I'm now off to deep clean my washer thanks to the previous stain thread. I've been getting grey splotches on white towels and couldn't figure out why. I guess my washer is just nasty. Eww.
So share your best cleaning hacks or questions! I'll start: How do you clean dusty curtains? Wash them in a washer? Spray them down outside? It's so must dust I don't think vacuuming is going to cut it.
I just throw my curtains in the washer. Usually only twice a year. I don't know if you are supposed to do it more often than that, but I don't.
Maybe this is a hack, maybe I'm just lazy. But my main floor is hard surface with area rugs, so I have to sweep and vacuum. Instead of also getting out the dust pan and brush and having to deal with bending over, spending time getting every last bit of dirt in to the pan, and then throwing it out, I just sweep the dirt and dust in to piles and then suck them up with the vacuum.
I have a question - I dropped my vitamin pack the other day and my dog got a hold of a turmeric pill then dropped it (wet and dissolving of course) on our dining room rug. I CANNOT get all of the stain off! Any suggestions for tumeric stains??
Post by jennistarr1 on Sept 8, 2023 10:05:46 GMT -5
We are redoing kitchen soon and keeping one set of cabinets. The outside will be painted. But I want to deep clean the inside (which has a textured cabinet liner I need to unstick too
So any advice for deep cleaning cabinets
I'm committed to purging a lot of it so at least there's that
I have a question - I dropped my vitamin pack the other day and my dog got a hold of a turmeric pill then dropped it (wet and dissolving of course) on our dining room rug. I CANNOT get all of the stain off! Any suggestions for tumeric stains??
I have had good luck for using an enzymatic cleaner (like you'd use for pet stains) for food stains.
How do you clean dusty curtains? Wash them in a washer?
Yup, if they can be washed, they go in the washer. I do ours every spring. If yours are suuuuper dusty, I’d take them outside and give them a couple shakes first, to get any loose dust off.
We do have one set that has to be dry cleaned, so I take them maybe every two years. They’re in a guest room and that room doesn’t get a lot of use, so dust doesn’t build up as quickly.
When you wash your curtains, do you also have to iron them?
Our living room curtains are so bad. But I do not own an iron or ironing board. And I do not want to purchase them just for curtains. I've been vacuuming the parts covered in cat hair, but I haven't had time to vacuum every inch.
I have a question - I dropped my vitamin pack the other day and my dog got a hold of a turmeric pill then dropped it (wet and dissolving of course) on our dining room rug. I CANNOT get all of the stain off! Any suggestions for tumeric stains??
Have you tried hydrogen peroxide? The bubbles tend to lift and then you can gently blot the stain away. It's especially good for biological stains, but I'd give it a shot on a stubborn stain.
When you wash your curtains, do you also have to iron them?
I just hang them up a teensy bit damp, and tell myself that the wrinkles will stretch out with gravity.
I got scrub brush attachments for our drill. I'm now scrubbing everything that'll stay still long enough haha. I considered that scrub wand that's all over tiktok, but I don't think it'll be as powerful as the drill.
Maybe this is a hack, maybe I'm just lazy. But my main floor is hard surface with area rugs, so I have to sweep and vacuum. Instead of also getting out the dust pan and brush and having to deal with bending over, spending time getting every last bit of dirt in to the pan, and then throwing it out, I just sweep the dirt and dust in to piles and then suck them up with the vacuum.
Umm…I just vacuum my whole house. Tile, hardwood, carpets - it all gets vacuumed. I haven’t actually “swept” a floor in many, many years.
When you wash your curtains, do you also have to iron them?
Mine don’t really come out super wrinkly. I take them out right away so any minor wrinkles generally fall out once they’re hung.
You could get a steamer if yours come out too wrinkly, and steam them right on the curtain rod. It’s easier to store and you don’t have to set up a whole ironing board.
As an old, I’m fascinated by not having any way to iron. Do your clothes never come out of the dryer wrinkly?
When you wash your curtains, do you also have to iron them?
Our living room curtains are so bad. But I do not own an iron or ironing board. And I do not want to purchase them just for curtains. I've been vacuuming the parts covered in cat hair, but I haven't had time to vacuum every inch.
I don't iron mine; I just hang dry them and call it good.
If wrinkles are bothering you, what about a handheld steamer? You can generally find one for around $20-30.
Post by plutosmoon on Sept 8, 2023 11:11:40 GMT -5
I wash curtains as needed in the washing machine, I iron them before rehanging, a steamer would work as well for wrinkles.
I need to clean old fashioned steam radiators that look like they haven't been cleaned in their entire 70 year life. They were under a cover, which was too gross to salvage. Any suggestions for getting between the slats, behind it and under it? What type of cleaning product works best? I vacuumed the loose dust and cobwebs, but I can't get my vacuum in between or behind. I tried a Swiffer duster and the grime just laughed at me. I bought a skinny brush I'm hoping will work, but any tips? Google keeps giving me tips on cleaning my car radiator.
When you wash your curtains, do you also have to iron them?
Mine don’t really come out super wrinkly. I take them out right away so any minor wrinkles generally fall out once they’re hung.
You could get a steamer if yours come out too wrinkly, and steam them right on the curtain rod. It’s easier to store and you don’t have to set up a whole ironing board.
As an old, I’m fascinated by not having any way to iron. Do your clothes never come out of the dryer wrinkly?
I will also confess to not owning an iron or ironing board. I steam any clothes that are wrinkly.
