We know all the places to vacuum.  Rugs, carpets, baseboards, ceiling fans, and more. But do you really need to vacuum your refrigerator coils?  And if you do, why?

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Black tea has been used to mop quite a few hardwood floors in its history. Use the tanic acid in the tea to clean the floors and add shine to a dull old hardwood floor. As with all cleaning solutions for your floors, start by mopping a small area in a hidden spot to check for discoloration. Do not use tea to mop laminate wood flooring. Always follow manufacturer’s instructions for best results. To mop your hardwood floor with tea, boil a pot of water and add 5-6 tea bags to the water. Turn off the heat and allow the tea to sit and steep for around 10 minutes. Carefully pour the tea into your mop bucket. Add cool water to lower the temperature if needed. Place your mop into the tea water and wring out thoroughly. You do not want a soaking mop. Mop the floor as you would normally, using the tea water as your mop water. Allow the floor to dry.

Odor Removal

Use green tea leaves to deter odors in your refrigerator. Add green tea leaves to a bowl and place uncovered in the refrigerator. Even pungent garlic and onions will be absorbed by the tea leaves. If you’ve diced up something smelly, try rubbing your hands with tea leaves to remove and absorb the smell.

Microwave Cleaning

Boil water and add a few green tea leaves to steep after you’ve removed the pot from heat. After it is cool enough to handle, use the tea water to wash down the inside and outside of your microwave. It will help remove odors and add a fresh smelling clean to your microwave oven.

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I’m amazed at all the creative uses for things my readers come up with. So, I know I can count on you to share with your fellow readers.  Share a green cleaner that has cleaned really well for you.  It doesn’t matter if it’s a manufacturer’s product or your own homemade recipe, we want to know what green cleaners work for you.

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Even the most careful cook sometimes finds that they’ve drizzled a little something on the burner. Usually the smoke and smell are the first indication that a spill has happened. So how do you clean an electric coil burner that’s been drizzled on?

Difficulty: Average

Time Required: 20 minutes

Here’s How:

1. Remove the completely cooled burners.

   Once the burners have completely cooled, remove them from the cook top area. Most burners unplug from the main part of the stove. If you have questions about how to remove your burners, refer to your manufacturer’s instructions for best practices.

2. Begin with dish soap and water.

   Use a cleaning cloth and a mild dish soap and water to try to remove residue at first. Because the burner coils cook off most food that comes into contact with them, a mild wipe down is often all that is needed. Don’t submerge the burners or any electrical portion in water.

3. Remove stuck on food.

   If mild dish soap and water wouldn’t remove stuck or burnt on food, try making a baking soda and water paste to gently scrub residue off of the electric burner coil. Really tough stains may benefit from allowing the baking soda paste to sit on the burner for up to 20 minutes, before scrubbing. Be sure to rinse thoroughly.

4. Clean the drip pans.

   If your cook top has removable drip pans, this is the time to remove and clean those as well. Dump out any charred remnants of food. Wipe them down and replace them before replacing the burners.

5. Maintain the burners.

   For regular maintenance of electric coil burners, just wiped down the burners at the same time you wipe down the top of the stove.

What You Need

• Cleaning cloth
• Mild dish soap
• Water
• Baking soda

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Question: What Is the Difference Between All Purpose and Multi Purpose Cleaners?

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The Bottom Line

People with allergies and sensitivities to harsh cleaners should try Kaboom Shower, Tub and Tile cleaner. It offers good cleaning ability without the need to wear protective masks and clothing. It works well on almost all of the surfaces of your bathroom making it a convenient cleaner. The foaming action is powerful enough for moderately dirty bathrooms, and perfect for maintenance. Overall Kaboom packs a powerful punch without being as harsh on your skin and breathing.

Pros

• No harsh fumes that make cleaning unbearable
• Foaming action clings to surfaces loosening dirt.
• Can be used for multiple surfaces in the bathroom.

Cons

• Really dirty surfaces may need a harsher product, or more elbow grease with this one.
• No bleach, which makes mildew removal more difficult.

Description

• Test in a hidden spot first.
• After applying to surface, or to sponge, allow to sit for 2-3 minutes.
• Wipe and rinse thoroughly. Don’t allow it to dry on the surface.
• Repeat as necessary.

Guide Review – Kaboom Shower, Tub and Tile Cleaner

The foaming action is really great with Kaboom Shower, Tub and Tile cleaner. Some purchasers may be turned off by the retail price of around 5 dollars. Remember though that this cleaner works on your tub, shower, doors, sink, tile, and more. It cleans nicely without being harsh on you. Normally when I clean a bathroom, I leave a window open and a fan pulling air to ventilate to make sure I can breathe and see while I’m cleaning. Even without my standard ventilation, Kaboom Shower, Tub, and Tile cleaner didn’t make me cough, cause my eyes to tear up, or make my skin feel irritated. My 5 year old daughter normally runs to another room to avoid the smell when I clean the bathroom, but her only comment was, “Hey. It doesn’t smell thick.”

