Cleaning FAQ 
Premier Maintenance Co. Inc.

Cleaning Specific Household Areas and Appliances

Bathtubs and Sinks:  Use baking soda and salt as a scouring powder and lemon juice or vinegar for the chrome and for certain tough spots.  Baking soda with vinegar sprayed on it will fizz, acting like a foaming cleaner, and will help remove soap scum.  You can use automatic dishwashing detergent as a scouring powder if the stains are really tough, but be careful.  Automatic dishwashing detergent often contains bleach so you will want to make sure that you have rinsed the tub thoroughly before using this method to clean.  Remember you never want to combine bleach with anything. 

Carpet Deodorizer and Cleaner:  Use baking soda as a general carpet deodorizer.  If left on long enough (5 or 6 hours) baking soda should also help remove stains.  Simply sprinkle, let set, and vacuum.  Shaving cream works wonders as a foaming carpet cleaner and stain remover.  If shaving cream and baking soda don't work, you can also try meat tenderizer.  Cover the dried stains with the tenderizer, let set, then sponge off with clean water. 

Couches, Leather and Cloth:  For leather couches use saddle soap or Murphy's Oil Soap.  For cloth sofas vacuum regularly and treat stains as you would treat carpet-stains.

Counters, Stove Tops, and All General Surface Cleaning:  Use baking soda and salt for scouring powders.  Pour vinegar on top of the baking soda and let set for tough stains.  Use vinegar and water to create a nice shine.  Always wipe counters off with pure water after using any cleaning solution. 

Floors, Vinyl and Hardwood:  On hardwood floors or tile, vacuum or sweep first.  Otherwise, you'll simply be moving dirt around as you mop.  To quickly wax wood floors throw a piece of waxed paper under your mop.  To clean wood floors use Murphy's Oil Soap.  For a polish, use any cooking oil and a bit of lemon juice.  For cleaning vinyl floors use one of our homemade cleaners.

Furniture, Wood:  To clean wood furniture use Murphy's Oil Soap.  For a polish use any cooking oil and a bit of lemon juice.  

Garbage Disposal:  If your dishwasher runs through the disposal, turn the disposal on when the hot, soapy water is running through to give it a good cleaning.  Also, if you have some lemons left over after dinner throw some in the disposal and turn it on for a nice lemon scent around the kitchen.

Microwave Cleaning:  To clean hardened food-spills in a microwave, place a microwave-safe container of water in the oven and heat for three minutes.  Stuck-on food will then be easier to remove.

Miniblinds:  Put some old socks on your hands.  Spray the socks with soapy water or one of our homemade cleaners.  Hold the blinds between your hands and rub back and forth until clean. 

Shower Curtains:  In general, always keep your shower curtain spread out and never bunch it into a corner.  This will allow for better drying and less mold.  For spring cleaning take the whole thing down and clean with soap and water or with one of our homemade cleaners.  Soak in salt water to prevent mold regrowth.  For quick cleaning, fill a small bucket with a vinegar, water, salt and rubbing alcohol mix.  Place the bucket on the rim of the tub.  Bunch the shower curtain and dip the entire bottom of the curtain (where most of the mold is anyway) in the bucket.  Let soak for a few hours.  Remove and wipe/scrub with a kitchen towel.  Rinse.  Repeat as necessary.

Shower Doors:  Use vinegar and water for the doors.  To clean the grime out of the tracks, pour vinegar inside and let set, then rinse.  

Toilet:  Keep the toilet bowl ring-free by pouring a half-gallon of white vinegar or Coca-Cola in it once a month. Let it soak overnight before flushing.  To avoid clogging and odors, pour one cup baking soda down the bowl weekly.  To remove rings try a scrub brush and a bit of baking soda or bit of Tang (yes the drink).  The Tang is a mild abrasive and the citric acid will help clean the bowl.  Do not pour anything down the bowl, especially bleach, if you use a leave-in toilet bowl cleaner.  

Walls:  For wallpaper, wood and other delicate surfaces use Murphy's Oil Soap.  For plaster and more durable surfaces use one of our homemade cleaners.

Windows, Window Scratches and Window Screens:  Clean windows with a mixture of vinegar and water or vinegar/ammonia and water.  For drying, try coffee filters.  They're cheaper than paper towels and won't leave lint.  Newspaper is also supposed to work well. Scratches from glass can be removed with a little toothpaste, but be careful.  It works because its an abrasive, you don't want to overdo it and make more scratches.  Small holes in window screens can be glossed over with clear nail polish to keep the bugs out.

Specific Stain Tips

For tips on general stain removal see our chemistry of cleaning page.  As a very last resort, if you have completely given up on the stain and are ready to throw the item away, try to re-wet the stain using the same medium (i.e. add more mustard to a mustard stain or more wine to the wine stain).  Then, before the stain has time to reset, clean using normal methods:  soap and water followed by a vinegar and water rinse.  Sometimes when no other solvent seems to work, the solvents in the original solution will loosen the stain.  Obviously, however, this is a last-attempt method because the original solution can just as often make the stain worse.

