How to Clean Car Battery Terminals

battery-terminals

When you turn the ignition key to start your car and absolutely nothing happens, you’re first thought is always of a dead battery. Something has happened to drain it such as leaving a light on. But if you pop the hood you might find that the culprit is a greasy, dirty, or corroded battery terminal. Battery Terminal Corrosion The problem arises more often if you don’t drive your car regularly. When the engine is not running and the battery is sitting, the terminals oxidize at a faster rate. This means you need to check the battery terminals more often for…

Filed Under: Cleaning Guides, Mechanical 101 Comments

How to Clean Mini Blinds

venetian blinds

Oh, those things with the narrow slats do look good, all right, when they’re clean. They are so much classier than big Venetian blinds. But they’re even harder to clean. They attract dust, dirt, grease, pollen, everything but cute guys or hot girls. Delay cleaning them long enough, and they’ll change colors right before your eyes! Mini-Blind Cleaning Gadgets? There are a lot of gimmicks out there for doing dry runs on the shades – everything from tiny feather dusters to little chamois’-on-a-stick. Probably the easiest way to dust them is to extend them full-length, close them, and run the…

Filed Under: Windows 7 Comments

How to Wash Laminate Floors

laminate-floor

Laminate floors, increasingly popular for both household and commercial applications, have the look of expensive hardwood even though they are manufactured of various materials. An idea that was imported to the USA from Europe, the product typically comes in lengths to resemble lumber, or in parquet blocks. It recreates the look and durability of real hardwood flooring without the expense. Though it is scratch-resistant and low-maintenance, it is not scratch-proof, and it does require cleaning. Caring for Laminate Floors The first principal of keeping laminate floors clean is to keep them from getting dirty. In most parts of the world,…

Filed Under: Floors 25 Comments

How to Clean Suede

suede-hat

When talking about suede, we have to distinguish between suede, the leather, and suede, the fabric. The fabric only imitates the rough surface of suede leather. Apparel made of suede fabric may be laundered or dry cleaned, simply by following instructions on the garment’s label. Suede leather is used in a number of products, including upholstery, gloves, jackets, and handbags. Also used for shoes, probably the best known brand of suede shoes is Hush Puppies, made from pig hide. Suede shoes may also be made of doeskin and cow hide. Suede shoes, because they have a nappy surface, scuff very…

Filed Under: Fabrics 56 Comments

How to Clean CD’s and DVD’s

cds-dvds

That shiny, reflective surface within most your CD’s and DVD’s is not embedded within the plastic disc itself, it is attached to the back, underneath the label. If you scratch the label side of the disk deep enough, you will scrape right through the reflective surface and render the disc useless. That’s why stores like blockbuster put stickers all over the back of their discs – if someone were to try and remove them then they would destroy the disc in the process. Cleaning a CD You will need: A soft cloth, baby shampoo, tepid distilled water, and alcohol. The…

Filed Under: Electronics 8 Comments

How to Clean Dishwashers

dishwasher

Whenever you wash dishes, bits of food, grease, and soap scum cling together and get deposited in corners and in crevices around the door where they accumulate. If these accumulations are left to rot, you’re dishwasher will quickly become a petri dish. End the stink! Make cleaning your dishwasher part of your household routine. How to Clean Your Dishwasher Dip a small brush, say, an old toothbrush (let’s hear it for recycling!), in hot soapy water and start scrubbing. Making sure you get into all the crevices, scrub the area around the rubber seal on the door. Don’t forget the…

Filed Under: Kitchen Appliances and Fixtures 13 Comments

How to Clean Down Comforters

down-comforter1

Do you wash it yourself or pay a professional? Is one way better than another? Nobody is able to agree – some say it’s laundering, others contend it’s dry cleaning. Most likely, both methods are acceptable, but only if done right. Some manufacturers of down comforters provide strict instructions that insist down comforters should be dry cleaned and not washed in a washing machine, so it’s important to check care labels and tags before placing a down comforter in a washing machine. Others contend that it’s too easy to dry clean the comforter improperly, removing essential oils from the goose…

Filed Under: Furniture 13 Comments

How to Clean Brick

brick1

Whenever you endeavor to clean brick, whether it is indoor or out and no matter what you’re cleaning off of the brick, you must be very careful not to damage it. Start with the least aggressive cleaning approach and scale it up until you find the gentlest one that works. What Kind of Bricks? Different types of substances that may need to be removed, from mortar to moss, will require a different method of attack and a different cleaning agent. How to Clean Exterior Brick – Includes removal instructions for paint, cement, oil, and moss/mold. How to Clean a Brick…

Filed Under: Surfaces 2 Comments

How to Clean a Brick Floor

brick-floor

Cleaning Interior Brickwork Interior bricks may be dusted with vacuum cleaner dusting attachments. Freshen periodically with commercial brick cleaner. If the bricks in question were sealed before they were installed, it will be much easier to keep them clean. Vacuum regularly, and occasionally damp mop with plain water to remove soil. When more heavily soiled, the bricks may have to be cleaned using a mild detergent solution. Rinse them well, and wipe dry for greater sheen. Damp-mopping after vacuuming will prevent dirt from building up. Try putting 1 cup of vinegar in the mop water to make the floor shine…

Filed Under: Floors 6 Comments

How to Clean Coins

coins

Before you go to town on that dirty coin with the silver polish, find out more about it. Who knows, it could be one of the dollars George Washington supposedly threw across the Potomac (presumably where the river is about five feet wide). Should the coin have his picture on it, that’s generally (no pun intended) a tip off that he didn’t throw that particular one. But it could still be valuable! Why You Shouldn’t Clean Your Coins Before you do anything, assess its value. If you can’t look up the coin yourself in the PCGS coin price guide, take…

Filed Under: Stuff 11 Comments