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The Bottom Line

The Scotch-Brite Bathroom Floor Cleaner is a great disposable option for the bathroom. It features a trianle cleaning head that can rotate 360 degrees. It reaches under cabinet fronts, behind toilets, and into tight corners. The cleaning pads do a fantastic job of gently scrubbing linoleum, ceramic tile, laminate, vinyl, finished wood and more. Hair, lint, and grime actually cling to the pads instead of being swished around on your floor. This is a great bathroom mop.

Pros

• The unique shape allows cleaning in tight and oddly shaped places.
• The disposable pads scrub well and pick up a lot of dirt.
• The handle is telescoping to give the right level for comfort.

Cons

• Although disposable cloths are nice, price can become an issue.

Description

• Starter Kit includes four wet refills, handle, and cleaning head. Assembly is easily accomplished.
• The Starter Kit retails for $ 12.99.
• Refills retail for $ 3.99.

Guide Review – Scotch-Brite Bathroom Floor Cleaner

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Water temperature when rinsing dishes is just as important. Rinsing water will ideally be around 170 degrees. This temperature insures that dishes will air dry quickly reducing streaks and spots. 4 Reasons to Wash and Rinse Dishes in Hot Water

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1. Chlorine Bleach: 11-13

Photo Credit: Thinkstock Images / Getty Images

Chlorine bleach nearly tips the scale all the way to the top of the alkaline level.  Because it’s near one of the ends of the PH scale, we know it is corrosive and will require you to use proper ventilation when being used.  Bleach is not safe to use on many surfaces including some fabric types.  Do not mix bleach with other types of cleaning supplies or chemicals.  On the other hand, bleach is fantastic at whitening and removing stains.

3. Oven Cleaner: 11-13

Most oven cleaners are just as alkaline as ammonia giving them great power to cut through tough grease and grime.  Of course at the top of the alkaline scale extreme care needs to be taken when using oven cleaner.

6. Baking Soda: 8-9

Photo Credit: Lukas Creter / Getty Images

Baking soda is an alkaline substance, too.  But just barely.   Because baking soda has enough alkalinity to power through grease and dirt, but not enough to make it corrosive, it can be a great option to use in many places in your home.

7. Mild Dish Soap: 7-8

Photo Credit: George Doyle/Getty Images

When it comes to neutrality…mild dish soap usually hits the mark perfectly.  If your dish soap is labled mild, gentle, or great for hands, chances are its PH level is somewhere right around 7.  This mildness makes dish soap perfect for day to day cleaning.  Most surfaces won’t be damaged by dish soap, and there are a lot of places it can be used besides in the kitchen sink.

10 Places to Use Dish Soap

10. Lemon Juice: 3

Photo Credit: Steve Wisbauer/Getty Images

Lemons, like vinegar are very acidic.  And while there are many surfaces like copper pots and drains who benefit  from the acidic cleaning and fresh lemony smell, there are others that can be damaged.  Take care with using lemons on stone surfaces or near grout.

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Cleaners can claim to be green, great for the environment, or natural. But how do we make sure of what we are buying? What exactly does 100% natural mean? These tips can help you decide which cleaning products are really green.

Know about risky ingredients.

Educate yourself about common ingredients in today’s cleaners. Take the time to understand what all of those indecipherable letters mean. Knowing what exactly is in your cleaners will allow you to find out about the risks associated with those cleaners. This will allow you to make a confident choice. Check out the National Institute of Health’s database to search for information about your household cleaners, how they should be handled, and their potential hazards.

Check the cleaner’s environmental claims.

Catch-phrases like “environmentally friendly”, “environmentally safe”, and “biodegradable” all sound really great. But they are not as great as very specific claims that can be checked. Something that is made from 100% plant based ingredients is better than a cleaner that claims to be made from just natural ingredients. Look closely at the claims from your cleaners and, if needed, investigate further by contacting the company and asking more questions.

Don’t be dazzled by some claims.

Many companies make claims that, while true, aren’t exactly impressive. While you might be impressed that your cleaner contains no CFCs in order to protect the environment, what the company isn’t telling you is that CFCs have been banned from aerosol products since the late 70s. Likewise phosphate-free may sound great, but with the exception of dishwasher detergent, most household products have been phosphate free for the last 2 decades. Don’t be dazzled by claims that are really only the bare minimum of what the law requires.

Check the MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet).

Still worried about the impact of the cleaning products you’ve chosen? Take a moment to search online for the products MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet). This sheet will probably give you more than you bargained for. But along with the very specific information about the cleaning products flash and boiling points, you can find a lot of useful information, including potential hazards. More and more companies are creating online libraries of their MSDS product information. A quick search may give you even more information than you ever wanted to know.

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