Scared Monkeys Discussion Forum

I like exchanging ideas to make life easier.  I love a clean house, but hate to clean!  I found something that makes cleaning a breeze and makes it fun too!

I bought a SHARK Steam Cleaner.  Obviously you put water in it, it heats it to steam and then you clean.  It's great b/c you clean chemical free.  They have been using them in Europe for a long time.

I bought the one that is like a small cannister vacuum on wheels.  You keep all the attachments on board.  The best part is you can clean mirrors, sliding glass doors & all your windows (which I absolutely hate doing) in a matter of minutes with the steam diffuser with the squeegee attachment.  That attachment works great in the shower too.  It comes with a floor attachment that gets your floors cleaner than any mop could.  

I easily cleaned the kitchen, baseboards, corners, bathroom, walls, etc. with it too.  I cleaned the nasty trashcans & wastebaskets and got them looking just like new.  LOL.

I also use it to clean the dog kennels - makes that a snap.

It will aslo clean spots out of upholstery & carpet.  Steam wrinkles out of clothes.

I tell ya, this little $99 machine, has changed my life.  LOL.  Now, I look for things to clean!  :lol:  :lol:  :lol:

Wow! I'm gonna have to keep this in mind, Sunfreak!

Where did you buy it?  And, is it easy to clean the machine itself?  I'm desperate....big family Thanksgiving here, and I'd like to start out with a really clean house!

Good idea for this thread!  Thanks.

Sunfreaks - which one did you get?

http://www.sharkcompany.com/shark/default.aspx

http://tinyurl.com/ylykz3

Do you think I could train my husband to use one?   :lol:  :lol:

Thank you sunfreaks! I need something, that's for sure! I HATE to clean house, but like you, love to walk in and it be clean!

Right now, it's CLUTTER that I need to address, and I hate that most of all! My closet is TOO small!

Well, it's not exactly cleaning the surfaces in your house, but I LOVE what it does for the air in my house and office. I recently discovered these little lamps, and they are air purifiers as well. I have two, and can recommend the April Fresh Downy fragrance. It makes the whole place smell like fresh laundry! I bought some oil locally that I didn't like and discovered that the fragrance you choose is important! I DO NOT recommend the "Lavender" scent! Check it out here:

http://www.makes-scents.com/lalafrac.html

I added a second shower curtain rod, centered above the bathtub.  I use it for drying small items and sweaters that I wash by hand and for hanging the wet towels from bathing.  I used the same beige shower rod cover on both bars and it looks cute.   If you don't want other people to see what is drying in your bathroom you can just pull the shower curtain across.  It is really handy!

Shower doors hard to clean even with a squeegie?  Just let them dry and clean them with a 3M microfiber cleaner, similar to what you use for your computer.  They can be purchased at Office Depot for a small amount.  Say goodbye to windex, etc.

Sunfreak - great thread idea!  Will this thing easily clean wood blinds?  Hate doing that too.  ha

Klaas -- too funny.  I wonder if my dogs could use it?  lol  That would be cool.  Sit back while the dogs cleaned the house... one can dream???

Here's a tip I got from my Brazilian housecleaner (when I lived in FL).... she bought all her cleaning supplies from the dollar store -- same brands as we pay much more for --- one product that really brightened things up with little effort was "Greased Lightening".

Another AWESOME product is called Krud Kutter.  I buy a gallon of it in concentrated form and it has lasted years.  No chemicals but this stuff will take dried paint off of painted surfaces, tile etc.  Love it.  I bought it at Home Depot.

Sunfreak, I wondered what you were speaking of last night, had to come read this morning, you had my curiosity peaked!

Guess what? I AGREE ! I've had a Shark for 3 years, the smaller model and it does all that you have posted it does. It's the only way I can effectively clean my stair carpet and I also use it to steam away soap scum from the shower doors, and even use it on my self-cleaning oven. I find it cleans that better too!

So I advise you buy the larger model with all of the attachments, it's worth it.

I also have the Bissell Spotbot http://www.bissell.com/Products/product.asp?product_id=SpotBot&cookie_test=1

It is well worth the $100 it costs, and gets many old stains out and is particularly good for pet or food stains.

With pets and kids and off-white carpet, I've found both the steamer and the Spotbot necessary!

I was longing for that contraption earlier this afternoon! Scrubbing my furniture that Justin repeatedly soils by eating where he is not supposed to do so. Guess he must like seeing me go ballistic.

Justins I lived through that too, I wish I'd covered it all with plastic !!! Kids !!

I have a SpotBot too.  Set it and go.  I wish it would move itself to the next spot, tho!   :lol:  :lol:

I got mine at Target.  You'll love it!

