Portaillotus

Some people use reusable coffee filters on their coffee machines and that is amazing, however, most of us don’t really pay much attention to this appliance… In fact, most of us have never even cleaned our coffee maker.

But this has to change – after all, you use your coffee maker every single day. This appliance helps you get through the day and wakes you up in the morning – so why neglect it? You need to clean it and take proper care of it so that it lasts you a long time and is hygienic! Yes, your coffee maker is a breeding ground of germs, it’s covered in hard water build-up and it probably has mold in it… I know – it doesn’t sound pleasing at all.

This is exactly why you need to regularly clean the coffee machine’s filter – so it’s spotless, free of any germs, and mold. Not only will a clean coffee maker provide an amazing flavor of your coffee but it also isn’t dangerous for your health.

Does Your Coffee Taste Weird?

One of the easiest ways to figure out whether your coffee maker needs to be cleaned is by the taste of the coffee. If it has a weird, bitter, sour, and even metallic taste then it’s time to clean the filter!

How To Clean The Filter?

Now, I recommend rinsing it with warm water after each use.

Then once every few weeks, make sure you deep clean the filter. Do that by filling a bowl with equal parts water and white distilled vinegar. Soak the filter in there for at least 30 minutes then rinse it very well with warm water in order to remove the vinegar residue.

Yes, this is how you clean the filter of your coffee maker. It’s super easy and you won’t spend a lot of time on it. At the same time, you will have amazing coffee taste and a long lifespan of your appliance!

Hydrogen peroxide is one of the most powerful natural ingredients you can use to clean your home. It’s even more effective than vinegar – and we all know that vinegar has become the natural ingredient everyone uses and swears by.

I, however, don’t really like vinegar. I have never liked it due to that terrible smell but I wanted to get into making my own cleaners so I had to find an alternative to vinegar.

I Make An All-Purpose Cleaner

I love this recipe and I have been using it for over a year. Most homemade all-purpose cleaners contain vinegar but this one has hydrogen peroxide in it!

I fill a spray bottle with 1/2 cup of hydrogen peroxide, a cup of water, and 2 tablespoons of lemon juice.

And just like that I have an all-purpose cleaner that is powerful yet can be used on any surface in a home!

The Best Bleach Alternative

Sometimes I use bleach to whiten my clothes but I wanted to find an alternative because I don’t like how toxic bleach is.

Now, in order to whiten my clothes, I just mix a cup of hydrogen peroxide with 1/2 cup of baking soda, 1/4 cup of lemon juice, a few drops of lavender essential oil, and 8 cups of water (yes, you need to dilute the hydrogen peroxide in order to avoid damage on your clothes).

I Make A Floor Cleaner

The next amazing recipe I will share with you is about a floor cleaner – one that doesn’t have vinegar in it which makes it safe to use on just about any floor.

Mix equal parts of water and hydrogen peroxide in a bucket. That’s all you need to do. Dip your mop in the mixture and start cleaning. Not only will your floors be clean but disinfected as well!

I Clean My Toilet With It

If you want to clean and disinfect your toilet then mix equal parts of hydrogen peroxide and water in a spray bottle and use it as a cleaner.

Spilling red wine on your carpet is terrible – not only do you not know what to do but you are afraid that the stain might not be removed. I have been there, I have spilt red wine on my carpet, and I must say this carpet was my favourite thing in my living room. I loved it so much that I had to find a way to treat the stain. I had no idea how to remove it but I did know one thing – if I grab a paper towel and start rubbing the red wine then I will drive the stain even deeper.

After spending a lot of time browsing on the internet and asking my friends if they knew any cleaning method which will be able to get rid of red wine I finally managed to remove it successfully – and I will share with you how I did that!

How To Remove Red Wine Stains From Your Carpet?

You need to prepare the following ingredients:

• Soda Water
• Baking Soda
• A few cloths
• An empty bowl
• A vacuum cleaner

Start off with gently dabbing the excess liquid with a clean cloth. You want to absorb as much as possible without scrubbing so that you don’t make an even bigger mess.

Then grab the soda water and pour a small amount of it on the affected area. Let the water fizz for a few seconds then grab another clean cloth and dry the area.

Next, get the baking soda you prepared and sprinkle it all over the affected area. Let it sit for 1-2 minutes (so that it can absorb the liquid) then vacuum the powder but make sure you leave a bit of the baking soda.

