#MEwx Sunny, warm and a few clouds with chemical free cleaning for your flooring

Good morning Augusta

Click here to view weather readings in real time from my own personal wireless weather station.

This morning we have partly sunny skies with a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms during afternoon hours. Highs will be around 80°F with light and variable winds. 

Tonight we’ll have partly cloudy conditions with a slight chance of showers during evening hours, then mostly cloudy with a chance of showers after midnight with patchy fog. Lows will be in the lower 60s with light and variable winds. 

The outdoor temperature is 64.4°F, the dewpoint is 64.1°F and it feels like 64.4°F.

We didn’t receive any rain here over the past 24 hours.

Today’s sunrise is 5:55 AM, sunset is 7:34 PM and we’ll have 13 hours 34 minutes of daylight today. Moonrise is 10:18  PM and Moonset is 1:09 PM. The moon phase is in its third quarter and is xx% illuminated. Our next full moon will be on August 19 and our next new moon is on September 3.

The wind velocity is between 0.0 MPH and  4.9 MPH from the North Northeast.

The Relative pressure is 30.04, the Absolute pressure is 29.84 and rising with a weather graphic indicating sun and a few clouds.

The Humidity is 99%, the UV index is 2 placing the average person at moderate risk and the solar radiation reading is 237.0W/m2.

Visibility is 10.0 Miles / 16.1 Kilometers with sun and some clouds.

 

Here’s more from the book entitled the Room by Room chemical free cleaning book which is, like the others I’ve posted on this blog, free out there on the web. Enjoy.

 

Flooring

 

Throughout your home you have special needs for the many types of flooring that are available. When you take great care of your home flooring you will find

that it will last for years into the future. Having a few back up home clean up and maintenance tips, for your use as the need arises, will keep your flooring

looking good enough to lie down on and watch television.

 

While you might always be expecting the worst to happen when you have company over and sometimes it does actually happen, you can rest assured that your

flooring can be returned to the best shape possible by using the methods contained in this book.

 

As always because of different makes and types of carpeting and flooring, when using a new cleaning method in your home on your flooring, be sure to test

your floor surface in a out of the way space in case any action should turn colors or fade when using any of these tips and ideas in cleaning.

 

Carpets

 

If you have been having a dinner or lunch party, and one of your guests spills fruit juice or fruit pieces on your carpet or even on your tablecloth you

can first, blot up as much as you can, then sprinkle the area with salt. Allow the salt to absorb the fluid then vacuum up the salt, or shake the salt

off the tablecloth. Then wash the area with a cool soapy water to bring out the rest of the stain.

 

One of the most well-known stain fighters is club soda, if you have a food, blood, or another type of drink spilled on your carpet reach for the club soda

to pull the dirt and stain out. Simply pouring on enough cold club soda to cover the effected area, blotting and then repeating if needed will bring out

many types of stains.

 

You can get soot and smoke off your carpets by sprinkling a large amount of salt over the stain, letting it sit for about an hour and then vacuum thoroughly.

 

Bloodstain on your clothing or carpet.

 

If the stain is fresh and it is possible to soak an item then do so immediately in cold water and the stain will then just flow out so you can blot it up.

 

If it is more stubborn stain then apply a paste of meat tenderizing crystals and cold water. Leave this paste on for about an hour and rinse in cool water.

 

Remove fresh bloodstains by rubbing an ice cube over the stain, and as the ice starts to melt away, so does the stain. This is a fairly quick process. Then

you can clean your carpet as usual.

 

Remove a stubborn bloodstain by applying hydrogen peroxide, allowing it to bubble, then repeating the application until stain is gone. Launder your carpet

as usual. Hydrogen peroxide is the main ingredient in many of the commercial bloodstain removers.

 

Believe it or not, if you are having a problem removing blood from the carpet, pouring cold milk over the stained area will bring all the blood up to where

you can blot it clean!

 

If you don’t have any cold milk or peroxide in your home, you also have the choice to use ammonia to bring bloodstains up out of your carpet. Simply pouring

the ammonia over the area and blotting up with a towel or rag will get this stain out in just minutes.

 

You can use shaving cream to lift blood out of the carpet by squirting as low into the carpet as you can and then scraping it up with a credit card. Shaving

cream can be used for most dark colored stains on your carpet. Simply use the above method to lift the stains out. Reapply as needed while the stain is

still wet.

