How to Do Things » How to Clean

How to Clean Leather

editor — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 04:41:28 +0000

Raw animal hide and skin, primarily from cattle is tanned to create a flexible and durable material called leather. The primary difference between the leather industry and the fur industry is that leather industry is a by product of the meat industry as meat has a greater commercial value whereas the meat is a by product of the fur industry as fur has a greater commercial value. There are many types of leather available such as, aniline leather, artificial leather, bonded leather, chamois leather, morocco leather etc. The trouble with leather is cleaning it. In the guide we will see how to effectively clean all your leather possessions.

First step is to get together all the supplies you will need. You will need any gentle/mild hand wash soap, a length of soft cloth, a little olive oil and water. You can use the water running from the tap. It is very important to test cleaning a small unnoticeable corner first to check for side effects. Some soap might react with particular kinds of leather and dry or lighten or darken the leather once cleaned.

Now you are ready to start cleaning. Prepare the soft cloth by moistening it and then applying a little bit of soap to it. Do not apply soap directly on the leather. Also do not use large quantities of soap as it might ruin your leather. Always squeeze out the extra water from the soft cloth before applying soap to it as the cloth has to be moist only and not dripping wet.

Rub the soft cloth against itself for a bit to let the soap be absorbed and spread over before you start cleaning. Now slowly and gently rub the cloth against the stain on leather. Do not overdo. Let a light lather form and rub until the leather appears cleaner than before.

Now take another piece of soft cloth, and moisten it like the first one. Use this piece of cloth to wipe any soap left over on your leather during cleaning. Remember even finished leather is not completely water proof and hence it should never be washed directly under a tap or any sort of running water. Leather is easily damaged when it absorbs water and hence make sure the soft cloth contains minimal amounts of water, just enough to clean off the soap.

Bring out another piece of soft cloth. Make sure this one is completely dry. Use this piece of soft cloth to remove any excess amount of water from the surface of the leather. Let your leather item sit for a while now till its completely dry before moving on to the next step.

Now for the last step to make your leather look all shiny and new. Cleaning with soap removes the natural oils in the leather giving it a dry and old look. This is what the olive oil is for. Take another piece of dry soft cloth and pour a couple of drops of olive oil on it. Too much olive oil will make your leather sticky and greasy making it easy for dust to settle on. Only apply a tiny amount of oil. Now use this cloth and rub it on the surface you just cleaned to oil it a bit. When finished it should look exactly like the leather next to it. If its turned out to be shinier or darker after the oiling you have done, you have used way too much oil.

This method of cleaning leather is extremely effective and can be used on any kind of leather, from belts, watches, car seats to sofas.

Related Tags: how to clean bonded leather, how to treat bonded leather, how to get the smell out of moroccan leather, bonded leather cleaner, clean bonded leather, bonded leather care, how to clean white bonded leather, how to remove something sticky from bonded leather sofa

How to Clean Silver

editor — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 06:33:54 +0000

For thousands of years silver has been used to make utensils , ornaments, to carry out trade and even as the base for monetary systems. The value of silver as a precious metal has always been considered second only to gold. The chemical symbol of silver is Ag which is derived from the Latin word for silver, ‘argentum’ where arg means white or shining. Silver has been used and known for thousands of years. It even finds a mention in the book of Genesis which indicates that silver was separated from lead from as early as 4th BCE using crude forms of surface mining. This metal has been attractive for ages thanks to its beauty and elegance. Unfortunately though silver is pretty fragile and quickly stains or develops scratches. Cleaning silver can be scary as nobody wants to ruin their precious possessions. In this article we will see how to easily clean silver to keep it shining forever without having to visit a silversmith.

Cleaning:

Always clean your silver immediately after use. Silver that is rarely used usually gets tarnished. So wash your unused silver often with warm water (do not use hot water) with a mild detergent (make sure its phosphate free).

Do not wash silver with your other utensils as other metal utensils can scratch your silverware. Also never use rubber gloves when washing silver as rubber will cause silver to corrode. Make use of a soft cloth and gently clean the silver, and then dry immediately with a clean soft towel.

Polishing:

Polish your silverware regularly. If and when silver develops tarnish simply hand washing might not be sufficient to remove it. The safest bet is to use specially created silver polishes to polish your silver, especially if your silver is an antique piece or has beautiful intricate designs carved on it. Follow the instructions on the polish religiously.

