#MEwx sun, some clouds, a bit cooler and chemical free cleaning for special things in your home

Good morning Augusta

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

This morning we have mostly sunny skies with expected highs in the lower 70s. Winds are Northwest 10 to 15 mph.

Tonight we’ll have mostly clear conditions with expected lows in the mid 40s. Winds will be Northwest around 10 mph gusting to 25 mph in the evening, becoming light and variable.

The outdoor temperature is 59.5°F, the dewpoint is 53.0°F and it feels like 59.5°F.

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

Today’s sunrise is 6:04 AM, sunset is 7:15 PM and we’ll have 13 hours 10 minutes of daylight today. Moonrise is 5:21 AM and Moonset is 7:20 PM. The moon phase is a NEW MOON and is xx% illuminated. Our next full moon will be on September 27 and our next new moon is on October 28 (during lunar eclipse).

The wind velocity is between 3.40.0 MPH and  5.4 MPH from the North.

The Relative pressure is 29.74, the Absolute pressure is 29.54 and rising with a weather graphic indicating sun and a few clouds.

The Humidity is 74%, the UV index is 1 placing the average person at low risk and the solar radiation reading is 134.8W/m2.

Visibility is 10.0 Miles / 16.1 Kilometers with partly cloudy skies.

 

Here’s another set of chemical free cleaning tips which is, like many other tips I’ve posted on this blog, free out there on the web. Enjoy.

 

Special Cleaners for Special Things

 

Your special treasures in your home will also need a good cleaning if not on a weekly basis but on a monthly basis. Here you will find tips for cleaning

these delicate items in your home to prolong their beauty and to enhance your display of these items!

 

Silver

 

If your silver is starting to tarnish, you can rub with salt to bring out the beautiful finish. Simply rubbing salt over the silver with your fingers will

remove any lingering tarnish.

 

You can make and use your own silver polish. Put a sheet of aluminum foil in a glass dish or bowl on the counter. Sprinkle salt all over the foil and then

sprinkle baking soda all over the salted area. Then fill the bowl with warm water (not too hot) and then you can soak your silver overnight. The next day

you will find that the tarnish is gone from your silver and it has been transferred over to the aluminum foil. You will need to dry your silver completely

then.

 

For a quick clean and to remove tarnish you can buff your silver with a paste of baking soda and water and a clean cloth.

 

If your silver has been sitting in food for a while and now it is stained don’t worry you can get it out! Using two tablespoons of salt, add a touch of

water to make a paste. Buff those stains right out.

 

Here is a basic recipe for a silver polish that you can use any time you need: use one-half cup of dish liquid, one half cup of liquid whiting, one half

cup of ammonia (the non sudsy kind) and one cup of hot water. This polish, if not used all in the first application, can be kept up to three months in

a sealed container for your continued use.

 

Another tip for tarnished silverware is as follows: in a pan, use two cups of water, one teaspoon of cream of tarter, one teaspoon of salt, one teaspoon

of alum and boil. When it has cooled off use this mixture to buff your silver clean.

 

Brass

 

A great brass cleaner that you might not have heard about is the use of Worcestershire sauce. Just using it as if you are buffing your brass and you will

find it gives a great shine.

 

For brass covered or brass plated pieces you can use one half cup of dish soap, one-quarter cup of vinegar and one-quarter cup of liquid whiting. Mixing

these items together will giver your brass coated items a great shine while making the coating last longer.

 

If you are looking for an easy brass cleaning solution, all you need is a lemon and a little bit of salt. Cut the lemon in half, and then sprinkle salt

all over the lemon, rubbing the lemon over your brass will leave you with a great shine and smell! You can dust with just a lemon if you like as well.

 

If your brass needs a little pick me up and it is looking dull, mix one quarter cup of salt with one quarter cup of flour and then add a couple of teaspoons

of vinegar until you make a thick paste. Using this paste, rub your brass item in a circular motion and then buff clean.

 

One of the easiest solutions to use when you are looking to clean your brass treasures is to mix one cup of ammonia with one cup of water. You can keep

this solution for about four months if you don’t use it all in one sitting. Rubbing on with a soft cloth and drying completely will leave you with a great

shine. Do this like you are waxing on and off for best results.

 

Pewter

 

Most pewter will never need polished but if you find yourself in the situation that you need to clean your pewter here are a few ideas.

 

You can ‘dust off’ you pewter collection with a cloth damped with vinegar to keep the pewter from attracting more dust.

 

You can clean dirt and grease off of pewter that was displayed in the kitchen using a cloth dampened with ammonia. Make sure it is dry before you put it

back into its place.

 

You can use ethyl alcohol to clean smoke and dirt from pewter that has been subjected to a fire or cigarette smoke.

 

If you must polish your pewter, you can use one half cup of liquid whiting, four tablespoons of ethyl alcohol and one half cup of baking soda. Mixing these

ingredients into a paste, use an old soft toothbrush to clean the little cracks and details in your pewter piece.

 

The Piano

 

You can keep your wood piano clean and dust free by using many of the wood tip cleaning ideas in the flooring section of this book.

 

To clean the piano keys of your piano, you can mix one half cup of vinegar with two cups of hot water. This will cut the grease and the dirt off of the

keys as you wipe each one. Wipe each key dry as you work your way through the board. Leave your piano key lid open over night so that any remaining moisture

will air dry.

 

You can clean your piano keys using straight lemon juice to wipe down the keys. Do not dry the keys, leave the lid open to dry overnight and the lemon juice

will whiten the keys a little more.

