Sharing is Caring, Especially When It Comes to Cleaning

How to Remove Coffee Stains

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.

Removing Crayon Stains

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.

How to Clean an Iron

Iron | Flat Rate Carpet BlogSo you’ve finally finished the laundry, the sorting, the folding, the putting clothes away, and now all you have left to do is iron a few shirts and you’re done. You run the iron over a nice shirt and you see a dirty smudge appear! Of all the things we clean in our house, the iron is often overlooked until it’s already causing trouble. Take a moment and protect your laundry with these simple tips on how to clean an iron.

Before cleaning your iron make sure that it is off, and cool to the touch. Next wipe down the iron with a clean cloth and either glass cleaner or white vinegar. Then take a cotton swab dipped in glass cleaner or white vinegar, and gently clean each of the little holes. When you’re done wipe down the whole iron with a clean cloth and water.

To clean the inside of the iron, fill the water reservoir with a mixture of half water and half white vinegar. Now turn on the iron, and once it’s hot allow it to steam for a few moments. Spray the mixture through the iron a few times, and then turn off the iron and allow it to cool. Once the iron has cooled repeat the process using only water.

This easy way to clean your iron takes almost no time to do and will keep your iron, and your clothes, sparkling clean!

Fall Cleaning Tips

Autumn Cleaning | Flat Rate Carpet BlogAlthough Spring gets all the hype as the perfect time for cleaning, whenever seasons change it’s a good idea to do a big house cleaning. A major cleaning twice a year keeps your home clutter free, and gets the house ready for a new season.

Colder weather means more time indoors. Start your big Fall clean by rearranging the home in a comfy way for winter. It’s time to break out comfy blankets and throw rugs that you’ve had stored all summer. Any thick fabric that’s been stored away for a season might smell stuffy, so make sure you wash blankets, and hang throw rugs outside where they can air out.

This is also a good time of year to send area rugs to get cleaned. Pollen, sand, dirt and other outdoor entities get build up inside the house all summer long. If anyone in your family suffers from allergies, getting your furniture and carpets cleaned goes a long way in relieving allergy symptoms.

While you reorganize your closets, replacing summer dresses with sweaters and light sheets with heavier flannels, take a look and see what you can get rid of. As the years roll by we tend to accumulate clothing we don’t wear, and more sheets and blankets than we know what to do with. Set aside anything that you don’t use or need for donation. Then you can get rid of some of the clutter while helping others in need.

Check both medicines and foods for expiration dates. It’s time to throw away anything that went out of date, and evaluate if you need to buy a new one. If your head ache pill expired you might want to replace them, however if you have a jar of pesto from 2009 still in your refrigerator it’s best to accept that you’re just not a pesto person.

Taking the time for a thorough fall cleaning will clear out clutter and get your house ready for winter. Cleaning isn’t only for Spring anymore.

Toxin Free, DIY Dishwasher Detergent

Believe it or not, you really can find a highly effective and powerful, all-natural, home made cleaning solution for everything in your home.

Traditional dishwasher detergent uses some pretty scary sounding chemicals to keep your dishes clean and sparkling. With this recipe, you get the same high quality clean and shine but without all the unpronounceable and toxic chemicals.

  • 2 cups borax
  • 2 cups washing soda
  • 2 cups Lemi Shine
  • 1 cup kosher salt

Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl and transfer to a storage container. Fill your dishwasher soap well to the line with your mixture, close the door, and hit start every time you run your dishwasher.

To fight off residue, fill the rinse well in your dish washer with distilled white vinegar.

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