When you wash your curtains, do you also have to iron them?
Our living room curtains are so bad. But I do not own an iron or ironing board. And I do not want to purchase them just for curtains. I've been vacuuming the parts covered in cat hair, but I haven't had time to vacuum every inch.
Is there a folded seam at the bottom? My mom always would hang them slightly damp and slide butter knives the whole way across the hem to weigh it down while it finished drying to remove any wrinkles.
Is there a folded seam at the bottom? My mom always would hang them slightly damp and slide butter knives the whole way across the hem to weigh it down while it finished drying to remove any wrinkles.
Smart! If it doesn’t have a pocket, you could probably fashion something with a skirt hanger with clips.
Maybe this is a hack, maybe I'm just lazy. But my main floor is hard surface with area rugs, so I have to sweep and vacuum. Instead of also getting out the dust pan and brush and having to deal with bending over, spending time getting every last bit of dirt in to the pan, and then throwing it out, I just sweep the dirt and dust in to piles and then suck them up with the vacuum.
Umm…I just vacuum my whole house. Tile, hardwood, carpets - it all gets vacuumed. I haven’t actually “swept” a floor in many, many years.
Same! The invention of the cordless stick vac was honestly life changing.
When you wash your curtains, do you also have to iron them?
Mine don’t really come out super wrinkly. I take them out right away so any minor wrinkles generally fall out once they’re hung.
You could get a steamer if yours come out too wrinkly, and steam them right on the curtain rod. It’s easier to store and you don’t have to set up a whole ironing board.
As an old, I’m fascinated by not having any way to iron. Do your clothes never come out of the dryer wrinkly?
I refuse to buy clothes that would need to be ironed because I hate how they feel on my skin - stiff, scratchy, and constricting. Also, I work from home and rarely have to be on camera 😅
H's clothes get pulled straight out of the dryer before they wrinkle, but even his work stuff is the type of material that doesn't need to be pressed/starched.
I like the idea of hanging up a little damp and weighing them down with butter knives. They're Pottery Barn curtains, so I'd like to think they'll hold up well in the wash... guess I'll find out this weekend 😬🤞
My curtain deep cleaning pro-tip is to not have curtains. Although, I think mini-blinds are a way bigger pain in the ass to dust, and I'd way rather have curtains I could just pop in the washing machine.
Our blinds are metal and never look clean, even though my H dusts them regularly.
My curtain deep cleaning pro-tip is to not have curtains. Although, I think mini-blinds are a way bigger pain in the ass to dust, and I'd way rather have curtains I could just pop in the washing machine.
Our blinds are metal and never look clean, even though my H dusts them regularly.
We moved two years ago from a house full of mini blinds to one with zero mini blinds, and omg the freedom is glorious. lol. I would much rather wash curtains once or twice a year than dust blinds seemingly constantly.
Oh, here's a new one that I'm in the process of implementing. All towels and sheets are moving to white so that I can just bleach the crap out of everything LOL
As an old, I’m fascinated by not having any way to iron.
I only use my iron for Girl Scout patches. Otherwise: if it needs ironing, it needs a different owner or a dry cleaner. We send DH's work shirts out to be laundered.
Our blinds are metal and never look clean, even though my H dusts them regularly.
I started washing mine with soap and water and it's so much better than attempting to dust. And satisfying. It does require the full commitment to washing the windows and the sills though. I did it a week or so ago and needed to change the water after each set. I probably should've waited until summer is totally gone and the windows are closed. Hopefully we don't get smoke days in the coming weeks.
I just put my curtains in the washer. This thread motivated me.
Our blinds are metal and never look clean, even though my H dusts them regularly.
I started washing mine with soap and water and it's so much better than attempting to dust. And satisfying. It does require the full commitment to washing the windows and the sills though. I did it a week or so ago and needed to change the water after each set. I probably should've waited until summer is totally gone and the windows are closed. Hopefully we don't get smoke days in the coming weeks.
I just put my curtains in the washer. This thread motivated me.
I'm not that committed. LOL! Maybe I'll watch a YouTube video about it and then suggest it to my H since dusting is his job. (Even better if it gets me out of my yearly interior window washing chore.)
This thread prompted me to finally wash the new quilt/blanket thing for our guest room. I unwrapped it and tossed it on the bed to see if I liked it enough to keep it (yes) but hadn't washed it or removed the old comforter that I hate yet.
Oh, here's a new one that I'm in the process of implementing. All towels and sheets are moving to white so that I can just bleach the crap out of everything LOL
Would someone recommend a recipe or link to strip my towels? They are great quality but very old and I think stripping would give them new life.
I bought the Dawn dish soap but am out of Borox. I’m happy to try anything folks recommend.
I tried stripping my white towels with Borox/detergent/hot water soak that's always recommended online but they honestly didn't look much better? So I put some Rit in a cycle of laundry and that helped a lot.
Any suggestions for getting between the slats, behind it and under it? What type of cleaning product works best? I vacuumed the loose dust and cobwebs, but I can't get my vacuum in between or behind. I tried a Swiffer duster and the grime just laughed at me. I bought a skinny brush I'm hoping will work, but any tips? Google keeps giving me tips on cleaning my car radiator.
I use a long bristle brush that's supposed to be for cleaning the dryer lint trap for this! It looks like a giant bottle brush. It's the only thing I could find that fits between the radiator fins. I brush all the dust out onto the floor and then vacuum it up, then repeat with the brush wet + dish soap.