How to Clean a Dryer Duct

Posted on January 27, 2012 by admin

One of the most essential cleaning jobs you need to do at home is cleaning the dryer duct and its components. In doing so, your home will be protected from any fire incidents because the fire hazards buildups inside the dryer duct have already been taken out. Below are important information on when, how to, and how often should you be cleaning the dryer duct.

Signs that It’s Time to Clean the Dryer Duct

There are two important signs that you need to watch out for which indicates that it’s already the right time for cleaning the dryer duct.

1. When it takes longer than usual to dry your clothes. Because the dryer duct is not venting out correctly, it will either take more time to dry your clothes or your clothes are still damp after the usual length of time of drying them.

2. Your clothes are too hot to handle. Clothes are suppose to be warm when they come out of the dryer but not too hot to handle with bare hands. If you notice something different with the temperature, then it’s time for cleaning the dryer duct.

How to Clean the Dryer Duct

Here are the ways to clean the dryer duct properly and effectively.

1. Locate the place where the vents do exit outside of your house. Raise the flaps and clean out the deposits of lint completely through the opening. If you notice that the vent won’t raise up correctly, then it may be the right time to replace it with a new vent.

2. With the help of a vacuum cleaner, cleaning the dryer duct is not that tedious anymore. Attach the long, narrow, and thin vacuum wand then insert the vacuum into the vent as far as possible. Remove first the lint screen before inserting in the vacuum. The vacuum will take out any loose lint that are collected inside the vent.

3. Dependent on the unit type of your dryer, you may either have to raise the top or open a panel in front of the duct to ensure that all the lint inside the dryer duct are removed completely.

How Often Should the Dryer Duct be Cleaned?

Cleaning the dryer duct should be scheduled once or twice a year or maybe more depending on the quantity of laundry you are doing with it. But an average amount of laundry will require a yearly cleaning for your dryer duct. A clean dryer duct will ensure that your home is safe from potential fires and will lengthen the life of the appliance.

How to Clean a Camper Canopy

Posted on January 26, 2012 by admin

If you are preparing for a camping trip soon, it is best to check your camper canopy early on. Being not in use for months, camper canopy will become moldy especially if you just store it away without cleaning it after your previous camping trip. Then cleaning your camper canopy will be your first priority for your upcoming camping trip.

Preparation Tips Before Cleaning Your Camper Canopy

1. Move your camper canopy to a large space where plants, furniture, and other belongings are not within the awning area. The use of water and cleaning agents may cause damages to your belongings if not move out from the place of cleaning.

2. Check the weather first and make sure that it’s not raining on the day that you’re cleaning your camper canopy. Camper canopy needs to be dry before keeping it away for future use.

3. Protect yourself especially if you are sensitive to the cleaning agents you are using. Wear goggles to protect your eyes from water splashes and rubber gloves for your hands.

Things You’ll Need

- Garden hose
- Long handled brush
- Step Ladder
- Cleaning agent specifically designed for the material type of your camper canopy

Cleaning Procedure

1. Cleaning your camper canopy is a lot easier if you work on it section by section like a three-foot section at a time. Begin while the camper canopy is still in its retracted position and pull out about three feet of it. Once you’re done cleaning the first section, move to the next section until the entire camper canopy is fully cleaned.

2. If your camper canopy has pollen, dirt, and other common trash, the use of warm water with mild dishwashing detergent is all you’ll ever need. But if there are molds and mildews present, cleaning your camper canopy with a diluted bleach solution or a commercial mildew cleaner is a requirement.

3. Wet the section that you are cleaning with water using the water hose. Once wet, apply the cleaning agent on the surface and scrub it with a soft brush. Let it stand for about 10 minutes and rinse it with clean water. Let it stand again for a few minutes and rinse it again with clean water the second time around. Let the camper canopy be completely dry before retracting it to be keep safely.

4. Cleaning your camper canopy with water and detergent is not enough to prevent the mildew from coming back. You need to wash your camper canopy with a mixture of white vinegar and water regularly like once or twice in each year.

How to Clean Ear Wax

Posted on January 25, 2012 by admin

Referred to medically as cerumen, ear wax is a yellowish substance that serves a number of important purposes, which include providing protection for the ears from insects, fungi and bacteria. However, it has a tendency to build up and harden, especially if the ears are not cleaned for a very long time. This can actually cause significant discomfort, pain and danger to many people such as hearing impairment and occlusion of the external auditory canal. In order to avoid these undesirable medical conditions, it is good to learn how to clean ear wax.

Materials Needed

This moderately easy task requires a number of materials. These include a syringe, an eyedropper and warm clean water. It is always good to have healthy ears that function normally. You can easily free yourself from the danger, pain and discomfort caused by the build up of excess ear wax or cerumen by following these simple and easy-to-follow steps.

Procedures

First, lean your head towards one side. In this position, one ear is facing upwards while the other ear is facing downwards. Next, get the eyedropper and then fill it with warm clean water. Apply a few drops right into the ear that is facing upwards. As much as possible, use water that is closest to normal body temperature because this will feel more comfortable than applying water with colder temperature. After doing this, the cerumen will soften because it is a substance considered as water-soluble.

According to some ear health experts, the efficiency of water against cerumen is comparable to that of ear wax removal drops, which are usually available in drugstores. Because water is safe and effective in removing cerumen buildup, the American Academy of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery Foundation continues to recommends its use to many patients.