Take a bit of soft silver polishing sponge or cloth which is included in the silver polish packaging and apply a bit of polish on it. Rub it gently over the silver. Always rub in a straight line in and back and forth motion. Do not scrub or clean in circles, let the silver polish do its job.

Once done, rinse under tap water. Always rinse under running water. Now take another bit of soft clean cloth and wipe the silver dry.

Bathing:

You can also give your silverware a bath to keep it clean. There are silver dips available which dissolve stains without having to rub the silver. Dips are usually harsh and dangerous chemicals and hence professionals hardly ever actually soak silverware in these, and when they do its not for long. When using a commercially available dip always follow the instructions carefully so as not to harm your silverware or yourself. However you can also make gentle silver baths at home which can get rid of tarnish and or stains by electrochemical reactions. Although such baths or dips can clean your silver well its not recommended to use it with oxidized silver or silver with French gray finish.

Heat up some water and dissolve huge amounts of salt into it. Dissolve salt till the water can take in no more. Alternatively you can use washing soda. Use aluminum foil to line up a vessel and pour the water into this vessel. Place silver within this bath (clean the silver with soap first) for about 10-15 minutes. This should dissolve the tarnish away. If the stains are stubborn, remove the siver from the bath, clean it with soap and a soft damp cloth and re immerse it in the bath.

Storage:

Lastly but most importantly store your silver correctly. Storing silver well is the best way to preserve silver. Always make sure each piece of your silverware is completely dry before you but it away. Wrap each piece of your silverware in an acid free tissue or anti tarnish tissue/paper. Keep a canister of silica gel in your storage place to keep moisture and humidity away. Do not store silver in places where it can come in contact with stainless steel or rubber or any sort of paint.

Related Tags: how to clean silver vessels, cleaning silver vessels, silver vessels cleaning, how to wash silver vessels after use?, how to wash silver vessel shining, how to make clean the silver vessels, how to keep vessels clean and shine, how to keep silver vessels from tarnishing

How to Clean Xbox

editor — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 08:59:34 +0000

Xbox is a Microsoft released video game console. Its name derives from DirectX box. Xbox is Microsoft’s first release as a gaming console intended to directly challenge Sony’s Play Station 2, Nintendo’s GameCube and Sega’s Dreamcast etc. Xbox also integrates Xbox live service which allows players from all over the world to compete with each other online. The Xbox was the first gaming console to have a hard disk, primarily used to store save games and downloaded content from Xbox Live. This eliminates the need for separate storage media such as memory cards. An Xbox also allows user to rip music from normal standard music CD’s to the hard disk, and these songs can be used as custom sound tracks in most games. Here are some tips to keep your Xbox clean and in perfect working condition.

Warning: Do not try to open and service the insides of the Xbox or Xbox 360 yourself as this will void the warranty provided by Microsoft. Its important to keep the warranty seal intact to ask for warranty.

Modifying or stripping your Xbox or Xbox console or even removing or tearing off the warranty seal will null and void your warranty.
An Xbox or Xbox 360 requiring repair or service of any sort should be take to a Microsoft service center after calling the Xbox customer support.

To clean your Xbox or Xbox 360 console follow the following steps:

Wipe your Xbox or Xbox 360 console regularly with a clean and dry soft cloth and keep the surface as well as the bottom clean.
Do not let the Xbox or Xbox 360 console tip over, to avoid this, wipe the rubber bottom end of your Xbox with a clean dry cloth.
First step is to unplug your Xbox or Xbox 360 console from its power outlet.
Only clean the surface with a cloth. Do not insert foreign objects inside the ventilation outlet as this will prevent the hardware from cooling adequately reducing the life of your console.
Only use a dry and clean cloth. Use of any abrasive pads, solvents, detergents, scouring powders or any other areosol or liquid cleaners will only harm your console. Solvents include gasoline, paint thinners, benzene or alcohol etc.
Additionally never use laser lens cleaners or any other similar products. Its recommended to not use any kind of cleaners while cleaning your Xbox or Xbox 360 console.

