Cleaning ann oven usually involves harsh chemicals that create fumes and an unsafe environment for your family. We detailed a safe way to clean your oven with everyday products you likely have already in your home. All you need is a few items and a little elbow grease! I will list two options depending on the type of oven you have in your home.
How to Clean a Self-Cleaning Oven
SUPPLIES NEEDED:
- Water
- Dish Soap
- Sponge
- Vinegar
- Small Brush and Dust Pan
- 2 or 3 Gentle Clothes
STEP 1
Choose a time when the kitchen is not being used. Open windows and possibly doors to ventilate the room so that fumes do not bother family members. Make sure you will be home for the length of the self-clean. (The average self-clean cycle can last 3 to 6 hours)
STEP 2
Remove the oven racks and any other objects you have inside the oven. Set them aside. Place oven racks in the sink with warm water and a few drops of dish soap to soak. Vinegar and hot water can also be used as a soaking solution.
STEP 3
Turn on the oven’s self-cleaning mode. The oven door should then lock. If the oven door does not lock, place tape over the door or use another barrier to make sure that family members will not be able to open the door. During a cleaning cycle the oven will reach between 800 and 900 degrees Fahrenheit. The cycle will turn any food and grease into gray ash.
STEP 4
Wait at least two hours after the oven’s self-cleaning cycle has finished in order to let the oven cool down. Once it has cooled completely, sweep any ash out of the oven with a small brush and dustpan. Next use a damp cloth to wipe the oven clean. You can use a vinegar and water solution to dampen the cloth.
If the oven is extra dirty you may need to continue reading and scrub the oven with the solutions below under “Non-Self Cleaning Oven”. If the oven is now clean, continue.
STEP 5
After you have let the oven racks soak, scrub any extra food or grease off of each rack with a sponge. Rinse the racks and dry them with a clean towel. Then place them back inside the oven.
STEP 6
Clean the seals of the oven as well as the exterior oven door with a gentle cloth and hydrogen peroxide. This can also be done periodically to keep the door clean. And that’s it!
How to Clean a Non-Self-Cleaning Oven
SUPPLIES NEEDED:
- Baking soda
- Rubber gloves
- Water
- Rubber gloves
- Damp dishcloth
- Plastic or silicone spatula
- Spray bottle
- White vinegar
STEP 1
Remove the oven racks and any other objects you have inside the oven. Set them aside. Place oven racks in the sink with warm water and a few drops of dish soap to soak. Vinegar and hot water can also be used as a soaking solution.
STEP 2
Remove the oven racks and any other objects you have inside the oven. Set them aside. Place oven racks in the sink with warm water and a few drops of dish soap to soak. Vinegar and hot water can also be used as a soaking solution.
STEP 3
Make a baking soda paste. Mix ½ cup of baking soda with a few tablespoons of water in a bowl. Usually, 3 or 4 tablespoons of water make a great spreadable paste.
STEP 4
Use a sponge to spread the baking soda paste over the interior surfaces of your oven. Make sure to be aware of heating elements. This would be a great time to put on those rubber gloves in case your oven is full of grease and grime. The baking soda paste may turn a brownish color which is perfectly okay. Make sure to get all the nooks and crannies.
STEP 5
Let the paste sit in the oven overnight or approximately 12 hours.
STEP 6
Use a damp gentle cloth and wipe out the oven. You may need to use a plastic or silicone spatula with a little bit of elbow grease for those hard area.
STEP 7
Now fill a spray bottle with vinegar and spray the areas you still see baking soda. This will create a reaction and the baking soda will foam, making it easier to remove.
STEP 8
Do a final wipe down, removing the last bit of foam and solution from your oven. Use a clean damp cloth and possibly more vinegar to make the surfaces shiny.
STEP 9
Place the clean oven racks back inside the oven.
That’s it!!!
VINEGAR
Vinegar is by far one of the most versatile cleaning agents. Use it to remove soap scum from the shower. Mix it with borax to get rid of hard-water rings in the toilet. Tape a bag of vinegar to your shower head and leave it overnight for an easy, sparkly clean; or add a couple of tablespoons of white vinegar to your dish soap to eliminate grease in the kitchen.