 

Copper

 

Keeping your copper shiny and clean is a task that you might have to do every month if you are displaying your copper in the kitchen where grease and grime

are more likely to land on your copper items. You can use these cleaning ideas on your copper pots and pans that you use for cooking in the kitchen as

well as other types of display items in your home.

 

You can clean copper by using half a lemon and sprinkling salt over the lemon and then rubbing the copper along the grain. Rubbing in circles or in any

other pattern besides along the grain will leave scratch marks.

 

You can clean the dust and grease from your copper by using a half cup of lemon juice and rubbing on with a soft cloth and then drying with another soft

cloth for a great shine.

 

Cleaning your copper pans and pots is easy using full strength vinegar and a soft cloth. Rubbing the vinegar on will cut grease and grime quickly. Be sure

to dry completely with another soft cloth.

 

You can clean your copper treasures using a half-cup of ammonia and a cup of water. Rubbing the ammonia mixture on with a clean soft cloth and the drying

will make your copper shine clean.

 

You can get stubborn stains out of your copper pots and pans by using a cup of hot vinegar and a tablespoon of salt. If this doesn’t take the stain off,

increase the amount of salt to make the mixture thicker a little more pasty as you scrub.

 

Using one cup of flour, one cup of vinegar and one cup of salt makes a great copper polishing solution. Mixing these items together to make a thick paste

you can rub roughly over the copper piece and then let it sit until completely dry. Or you can let it sit overnight, and then buff out in the morning with

a clean dry rag for a great shine. Use this paste in a similar manner as if you were waxing your car, on and off again.

 

Ivory

 

Ivory is not the most popular of items in the world today. If you are on holiday in a foreign land never buy ivory from the traders. Having said that, it

makes it so important to cherish the ivory that we have in our homes. To keep your ivory items looking nice and light colored and keeping the dust and

dirt off can sometimes be quite a trick. You can do this by using a few ideas that are listed here.

 

To clean dirt, grime and grease off ivory treasures in your home use a quarter cup of peroxide and a quarter cup of water, dipping your clean cloth in this

mixture and wiping the ivory piece is a great way to dust.

 

If you have a nasty stain you can use full strength peroxide and a clean cloth and dab at the area until the stain comes clean.

 

If you have a grease stain on your ivory you can dab on lemon juice and set it in the sun to lighten the stain.

 

To polish your ivory treasures, you can make a very thin paste of four tablespoons of plain yogurt and add two tablespoons of lemon juice. Rubbing this

mixture on, letting it dry and then buffing off will whiten your ivory.

 

Stainless Steel

 

You can cut finger and oily marks on your stainless steel by using ammonia on a soft cloth. Wiping it on and then drying with a soft cloth will give you

a great shine.

 

For everyday cleaning you can keep a mixture of three cups ammonia and two cups of water in a spray bottle. Dusting and wiping your stainless steel as it

gets dirty will cut down on the time you spend deep cleaning.

 

For baked on dirt in your stainless steel pans, using full strength vinegar soaking over night will loosen baked on stains until you can rinse it away the

next day. Wash with soapy water and rinse as you normally would.

 

To get stubborn stains off of your stainless steel using a paste made from one cup of baking soda and enough water to make a thick paste will do the trick.

Rub in the direction of the grain so you won’t leave scratches in the stainless steel. This is great for cleaning stainless steel sinks when you work with

the grain to get out coffee and tea stains in the sink.

 

You can wipe your stainless steel down with lemon juice to cut grease and grime and the lemon juice will leave a great smell behind as well.

 

Chrome

 

You can wipe chrome down with full strength vinegar for a shine and clean that will last for days. Vinegar will also put a stop to rust on chrome.

 

Wiping chrome with soapy water will remove dirt, and then drying with a soft cloth will leave your chrome streak free.

 

Marble

 

You can clean marble floors or counters by mixing three cups of peroxide and one cup of water in a spray bottle. Simply wiping on and off with a clean cloth

will help loosen dirt to keep your flooring or your counters looking great.

 

Adding one cup of cream of tarter to your water when you are mopping your marble flooring will add a little sparkle to the floor.

 

Cleaning marble counters with a hot soapy water and drying with a soft cloth will keep streaks from appearing while cleaning.

 

Bronze

 

You will find that bronze does not clean as well using abrasive cleaners as some other types of precious metals will. You can clean bronze treasures much

easier using different types of oils to restore their beauty. Using linseed oil or olive oil are the type most common oils that you can add to your clean

dry cloth to dust, restore and brighten your bronze pieces.

 

Computer Equipment

 

Computers can become very dirty and dusty because of the static. You can cut static by wiping the exterior of your monitor and the surrounding wires and

pieces with a cloth dampened with vinegar. Vinegar will de-static these pieces thus preventing dust from clinging.

 

Using a half and half mix of ammonia and water or vinegar and water, you can clean the dirtiest portions of your keyboard. This will get the grease out

that has been accumulating from your skin. For a more thorough clean use alcohol with a cotton bud or ball will clean the most detailed pieces of your

computer keyboard.

 

If you work with a laptop PC then you may well find that the finger touch control pad quickly becomes unresponsive, sticky or un-smooth. When the laptop

is switched off, just dampen a kitchen towel with a little vinegar and wipe all around the control pad. When your laptop is switched back on you will find

the pad responsive and smooth once again.

 

If you find that your ball mouse is not running as smoothly as it first did. You will find that it has become clogged with dust and fluff. Underneath the

mouse you can slide the ball cover anti clockwise and release the ball. In the hole that is left you will find 3 rollers that the ball runs in. These rollers

should have nothing on them. However you will find that they have become clogged with dust and fluff. Remove all the dust and fluff with a pair of tweezers

and blow clean. Once reassembled you will find that the mouse runs smooth again