To clean your Xbox or Xbox 360 controller follow the following steps:

Unplug your controller and set it on a dry and clean surface like a coffee table.
Grab a few toothpicks and a few ear buds (cotton swabs).
Pick up a toothpick and take a good look at your controller. Look for hidden dirt in nooks and corners and use the toothpick to scape it off. If you are unable to remove the dirt with it or if its out of reach use a pin or needle to loosen it up first. Make sure you are careful and do not damage your controller.
Clean the back and start buttons as well as the triggers using this method.
Once done run your toothpick along the side seam on the bottom and top half of your Xbox or Xbox 360 controller.
If the controller has stains, rub a little bot of alcohol on the cotton swaps and brush with it until the stain is no more.

Following the above given steps will not only keep your Xbox or Xbox 360 clean but will also make sure you do not lose the warranty cover.

Related Tags: flash factory los angeles web design, xbox cleaning services, xbox cleaning service, white stains on bottom of xbox 360, what can you use to clean the hard cover of an xbox, restoring rubber on xbox controllers, how to cleaning cookies out in xbox, how to clean the reading needle on xbox 360

How to Clean Engine

editor — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 10:07:32 +0000

Cleaning your car from the outside is pretty easy and everyone does it. Its a great way to keep the car shiny and to show off. But what about under your cars hood? The all important engine is left as it is for years on end. This reduces the life of your engine as well as reduces performance. An unclean engine will leave you covered in grease and grime even after a simple tune up. Hence it is important to keep your engine clean too. Here are some tips that will help you keep your engine clean even after years of use.

Dirty slimy mechanicals are always a pain to work on. Simple things such as an oil leak can be impossible to find if your whole engine is covered in dirty black gunk. Even simple maintenance can turn to a nightmare. And to add to the trouble parts will turn slippery and will become impossible to handle while focusing on work at hand. Use a flathead screwdriver to scrape off dirt hidden away in tight nooks and corners. A small wire brush will also work well to scrub away dirt hidden away in corners.

Use compressed air to blow clean the engine. If you do not possess such a cleaner buy a misting nozzle available commercially which will fit perfectly at the end of a garden hose you might have. This will be useful to blow a small and fine spray of water in extremely minimum quantities and at a low pressure so as not to cause any damage to your engine. Using a high pressure and/or high volume water spray will cause damage to your engine and should be avoided. Make sure you use water spray only on components that do not have any electrical wiring or that are non-vulnerable to water.

Before starting out with a spray of water, cover all the water sensitive parts of your engine such as air inlet holes, air filters, breather caps or oil filler caps with plastic or some other water resistant material. Put in effort to cover these up as you do not want to cause damage to your engine. Make sure you also cover up electronic parts to avoid short circuits.

Place a large pan underneath the car to ovoid environmental pollution. Start by scraping away the dirty chunks of grime covering your engine. Continue till all the grime is scraped off and then apply a degreaser all over. Now is the time to rinse your engine. You can use a spray bottle to spray on water. Be generous and completely wet the dirtiest areas. Let it soak in foe a few minutes and start scrubbing the engine when still wet.

After you have scrubbed of all the dirt rinse clean with water or use a compressed air spray. Take care so as not to blow the dirty water and grease right back on you or anybody nearby. Make sure you wear protective gear. After rising off all the grime you scrubbed off in the first round take a look again. You are sure to have missed some dirty spots. Repeat the whole procedure, first my scraping the dirt, applying a degreaser, spraying with water, scraping some more and then finally washing it off. Have some patience as this is a tedious process. Repeat if necessary till you have a clean engine.

At the end of the process the pan you left underneath should have collected all of the dirt, grime and water. Leave the pan in a sunny area so the water evaporates. Carefully dispose off the left over dirt, grime and oil so as not to cause an environmental hazard.

Once the engine has completely dried off remove all the plastic or bags covering all the sensitive parts. Start the engine to check for problems. If everything was done carefully you should have no problems and the engine should run fine. If it doesn’t look for places where water could have gotten. More often than not the ignition system is the culprit. Take utmost care to avoid such a situation by being extra careful during the initial cleaning process.

If everything is done well you should have a clean spotless and shiny engine. If you are planning to sell your car its a good idea to clean your engine first so as to impress potential buyers.

When all goes well, what will be left is a spotless and possibly shiny engine. Your clean machine will look better, be easier to work on, and considerably less frustrating. If you’re planning to sell your vehicle, a clean engine will definitely impress potential buyers.