 

Pet Stains

 

If you are training a new house pet, or maybe your cat or dog got a little excited and had an accident on the carpet you can simply blot up as much as possible

with a paper towel, and then sprinkle on salt to absorb the rest of the pet pee. Then you can vacuum up and the mess is gone without a stain.

 

To clean after your pet has done more than pee on your carpet, you can get a towel or a plastic bag and pick up this yucky mess. Clean the area using vinegar

and then use salt to absorb any moisture left behind by the vinegar. This method will disinfect, clean and deodorize the carpeting after a pet mess.

 

Other Stains

 

You can bring up red wine stains by rubbing the stain with baking soda until the area is dry and then vacuum up the baking soda which will make your red

wine stain disappear.

 

If you have had a greasy accident mess happen right there in the middle of your carpet, you can save the carpet by using corn starch on the spot to absorb

the grease, be sure to use enough to cover the area completely let this sit overnight, and then simply vacuum up the next day. You will be amazed at how

the cornstarch has absorbed the grease. No cornstarch? Try talcum powder.

 

Do you have mold that is growing down your walls and in your carpet from moisture in your home? For example, in corners of closets or behind furniture,

you can use vinegar and spray it full strength on this area. After you have used the vinegar, sprinkle salt over the area to absorb the moisture of the

vinegar. Over the course you will need to do this task for three or four days, and after continued spraying the mold will start to die off and you can

vacuum up the salt to leave the area clean and mold free.

 

When grape kool-aid has been spilled on the carpet (or other bright colored children’s drinks) blot up as much as you can, sprinkle with salt to absorb

more of the liquid, if you are still left with any stain, pouring cold milk or club soda over the area will pull up this sugary drink stain saving your

carpet.

 

All of us have been sick at one time or another, and usually children are the ones that will not make it to the bathroom in time. If you have vomit on your

carpet try this: using your plastic dust pan scrape up as much as possible, and then pour on the vinegar. The vinegar will neutralize the odor and the

staining. Blot up and continue as needed until the entire mess has been cleaned. If you are still left with any lingering odor when the carpet has dried,

simply sprinkle the area with baking soda, leave for a few hours and then vacuum up, you will be amazed at the results.

 

Minimizing the appearance of burn stains from cigarettes in a carpet – try to comb out as much of the melted material as possible. If the area is not totally

black, just the tips, you may be able to give your carpet a ‘hair cut’ in that area to remove the black tips just be sure not to cut too much too short.

If there is a hole that a ‘hair cut’ will just not do then you will have to do a repair. Cut a square from another area of the carpet that is out of view

and place it in the burn area. To secure this square glue a piece of strong fabric under the carpet where the square is to be adhered to and place the

square onto it.

 

If you have a coffee or tea stain on your carpet here is a series of tasks for you: Blot up as much as possible without pushing the liquid deeper into your

carpet. Then apply cold milk to lift the stain up, blotting it up as you go, then pour salt openly on the wet area (or you can use corn starch) to soak

up the liquid and just vacuum.

 

Have you found a wad of gum embedded in your carpet? Use ice to harden this area completely, then you can pick apart the pieces of carpet from the gum and

then cut out what you can’t pull out. Just be careful when cutting out pieces of your carpet because you will not want to leave a big hole where the gum

was, take your time in picking out the carpet strands it is well worth it.

 

Have you found big clumps of mud on your clean carpet? This has happened to about every parent. You can scoop up the dirt that you can with your hands and

then use a solution of vinegar and water to lift up the dirt. After this has dried vacuum the loose dirt, and then reapply the vinegar solution until the

stain is gone. Mud is a battle that can be beaten!

 

Did your pen explode on the carpet? You can get ink out of your carpet by using lemon juice and cream of tarter. Making this a paste and then letting it

sit for about an hour on the stain; you can then begin the rinsing with cold water that will lift the stain out so you can blot it up.

 

Have you been moving things around in your home only to discover rust rings in your carpet from a piece of furniture? You can get rust rings out of your

carpet by using a paste that you make from milk, lemon juice, cream of tarter and baking soda. Making a thick paste, rub this on the effected area and

let it sit for about three minutes. Then you can rinse the carpet area with cold water and watch the rust wash away. Be sure to test this method for staining

in a corner of carpet you never see in case it would bleed the colors in your carpet.

