Did you make it the fair this year? Not me--too much social exposure. But if you did, you likely partook in some greasy food indulgences and maybe got some grease dripped on your shirt? Here's a link about a great and easy remedy for grease spots on clothes whenever it happens: dish detergent. Makes sense, right? They're all about "grease cutting" so let it work where you need it most! I've tried it and it works.

www.thekitchn.com/quick-tip-the-best-way-to-get-grease-stains-out-of-clothes-100069

After the long dry spell we're now seeing rainstorms come through. That is very good news but it does bring the risk of flooding. If you should be the victim of such a calamity here is a guide that shows you how flood clean up works. It includes points such as acting quickly, ventilating to prevent mold, and checking for hidden pockets of water and moisture. 

​https://www.cleanlink.com/news/article/Six-Safe-And-Speedy-Flood-Clean-up-Tips--19674?oly_enc_id=8353D0905923E1S&utm_source=enewsletterDaily&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=cpnewsletter-2021

Yes, it really exists, at least it did for a number of years. Frances Gabe was an Oregon inventor and artist who designed the house and had it built in the 1980s to save women from the drudgery of housework. The contents of the house were made of waterproof materials and then spigots in the ceilings would spray each room with soap and then water, which emptied into drains in the floor. Dishes are washed inside their cabinets. The house has been called "functional and attractive" by architects and builders. Here is a video about it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h95O5dQkoD4

So here's the dilemma in cleaning technique. In a large shower stall you need to get yourself in there to clean it and you need to rinse the walls as part of the process so how do you do both those things without getting your shoe soles a sloppy mess that tracks through the rest of the bathroom? The solution: shower caps. Slip one on each shoe and simply take them off when you step out of the shower. No muss, no fuss!

Oven racks are among the most frustrating things to clean. I have tried spraying them with an oven cleaner with the rest of the oven, which softens the burnt on gunk, but it doesn't do a thorough job of cleaning them. I have also tried using a steel soap pad, but that scrapes off some of the finish on the rack rods. The solution: using a brass brush (looks like a metal grout brush, a little bigger than a tooth brush) to rub over the the rack rods. Does the trick efficiently and, miraculously, without dullling the chrome finish of the rack!

Brushed steel in the kitchen, particularly with refrigerators, is very popular, and it looks quite elegant. Unfortunately, it is also a surface that shows residue from human touch and even water very visibly. So if you use a damp cloth to clean it, the residue from the water remains. Very frustrating! There are steel polishes that work well(I recommend the product Wow!) but once you start with one it's hard to stop because the oil or wax from the polish itself becomes very difficult to ever remove entirely.

A simpler solution is this (here's a trade secret!): use a clean damp cloth with water and be sure to wipe it dry vigorously against the grain. That way, the residue from the water has much less contact in the brushed steel's micro-grooves to cling to. 

I'm going through a move right now. Of course it's standard to clean the premises for the next occupant after the furnishings have all been cleared. But it's been interesting to find how much unexpected deep cleaning to my own furnishings a move allows. As I've been getting my things packed and cleared off, I see things I haven't attended to in a long time. Two examples: hazy glass on my framed pictures and the dust that has accumulated behind my books on my bookshelves. It's a nice ritual to get at these accumulations to be off to a clean start at the new place!

In line with the new norms, I have eased up on my COVID precautions. I have had both my vaccinations so I'm not likely to be contagious to others. If clients have not had their vaccinations or there are children present who haven't, I continue to wear a mask. Where that isn't the case, I talk to my clients about their preferences. If they wish for us to wear masks while I'm at their house I continue to do so, but if they feel safe not wearing a mask (again, those who've been vaccinated), we don't wear masks.

Two practices I have carried over into this post-pandemic time.First, during the pandemic, I was in the habit of using a different vacuum cleaner bag for each house I clean. I like the hygiene of that and continue to do it. Second, I wear rubber gloves for bathroom cleaning and kitchen cleaning (a different pair in each area). 

It's nice to be a little freer after the year we had!

A little vinegar in water is a tried and true recipe for cleaning wood floors. (You don't want to use too much--about a tablespoon in a quart of water.) But even better is distilled water.

​A few years ago the rage in the cleaning industry was using a fancy dispenser that de-ionized water for cleaning floors. At a training with ARCSI, the national house cleaning industry association, I learned that de-ionized water was tested by the association and found to be the best general floor cleaner available. 

Distilled water, available at any supermarket, is a close cousin to de-ionized water and is as effective. So for the best cleaner, skip the vinegar and use distilled water. That's what I use to clean not only wood but all floors.

Here is a brilliant idea I came across for keeping your shower stall and/or bath tub forever clean. It takes a miniscule amount of work but is worth it, if you are so inclined. It's very simple. Have dedicated towel that you use to wipe down all surfaces--tub, walls, doors, chrome--after each shower or bath. It only takes a minute and will save you ever having to clean your tub or shower!  

This comes from a great source which is full of useful cleaning ideas:
https://outlook.live.com/mail/0/id/AQMkADAwATc3AGZmAGUtODE2Ny1kYTE3LTAwAi0wMAoARgAAA9N%2BaaPP5HZKtwtSu1IXe34HAM6y%2Fs5wvIFDumoLzTQihHAAAAIBDAAAAM6y%2Fs5wvIFDumoLzTQihHAABTiBysIAAAA%3D