The easiest way to dust your home.

We all have to dust our homes sooner or later. After a while dust builds up on flat surfaces everywhere. This can make those surfaces look dirty and dull. When left alone, dust can actually cause scratching and damage to your tables and shelves. Dust is also the cause of allergies and breathing problems for many people. If you dust regularly, you will not only be protecting your furniture, but your family members will benefit also.

What is Dust?
Dust is some pretty gross stuff. Its comprised of human skin cells, fabric fibers, pet dander, dust mite excrement, regular dirt, pollen, hair, debris and micro particles.

by Gail Metcalf

Microfiber cleaning rags have been around for about ten years now. When I first heard about them they were being sold through distributors in an MLM business. Since I had a professional house cleaning business, I couldn’t see how they could benefit me due to the high cost.

But I’ve been wondering more and more, could these really benefit the professional cleaners? So I’ve been doing some research and what I found should certainly be shared.

What is Microfiber? It is an ultrafine synthetic fiber that is very strong and lint free. Each fiber is split during manufacturing, providing specific benefits. The density of the fibers make the product very absorbent with the ability to hold up to six times its weight in water, and the microbifers have a positive charge that attracts dirt and dust, which has a negative charge. Not only do the micrifibers attract dust and dirt, they hold it tightly so that it is not redistributed while cleaning.

The pros and a few cons regarding popular microfiber mops and cloths

Although Europeans have been using microfiber cleaning tools for about 20 years, the technology hadn’t caught on with the U.S. cleaning until a few years ago. Manufacturers claim manmade microfiber materials, manufactured by chemically splitting small polyester and polyamide fibers into even tinier fibers, provide a superior cleaning capability compared to traditional cotton mops.

You take a fiber about the size of a human hair and it’s basically split into 16 different segments says Dave Maurer, vice president of Geerpres, Muskegon, Mich. Because they are so small, microfibers can get into surface pores and crevices, whereas cotton mop materials are too large for deep cleaning.

The abrasiveness of the fiber really cleans dirt out of the surfaces, says Bruno Niklaus, vice president of global marketing, Unger Enterprises, Inc., Bridgeport, Conn. Through the many thin fibers, it sucks up dirt much better than any other mop.

Pet Urine and Pee Stain Removal
Anyone who has a pet may be faced with the possibility of having a urine stain on their carpet, floor or clothing. You know exactly how it happens. The minute you turn your back, your pet decides that your new carpet is the perfect place to relieve himself. You try every cleaning product, but you can’t get rid of that smell, and in many cases a stain still remains. Traditional cleaners and infomercial “wonder cleaners” are usually disapointing, and can sometimes make the stain worse. Urine stains are also some of the worst smelling messes out there and leave gross looking, long lasting stains. When left alone, pet urine can seep through your carpet and down into the padding, then to the floor beneath. Pet urine can delaminate a carpet and may cause the carpet backing to rot. Even after a thorough cleaning, pet urine stains and odors often remain.

All types of equipment have LCD monitors. GPS display panels, laptops, computers, vehicle dash board screens, portable debit card machines, and industrial hand held devices are just a few pieces of equipment that use these screens. LCD TV’s are also becoming increasingly popular in homes all over the country. Reguardless of where it is though, all of these display screens require cleaning due to the build-up of dirt, dust and fingerprints over time.

LCD screens are very sensitive and require special care when cleaning. You need to make sure that the cleaning product you use won’t end up damaging the LCD screen. We all know that LCD monitors are fairly expensive to replace. Don’t let yourself be haunted by a bad decision that results in ruinig your LCD Screen forever. Cleaning an LCD Screen can be rather easy if you are using the right tool. If you own LCD equipment and aren’t sure what to use when cleaning it, we would like to recommend a proven cleaning method.

by Debi Harris

Many people use a vast array of chemical-laden household cleaners and products around the home on a daily basis.

What they may not be aware of is the fact that many of these chemicals can be damaging to their health when inhaled. Apart from the inhalation aspect,skin irritations often occur when coming into contact with many chemical cleaners.

How can adding a load of chemicals to your home environment be good for your health and cleanliness. They may kill off the germs, sure, but human beings are gradually going to kill themselves off too, if they continue in this way. Many people aim to keep their homes a germ-free environment, but if our homes are kept so germ-free that our immune systems no longer have to work as hard, we run the risk of weakening our immune systems.

If you drink a lot of coffee, like I do, then you will need to clean your coffee maker once in a while. Yes, coffeemakers need cleaning just like anything else. There are commercial kits that you can buy specifically for certain brands of coffeemakers but you really don’t need those. If you are starting to notice a funny, stale taste, or a decrease in coffee temperature, then you are past due for a cleaning. Your coffee pot is probably dieing to be cleaned. There is no need to put off this chore because it is really simple and you don’t need anything more than ordinary tap water and some white vinegar.

Fabric Softeners
Cuddly at any Cost?

Jenn Farrell

Sunny alpine meadows, cuddly teddy bears, pristine streams…

These compelling images are all used to promote commercial fabric softeners.

All promise to make our clothes, bedding and towels softer, better smelling and free of static cling.

Fabric softeners have been around for more than 50 years but it was in the 1970’s, when synthetic fibers were popular, that single-use dryer sheets were introduced to battle static cling. Fabric softener usage became common in North American households.

Fabric softeners work by changing a detergent’s negative electrical charge back into a positive, reducing static. They also coat fibers with a film that fluffs fibers and often scents the fabric.