Related Tags: how to clean engine oil leak, how to clean oil leak on engine, how to clean engine, how to clean oil leak in engine, how to clean oil leaks in engine, how to clean oil leak from a engine, how to clean oil in a car engine, how to clean oil an grease off small engines

How to Clean Gold

editor — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 10:34:42 +0000

Pure gold is extremely unlikely to tarnish. But pure gold is too soft to make jewelry out of and hence usually other metals such as silver or copper are mixed to make jewelry. The addition of these metals can cause your jewelry to tarnish as it allows reacting to oxygen, moisture and/ or sulphur in the air and will eventually turn your gold jewelry to a darkish black shade. Hence it is important to give your gold jewelry a regular cleaning. Here are some tips that will help you keep your gold shiny and new looking for life while avoiding the dangers of tarnish.

To clean gold without any other gemstones:

To clean your gold jewelry which does not have any pearls, crystals or any other gemstones put it into a container full of slightly warm water mixed with a mild detergent or a dish washing liquid. Gently rub the ornaments with a cotton swab or simply use your fingers. For really grimy or dirty ornaments, use a soft tooth brush. Be extremely gentle as gold is very easily scratched. Never use baking soda or tooth paste to clean any sort of gold ornaments as these cleaning agents are too abrasive and will harm your jewelry. Make sure you use only extra mild non-phosphate based cleaning agents.
Once done rinse your ornaments well with some warm water and then wipe with a soft and dry cotton cloth. Do not use tissues since they are made of wood which could scratch your jewelry. Let the ornaments air dry for a while, leave overnight if necessary. Moisture content can tarnish your ornaments and hence its very important for your jewelry to be completely dry before putting away.
If after cleaning you ornaments are looking a little dull rub them gently with a polishing cloth made specially for jewelry. Once again wipe with a clean and dry cloth and then put it away.

Using a machine to clean:

If your ornaments are still dark after the above process it might just need some machine cleaning. Many jewelers possess some kind of automatic cleaning machines, such as steam or ionic cleaner or an ultrasonic cleaner and have a lot or experience in cleaning jewelry. It might be a good idea to take their advice on that cleaning method to follow.
The machines available at jewelry stores will be more effective in cleaning gold equipment than the equipment sold commercially for using at home.

Cleaning by a professional:

Gold jewelry that is clean and yet doesn’t have a new shiny look or has been scratched might need some extensive and detailed polishing to look as good as new again. It might be a good idea to hand it over to a professional to clean in such cases. A professional will use abrasive paper and not a polishing cloth and hence is a job for a professional. Such a job will reduce the weight of your jewelry and waste precious gold and hence its a better idea to store the gold well in the first place.

Additional tips:

Keep each piece of jewelry separate from the other to avoid getting scratches.
To store for long periods use an air tight bag or roll it up in an anti tarnish tissue.
Keep you jewelry away from rubber.
Do not wear gold in a hot tub or a swimming pool as this contains ammonia which is bad for metal. Its a good idea to remove any ornaments before a bath too.
Do not use newspaper of cling wrap to store gold as these might contain sulphur
Remember storing gold properly will avoid any damage and you might never have to clean it in the first place.

Related Tags: baking soda gold teeth, can i use baking soda to polish gold teeth, clean out machines for gold, does polishing gold reduce its weight, HOW TO CLEAN GLOD THAT HAS BEEN IN SALT WATER, how to clean gold, how to clean gold ornaments, how too clean gold

How to Clean Suede

editor — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 08:57:12 +0000

Leather with napped finish is called suede. Although it could also refer to brushed or napped finish on various kinds of different fabrics. The word suede is derived from the French line “grants de Suede” which when translated means “Gloves from Sweden”. Suede is usually made from the skin on the under side of a lamb. Alternatively goat, calf, pig and deer skin is also used. Suede has a soft exterior layer of skin, unlike leather, and hence is usually less durable but is softer than normal leather. The thinness, pliability and softness of suede make it a great choice for delicate uses such as clothing. In fact the first use of suede was to make women’s gloves. Suede is also popularly used to make uphoslstery, bags, shoes and other such accessories and also as lining for normal leather products. Suede absorbs liquid and gets dirty quicly due to its texture containing open pores. Hence if you wear suede boots or shoes, you will notice that they get dirty quickly. Here are some tips you can use to clean your suede items easily and quickly at home while maintaining its inherent looks and beauty.

