Your Stove Vent

By hellenwyeth on 2/11/09 9:32am
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When was the last time you looked above your stove? The vent and hood of your stove can take as much of a beating as your oven does. Everything that you cook on your stove top rises and if you use the fan when you cook like many of us do, you'll have some nasty surprises waiting for you up there. It is very important for your health to make sure that you keep this area clean as well as your oven and here's why.
 
Say you are cooking on your stove top even if you are just boiling water. The heat from your pot and the stove top rises and heats up your vent. When this happens, everything that has built up over time heats up too including grease that can and will drip down into whatever you are cooking. Mixed in with all the build up is dust and germs that are going right into your meal that you are preparing and when the fan is on it gets spread around even more.
 
Cleaning your vent is a pretty easy job in itself. It doesn't take long but may require some flexibility on your part if you can't move your oven out of the way. In this case you will have to lean over it. Out of your caddy, grab either your Scrubbing Bubbles or Power Paste.


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Easy Clean Oven

By hellenwyeth on 2/11/09 8:41am
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To be honest, I hate cleaning the oven. Even more so when it has been a while since it's been done. Not always at the top of the list since it's easy to go with the out of sight out of mind routine, it still needs to be done. 
 
Back to the caddy, grab your can of Easy Off. This first step is the easiest but when you do it, make sure that you are going to be dedicated to finish the job not matter how big of a mess your oven may be. Use the Easy Off to pre-spray even if your oven is only moderately dirty. This will make your clean up much easier and require a lot less scrubbing on your your part. Easy Off is great to use because it gets the job done and it doesn't have those dizzying fumes. It is virtually odorless and you won't even notice it while you are spraying or while it is sitting. Make sure to give every inch of the oven a good coating including the oven racks and the inside of the door.


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Streak Free Windows

By hellenwyeth on 2/10/09 2:53pm
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During the winter months our windows tend to get neglected since we aren't using them as much especially if you live in the Pacific Northwest. The winter season usually brings us more rain and clouds than sunshine as well as cold weather. Without the sun shining through the windows we don't notice the filth that has built up on the glass nor do we even bother to look at the tracks of the windows since we aren't opening and closing them. Even though we don't see the filth right away, make your spring cleaning easier by keeping up with it year around.
 
Pull up your blinds and draw back your curtains and get to work. Grab your Windex, some of your old rags that haven't been washed with fabric softener and your 5 in 1 or flat head screwdriver. Using rags that have been washed with fabric softer, especially if you add more than the recommended amount, will not absorb the Windex and can leave lint behind as you try to wipe away. Spray your windows down as well as the tracks, starting from top to bottom. Fold your rag and start in the top corner of the window and wipe from left to right, pull the rag down and then go right to left.


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Don't Avoid Your Blinds Anymore

By hellenwyeth on 2/10/09 2:10pm
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Blinds can be horrible to clean putting them at the top of the list of what is probably one of the dirtiest things in your house or apartment. Do you like to burn candles or do you smoke inside? In addition to the dust and possible mold build up, smoke damage from your candles and the nicotine from smoking can build up fast creating a huge project. I won't lie, if it is the first time you have touched your blinds in months, the job will by no means be quick and easy but I can give you a step by step plan to get you through it with out having to fill the bathtub with bleach water and pulling your blinds down to soak.
 
Before getting everything together to clean your blinds, look them over to see if they are even worth your time to clean. Sometimes, I have been in places where the previous home dwellers didn't bother to ever even look at their blinds let alone clean them. When they are this bad, I would toss them and have them replaced. When they are that bad and that far gone you may as well just start over.


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Unanswered Questions

By hellenwyeth on 2/10/09 10:35am
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Over time I hope to get as many tips and tricks out there as possible to help out with all of your cleaning needs. However, it is very likely that you will have some questions of your own that I haven't covered. To remedy this situation and get you the tips you need when you need them, you can email your questions to cleanquestions@gmail.com 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. You Clean will get back to you as soon as possible with a solution to help you out.

Check in with the blog to get the answersto your questions and those of others in the Q&A category located on the right of the page. All messages are checked regularly to make sure that You Clean is on top of it. It wouldn't do much good if you had a question on how to get that stubborn stain out of your evening dress when you need it to wear that night. So drop You Clean a line and let us know what your cleaning woes are and how we can help.

Don't feel comfortable sending an email? No problem, just leave You Clean a comment.

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The Perfect Cleaning Caddy

By hellenwyeth on 2/10/09 10:19am
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To do a cleaning job right you need to have the appropriate tools and cleaning products. Granted my cleaning for vacated apartments and rentals needed to be super detailed, there is no reason why you shouldn't learn how to do the same; especially if you are a renter yourself. Cleaning in all the nooks and crannies now and keeping up with it will help you out when it's time to move on and get your deposit back. (For a full walk through on what you need to look for if you are moving out of your rental check out How to Get Your Cleaning Deposit Back on Rental Talk).
 
First you will need a cleaning caddy or bucket or whatever you have around the house that you like to use to keep all your supplies in one place. Keep in mind that whatever you do chose to use, it may end up having some damage done to it due to the cleaners that you will be keeping in it.


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The Stress of Good Housekeeping

By hellenwyeth on 1/29/09 8:42am
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No matter what the size of your house or apartment, cleaning thoroughly or just in general can be a daunting task for anyone. Spending hours on scrubbing out the oven and refrigerator makes the task a huge turn off for most and with good reason. The job still needs to get done and the longer you let it go, the bigger the task is going to get.  
 
We've all tried cleaning product after cleaning product wanting to believe in it's promises of making the dirty, time consuming task go quickly and easily. But it doesn't take long to find out the reality of the fairy tail story it portrays after we have already flushed more money down the toilet. Don't write off all cleaning products yet. There are several out there that do what they say to do, you just have to know how to use them properly. Learning to use them right will save you time, money and the dreaded back ache resulting from being hunched over and scrubbing.
 
Put your worries at rest because I'm here to help. As a seasoned and professional cleaner, I'm going to help you find the right products to use and the secrets to using them right.


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