 

No matter where you live you might have a challenge known as a grass stain on your carpet. Most often you will get this type of stain right after the lawn

has been mowed and then someone will wear his or her shoes into the house. So if you have a grass stain on your carpet use rubbing alcohol and warm water,

pouring this solution on like you would a pre treat for a stain and then rubbing gently will pull out this stain. If you don’t have any rubbing alcohol

in the house, you can use vinegar and cold water to pull out a grass stain by mixing ½ and ½ of each ingredient and then rubbing gently on the effected

area.

 

To remove wax from carpeting you should first scrape away any excess. Then, using a warm iron and a clean cloth or even a paper bag simply place the iron

on top of the cloth over the wax and as you iron the wax will adhere to the cloth instead of the carpet. Continue moving the cloth around as you pick up

the wax so you are always using a clean section of cloth. If a little grease stain remains sprinkle on baking soda and let sit overnight before vacuuming

which will remove the grease residue and deodorize at the same time!

 

Nail polish on carpets is a difficult situation to tackle, but with most cases you will find that straight vinegar (apple vinegar) will work the best on

this nail paint while it is still wet.

 

White wine will leave a stain in your carpet. If you have discovered an area where a white wine or clear alcohol wine was spilled, you can use a cup of

vinegar to four cups of water and pour over this area. Blot up and you will never know that wine had been there.

 

Odors

If you have a pet or smoke odor in your carpet that you need an extra bit of help with, sprinkle cornstarch over the carpet and let it sit over night. In

the morning just vacuum up and you will notice that the smell is gone! You will achieve the same result with baking soda.

 

If you have been cooking fish or other fried foods in the home you can make a mixture of vinegar and lemon juice and spray over your carpet to help cut

the smell of the grease in your home.

 

The basic recipe for making your own carpet sprinkle is this, using one cup of baking soda and one cup of cornstarch, and about fifteen to twenty drops

of vinegar, mixing thoroughly then sprinkle over your carpet. Letting this carpet sprinkle sit over night and then vacuuming as usual will bring out a

fresh scent for your home.

 

Shampooing Carpets

 

When doing the annual or biannual whole house cleaning many of us like to shampoo our rugs for a whole house clean. I wanted to make it known that you don’t

have to use the commercial cleaner in the carpet scrubber. You can use a mixture of vinegar and the hottest tap water that you can use to clean your carpet.

The vinegar will loosen dirt as it deodorizes at the same time while saving you money as well!

 

Linoleum

 

Linoleum floors are found in your dining room, the kitchen and in your bathroom. There are many homes that also have linoleum in the laundry, the playroom,

and the entry way and in the bedrooms, while still other homes will have linoleum throughout the home. Keeping your linoleum clean and scuff free is a

great clean that you will not only see but you can also smell.

My favorite method of testing whether or not my linoleum floors are really clean is by putting on a pair of nice white socks and taking a stroll through

my house. I always know when I have a clean floor just by using this simple test! How dirty are your socks after taking a walk across your floor even when

you have just scrubbed them?

 

If you must scrub your floor on your hands and knees do it in sections so that you can quit when you are tired and pick up later after a rest. I only scrub

my kitchen floor on my hands and knees about once every six months for the deep down clean I know is great, and when I do this I use a beach towel folded

for my knees so that they won’t hurt. Never use any type of sos or scratch pad on the linoleum of you will leave scratches. On this same note, never just

push the vacuum over your linoleum without the end attachment or you could scratch your linoleum as well.

 

Dress shoes worn across the linoleum can often leave scuffmarks; you can use a regular pencil eraser to take care of wiping this scuffmark away.

One of the best regular maintenance performances on your linoleum floor is the use of mild dish liquid soaps or an all-purpose cleaner that has a vegetable

oil base that you can find in many health food stores. You won’t want to use a degreaser because this can strip you floor of its natural shine.

 

If you do a lot of cooking with grease, you will often be left with a mess in front of your stove on the floor. For a no wax clean linoleum floor use one

cup of vinegar, one quarter cup of baking soda, one table spoon of dish soap, and two gallons of hot tap water. You can use this mixture with a mop or

with a scrub brush to get up the grease in front of the stove on the floor.

 

Sticky juice spills that will crystallize on your linoleum between cabinets and the fridge will disappear with just plain hot water and a rag. Using hot

water to loosen the dirt the juice will come right up.

 

If you have pet hair that accumulates under baseboards and around your trim work you can use a rag that is wet with vinegar to catch the hair while you

are deodorizing at the same time.

For a clean shine that removes dirt on your linoleum floor, use four cups of ammonia with a gallon of hot water to clean your no wax floors.