HYDROGEN PEROXIDE
You use your toothbrush to clean your teeth, but don’t forget about cleaning your toothbrush. Let it soak in hydrogen peroxide for a few minutes to get rid of any lingering germs. Hydrogen peroxide is also useful on many hard surfaces. Use it to scrub your toilet, trash cans, shower, mirrors and doorknob. You can even mix it with equal parts water for a safe and effective solution for mopping the bathroom and kitchen floors.
LEMONS
The acid in lemons makes them a great natural cleanser. The juice is great for disinfecting kitchen countertops and cutting boards. Cut a lemon in half and scrub your bath and shower to remove soap scum. And if your shaving cream has left a rusty ring in your bathtub, use your lemon half to scrub it away.
VODKA
Do you have a mold and mildew problem in the bathroom? Skip a trip to the store, and pull out some inexpensive vodka from the liquor cabinet. Spray it directly onto the mold and mildew, and wait 15 minutes. Then use a cloth or small scrubbing brush to wipe it clean. And don’t forget to save a little for an after-cleaning celebration!
TEA
More than a favorite beverage, brewed tea can be used to clean windows, mirrors and countertops. Spray on your bathroom surfaces just as you would any typical window or surface cleaner. Then, keep your bags to hide in the back of the fridge. They will actually work to deodorize it. And if you need to remove the scent of onion, garlic or fish from your hands, cut a bag open, and wash your hands with the leaves to remove the odor.
SALT
Remember that miracle lemon that cleaned the tub? If your dirt stains are particularly stubborn, add some salt to the lemon, and scrub the surface of your bathtub, sink or toilet. Once your salt solution has done the trick, just rinse off any pulp and leftover residue, leaving your bathroom perfectly clean with a lemon-fresh scent!
BAKING SODA
Perfect for cleaning counters, sinks, drains, the toilet bowl, soap scum, shower doors, shower heads, and well, pretty much anything in the kitchen and bathroom, baking soda is one cleaning agent you don’t want to be without. For most kitchen and bathroom surfaces, a simple paste made of baking soda and water will do the trick.
DRAIN CLEANER
Though it is not a natural cleaning solution, exactly, a drain snake is an eco-friendly way to clean out the main source of drain blockage: hair. And if you don’t have a drain snake, you can still avoid pouring harsh chemicals down the bathtub drain by unwinding a wire hanger, hooking the end, pushing it down the drain as far as it will go, and pulling up hair that is keeping the water from draining properly.
How to Clean Your Dishwasher
Your dishwasher is always hard at work cleaning your dishes, but what cleans the dishwasher? Often times dishwashers operate for years without receiving the attention that they need and required in order to continue to run efficiently and not fall apart. Out of all of the things in your house, often times this one is neglected. Here is a list of things you will need to get your dishwasher looking new:
Sponge
Distilled white vinegar
Baking soda
Screwdriver (if needed)
Dish soap
Toothbrush (for small to reach areas)
Microfiber cloth
Stainless steel cleaner
Multipurpose cleaner
Instructions
1. Empty the dishwasher. Cleaning the dishwasher while it is full just won’t work.
2. Remove the racks and and other compartments that can be removed from the inside of your dishwasher.
3. Wipe the bottom of the door and any dishwasher grates that you might have (the bottom part underneath the door). Often times dust and crumbs will accumulate here because water cannot reach there.
4. If you have a filter in your washer, it’s a good idea to clean it periodically.
5. Wipe the door seal and by soaking a cloth in vinegar, then wipe around the door seal. Make sure to get into the small areas with a toothbrush or Q-tip also soaked in vinegar.
6. Clean the utensil rack with a soapy toothbrush or dish brush. Then rinse and wash off the top and bottom racks of your dishwasher and put them back into the dishwasher.
7. Run an empty cycle with vinegar, this will help to remove hard water deposits and clean any other areas you may have missed during your cleaning. You can add 2 cups of vinegar to the bottom of the dishwasher and run the dishwasher. Stop the dishwasher halfway through the cycle, and let the vinegar stand on the bottom for about 20 minutes. Turn on and complete the cycle. * Please note that vinegar is acidic and should be used with caution.