Steps:

During rains or in certain situations you shoes may collect mud. To clean it wait for the mud to dry. Buy yourself a suede brush and use it to brush off the now dry dirt off your shoes. Always make sure your suede shoes are well dried. When brushing always brush the same way without changing direction (no going back and forth) and clean the dirt to make your shoes look as good as new.
Scrub your shoes vigorously with the suede brush. If your scuffs are extremely matted and do not respond well to the suede brush then try scraping that area with a blunt knife.
For stubborn stains and marks on your suede shoes try using a pencil eraser or a small bit of crepe rubber (the same rubber used to make most shoe sloes). Rub vigorously.
Wipe off excess water off your suede shoes with a sponge. This well help remove stains made by water. Leaving your shoes wet will definitely discolor suede. To get around this problem, wet a nail brush and apply a light coating of water all over the suede shoe. Obtain a dry cloth or a sponge and use this to clear off the water and now let the shoes rest for at least a whole night to dry off. Once your suede shoes are completely dry, use a suede brush and lightly brush your shoes to make them shine.
For unknown stains or oil stains first scrub throughly with a suede brush. Now use the nail brush and scrub the dirty stubborn oil stains with the help of warm water. Grease stains are a nightmare to get rid of off suede shoes so if you managed to stain the shoes really badly you might never get their original shine back.
Prevention is better than cure. Always protect your shoes. After buying suede shoes use a suede protecting spray and use it regularly after every cleaning. Always read the manufacturer’s instructions and follow them. Also before spraying suede protector sprays always make sure your shoes are clear of any dirt.

Related Tags: how to wash pig suede, how to clean suede lining, pig suede cleaning, how to get rid of dirt off suede shoes, how to improve suede, how to pig suede looks different from sheep suede, how to protect suede shoes from rain, how to wash lining of suede

How to Clean Aluminum

editor — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 10:29:01 +0000

Aluminum is one of the most freely found metals in our Earth’s crust. Although its not really useful on its own as its too soft, mixed with certain other metals such as magnesium, zinc or copper it can be used for almost absolutely anything. Aluminum is used to make anything from boats, motors, gutters, paints, electric works, pots and pans, machinery, utensils etc etc. Although aluminium is pretty resistant to corrosion it tends to gray out in a few months. This happens thanks to aluminums love for oxygen. In this article we will see some easy and home do able methods to clean your aluminum kitchenware and other aluminum objects.

Scrubbing: Scrub the hell out of it. Use some warm water and first clean the vessel. Use a detergent and a scrubber to scrub away the grime and dirt it might have accumulated. As aluminum forms aluminum oxide after combining with oxygen in the air it develops a dull gray color. Scrub hard to get rid of this. Clean the edges well. At the end of this process you must be left with plain aluminum without the dulling aluminum oxide coating.
Removing burnt food: Burnt food might stick to aluminum utensils. To clean this first boil some water in the vessel. Make sure the boiling water connects with the burnt food area. Use a wooden spatula to scrub off this food as the water boils. Boil for about 10 minutes before attempting to scrub to let give water time to do its job. You might need to repeat this process a couple of times to get it all off.
Breaking the acids: The simplest way of breaking aluminum oxide in a pan or a pot is to cook something acidic in it. Good choices are apples, tomatoes, lemons or rhubarb. If you don’t wanna cook or waste food then fill the pan with water and add a few drops of vinegar or lemon juice from about 2-3 lemons. Boil for at least 15 minutes. You might have to repeat the process many times before you get the result you desire. Small aluminum items can be immersed in larger pots and this method of cleaning can be used to clean them effectively.
Avoid abrasives: Using harsh abrasive materials to clean aluminum can result in scratches and make cleaning in the future difficult. Use good steel wool and only use it if you have no other choice. Never scrub in circular patterns.
For surfaces: To clean surfaces of aluminum items the method of cleaning is the same. The best way to clean is to use acids. This breaks down aluminum oxide and gives you shiny aluminum. Cut a couple of lemons and sprinkle some salt on it. Don’t rub way too hard as salt is abrasive and will leave scratches. Some bottled lemon juice along with an old rag will work fine too.

Thats it, follow the above tips and you will have all your aluminum objects to shiny new in no time at all. Just be careful as to not burn yourself when cleaning.