I got the one that is like the $159 one at that site, but you can one at Target for $99.

Leslie, I like this idea of the extra shower rod!  Thanks!

Sounds like a great idea, SunFreak, thanks for the tip.

Monkeys, how do you all clean your trash can, the big one outside?  Any tips would be appreciated.

I'm a single Mom, so my time and energy for housework is very limited.
Here's a few things I've learned that can make life easier for any parent:
To clean and sterilize my kitchen sinks, I fill them up with very hot water, add some dishwasher powder, and let them sit until the water has cooled. Then just rinse - the sinks are clean, stain free, disinfected, and I didn't really do anything. You can also wipe off your faucet area with that dishwasher solution, and it cleans that too. If you have those scrubbers for non-stick pans, or sponges, you can throw them in the sink  and clean them at the same time. Just be sure to use very, very hot water.
Every year, when school starts, and school supplies are on sale, I stock up on things like paper, notebooks, glue, pens, pencils, folders, markers - all the stuff my kids need and use regularly throughout the year. I even buy about 10 sheets of poster board. I have a closet that I dedicated to these items, and we call it the supply closet. When my kids need to get more notebook paper, or a pen - they just go get it from the closet. I never have to stop by the store on the way home or go out at night to get that kind of stuff. It has been a lifesaver, and has made the kids aware of the value of organization and planning. When one of them has a project to do, all they have to do is get the posterboard out and go to work. I take inventory each year before I go school shopping, and just replenish what I need.
I buy heavy duty extra-large black trash bags and stick my sofa cushions in one of them. Then I stick the vacuum cleaner hose in the bag with the crevice tool attached and place it on the cusion, and close the bag tightly around it. I turn the vacuum on, and watch it suck all the air out, and compress the cusion into a hard, flat rectangle. I let it stay that way for about a minute, then I turn the vac off, and take the cushion out. It will look brighter, cleaner, and all the dust will be sucked out of it. It even straightens them out a little. So easy, and the kids like to do it because it's kind of fun to vacuum pack the sofa.
I also LOVE those disinfectant wipes. What a time saver.

Great thread with wonderful ideas! Now one from me:

Lime and other hard water deposits are easier to remove when using toilet bowl cleaner, the "cling" type. Should that fail, use a standard screw driver to (carefully) chip away the deposits.

Buy an American Standard or Kohler toilet with Microban and see the difference in build-up of calcium, lime, bacteria or algae and if you really want to spend the money and get a great toilet that actually flushes well and prevents lime, calcium, bacteria and fungi build-up, get a Toto with with the algae preventive.  Or, you can go to jondon.com and get the microban products.

Take it to the local do it yourself car-wash & pressure wash it with that wand.

Those home pressure washers have lots of great uses.  We used one on our sidewalk and it looked like brand new.  You don't realize your sidewalk is dirty until you clean it!

We also used it on the wood deck.  Looked great, but has had a squeak ever since.

Speaking of cleaning outside of houses.... if you haven't tried the Windex spray for cleaning windows (the one that attaches to your hose) then you haven't LIVED!   I was very suspicious at first but a friend encouraged me to try it.  My house in Florida was ALL windows everywhere and I decided WTH... oh my GOD - hook it up, spray and no scrubbing/drying.  Wonderful.

yep... use it every Spring....


 OK ... looking for a hint - can anyone tell me how to get rid of the smell of mothballs in furniture?  I have an antique dresser that someone had filled with mothballs... now my sweaters don't get any moth holes because I store them in the drawer but the smell is terrible.... how do I get rid of the smell?  I have done everything!

Clueless so this is just a guess.  They say vinegar kills everything.  What if you put some vinegar/water in a container and set it in the drawer and shut the drawer and let it sit for a bit?  Read people use it to get smoke smell out of cars that way.... worth a shot I guess?

Bean-

I'm back to report that your Krud Kutter took about 5 applications but it did get a big splatter of turkey fryer grease off my deck  :D  woohoo!

Mrs-

http://www.walgreens.com/store/product.jsp?id=prod2303791&CATID=100466&skuid=sku2303269&V=G&ec=frgl_591346

Don't spray it direct onto your sweaters but up into the air over them, I had put mothballs into my attic to keep mr squirrel away and I took out some winter clothes and out of exasperation used this. It seems to work. I think vinegar could be a good idea too, long as you don't mind smelling like salad  :lol:

sorry bean, couldn't resist.......I use white vinegar, one cup to one gallon of warm water to clean tile floors. Doesn't require rinsing and works great.