 

If your cat litter makes a dull area around the area where the litter box is kept you can clean this area with straight vinegar to cut germs and to give

your linoleum the boost it needs for a fresh looking shine.

 

Ink will come off you linoleum with a little bit of cream of tarter and vinegar mixed together to make a paste. Simply rub on the ink area and wash with

hot water for a clean shine.

 

Crayons on the linoleum floor can be scraped off with your fingernail, a soft rag with hot water (to actually melt away the crayon mark) or you can use

a soft rag and the heel of your foot to scrape away the crayon marks.

 

Latex paints that are spilled on the linoleum and then dried will often peel right off the linoleum. If it is tiny splatters you can use vinegar straight

on the painted areas and then simply rinse with hot water. Never use a scratchy pad or other type of scratchy tool or you will leave your linoleum looking

dull.

 

Dried blood will wash away with hot water, or you can sanitize this area with a half and half mixture of vinegar and water, which will leave your floor

shiny clean. You can also use a half and half mixture of ammonia and water to clean blood from your linoleum floor.

 

To clean the area between your floor and the cabinets or around the bottom of the dishwasher, use vinegar and a toothbrush to break up whatever is stuck

there while the toothbrush helps you to remove this dried on gunk from hard to clean places. You can also do this under the stove, under the fridge or

around trim in the kitchen where dirt often gets pushed.

 

Wax drippings will scrape off the floor with your fingernail or by freezing with an ice cube and then gently peeling back with away. Never use a knife of

any type or you are likely to cut the linoleum.

 

 

Nail polish that has spilled on the floor can be cleaned up while wet with vinegar and a warm wet towel or you can wait until it dries and add a little

lemon juice and vinegar to soften it, then rub a little bit on the area to bring it up.

 

Most markers, even permanent will easily rub off when you let vinegar sit on the marker area for a few minutes. You can also remove permanent marker by

rubbing the stain with toothpaste.

 

If you have spilled white out on your floor, you can wipe it up quickly with a warm rag or you can wait until it dries and loosen the effected area with

vinegar. You can also scrape this up with your finger nail when it is dry.

 

Wood floors

 

A hardwood floor in any home is a special treasure that adds great value to any home. If you have hardwood flooring in your home taking extra care of it

will be well worth your time as your hardwood floor can last a lifetime! When cleaning never use any type of scratch pads, or abrasive cleaners or you

will be disappointed as they leave scratches in your finish.

 

You can keep water from visitors and guests being tracked into your home from hurting your hardwood floor finish by using a rug with a water proof backing,

be sure if you place a rug in front of a door with a window that you use a curtain or over time the rubber backing will dull the finish.

 

If you have found a bloodstain on your hardwood floor, you can wash this with warm water and ammonia for a clean shine. If you have large cracks between

your floorboards, you can use a toothbrush with the ammonia water mixture to clean the blood out of there as well.

 

To make your hardwood floor shine, use about one cup of vegetable oil mixed with hot tap water and lightly clean your hardwood floor with a soft rag or

mop making sure not to wet the floor too much. Oil feeds the wood floor and will help it last even longer.

 

If you have heavy traffic in your home use two cups of vinegar and a gallon of water to clean your hardwood flooring. Use light amounts over the entire

floor area. The vinegar cleans the wood. You can use this weekly or monthly.

 

Before waxing your hardwood floor, you can mop with vodka so that the wood can absorb more of the oil in the wax and then the wax will seal the wood. While

using vodka to help out your wood floor can be expensive, it is something that you only should do once every few years.

 

A gentle cleaner that you can use as often as needed is a mixture or one half cup of canola oil and one quarter cup of water with a few drops of dish liquid.

 

A great recipe for waxing your wood floor: Use one cup of oil, ½ cup of vodka, 2 oz of grated beeswax and 2 oz of carnauba wax. Putting all of your ingredients

into a pan with water, simmer until all ingredients are melted. Pour this mixture into a metal can and let it cool. Simply using a rag, dig your rag into

the waxy mixture and polish your floor. You can even use this mixture on Pergo and other types of ‘faux’ wood. Using this mixture also helps to reduce

the amount of static in your home.

 

Scented wood floor polish. You can add a scent to your floor wax that will last for weeks to come. Here is a simple recipe for when you want to wax your

hardwood floor with an added scent. Use 2 oz of grated beeswax, 1 tablespoon of carnauba wax and 1 cup of mineral spirits and about 20 drops of lavender

oil. Melting these together and cool you will make a great high gloss wax that you rub on with a soft cloth and let it dry.