Related Tags: how to clean aluminium kadai, how to clean kadai, how to clean kadhai, aluminum objects, kadai clean, how to clean a kadai, dxt2369ub, how to clean my aluminium kadai

How to Clean Brass

editor — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 10:52:28 +0000

Brass is an alloy made up usually of copper, zinc and other metals. The primary purpose of brass is for decorations thanks to the lustrous and golden colour is carries. Brass is also used in many mechanical devices where its important to maintain low friction such as gears, locks, doorknobs, ball bearing, ammunition etc. It is also used extensively in many musical instruments like bells or horns or even guitar strings. Since brass is softer than most metals its used in fittings and tools dealing with high explosives. Just like anything else brass also tends to accumulate grease and dirt and could also tarnish over time. To restore the shining brass you once possessed to its original state follow the tips below.

Make sure you want to clean the brass. Just because your brass is tarnished it doesn’t mean that you need to clean it. Tarnished brass looks sexy on antique pieces and makes at much more attractive. If the brass piece you own is an antique valuable one, consider leaving it alone or passing on the responsibility to a professional cleaner. Remember that too much of cleaning can screw up your brass equipment.
Make sure the item you want to clean is actually made completely of brass. A good method is to hold a magnet nearby. If the magnet sticks it means that the object has either very little or absolutely no brass content. If the item is just brass plated you will have to be extra careful while cleaning as you do not want to wear out the brass plate.
Get some water and add some mild detergent to it. Use this water to wash the brass object. If the problem with the brass object is that its oily or plain dirty this should clean it up well. Use a soft cloth and dip it in the detergent solution. Using this cloth wipe your brass object clean. You can make a mild polish using a cup of water mixed with equal amounts of white vinegar and a cup of flour. You should use a soft toothbrush to get to hard to reach places or clean delicate carvings. Use the brush gently in order to avoid scratching.
Get hold of some varnish or paint remover. Use a paintbrush to get rid of lacquer. If your brass is tarnished and you want to remove it you have to polish the brass peiece first. Use a paint brush and apply the varnish or paint remover to the brass to clean it.
Use a brass polish, readily available at a local store, with a clean cloth to polish the brass object. Once done use another clean cloth and wipe the brass clean to make it shine.

Following the above steps will help you make your brass clean and shiny again. Once you brass object or artifact has regained the natural shine you sought, keep cleaning and dusting regularly to keep it good looking. This will keep your brass in great shape for years to come.

Related Tags: How to maintain shining of copper plate, professional brass cleaning, polish military brass, how to you restore brass to its natural state, how to restore tarnished brass, HOW TO POLISH BRASS STASTE, how to polish brass gears, clean tarnished brass

How to Clean Grout

editor — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 08:48:50 +0000

how to clean carpet

Grout is used as a glue to keep tiles usually made of ceramic firmly cemented in place. It also stops liquids like water from entering spaces around the tiles. The grout found around tiles is usually made of a compound made up from water cement and sand. It dries up really fast and becomes eventually turns rock hard. Its color is usually white but can be modified to be any other color you like. The issue with grout is that mildew and black mold will easily grow on this. These are not just ugly to look at but also pose a health hazard to people exposed to it. There are a few methods with which you can clean grout to make it clean and hygienic. Here are the steps.

Toothbrush Method: Use a toothbrush with some strong detergent or floor cleaners to clean off all the grout. This will be a lot of hard work. To make things easier for yourself you can use a fast electric tooth brush.
Grout stain: Use commercially avaialbe grout stainers to paint over grout mold. Although this will not remove the mold it will cover up the unsightly looks.
Natural solutions: There are a few herbal and environmental friendly ways of getting rid of grout mold. A solution of anti-fungal, two teaspoons of tea oil and two cups of water mixed together is a good mold killer.
Chemical cleaners: Chemical cleaners such as zep mildew stain remover and limeway are available at most local stores. Although not very healthy for the environment these can do their job pretty well. Using these chemicals combined with each other is not such a bright idea as a chemical reaction can result in noxious and harmful gasses forming.
Homemade solution: This method is the easiest and the cheapest. Get a spray bottle and some hydrogen peroxide from your local store. Mix hydrogen peroxide and water in a 1:2 ratio and fill up the spray bottle. Spray this solution on areas which have developed mold. You could alternatively use a bleach solution but this can cause the grout to turn yellow and look ugly. Do not wipe after spraying and spray regularly for a few weeks. Another option is using vinegar which seems to do the job equally well.