After applying some drops on one ear, keep the head tilted for at least 10 minutes. This will eventually soften the earwax. In addition, this particular step also makes the method of ear irrigation more effective. In a clean bowl, pour in some water, preferably one that is clean and warm. Get the syringe and then fill it with the liquid.

After tilting your head for approximately 10 minutes, return your head to its normal position. Use the syringe to irrigate the ear. The warm water is enough to remove ear wax from the ear canal. After irrigating, position the treated ear facing a downward direction. This move will allow the excess water to drain out. Simply repeat the same steps for the other ear. Enjoy cleaner, healthier and better performance from your ears.

How to Clean Upholstery

Posted on January 24, 2012 by admin

We all invest a lot of money on our home especially on our furniture. This makes cleaning upholstery and fine furniture quite sensible. Taking time to clean these cherished pieces of furniture gives you the assurance of being able to enjoy them longer. Keeping them clean on a regular basis will increase the life of your upholstered furniture. Cleaning upholstery will only require a few basic cleaning items and bit of careful effort.

Needed Equipment

You will need the following basic things in cleaning upholstery and furniture. You’ll need cleaning cloths, one or two electric fans, detergents, dusting brushes, plastic bucket, a vacuum cleaner, plastic scrapers, and a vacuum brush attachment. These will come in handy for basic dirt accumulation on your furniture. However if the stains have stuck real good or if the upholstery shows signs of discoloration or shrinking then you might want to call professionals to their job.

How to Clean Upholstery/Furniture

Go over the following steps in cleaning upholstery and upholstered furniture. The first step to clean upholstered furniture is to remove all loose cushions. It doesn’t matter if you’re cleaning your love seat, sofa, couch, or even your favorite chair. You must remove any and all loose cushions and other attachments before you begin cleaning your upholstered furniture. Cleaning will just be made less complicated if you do.

The next step to clean any upholstered furniture is to loosen up any dirt or stain you can find. Use a dusting brush in order to get things done easier. Bring out your vacuum cleaner to remove any dirt that has been shaken off. You should also attach a brush attachment to your vacuum’s hose to help get rid of any loosened dust particles.

Be sure to vacuum all sides and surfaces of the upholstered furniture you’re cleaning. Once you’re done with your main furniture, it’s now time to vacuum the attachments and loose cushions you removed earlier. Reattach these onto your furniture when you’re done.

Here are the steps to cleaning upholstery with deep-seated dirt or stains that brushing and vacuuming alone can’t remove. Using an electric mixer, whip up a cup of warm water and a fourth cup of detergent until it foams. Grab some of this dry foam and apply it to an inconspicuous section of your furniture. If color fading or shrinking occurs, then it’s time to call a professional cleaner to remove deep seated dirt or stains. If none of these occur then apply this to the stained spots or deep seated dirt.

Use a cleaning cloth to rub the suds onto the stains/deep seated dirt. Use a plastic scraper to remove the dirty suds. Rinse the area you cleaned with a damp piece of cloth. Dry your furniture overnight with a fan blowing over it. These are the basic steps to follow when cleaning upholstery and other furniture.

How to Clean Vinyl Siding

Posted on January 24, 2012 by admin

The use of vinyl siding can make a house improve its aesthetic value. Furthermore, it also helps protect against the undesirable effects of changing weather. Primarily, its purpose is to shed water. However, it has a tendency to get dirty because of innumerable factors such as constant exposure to the sun, dust and dirt. Help maintain the beauty of your home by learning how to clean vinyl siding.

Materials Needed

After some time, you will need to clean the vinyl siding of your house. Although it is a highly durable construction material, it is still susceptible to wear and tear. Be able to prevent these problems from happening by gathering the different important materials and tools to get this moderately easy job started. These include soap, cleaning solution and long but soft-bristled brush. Additionally, things are much easier if you have a pressure washer and plastic sheeting.

Steps

Before cleaning, determine first whether the walls are truly made out of vinyl siding. Do not mistake this particular material with painted wood, aluminum siding and cement fiber. These materials need different types of cleaning methods. When cleaning, remember not to smear stains and dirt to the texture surface of vinyl siding. To do this, use a long but soft-bristled brush. If none is available, it is also possible to use soft cloth.

Get a large bucket and then prepare the cleaning solution. Mix a part of chlorine bleach with three parts of water. For tougher stains and stubborn dirt, other alternatives include reliable products such as Simple Green, Fantastik or just any liquid soap out there. When cleaning vinyl siding, it is good to start from the bottom all the way to the top. By doing this, the running and streaking of stains can be avoided easily.

When rinsing, it is good to start from the top all the way down. In case there are bricks along the way, apply some sheeting on them to prevent staining. Rinse well until there are no traces of cleaning solutions left.

Additional Tips and Other Helpful Information

For stubborn stains as well as hard-to-reach areas, it is best to use pressure washers when cleaning vinyl siding. With the help of leading commercial products, it is very easy to stop the development mold and mildew. Be careful with the cleaners that you use. Significant damage to the vinyl siding is possible when using inappropriate products such as furniture cleaners, liquid grease remover and organic solvents. Use proper safety gears when cleaning like protective goggles and rubber gloves.