OH my!  Vinegar sweaters?  Sorry,  I was thinking about removing the odor first and then she could spray with pretty stuff later....  lol  Mrs. Red, you gotta keep us posted now.   :lol:

I am trying to get the smell out of the dresser... LOL... I can wash and rewash the sweaters!!!

mrs. red - try putting baking soda in the drawers. It can absorb a lot of odors. You might try washing out the drawers with Murphy's Oil Soap first, thn put some open boxes of baking soda in there. Be sure you dry off the furniture well after using Murphy's.

Mrs Red,
You will have to store the sweaters somewhere but just loosely wad newspaper and put in the drawers and change it about every three days.  At least this removed the smell of mildew from a dresser a friend of mine bought at an auction.

I told her she would never get that smell out but she did with the newspaper thingy!   :shock:

I buy Simple Green concentrate by the gallon in auto department at WalMart or an auto store as that lasts forever and is more or less natural since so many things trigger allergies for me.

Then at the Dollar Stores, I buy all kinds of the microfiber cloths.  Those are the greatest invention in recent history for me.  As long as you don't launder them with fabric softener, they continue to work, too.  I use them for everything now and wonder how I got along before them.  I also have ordered them from home shopping and have  a variety of sizes and uses, some for drying, polishing, etc.  I even bathe with one of them for that is what that Miracle Cloth that used to sell for $12 to erase wrinkles was.

CBB, I am trying to get everything put back that I frantically drug out looking for mice but have decided to try to reduce by 1/4 at least.  So far, so good.  And it fits back so much better!  Discard some, some in box for Good Will.

Justins, I use a quilt on the sofa where the dogs jump.  It is thick enough to absorb spills, etc.  They are not supposed to have accidents but sometimes they do barf, etc.  A sheet is much too thin and plastic uncomfortable but an old or cheap quilt works well as does a quilted comforter, etc. just get to match the sofa and remove when you have guests, etc.  Not worth getting upset as this too shall pass and all too quickly will come the day you wish he were still home spilling things.

I have a couple of books on these kinds of tips I will try to dig out over the weekend provided no more home disasters happen.

Mrs Red - as a last resort you can seal the inside of the drawers with varnish or polyeurethane.

I went through about 100 boxes of baking soda already... LOL... GMTA

We did varnish them... and it worked for about a week, then the smell of moth balls again... I am wondering how long the dresser was stored and if they just dumped the moth balls in!

mrs red. - you have stumped the panel. You should get a prize. :lol:
Maybe a new dresser?

Those are some mighty strong mothballs!

I would suggest airing the dresser out in the sun, but if all the above failed I doubt that would work either.

Febreeze?

mrs-

why don't you try sanding the interior of the drawers? Then varnish them again? Mothballs have oils in them, and a good sanding might take away the layers with the oils in them. Worth a try.......sandpaper is cheap.

Mrs. Red
I would try the newpaper trick that Anna recommended.  I used this once to remove the musty smell in an old chest of drawers.  After which I just revarnished the inside and viola! No more mustiness on my clothes.  Let us know how it works.  Never tried it on mothballs.

I have horrible water that leave stains in toilets and showers
When toilets get bad ring I shut water off to toilet flush water out and pour
bleach to ring line and leave soaking

also bought Lysol  toilet bowl cleaner with bleach  it is thick blue gooie
stuff I spray under ring and I dont scrub i just let it soak and flush
when toilet is used take like a week to flush all the stuff away but my toilets are way cleaner

also
weekly i plug bathtub run water  and pour bleach and let soak several hours and rinse cleans that crud right off NO scrubbing  :D

Sue, The Lysol cling is exactly what I use. It's great for removing hard water deposits from glass shower doors!

Mrs. Red,
Found these suggestions from a radio show (Not Dana's :lol: )

 

When you are cleaning up after a meal that has splattered all over the stovetop=

Take your wet soapy dishrag and lay unfolded on the stove mess. Go about clearing the table  and so forth then go back and wipe the stove. The  dishrag will have loosened the gunk and make the cleanup easy.
Just like soaking the dishes. LOL

.
Coming down with a bladder infection over a weekend, no doctor available and already full of cranberry juice?

Try taking Alka Seltzer two every four hours.  Don't know why it works but it does.

Also, used fabric softener sheets will clean a shower door.  Not as well as Sunfreak's steam cleaner, certainly but better than most anything else that just smears the stuff around.

And I put new fabric softeer sheets in drawers, closets, etc. but guess everybody knows that one already.

.

Burn incense inside musty furniture. An antique dealer/restorer told me about this. Might have to do for several hours. Then wipe with Lysol or similar cleaner. I did this with an amoire I bought some years ago.

Dried lavender and cedar (together) are a good de-odorizing combination. And keep bugs away. You can make sachets; they don't have to be fancy to do the job - although it's kinda fun to make them ... you can use those little organza bags that are sold for wedding favors; the plain one are cheap. Party stores and Michael's have them.

