Category: Home Cleaning

In high-traffic areas, including your bathroom or kitchen, ceramic tile requires a lot of abuse. Ceramic floors have it harder than the walls — they’re walked and played, so scratches show up quickly. Dirt and debris gets into these scratches, making the tile look perpetually cluttered even when you have cleaned it. If the scratches aren’t too deep, buffing the tile using a gentle abrasive is usually sufficient to get rid of them. Combine 2 liters of warm water using 1/4 cup liquid Castile soap in a bucket. Wet a sponge using the solution, and then wipe the scratched tile gently to get rid of any dirt and debris. Rinse with clean water and let dry. Dampen a cloth with scouring powder paste. Rub the paste into the tile using small, circular motions. Allow the paste to place for five minutes, and then gently wipe it away using a soft-bristle…

Durable microfiber couches may take a beating, but as anyone who’s ever spilled a drink about one understands, the material is more prone to watermarks. Cleaning with water or fluid upholstery cleaners might remove dirt, but you are likely to be left with unsightly watermarks. Because rubbing alcohol dries fast, it eliminates dirt without leaving telltale signs. Vacuum the couch with an upholstery attachment to remove loose dirt. Pour 1/2 cup of isopropyl rubbing alcohol to get a spray bottle. Spray a small part of the couch. Spray a white or white dye-free all-natural sponge with sufficient alcohol to dampen it. Scrub the damp section of this couch vigorously. Dry the part with a blow dryer set to low heat. Continue cleaning the couch in small parts, drying each part after scrubbing. Brush the dry microfiber with a nylon-bristled scrub brush to restore the nap of the fabric. See related

Smudgy fingerprints mar over windows. Remove them and they won’t disturb an otherwise beautifully decorated dwelling. But the oils in your skin make fingerprints difficult to remove — unless you know a easy trick. Grease-Busting Power Dish soap is designed to cut through grease or oils like those deposited on windows by skin. Mix a little squirt of dish soap in about 1 gallon of warm tap water to create a barely sudsy alternative. Clean your windows with the slightly soapy water and a clean, wrung-out dishcloth. For tenacious fingerprints, add slightly bit more dish soap into the water. Smear-Free and Shiny After washing the glass, then rinse the fabric with clean, hot tap water and use it to wipe the soap in the windows. Hot Water dries or disappears quicker than warm or cool water does. Dry the glass into a shine with paper towels or a clean, dry…