 

For everyday cleaning, use ammonia and water on a sponge mop to collect dust in corners of all your hardwood floor rooms.

 

To keep your flooring static free, rub a few dryer sheets across the floor on your feet at you walk around the room.

 

Keeping the cracks of your hardwood floor clean is much easier when you apply extra wax to these areas when you are waxing your hardwood floor.

 

For a quick shine in areas where you have high traffic on your hardwood floor, you can use lemon oil and rub with a soft rag for a nice clean smell.

 

If you have spilled latex paints on your hardwood-floor, you can use vodka to soften the paint without hurting the finish on your wood. You can also use

vinegar to soften the paint to wipe it right off saving your hardwood flooring.

 

For a great shine, boil a pot of water, then add three tea bags to the water and steep for just a few minutes. When the water is cool enough to use pour

it into your bucket and then mop as usual for a clean shine for your hardwood floors that will also help cover scratches.

 

Using a soft cloth and some dish soap, you can dust under and around furniture where your vacuum might not reach as well for a complete shine.

 

Preventative cleaning: use area rugs and rugs at your entrance doors to keep dirt off of your hardwood floor because the dirt will act like an abrasive

to your flooring as it is rubbed in. Keeping dirt off of your hardwood floor is the easiest method for floor protection.

 

In your rooms, with hardwood flooring, make sure that you never push or pull your furniture; you should always lift furniture to prevent scratches in the

wood. If you are prone to scratches in your wood flooring from a particular piece of furniture, glue on some felt or cardboard to the bottom of the legs

of this piece of furniture to prevent even more scratches.

 

If you have scratched your hardwood floor you can hide this area easily by wetting a tea bag and rubbing over the open wood, or you can also use a piece

of cotton or a towel and dip it in your strongest coffee and rub over the open wood area until you can get the chance to repair the floor properly.

 

Do you have water rings on your hardwood floor? Take some mayonnaise and rub generously over the marked area. Letting this mayonnaise sit for about two

hours and then wiping it off will clear up the water stain while leaving a clean shine on your floor.

 

Tile and Ceramics

 

In your kitchen, bathroom and in some of your more luxurious rooms you may have ceramic tile on the floor. Ceramics are a beautiful addition to all homes

and they are easy to care for as well. While most ceramics will appear clean with just plain dish soap and warm water, you will also need to disinfect

and leave a streak free clean on your floor for a real clean that you can be proud of. You should make note to never use scratch pads or abrasive cleaners

on your ceramic tiles because you could leave deep scratches in your flooring.

 

To simply dust your ceramic floor, you can use a wet rag and wipe around the baseboards and the edges for a dust free floor.

 

Do you have a few scuffmarks on your ceramic floor? These scuff marks will come off by using this method: simply poke a hole in a tennis ball/ or similar

type hollow ball and then push a broom handle through it. Rub the ceramic floor tile with the ball to remove scuffs and to leave your floor shiny.

 

Without having to get down and actually ‘wipe’ the floor you can use a wet mop with simply water and vinegar to dust the edges and the baseboards of your

room. You will have to be careful how much vinegar you use on your floor over a long period of time, as it will start to break down your grout.

 

Using a little bit of dishwashing liquid with warm water will clean your ceramic floor while leaving it streak free and grease free.

 

Tip: When washing your ceramic floor with water it is always best to use a towel to dry up the floor to keep additional stains from getting on the grout.

 

When trying to clean crayon out of the crevices of your porous ceramic floor use very hot water and a toothbrush to melt the crayon and then dry up with

a towel to make sure you get it all up without hurting the tile. Leaving dirty water on a porous ceramic tile floor will cause the stains or other dirt

to get in to the pores.

 

Using your recipe for hardwood floor wax, you can wax your porous and your non-porous ceramic tile flooring for a shine the lasts while it protects as well.

 

If your ceramic tile is getting a rough white coating on it, this is from your hard water. Using (sparingly) Vinegar and water to wipe down the entire floor

area will cut through the hard water stains.

 

For a deep clean on your ceramic floor use a mixture of 50/50 water and ammonia to clean your floor and wipe up all loose dirt and water when you are finished

mopping.

 

Using a sponge mop on your ceramic floor can often leave you with a ‘torn up’ mop as the sponge gets stuck on your grout, to best clean a ceramic floor

us a micro fiber or other fabric type mop.