you hair dryer on low and just blow the dust out. Afterwards just dust the area around the lamp.

How To Save Time Floor Cleaning

Here’s a quick tip to save a little time. If you’re planning to sweep your hardwood and/or tile floors as well as vacuum your carpeted areas in the same cleaning session, leave the dust pan behind. Just sweep everything from your hard surfaces on to you soft ones. You’ll be vacuuming those areas anyway. This is also helpful if bending over is difficult on your back or legs.

Simple Trick For Removing Broken Light Bulbs

I heard of this trick a long time ago and never thought that I would use it. But it happened. The hallway light by my bedroom burned out and I broke the bulb removing the glass cover. So here it is, an old, but good way to remove a broken light bulb from a socket. Cut a potato in half and press one of the halves down gently but firmly onto the broken bulb. Once it’s securely on, twist it out just as if it were the bulb. This will prevent the possibility of slicing your fingers up or getting glass in your hand.