It’s finally come to this…your home has become so out-of-control, so chaotic that you’ve turned to the Internet to learn how to clean house. Risky, but if you’ve made it here you’re heading in the right direction. Here at How to Clean Things our philosophy is that house cleaning should be easy, low-maintenance, and non-toxic. Sounds simple enough, but following through on this will show you how different this strategy is compared to the just-spray-this-on-it, take-some-speed-and-clean-all-day method pushed by our commercial culture. We are constantly urged to bring more things into our homes, and when things get dirty, we use untested chemicals to get the job done. Yikes. (That’s right…yikes.) Read my latest article on how to clean a house, lest you end up like Mrs. Cuddles Bear.
Published by eric on November 19, 2009
in house.
It doesn’t matter if you’re 25 years old or 95 years old, owning your own home is an accomplishment you should be proud of. In most cases, that house will be your most valuable possession. And in all cases, you’ll need to take care of it. You should be proud of your house, the way it looks, and work to keep it looking that way. Cleaning siding is one of the most important things you can do to keep your pad looking nice on the outside. If you’re looking for how to clean vinyl siding, how to clean aluminum siding, how to clean steel siding, how to clean wood siding, or how to clean siding of any other type, check out this article. You’ll be surprised to see that there is one particular method for washing siding that will work to wash siding of practically any kind. Aside from the aforementioned method (you’ll have to click here to see what it is), you will also find in this article some advise on pressure washing siding and power washing siding. If you’re ready to clean house siding, check out my article, How to Clean Siding.
Commercial drain cleaners like Drano are the most dangerous, toxic chemicals commonly found in homes. Awareness of the toxicity of such products has in part spurned the demand for safer, natural cleaning products and strategies. In this article you can learn how to clean a drain - whether it smells or is clogged - using a variety of methods that are safe for you, your family, and the environment. When you’re finished, you’ll know how to make your own homemade drain cleaner, plunge and snake a drain, and even remove that pungent, corpse-left-in-the-sun odor. Someday you’ll teach your children how to clean a drain, and they will love you for it. If you like using commercial products, I list a few eco-friendly brands that have a conscience. Read, enjoy, and may your clean drain run freely.
When I was young, my brother and I used to play a fun game. One of us would stand next to the sink with one hand in the garbage disposal. The other would stand against the opposite wall, and at a time of their choosing they would dash for the switch. The trick was to keep your hand in the garbage disposal until the last second. This would prove how couragous you were. My brother was very, very courageous. Because I disfigured him for life, my father made me clean the garbage disposal. I though this was unfair; he had lost the game and, besides, it was his mess that led to a clogged garbage disposal. The only good thing that came of this is that I learned how to clean a garbage disposal. And because of my unflagging moral standards, I learned how to clean a garbage disposal - both the stinky and clogged variety - using environmentally friendly methods. If you want a clean garbage disposal and are courageous like my brother, follow a link.
Published by eric on October 22, 2009
in house.
Apparently, and for reasons unbeknownst to me, people absolutely detest the chore of cleaning blinds. I certainly don’t love the task, but I wouldn’t call it detestable. If you have to clean blinds, you have to clean blinds. It’s just one of those things. In fact, it can be kinda fun. Especially if they are dusty enough that you can write little childish messages into the dust like “poop” or “your momma” before washing it all away. Actually, I think the biggest reason people don’t like doing it is that they simply don’t know how to clean blinds properly. And of course, that is why you’re here. Cleaning window blinds is actually quite easy. It takes a little time, but it’s easy. I think, once you get going on it, that you’ll be surprised at how forgiving some types of blinds (mini blinds, venetian blinds, vertical blinds) can be. Well, lets get started then. Check out my article: How to Clean Blinds.
The garage door lifts and your willpower, your shame-driven initiative is overcome by the awesome scale of the task - the horror of it. Your synapses stop firing and your brain ceases to function. You’re left with an unsettling, thousand-yard stare and a box of garbage bags. You go inside, head straight for your computer and search to find how to clean a garage. You soon find a page that gives you hope, and blood returns to your limbs. It clearly outlines a logical strategy to clean a garage. You begin your task with renewed vigor, first deciding what it is you want your garage to be. You get rid of things in a logical fashion and you find organizers for what’s left. You learn much from this page and throughout the course of your battle. After some planning and a full day’s work, you are left with a clean garage and a new, confident outlook.
It would be a blatant lie if I were to say that cleaning dust was one of my favorite past times. I know some people love dusting. My grandma is one of them. She’s crazy. I love her, but…damn. I just don’t understand where the enjoyment comes from. Maybe it’s just the feeling of having accomplished something. I don’t know. All I know is that I’m pretty damn lucky. My lady, Amber, does almost all of the dusting. I know it sounds misogynistic, but please believe me, I’ve tried helping. She doesn’t even really enjoy doing it, she just knows how she wants it done and wants it done that way. I’m untrusted. Oh well. Less dust makes everyone happy. In cleaning dust, you also get rid of dust mites, and…yuck. Dust mites are beyond ishy. If you’re looking to learn how to clean dust, check out my latest article. In it you will find some good ideas like HEPA filters and different dust cleaning methods.
Published by eric on February 9, 2009
in house.
What I miss more than anything about living with my parents (except for their dogs) is sitting out on the deck, drinking coffee and listening to the birds’ morning chorus. A deck is, and should be, a great place to either quietly relax or raise a raucous with friends and family. With as much time as we spend chilling on our decks, why don’t we try a little harder to make the experience even more enjoyable. The aesthetics of the things surrounding me are important. It’s just plain hard for me to relax properly if I see something that needs doing. Maybe the deck is actually filthy or maybe it’s just gray and weathered from too many years without enough deck maintenance. Either way, I know I enjoy the deck more when it’s clean. I also know I’m not alone in this. Fortunately, it’s actually pretty easy to clean a deck. It’s even easier to do it safely, naturally and without risking harm to yourself or the environment. I can show you how. Just take a quick look at my article on How to Clean a Deck.
Published by Amber on September 25, 2008
in house.
It seems like every place I’ve ever lived in as an adult has had at least one nasty rust stain somewhere, usually a reddish column running from the overflow drain into the basin of the bathroom sink or tub. You may think this reveals something negative about the general level of cleanliness in my home, but actually I’m kind of neurotic about cleaning. In fact, I’ve spent a lot of time scrubbing at those rust stains, and several times I’ve even committed, in desperation, what I now know is the cardinal sin of rust removal: I tried using chlorine bleach. So it wasn’t a lack of fastidiousness that doomed me to years of rust-stained bathrooms; it was a lack of knowledge. Now I know. And what I know is that cleaning rust isn’t so hard after all. Since I’m not the kind of girl who keeps things to herself, I wrote an article about how to clean rust. So now you know.