8. Clean and polish the exterior, sides, and all buttons on the panel with a cleaner that is made for the type of surface that your dishwasher has, such as a stainless steel cleaner or an all purpose cleaner.
9. You’re all done! Repeat once a month or as needed. Now it is time to move on to other tasks in your home.
5 Steps to De-clutter Your Dresser
HOW TO:
1. Start with a Clean Slate
Get started by clearing everything off from the dresser top. Often times this works best by placing everything in an empty laundry basket or box. All done? Awesome! You probably had more stuff on there than you thought! Take a look at all that stuff in your basket. Now you know what you’re working with and what needs to stay and what needs to go.
2. Dump the Trash
Take all of the stuff that belongs in the garbage and put it there! Do it quickly too, otherwise it might end up in a different spot in your home.
3. Dust, Clean, & Polish
Take a couple minutes to wipe down the dresser top and sides. Give some special attention to any areas that have built up dust or stains.
4. Return Items to Their Correct Place
Now look back in your basket and start putting things where they belong. Some of those items may need to be placed right back on your dresser, but this time they will stand free of the other junk that was originally there.
5. Make it a Habit
It will be easy to let your dresser get cluttered back up. Come up with a simple plan to keep clutter off your dresser! This can be done by having a “junk drawer” or a decorative dish that where you can place your smaller items such as keys, lip balm, etc.
Ever had this experience before? 🙂
Have a home in Scottsdale that could use a good cleaning? We can help with that. You can call us or schedule online to book your background check house cleaning team in the Scottsdale area and through the Phoenix Valley.
Is it time to clean your room? Can’t get your head in the game? We’ve created this article to give you a few easy cleaning steps to get your head in the game and get your room cleaned. Here you go! The game plan we recommend includes three steps: (1) pick up, (2) wipe down, (3) vacuum out.
Game Plan for Cleaning Bedrooms
Step 1 – Pickup
This step involves picking up garbage and recycling materials and putting them there they belong. This step also includes quick organization of objects in your room and taking other objects out of your room (ones that don’t belong there). As you go around your room, look from top to bottom and scan left to right for any items that need to be moved or trashed. Any items you don’t need in that room can be placed in a bag or empty laundry basket as an easy way to clear the junk. Just make sure you put those object in their right correct places after you finish with your room. Next you should pick up clothes, sort the the dirty clothes from the clean ones and fold the clean clothes. Check your sheets and remove them if they are dirty and replace them with fresh sheets.
Step 2 – Clean
This step is all about the cleaning. To clean your room effectively, start by dusting up high and working your way down towards the floors. When you reach other surfaces, you can wash or wipe them with with a microfiber towel and an appropriate cleaner.
Step 3 – Finishing Touches
This step puts the final touch on cleaning your room. After you have organized, dusted, and cleaned the surfaces in your room, make sure to sweep and vacuum your floor (mopping if necessary).
Stainless steel is a preferred material in kitchen appliances because of it resistance to corrosion. This popularity has also translated to it use in bathrooms. If you one stainless steel appliances you already know how well they can withstand time and use, this is of course as long as you give them the appropriate care and maintenance. Cleaning for stainless steel is pretty straight forward but we have a couple tips that will make sure your appliances look great.
If your appliances are in pretty good shape, it could be all you need is a little warm water and a clean cloth. This is by far the safest way to clean your stainless steel without the risk of ruining the finish. Just damo you cloth with warm water and clean the the steel following the grain of the finish. Once you’re done dry to the surface with a clean towel (microfiber works best) following the grain of the steel. Make sure to dry it right away as the minerals in the water can leave little water spots.
Let’s pretend for a second that your appliances are perhaps a little dirtier and you need a little extra cleaning power. For jobs like this, warm water and a mild detergent can go great ways. You can start with a little bit of detergent and gradually add more to the mix if needed. Just like with plain water make sure to rinse and dry right after you’re done; this again to avoid leaving any water marks.
One of the main concerns people have with their stainless steel appliances is how easy it is to leave fingerprints all over. When getting rid of these a little glass cleaner will do the magic. Spray a little glass cleaner on a microfiber cloth and gently scrub the fingerprints away. Alway try to follow the grain of the surface to avoid an off-looking finish.
