Sharing is Caring, Especially When It Comes to Cleaning

How to Clean Christmas Ornaments

November 25 by

Christmas Ornaments | Flat Rate Carpet BlogThanksgiving is over and it’s time to get the tree up and decorated. Of course we all want our tree to be bright and beautiful, and that’s why we put so much effort into decorating. Cleaning your Christmas ornaments before hanging them on the tree is an important step in keeping your tree beautiful and making sure that your ornaments stay beautiful for years to come.

Start by making sure that you have the right equipment for Christmas ornament cleaning.

  • Glass Cleaner (windex is fine)
  • Feather Duster
  • A soft, cotton cloth for cleaning
  • Gloves (not large dishwasher gloves, latex is best)

Next, separate all your ornaments and divide them for easier cleaning. Each type of ornament is cleaned differently.

  • Glass, acrylic or perspex Christmas ornaments are cleaned by spraying a bit of glass cleaner on a clean cloth and gently wiping the surface.
  • Glittered ornaments can be cleaned with a gentle dusting of a feather duster. If too much glitter is coming off, then gently blow on the ornament and forget about any dust that won’t go away.
  • Crystal and porcelain ornaments are best cleaned with either a feather duster, or a gentle cleaning with a soft, cotton cloth.
  • Hand painted ornaments must always be cleaned while wearing gloves, so that the oils from your skin don’t damage the paint. Clean hand painted ornaments with a feather duster, and never use any cleaning products as they can easily damage the paint.
  • Wood and Resin ornaments are best cleaned by gently rubbing them with a soft cotton cloth.
  • Gold and silver ornaments are cleaned with jewelry cleaner and a soft cotton cloth.

Keeping your ornaments clean will not only make your tree sparkle, but it will also extend the lifetime of your ornaments so that you can pass them down for generations. Merry Christmas.

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Move Over White Vinegar

November 5 by

We all know the wonderful cleaning and green power of baking soda, distilled white vinegar, and lemons. All of these products offer so many amazing cleaning options in all parts of your home and everyday life.

But, lurking in the medicine cabinet stands another super powerful and green cleaning product—hydrogen peroxide. Hydrogen peroxide provides a useful alternative to most major commercial chemical-based cleaning products.

Hydrogen peroxide, chemically-speaking, features the same make-up as water, just with one extra hydrogen molecule. This gives the product strong oxidizing properties.

While many forms of hydrogen peroxide exist, the safest for domestic use comes in a 3% solution available at all drugstores. With this solution you can enjoy a cleaner, brighter, and healthier home.

Use hydrogen peroxide in the following ways and enjoy the benefits for days:

  • Pour your bottle of hydrogen peroxide in a spray bottle and use it as an all-purpose cleanser for your sinks, counter tops, and tubs.
  • Pour a couple of tablespoons into your white laundry load for a brighter white.
  • Disinfect cutting boards, sponges, and toothbrushes by soaking them all in straight hydrogen peroxide. Rinse thoroughly with fresh water once properly soaked.
  • Use it to kill mold and mildew spores. Mix together one part water and one part hydrogen peroxide in a spray bottle then spray the affect areas. Let stand for at least ten minutes, and then scrub clean with fresh water.

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How to Clean Glitter

October 24 by

Glitter | Flat Rate Carpet BlogSure the pink, princess glitter costume is going to be a big hit for Halloween, but you’re not looking forward to spending the next few months cleaning glitter off of every surface. Here are some easy ways to clean glitter off fabric and furniture.

To remove glitter from washable fabrics, all you need is a can of aerosol hairspray. Thoroughly spray the glittered area with hairspray and allow the hairspray to dry completely. Wash the clothing as you would normally, and the glitter should come off completely (without sticking to anything new). You may have to repeat the process twice if not all the glitter comes off on the first try.

For removing glitter from furniture and other non-washable fabric, you have a few options. If you have a lint/pet hair remover in the house, they are also great at removing glitter. Use the sticky, rolling kind for optimal glitter removal. However you don’t need to run out of the house and buy a rolling lint remover, you can make your own by wrapping masking tape around your hand, sticky side out. Then just pat your hand over the glitter until it all comes up. You may have to change the tape a few times, but in the end you’re house will be glitter free.

Make this Halloween stress free with this great way to clean up glitter.

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How to Remove Coffee Stains

October 11 by

Coffee Stain | Flat Rate Carpet BlogIt doesn’t matter how careful you are, at one point in time we all wind up with a big coffee stain. Whether you’ve spilled coffee all over a new shirt on the way to work, or on a nice new table cloth, we have the tricks you need to remove coffee stains.

As quickly as you can, try to blot up any coffee with a clean paper towel. Gently blot the area with a clean piece of towel each time until no more coffee is coming up. Remember never to rub the area or you’ll wind up helping the stain to spread further.

Next, make your own stain remover by mixing distilled white vinegar, cold water and a bit of powdered laundry detergent. Mix all three until it makes a little paste, the same consistency as toothpaste. Gently spread the paste on both sides of the fabric and let it sit for about five minutes.

Using a toothbrush or other gentle brush, scrub both sides of the fabric with simple, circular motions, and then rinse with cold water.

Pretreat the area with a dab of liquid laundry detergent before laundering regularly.

As with any stain treatment, make sure that you test the stain remover on a small, inconspicuous, area of the fabric to make sure that it doesn’t discolor the fabric.

Remember to treat stains as quickly as possible to ensure that the stain comes out completely.

Don’t let a little coffee spill ruin your fabrics ever again with this easy coffee stain remover.

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Removing Crayon Stains

October 5 by

Crayons | Flat Rate Carpet BlogYou’re so excited to see your little ones go off to school in the morning, but what about when they get off the bus with their clothing covered in crayon? Did the teacher even bother handing out paper or did they just instruct the kids to draw on their clothes? Well never fear, crayon stains are easy to remove from clothing.

At first you might be tempted to scrape the crayon off the fabric, whatever you do, don’t do that! Scraping crayon is the equivalent of rubbing, it will spread the stain and help to work the crayon deeper into the fabric.

Soak the are of the crayon stain in liquid laundry detergent. Saturate the area well, and then allow it to sit overnight. Launder the clothing normally, checking the pockets for any extra crayons that might get ruined in the wash.

Next time you catch your kids with crayon stains on their clothes, don’t stress. Removing crayon stains is so simple you won’t need to give it a second thought.

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