Continue with pouring a small amount of the soda water once again then massage it into the affected area with a cloth.

The stain should be removed at this point, however, the area will be wet. Grab the baking soda once again and sprinkle it on top. Let it sit overnight so that the powder will absorb any liquid that is left behind. In the morning use your vacuum cleaner to get rid of the powder!

You can find bean bag chairs in almost every home. Some people use them as decoration and some people like to take the outdoors either in their yard or when they want to have a picnic somewhere.

They have become so popular that you can find them in just about any fabric – suede, vinyl, leather, cotton, microfiber, etc.

Today, I wanted to talk about how to clean them and which cleaning method you should apply on your bean bag chairs. Of course, it mainly depends on the fabric it is made out of so keep that in mind!

How To Clean Your Bean Bag Chairs?

There are two things you need to do on regular basis – use a vacuum cleaner on a weekly basis to remove any dirt, crumbs, and impurities and clean up spills as soon as they happen. Of course, these two things should be done to any upholstery – not just your bean bag chairs.

Now that we got that out of the way – let’s start with the cleaning!

The first thing you need to do is to check the care tag. It’s the best way to figure out how to take proper care of your bean bag without damaging it!

Then it’s time to remove the washable cover. Check for any stains or spills that you need to remove before you throw the cover in the washing machine. If you notice any stains immediately treat them with a stain remover.

Then throw the cover in the washing machine. Keep in mind that you need to allow it to air-dry rather than using your dryer!

What If Your Bean Bag Is Leather?

If that is the case, then you should avoid throwing the cover in the washing machine at all cost. Instead, damp cloth in warm soapy water and gently wipe the surface.

Once you have covered the entire bean bag, allow it to air-dry. Then you need to apply a leather conditioner in order to maintain the leather soft.

What If Your Bean Bag Has Faux Fur?

Wash the cover in your washing machine on the lowest spin cycle possible. Avoid using your dryer and allow it to air-dry.

Once it’s clean and dry, mix a teaspoon of hair conditioner with two cups of warm water in a spray bottle. Spray the mixture on a small area and use a comb to untangle the fur.

When you are done, use a damp cloth to wipe the cover and let it air-dry again.

There are so many common cleaning myths that people believe and do. I myself am guilty of doing some things on this list in the past but ever since I understood that they are myths and actually aren’t doing any good I stopped.

Don’t worry because I will tell you exactly what you should stop doing.

Cleaning With Bleach Is Effective

If I have to be honest in the past I used to think that cleaning with bleach is the most effective way I could deep clean certain items in my home. But it turns out that bleach isn’t even cleaning at all – it’s disinfecting but it’s not cleaning.

As you probably know the two are completely different things. Cleaning is removing dirt, dust, and impurities off of a surface while disinfecting is simply getting rid of the bacteria.

This is why you should be mindful of how and why you use bleach. If you are trying to remove grit and dirt from your sink or bathtub, for example, you won’t be able to do it with bleach!

Cleaning Windows Should Be Done With A Newspaper

This is a very popular cleaning method of cleaning windows, however, it’s ineffective and will actually leave streaks on the window as well as some ink from the newspaper.

And even if this hack was effective a lot of years ago it no longer works due to the material today newspapers are made from.

Dusting With A Dry Cloth

Dusting with a dry cloth is completely useless. When you really think about it all you are doing is dragging the dust which means that it will travel to your floor and other surfaces in your home.

In order to get rid of the dust properly you need to use a damp cloth – so that the moisture can trap the dust.

Cleaning Everything With Vinegar

If you are a huge fan of using vinegar as an all-purpose cleaner than you should know – there are a lot of things you should never apply vinegar on due to its acidity.

Never clean hardwood floors and marble/ stone countertops because the vinegar will damage them!

Ink Stains Can Be Removed With Hairspray

This is another cleaning hack that has worked in the past but is no longer effective. Why? Well, in the past hairsprays were made with alcohol. Now, they are alcohol-free.

And the only reason why hairsprays were able to get rid of ink stains in the past were indeed because they contained alcohol. So the next time you need to remove an ink stain just grab some rubbing alcohol instead!

There have been so many cleaning hacks all over the internet where people clean their home with coca-cola. Can this drink actually get rid of rust? Can this liquid actually clean your toilet? Well, today I decided to put these cleaning hacks to the test and see whether they work or whether they are a complete waste of time!