In some cases, especially if there is scratching or staining, it is a good idea to use a stainless steel cleaner/polish. This type of products focus on accentuating that shine we relate to stainless steel. Like with any new product, make sure you go over the instructions before you apply anything on your appliances. It is important to clean the surface of the appliance before using any polish, this is to avoid scratching the finish. Just like before, make sure to use a clean microfiber cloth to absorb any excess product.
Whenever you are getting ready to try a new cleaning product or process it is always recommended to start with a small inconspicuous area, asses the results and if pleasing move on to the rest of the surface being cleaned. As with any “finished” surface it is always best to take your time and judge the quality of the cleaning job before moving on to the big stuff.
At the end the best way to keep your stainless steel looking great for longer is through cleanliness and maintenance; make sure you keep those two things constant and your appliances will keep that great look and feel you love.
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Online booking is simple and easy. First, you give us all of the pertinent details about your home and what type of house cleaning you require. We provide several different custom cleaning options for you to choose from. Then, it’s time to enter your zip code and take a look at our handy online calendar to find a date and time that work best for your schedule.
From there, all you need to do is confirm your booking with our house cleaning service and you are ready to experience our quality cleaning service providers for yourself. Just sit back, put your feet up and they will take care of your house cleaning needs. Everyone could use some extra free time to take care of other important aspects of their life and we pride ourselves on providing it for you.
Our customer service is second to none. Every cleaner that we work with goes thorough a background check and the cleanings are insured. When it comes to house cleaning in Phoenix, we are always among the highest rated and our pricing structure is simple and easy to understand. We believe in providing flat rate pricing to all of our valued customers.
In the event that you are not totally satisfied with the cleaners we send and their ability to have your house looking its best, we are more than happy to send out a second cleaner to get the job done right, at no additional charge. Our services are available to a variety of Arizona residents. The service area we cater to not only includes Phoenix, but Scottsdale, Mesa, Gilbert, Chandler and Paradise Valley.
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Cleaning Your Home Makes You Healthier
When trying to avoid sickness cleanliness is basic. There is of course factors outside our homes that will inevitably lead to sickness a couple times a year, if not more. The fact of life is that you will get sick, and if you do not take the appropriate measures the rest of your family will get sick too. Getting sick may be inevitable, but you can always prevent disease from spreading by disinfecting surfaces and following healthy habits.
You probably already know that hand-washing is the single most efficient way to prevent the spreading of illnesses like the common cold. What you might be forgetting is that in most homes people use the same towels to dry everyone’s hands. Hand towels should be replaced as often as possible during this time to avoid spreading bugs around. Consider paper using paper towels as well; this is not a very ecologically friendly approach, but it is an option to be considered.
Our second recommendation would be to maintain a clean bathroom. After all that is where most of us will be washing our hands. Keep your sink handles and toilets clean to avoid more cross contamination. Another good idea would be to limit yourself to use one bathroom and avoid maintain this habit until everybody is feeling better.
If you have little ones that have fallen ill, a good thing to do would be to clean and disinfect toys and play areas. You may do this on a regular basis already, but it is especially important to maintain toys and common areas disinfected. Along with the idea of cleaning toys, make sure the “toys” of the older children are also clean. Of course we are talking electronics: Keyboards, TV remote, and video game controllers are great things to keep in mind.
If you are sick enough to miss work, you will probably spend a good time of your “time-off” stuck in bed. You need to make sure your sheets and pillow are clean and disinfected after your get better. You want eliminate the source of the illness altogether; you probably don’t want to sleep on dirty sheets anyways. While you’re at it you might also want to flip your mattress.
Another benefit of maintaining a clean home is the comfortable feeling you get walking into a tidy place. If you are already feeling down, the last thing you need is to feel even sick in the space that you are in. Nobody wants to clean while under the weather, but the feeling afterwards is totally worth it.
Cleaning your home is not a bulletproof way to stay healthy, there are external factors that will eventually get you sick. Cleaning will make sure that you are not spreading the bug around your family and hopefully will shorten the time you spend under the weather.