ALERT - lavender is fairly pricey.

I had to produce inexpensive favors for a large gathering of Church Ladies a few years ago. The sachets are what I came up with. Bought the bags and lavender online; cedar at a pet store! I think I made 130 of them.

I am so late to this cleaning party, but if your drawers smell musty, remove the clothing articles, pour straight vodka in the drawers, let them air out and that will remove any odors and sterilize them.  You can also do that with Listerine but will have to repeat it more frequently and don't forget that musty is caused from moisture build-up and alcohol is very drying.  Remember that cotton mouth the morning after? :lol:

None, I am a big vinegarholic.  Let's not forget that vinegar is just 6 degrees removed from alcohol.  I clean everything I can with it.  It works great on ceramic tile and porcelain, formica, etc., BUT DO NOT GET IT NEAR YOUR GRANITE.  It will etch granite.  Don't ask me how I know that. :oops:

Mrs. Marples, I use the lavendar/cedar sachets in my closets in summer to keep the moths from getting into my winter clothes and it smells SOOO GOOD.

Heh Tyler - I want to know how you know about pouring alcohol in your drawers!   :lol:  :lol:  :lol:  :lol:

Sorry about the granite.

Not really a household tip...but more a timely one for travelers during the holidays.

I like to wrap my gifts and pack them in the car ready to go, but I hate how the bows get crushed. I now use yarn to make my bows and tie up the gifts. You can get it in all colors to match your paper, and it's very inexpensive. It lasts for several years, because you get a lot of yarn on each skein, and I just pack it up along with my decorations after Christmas.
It looks really cute, and you can even use two or three colors together on one package. It allows you to get very creative. Best of all, it travels well and looks fresh when you get to your destination, and no worries over crushed bows.

Looking for some advice on a vacuum cleaner since my old old Hoover just died.  

The Dyson at Target looks like a great choice, but at $400-600 I wonder if it is worth the money.  Anyone have one or used one?

I have an Oreck I have had since 1995.  Very lightweight, works great.  Great servicing at the Oreck stores.  You can even get a loaner when yours is being serviced.

Buy a Shop-vac!  I use mine everywhere - the house, the jeep and the great outdoors.  It's the only thing that really picks up animal hair and construction debris.  it is not expensive and the bags can be emptied out and reused.

I recently purchased a new vac.  Its made in Germany and has by far beat out the Rainbow, Kirby and Electrolux that I have owned in the past.

It is a  SEBO  with Hospital grade filters/bags.  It has been a great investment since I have 2 cats and a dog at home.

I think I paid around 500$ for it and it came with a 3 year warranty.

Learned this just today~

Cola will remove adhesive!

At the vacuum shop I visit, the owner recommended a Riccar.  He said it is by far the best made and he sells all kinds.  Of course it comes in many models and price ranges.  You might want to check it out.  He doesn't like the Dyson even though he sells them.

OK monkeys... help me please!

I have a new bedroom set and it is a very very dark rosewood finish... it shows dust more than anything I have ever seen.  I also have relatively new frieze carpeting that is still "shedding"... anyway - I go to clean the wood and I feel like I am just moving the dust around in circles - I can still see it when I am done and I am using one of those special cloths, microfiber!

Help!

Thanks!!!!

Use your vacuum cleaner to remove the dust. Or use Murphy's oil soap, and a damp cloth to wipe the furniture off, then go back over it with a soft dry cloth. I use the Murphy's method a lot because I have a daughter with asthma. I just pour a capful in a small bucket and use some old diapers, one as the wash cloth, and one to dry the furniture with. Just make sure the cloth is not dripping wet. This really works well for me. I usually vacuum my furniture first, and then do the Murphy's.
It sort of breaks the static electricity that causes the dust to cling to the furniture.

Thanks pdh.... I have actually done the vacuum thing but hadn't used Murphy's.  I will try that.  You are right static electricity is playing a role in this.  Clinging to the wood!  :wink:

I imagine it's pretty dry and cold in Nebraska right now! And that new carpet....... :lol:
Just be sure you use a cloth that doesn't leave lint, and that you dry the furniture off well. I hope it works. :)

I live across the street from the first hole of a golf course... People are teeing off!  No lie.  It is going to get perhaps up to 50 today.  We are one hr away from where the chit hit the fan and people/whole towns are still without power after over a week, their cattle are dying... awful.... course no one on the news is covering it!

Supposed to get normal weather - cold - next week.  Bummer.

Dry, yes!  Thanks girlfriend.  Going to store now so I'll pick up some Murphys'.

The weather this winter is very strange.  :shock: I hate to hear about those cattle.