Who doesn’t LOVE a clean house?  There are a lot of new house-cleaning products that advertise to be “the best” and to “work miracles,” but in our experience, the simple, basic products that have been around forever might be the most effective to get the job done: baking soda, white vinegar, coarse salt and a grease-fighting blue dish soap.  And even better: these cost less than the fancy house-cleaning products!  Here are tips and tricks used by professional house cleaners that you CAN try at home:

         In the Kitchen

·        To remove baked-on food on a ceramic or metal stovetop: Sprinkle a few tablespoons of baking soda on your stove top, spray on a 50-50 vinegar              water solution and some squirts of blue dish soap.  Mix over the surface stove top and let sit for about 5 minutes; the baked-on food should come              right off with a light scrub using a regular kitchen sponge.  Be sure to rinse everything off with warm water and dry with a soft cloth to finish the job!

        (Pro Tip: before using, always check with your stove manufacturer to make sure these products are compatible with your stove surface).

·         To clean the dirty bottom of your pots, pans or baking sheets: sprinkle coarse salt and a couple tablespoons of baking soda on the bottom of the                 pan or baking sheet.  Squeeze out some dish soap and rub it all in on the surface with steel wool.  Cover with paper towels, pour about a quarter               cup of vinegar water on top, cover that with plastic cling wrap and let it sit for about 20 minutes.  Then remove the plastic wrap and paper towels,               scrub with a regular sponge or steel wool and the black will come right off your pans!

           In the Bathroom

·         To remove soap scum on shower door glass: turn on the hot water to steam up the shower doors, spray on a 50-50 mixture of vinegar and water                 and then use a soft sponge with blue dish soap to scrub the shower door glass surfaces.  Rinse off and squeegee and your shower glass doors                 will be clear and clean!

          (Pro Tip: Squeegee your shower glass daily to limit soap scum build-up).

          On your Floors

·         To safely and effectively deep clean your laminate or engineered hardwood floors: fill a spray bottle with one small squirt of blue dish soap, about ½            cup vinegar and about 2 cups water.  Spray on the floor and mop up with a wring mop or microfiber pad mop.  Be sure to periodically rinse your                  mop head or mop fiber in hot water as you work.  (Pro Tips: Pull or push the mop “with the grain” to prevent streaks! Avoid cross-contamination by              dedicating one mop head to your kitchen floors and a different mop head to your bathroom floors.)

          Note: always check with your floor manufacturer to make sure vinegar is safe to use on your type of flooring.

          How to Dust

·         Start at the back of the surface and  work to the front using gentle figure 8   circles to gather up the dust collected.

·         Which is first: dusting or vacuuming?  Our response to the chicken & egg debate is this:  Dust first, vacuum last! (Pro Tip:  Dust likes to fly back – if            you dust regularly and it will get better with time!)

Author:

Julian White, owner of Two Maids Tacoma

http://twomaidscleaning.com/tacoma  253-330-8906.

Julian is an entrepreneur and business owner of Two Maids Tacoma with his mom Dana. Julian brings his strong customer service skills to help homeowner decide what type of professional cleaning could be done in their homes to meet the needs of their family and pets.  Dana is a Tacoma native and also an experienced manager and business owner.

Two Maids of Tacoma wants to Let Life Shine!