Removing grout:

If your mold is consistent and hard to get rid off, a better idea would be to completely remove the grout and replace it. Its good to do this before liquids are able to seep into the floor and rot the underside of your tiles. Buy a grout removal kit from your local hardware store (or online) and use this to remove all the grout. Once all the old stuff is out, you can start relaying the grout. You can mix grout with a little bit of latex to make it a bit more waterproof, keeping it safe from mold for longer.

Let the newly laid grout set for around three to five minutes. Now use a rubber float and force the fresh grout deep into the sides. Finally wipe with a damp but clean sponge. Once all of this is done get a grout sealing solution and use it to seal off the grout.

If after doing all of the above mildew wont leave you alone it might be more than just a surface infection. The mold might be already present under the tiles and grout or maybe even in the walls. You will have to cut through some tiles or your wall to get rid of this. Since this is a professionals job, now might be a good time to hire one.

Related Tags: bathroom grout cleaner philippines, environmental friendly solution to get rid of grout stain, how to clean tiles and grout philippines, I admire what you have done here I like the part where you say you are doing this to give back but I would assume by all the comments that this is working for you as well, mould killer grout, what will cause white grout to go yellow in 4 weeks

How to Clean a Bathtub

editor — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 06:29:08 +0000

Who doesn’t enjoy a nice relaxing bath in a bathtub? But tough and ugly stains can ruin your entire experience. It could be stains due to regular use or thanks to some bleach or a drain cleaner, read the following article to get rid of them all. After all, everybody deserves a good clean bath in a shiny fresh bathtub. When cleaning a bathtub, its vitally important to know what your bathtub is made of. The most popular types of bathtubs are enamel, acrylic and porcelain. Acrylic is a plastic like material and knocking on the bathtub should tell you if its made of acrylic or not. Enamel is popular in older bathtubs. Porcelain is the strongest and most durable material used for bathtubs and feels like a stone.

Instructions for Enamel type bathtubs:

Never use drain cleaners or bleach on enamel type bath tubs as this will surely leave stains. Bleach and enamel react instantly and leave behind unsightly and ugly rust colored brown stains. Mildew removers usually contain bleach which can also lead to ugly stains if let to rest for too long. Make sure you promptly wipe away any mildew remover sprayed on the bathtub.
Use mildew/ mold removers which do not contain any bleach (even 2% bleach will mess your tubs!). If you already made some stains dont worry, even if they wont come out by simply scrubbing there are some other easy methods to get rid of them. Remember drain cleaners also leave stains on enamel bathtubs.
If you already have mold/mildew remover or bleach stains use hydrogen peroxide, readily available at your local store, to help get rid of these stains. Pour some hydrogen peroxide in a bowl and use a paint brush to apply it exactly over the brown stains. Bleach stains will take longer to go away than the ones made by drain cleaners or by mildew or mold removers. Lime/rust removers will not remove bleach stains present on your bathtub.
If the stain is persistent and wont go away, try mixing about 2 parts of baking soda with about one part of hydrogen peroxide and mix it well. Now apply this paste over the stain and let it rest for an hour or so. Once done, wash it up with some plain water. You can use this same solution to make your bathtub sparkle. Apply the paste to the entire bathtub and then let it rest for about half hour, wash with plain water.

Instructions for Porcelain type bathtubs:

Abrasive powders such as Ajax or Comet along with a scouring pad and some elbow grease will clean and sparkle your bathtub. The dirt and grime that builds under the porcelain tub are effectively taken care of by this method.
First pour some Ajax or Comet on any stains if present. Add a few drops of water but not enough to make the abrasive not stick. Scrub this away to get rid of the stain.
Use pumice stone to scrub with for stubborn stains. Never use the stone or acrylic or enamel bathtubs as it will scratch them and destroy their finish.
You can make a solution of water with ajax or comet and apply it all over the tub. Let this rest for about half hour and then scrub away for a clean and sparky bathtub.
Alternatively you can use oven cleaners to clean your bath tub. This method can fade your porcelain tub so be extra careful and only use as a last resort.

Related Tags: how to clean enamel bathtub, how to tell porcelain from enamel, how to clean enamel bath stains, bleach on enamel bath, ajax to clean tub, bleach enamel bath, how to tell if your tub is porcelain or enamel, how to get rid of rusty bleach stain on bath