Can You Clear Clogged Drains?

This hack is really popular and people seem to love it which is why I wanted to try it so much.

An ingredient in Coca-Cola is phosphoric acid which usually prevents mould and bacteria growth but it can also be used to break down natural substances like the ones stuck in a drain.

I read somewhere that the liquid should be at room temperature and that it won’t work if it’s cold so I followed those instructions and poured a bottle of cola straight down the drain. I let it sit overnight then I poured boiling water and it did seem to work!

Can You Clean Your Toilet?

This hack went viral a few years ago and I must admit that I have tried it in the past – however, I remember I didn’t quite like the results.

But I wanted to give it another try so I poured the liquid in my toilet and allowed it to sit for a few hours. It is said that the acidity in the cola will eat away the impurities and stains but once I came back an hour later I was introduced by a sticky mess in my toilet.

I spend way too much time scrubbing the cola and trying to remove it from the walls of my toilet. There are way better ways to clean your toilet so this cleaning hack is a no for me!

Can You Get Rid Of Rust?

Usually, rust is really hard to remove so I was really excited about this hack.

It is said that Coca-Cola can eat away rust which makes sense due to the acidity. I had a necklace which I wanted to remove the rust from. I soaked it in cola overnight and I was surprised to see that this hack worked. It didn’t remove the rust completely but I saw some improvements!

Making your own cleaners using different interesting recipes which contain nothing but natural ingredients is really fun and it will save you a lot of money. Also, commercial cleaners tend to have harsh chemicals in them which I do not like – and my allergies do not like them as well!

Another great benefit to homemade cleaners is that you can literally make a cleaner for everything – from an all-purpose cleaner to floor cleaner, to even something like a jewellery cleaner.

How to make your own jewellery cleaner?

You need to prepare salt, baking soda, dish detergent, and hot water. That is all! I know you already have these ingredients in your home so this is another plus!

Now, grab all of the jewelry you want to clean, get a bowl and cover it with aluminum foil.

Combine all of the ingredients in there (a tablespoon of salt, a tablespoon of baking soda, a tablespoon of the dish detergent, and a cup of the hot water). Mix well!

Place the jewellery in there and allow them to soak for 10 minutes. Then grab an old toothbrush and scrub the items one by one. When ready – rinse them with water and dry them with a towel.

I find upholstered headboards to be able to completely transform a bedroom making it much more stylish and sophisticated.

However, there is one downfall – cleaning them! You usually don’t even think about cleaning your bed, right? I mean you do take care of your mattress every once in a while but the actual bed? Well, if you do have an unholstered headboard then this should be added to your to-do list!

How to clean them?

Vacuum them on regular basis!

This plays a huge role in their maintenance. By vacuuming them you will remove the accumulated dust and dirt which can cause damage over time.

So the next time you pull out the vacuum cleaner and clean the floors – take care of the upholstered headboard as well!

How to remove stains?

Even if vacuuming upholstered headboards is enough to keep them clean you still might experience stains which require special cleaning methods to be applied in order to remove them.

Start with checking for any fabric code from the manufacturer which will tell you how to clean the stains.

• S means that you can’t use water – only a dry cleaner.
• W means that you can clean with water-based cleaners or upholstery cleaners.
• W/S means that you can both clean with dry cleaners and water-based ones.
• X means that you should not use water-based cleaners.
• F means that you need to use “foam cleaning” which is a special type of dry cleaning.

Now that we got that out of the way you need to continue with determining the stain. Is it because you leaned against the headboard with wet hair? Did you spill juice? Food?

If the stain is wet and you just spilt something you should immediately soak as much as possible with a towel, cloth, etc. Do not allow the liquid to dry into the fabric!

If the stain is greasy/ oily then you can sprinkle baby powder or baking soda and leave it for a few hours. The powder will absorb the grease. Continue with vacuuming it then treat the area with a mild detergent.

Suede is a huge part of our lives but we all know what nightmare it is to maintain it good looking. We all don’t even want to think about getting it dirty and having to clean it.

But it sometimes is necessary. The good thing is that suede is actually not that hard to clean and you can do it using natural remedies you already have in your home anyways.

If you happened to stain suede know that you should be very fast with cleaning it otherwise it’s possible you might not succeed.

