Clean your bicycle

People often forget that cleaning a bicycle prolongs it's lifespan and makes bicycling a lot easier.

Clean it by using the same shampoo as is used on cars.

Oil the parts that needs oil, or use sillicones instead.

take special care of the places that might get in touch with your clothes or shoes.

Cleaning the Senseo machine

Cleaning the Senseo machine can be done with tablets you can buy in the shop where they've sold you the machine.
They're quiet expensive.

Do you know lemonjuice works as well?

Put about 5 ml of lemon juice in the watercan.
Heat the water and pour 1 cuppa.

Repeat this after about half an hour.

Then clean the machine from the lemonjuice with making two cuppa's with clean water.

Medicine chest spring cleaning

People tend to keep all sorts of pills, lotions and other stuff at the medicine cabinet. They never take the old stuff out.

So take everything out and clean the cabinet. For instance with vinegar, which kills bacteria.

Then throw away everything past the date.

That means that pills have to go back to the pharmacists or have to be disposed of at special chemical waste collectors.

When you haven't used lotions for a year, you won't use them.
They might smell awful too, as perfume degenerates.

No brooms on bristles

My gram taught me: "No brooms on bristles".

She was right.
The bristles will bend and brooming is less well done.
And dust and other things might creep up the bristles.

So hang them.

Curtains in spring

Last week I got a visitor who told me she dusted the top of the curtains as some form of springcleaning.
I was not impressed. Not at all.

Dusting the top of the curtains will rub in the dirt and they won't get any cleaner or less smelly (in case you smoke).

When you don't want to wash the curtains, consider dry cleaning or otherwise take them off very carefully and hang them outside when it's very windy.

I always wash the curtains even when it means new ones are needed after a few years.
It's a nice excuse to change the room. :)

But I want to get rid of all the dust and small creatures that might have made a home in a corner.
There's a lot of life I can't see, but it's my home and I want to stay it that way.

No pollen in bed

People are often not aware that pollen can accumulate in your bed.

They come in when airing the room when you don't have a gauze before the window.

And your clothes contain the pollen that whuirled on them during the day.
So undress elsewhere.

And do you know that lots of pollen are in your hair after a spring day?
So wash your hair before going to bed, and wash your bedwear at least once a week.

You will feel a lot better during the night.

Your car in spring

I'm sure you welcomed the salt on the slippery roads during the winter, but do you know that your car need a special treatment in spring to leave the salt and cold behind?

Ofcourse the start is a good carwash.
Don't forget the bottom and the inside.

You need to give special care to corners and other paces where there's muck accumulated. It neess to be romoved.

After that a careful inspection might reveal... rust.
Have it treated.

Are you aware that salt is very bad for rubber?
So have an inspection of the brakes.
And inspect the old wax coating and aluminium parts.

Marble

Marble need careful treatment.

It's best not to dust with a cloth but to use a feather duster.

Never ever use soap!!!

Best use a soft wet cloth and wipe away the dust and dirt and immediately dry it with a soft dry cloth.

Grease can't be removed from marble. So prevent it.
All you can do is wipe it away as soon as possible and then use a damp cloth that is emerged in water with a little bit of ammonia, a dry cloth, a damp cloth with water only and a dry soft cloth.

Mildew

Best is to prevent mildew, but when you've got it you need to get rid of it.
You can do so with vinegar.

When the mildew is very bad, use plain white vinegar, otherwise use vinegar and water.


Do you know you can use vinegar too when you want to get rid of the black stains in aluminium?

Grease in carpets

Grease shouldn't be in carpets. I bet you know that.
But one can't always prevent spots of grease in a carpet.

As soon as grease flalls on the floor, cover it with fine flour and leave it there.
After a while the grease is in the flower and you can brusgh it away.
Repeat this as often as needed.

Cleaning sponges

First decide if you want to clean the sponge or throw it away.

When your choice for throwing away is made easily why not cut a new sponge in two, so you'll be kinder to your wallet and the environment.

When cleaning a sponge use an anti bacterial washing soap for hands.
Use clean water to rinse it out.
Then take a fresh lemon and have the juice go well into the sponge.
Rinse it well with lukewarm water.

Cleaning glass

When you wash glasses you need to wash them seperate from the dishes.
Adding a bit of ammonia in the dishwater will make is shine like it's new.

Don't use too much ammonia and use a clean, non dusty, t-towel to clean the glass or let it dry in the air.

Cleaning coffee machine

When you're cleaning your coffee machine don't forget to clear the place under the cup.

When you have cleaned the small tray that is supposed to collect a few drops, put some desinfectant gel in it. This prevents fungi to grow and also gives a nice smell.

And it's not so dirty to clean the thing.

Clean boots and shoes

The salt used to remove the snow and ice from the roads is not good for your shoes and boots.
When your footwear dries ugly white circles stay.

There's an easy way to get rid of them.

Pour a bit of vinegar in a cup and put water on it.

Take a cloth and use the solution to rub off the circles.

Don't put your shoes and boots near the heating, but put them at a place where the air goes by. Let them dry there.

Good luck!

Cleaning copper

It's almost christmastime, so you have to unwrap and clean items that have been hidden all year.

Copper ornaments and statues and such can be cleaned in an easy way by taking a lemon.
Slice it in half, dip it in salt and rub the lemon over the copper.
After that you have to rinse well with water and dry the item with a clean and soft cloth.

Good luck!

After the BBQ

Cleaning the BBQ isn't fun.

But it won't be such a problem when you put the elements in the grass during the night, or between a wet paper.
The dirt will come off easily and you'll be ready cleaning in no time.

Dirt from flies

Dirt from flies on the windowsill. That looks awfull.

After cleaning your windows take a spray and fill it with washing up liquid. Preferable a kind that doesn't have too much colour.

Spray it on the windowsill.

The dirt of flies will wash away in the rain or when you spray water on top of it.

Dont throw away old toothbrushes

Don't throw away your old toothbrushes, they're perfect for cleaning corners of statues and other hard to reach places.

You can also use them to desinfect hard to reach places in the bathroom. Throw them away after that.

clean silk and fabric artificial flowers

You'd better not use water on silk flowers and flowers made of other fabrik.

Take a bag, add some salt, put the flowers in and shake.

The salt will remove the dust.

clean plastic artificial flowers

Do you know you can soak plastic artificial flowers in water with a bit of detergent?

When you spray them with some water to get the detergent away as well as possible your flowers can dry and look like new.