Speed Cleaning Tips and Secrets

The toilet often seems like the most daunting task of all when it comes to cleaning, which is understandable considering what the toilet is used for.  However, never fear!, toilet bowls and tanks are usually made of nonporous material which is easy to clean.  To ease the pain of toilet cleaning, don’t let the mess build up.  Stick to a routine that has you cleaning your toilet at least once a week.  You should also keep a toilet brush near every toilet in your home as well as a plunger.  Clean any larger messes as soon as you make them.

Before you can begin, you must choose your products.  (Check out my articles on store bought products and home made solutions.)  Make sure that before you begin, you read all manufacturers’ labels on your products so you use them correctly, wear any proper protection, and allow them to sit for the right amount of time.  Never mix chlorine bleach products with ammonia-based ones.

Begin with the bowl of the toilet.  Cover the inside of the bowl with your preferred cleanser specifically targeting toilet bowls.  If you are used a powder cleaner make sure to flush the toilet first to wet the sides of the bowl.  Most toilet bowl cleaners require you to let the cleaner sit and work by itself for a bit.  Depending on the product, this may be before or after scrubbing so check the manufacturer’s label for exact instructions and wait times.

When you do scrub use a bristled toilet brush with a handle.  Make sure to start at the top, under the upper rim, and work your way down into the bowl.  Do not use toilet bowl cleaner on the outside of the toilet.

In your waiting period (when the product is stewing in the toilet bowl) begin work on the outside of the toilet.  It’s important to work from the top down.  It is also often helpful to dust the entire outside of the toilet before applying any kind of wet cleaner because the wet cleaner can turn dry dust into gunk you don’t want to deal with.  After you dust, spray your way down the toilet with all-purpose cleaner, wiping with a clean soft cloth as you go.  You may also just use a few antibacterial wipes if you’d like.  Make sure to attack these areas:

-Top, sides, front, (and back if it needs it) of tank

-Flusher

-Top of lid

-Under lid

-Top of seat

-Under seat

-Top of rim

-Back of toilet (where the seat meets the tank.)  Use a toothbrush for small crevices and bolts.

-Outside of bowl

-Base of toilet including bolts that hold the toilet to the floor.  Sometimes it can be quicker, if there isn’t too much mess, to just mop the base as you’re mopping the floor of the bathroom.

-The crack between the toilet and floor

The inside of the tank of the toilet does not need to be cleaned every time you clean your toilet, but keep an eye on it and if build up is happening make sure to scrub it.

Place baking soda or potpourri on the back part of the toilet to keep the room smelling fresh and you’re done!

Plenty of us are familiar with that feeling of falling head over heels for a piece of furniture, most often because of how that furniture looks and the feeling we get when we walk into a room and see it.   If you want your favorite furniture pieces to keep their good looks over the long haul (let’s face it, most of us aren’t able to replace big ticket upholstered items like sofas very often) – you’ve GOT to provide proper upholstery care and treatment.

Sofa with buttons, photo taken by Zelman Menashi

Upholstery Care — How Often is it Necessary?

Upholstery care really needs to be part of your weekly house cleaning routine.  This means that when you have the vacuum out to do the floors, take the opportunity to vacuum upholstery too, at least on a weekly basis.  Vacuuming furniture removes surface dirt, which in turn prevents that dirt from becoming embedded in the fibers.  You can also use a soft brush to whisk dirt away instead of vaccuming, if that’s your preferred upholstery care method.  Any furniture with loose cushions deserves to have those cushions flipped and rotated periodically – this can dramatically extend the life of the furniture, because wear and tear will be distributed evenly and cushions won’t develop indentations.  A little fluffing will help keep those cushions looking good as well and should be part of your regular upholstery care.

Try to keep your furniture out of direct sunlight to avoid fabric fading. (Silks are particularly sensitive to sun.)  If upholstered furniture does receive direct sunlight, consider slipcovers as a part of your upholstery care strategy.  Also keep in mind that fabric can be easily damaged by airborne pollutants like smoke.  Even fumes from cooking can be harmful.  While it’s not always easy to avoid cooking fumes, proper ventilation can help significantly in providing good upholstery care.

Upholstery Care is at Least Two-Thirds Prevention.

If you want to avoid stains and dirt on your furniture, set up rules to avoid this from happening.  Do not allow anyone to eat on the couch, loveseats or chairs.  Choose dinning room chairs that come with removable and machine washable covers if your chairs have fabric seat cushions.  Keep those shoes off the couch.  (In some families, it’s tradition to take shoes off in the foyer to prevent general tracking of dirt.)   If there are pieces that you are particularly fond of, it’s probably best to keep pets out of the room entirely rather than try to train them to stay away from certain furniture.

Few people realize how much of a difference a fabric protector can make – if stain-guarding is an option, it’s usually worth it.  When your furniture is already protected, stain removal can be as easy as blotting it up.  Regardless of whether you have scotch-guarded furniture, it’s best to act quickly when it comes to stains.  Blot up as much of the liquid as you can with a clean towel.  Never rub the fabric as part of your upholstery care because this can cause more damage.  Use a spot cleaner specifically meant for upholstery, making sure that you read all of the manufacturer’s instructions first and test the product in an inconspicuous area to make sure that it does not damage your fabric.  Use a soft brush to gently work the cleaner into the fibers in a circular motion.  Then, vacuum when it’s dry.

Even with good routine upholstery care, we can’t keep fabrics looking brand new.  Every couple of years or so, you may want to have a professional come into your home to deep clean your upholstered furniture.  Remember, you don’t want to end up with this:  

Destiny of Poorly Maintained Upholstery (Photo by Orin Zebest)

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