Removing stains from suede?

The most common stain that occurs on suede is water, especially on shoes. Simply grab a clean towel or a kitchen roll and wipe the stain. Keep in mind that you should be gentle and do not apply too much pressure otherwise you may cause the stain to settle deeper.

Remove grease stains from suede?

Do you have a sofa that is suede? It’s quite possible you experience greasy stains on it. Maybe your kid touched it after eating before washing its fingers. Whatever the case may be you can use baking soda to remove the stains. Simply blot the greasy stain and apply some baking soda leaving it for a few hours so it can absorb the stain.

If you remove the baking soda and the stain is still there, I have another trick you can try. Grab white vinegar, damp cloth with it and rub the stain.

Clean blood stains from suede?

If you are dealing with bloodstains on any suede surface, grab hydrogen peroxide, apply some on a cotton ball, and dab the stain until you fully remove it.

If the stain doesn’t seem to completely go away you can apply a very small amount on the hydrogen peroxide onto the stain directly and let it sit there for a few minutes.

I definitely am not a fan of cleaning. Especially the deep-cleaning part where you cover every small area of your home. One of the things I used to hate cleaning was my sink. I knew I needed to do it from times to times but I always found myself postponing it because I hated it so much. Monster Cleaning, a cleaning company which I always book whenever I need extra help or I don’t feel like cleaning, told me a hack that I couldn’t wait and share with you (The gave me consent, of course). It completely changes everything.

Basically, it’s a recipe for a scouring powder. It only has three ingredients making it so easy to make. You need citrus peel (dried and ground finely), baking soda, and salt. This will remove dirt and grime so easily. And it also smells so good.

So how can we make it?

The ingredients you need:

Peel of one grapefruit/ orange (if you use orange, use a large one)/ lemon (use two large ones)/ clementines

Baking soda (2 tablespoons)

Salt (3 tablespoons)

Once you prepare what you will use

Take the peels and tear them into small pieces. Leave them somewhere dry and warm so they can dry quicker (I usually leave them beside my fireplace).

This process might take a day but it might take a couple of days. The peel needs to be hard and dry.

After that place them in a blender. You need to turn them in a fine powder. Add the baking soda and salt and place them in a jar. That’s it – you are ready.

How to use it?

The first thing you need to do is test it – that’s what you always do regardless of what you use. If you are happy – proceed with sprinkling the powder onto where you want to clean. Get a damp cloth and scrub the area. Add more powder if needed. Once you are content with the results – rinse it down.

This powder works great on ceramic sinks and toilets. For the acrylic baths/ showers or metal sinks – it can be too aggressive. If you need something more gentle swap the salt with a borax substitute. If you do decide to use borax make sure you really rinse it since it’s very hard to remove once it dries.

Where should I store my powder?

Keep it in a jar. You can use it for around a month.

You have recently bought a house with a patio and now you are wondering how exactly you should clean and maintain it. If that is your case, don’t panic and keep reading because we have some very helpful patio cleaning tips from you.

Always start by removing the clutter from your patio. This means that you must throw away all the rubbish that is located on your patio and put in place all the items that are on your patio but don’t belong there. Next you must sweep or rinse your entire patio until all the dirt, dust, debris and leaves are removed from it. Now check you see whether any weeds are growing through your patio. If you notice weeds, remove them immediately. You can remove the larger weeds by hand and the smaller weeds with the aid of kitchen knife. You can also sprinkle salt or spray weed killer onto your patio to kill the weeds permanently.

If your patio is made out of concrete you can clean it by making your own cleaning detergent. Simply mix one cup of bleach with a liter of water into a bucket. If you don’t want to use bleach you can substitute it with brown soap but known that brown soap isn’t as effective as bleach when it comes to resilient stains and spots. Next dip a stiff brush in the bucket with the patio cleaning solution and begin scrubbing your patio. If you patio is too dirty, then pour your cleaning mixture onto the patio and allow it to sit for a couple of hours before you commence the scrubbing. Once you are done scrubbing rinse your patio with fresh clean water and allow it to air dry. The next day rinse once again your patio because sometimes bleach residue can be hard to remove.

If you patio is made out of stone instead of concrete then mix one cup of brown soap or soda crystals to a liter of water. Once your cleaning solution is ready, pour it onto your stone patio and start scrubbing. Once again use a stiff brush and scrub as vigorously as you can to removal all the stains and spots. Now let the cleaning detergent sit for about ten minutes and rinse your patio carefully with clean water.

If your patio is made out of wood then you should get a commercial wood cleanser and use it for the cleaning of your patio. Make sure that you read the usage instructions before you begin the patio cleaning. 

And finally we couldn’t have done it without the help of the good people from cleaningserviceslondon.net – probably the best cleaning company in London.

Many of the interior paint systems used today are water washable. However, you need to be very careful when cleaning the walls in order to avoid damage to the surface. If possible, check the cleaning instructions on paint canisters if you still keep them. If not you can always visit https://monstercleaninghorsham.com/ and be worry free.

Walls – Keep in mind that certain types of staining or soiling will not come off, and in order to avoid cleaning damage, it might be better to consider partial repaint. If you are able to clean the walls, here is what you need to do:

• Fill up a bucket with lukewarm water, get a soft sponge. In a spray bottle, mix half a litre of fresh water with one or two tablespoons of mild detergent.

• Spray a sparing amount of the water and detergent solution on the wall surface. It is best to work in sections. Once you treat a section of the wall, let the solution sit on it for five or so minutes. Wipe off any excess drips during the process.

• Gently dab the sponge over the treated sections of the wall. Wash out your sponge in the bucket after each use – this is essential to avoid water smears on the wall.

Let the wall air dry, don’t touch the surface while wet.

Wood Floors – wood floors aren’t too delicate when it comes to cleaning, but they don’t tolerate excess water either, so try and find the golden middle when cleaning them, here are a few pointers:

• Vacuum or dry mop the wood floors before cleaning them. The more often you do this, the less cleaning you will do. The longer hard particles and dirt sit on the floor, the more chance of damage to the floor’s wax or lacquer finish.

• If your wood floors are in decent nick, you can clean them using a damp mop, right after vacuuming. Remember the mop must be damp – NOT wet.

• In case you need to remove certain stains, treat them locally using only a small amount of dishwashing liquid, or a cleaning product recommended by the manufacturer or supplier. Wipe excess cleaning product properly in order to avoid staining when dry.

Scuff marks and scratches can be a problem to remove in some cases. In such instances, don’t treat the floor using aggressive cleaning solvents, and don’t subject the floor to rough mechanical cleaning. Consider professional cleaning and maintenance assistance.

Mattresses and rugs can be notoriously hard to clean properly if you are not using a professional company. Avoid frustration and risk of damage during cleaning with these easy to follow mattress and rug cleaning tips.

Mattresses – these tend to accumulate a lot of dust, mites and bacteria. In all instances you are better off using a mattress pad. This also makes cleaning much easier, here are the steps:

• Wash the mattress pad separately. Do this in hot water, at least once every two months. Anti-allergic mattress pads can also be washed.

• Vacuum the mattress itself using the vacuum’s wand or the upholstery attachment if you have one. Pay special attention to indented and buttoned areas where the most dust and bacteria accumulate.

• Make sure to vacuum the mattress on all sides, if necessary get an extra pair of hands to help you with turning the mattress around and back again. This will improve overall hygiene and reduce cleaning frequency. Having said this, the more frequently you clean the mattress the better. Turning and cleaning the mattress on all sides will also reduce uneven wear.

• –Staining of organic and chemical origin usually requires specialised cleaning methods as homemade stain removal treatments usually do more harm than good.

Rugs – whether natural or synthetic if your rugs are stain and damage free, then you shouldn’t have too much trouble cleaning them effectively using these straightforward tips:

• Place the rug face down on an old but clean bed sheet, do this on the floor. Vacuum the reverse side of the rug thoroughly. If your machine has a beater bar function use it at the lowest setting. Be thorough and don’t cut corners with vacuuming. When you are done with the reverse side flip the rug around and to the same to the top side.

• If the rug is not heavily stained, you can dab at dirtier patches with a soft cloth dipped in warm water. Wring out the towel well and keep a dry one nearby in order to blot out excess moisture. Do this several times.

• Grab a soft bristle carpet brush and dip it in fresh water, rinse it well and work it gently over the rug. This agitates the strands, exposes them to air and returns their suppleness or volume. The brush agitation will also remove any remaining dirt.

Removal of heavy stains from rugs and mattresses is best done using qualified help.