Bleach:  Bleach stains on carpet and clothing don't actually come out.  However, you can "redye" the fabric using a marking pen in as close a color as you can manage.  If this doesn't work, oh well, you were probably going to have to replace the item anyway.

Blood:  Use baking soda/water or soap/water first followed by a vinegar/water rinse.  If this doesn't work, use hydrogen peroxide, but remember hydrogen peroxide is also a bleach.  Cornstarch is also supposed to remove blood stains.  Rinse the stain in cold water, then rub in moistened cornstarch. Place the item in the sun.  If you catch the stain quickly enough, wet a long piece of white cotton thread with saliva and place it across the spot. The thread will absorb the blood.

Candle Wax:  Candle wax can be removed from walls and other surfaces with an iron and a piece of paper.  Set the paper over the wax and gently iron.  When the wax seeps through on to the paper apply a new paper.  Repeat until wax is lifted.  Clean the remains with vinegar and water.

Coffee:  Try the following, in order until the stain is gone:  1)  Wash with a soap or detergent, rinse and follow with a white vinegar/water solution.  Rinse.  2) Work denatured alcohol into the stain, then rinse with water.  3)  Dip a white cloth into a beaten egg yolk and rub the yolk into the stain.  Rinse with clear water.  

Crayon:  Crayon will come off with cleaners like Zippo lighter fluid or WD-40.  Crayon may come off easier when heated (by a blow dryer, for example) but don't heat the crayon if you are using a flammable cleaner.  After the crayon comes off remember to wash your walls with soap and water.

Food Globs:  If you've got a glob of stuck-on food (i.e. in a casserole dish or on the stove), sprinkle baking soda on it, then follow with a hot water/vinegar mixture.  Let sit; the longer the better.  It will be much easier to clean and often will simply wipe off with no scrubbing.

Food Stains:  Food stains are usually best treated with simple soap and water or baking soda and water.  Some food stains will come out easier after a soak in milk or salt.  This is a good trick to remember at the dinner table.  If you spill a little food or juice on the tablecloth, cover it with salt and clean later (rather than having to remove the entire cloth immediately during dinner).  

A handy tip if you spill a bit of food on your clothes at a restaurant is:  saliva and/or club soda.  Go into the restroom, dab as much of the food out of your clothes as you can using a bit of club soda on a napkin.  Rub in a bit of saliva and keep dabbing.  The enzymes in your saliva that break down the food in your mouth will help to break down the food on your clothing as well.  

Gum:  Use ice to harden and a dull knife to remove.  If this is ineffective, try soaking the gum in rubbing alcohol.  Alcohol dissolves gum.  Ever try drinking vodka and chewing gum at the saw time?

Ink:  Hairspray or rubbing alcohol will work for many types of ink.  Simply spray or pour, then blot until gone.  

Make-Up:  To remove mascara, lipstick, nail polish and other make-up try nail polish remover.  If the stain still isn't coming out, try a dry-cleaning solvent or other petroleum-based solvent such as WD-40.  

Mildew:  To remove mildew from the corners of the tub, dip cotton balls in bleach and let them sit, when you finish cleaning the bath, remove cotton and rinse well. The mildew will be gone.  If you prefer not to use bleach try borax, alcohol and/or vinegar and water.  These methods are safer but may not be effective against all types of mildew and the treated cotton balls will have to be left on longer.

Motor Oil:  WD-40, lighter fluid, rubbing alcohol, cooking oils, baby oil, paint thinner and nail polish remover are just some of the solvents that will help dissolve motor oils.

Mustard:  Mustard contains turmeric, a yellow dye, that can be very difficult (sometimes impossible) to remove.  First try petroleum based distillates (ie. lighter fluid, paint thinner, dry cleaning solvent).  If stain remains use vinegar and water solution.  If stain still remains use hydrogen peroxide.  This will bleach the area, so do not leave on too long.  Flush with water and dry.  

Rust:  Rust can often be removed with an acidic solution such as vinegar and water or lemon juice and water.  Scrubbing with crumpled aluminum foil may also work to remove rust from certain metals.  For truly tough rust, commercial, highly-acidic cleaners may have to be used.

Scorch Marks:  In some cases scorch marks can be removed, but don't expect miractles.  Try this method:  Rub scorch marks with the raw, flat side of a cut onion.  Let set, then rinse.

Scuff Marks on Walls and Floors:  You can erase black-scuff marks using a pencil eraser.  A rubber-soled shoe (most tennis shoes) works by the same principal.  Bread will also work as an eraser.

Urine and Vomit:  Blot up as much of the stain as you can with mild soap and water,  detergent and water or baking soda and water.  When the stain no longer transfers to your towel, blot with a vinegar and water solution.  If the stain remains, you may have to resort to an enzyme digester found in pet stores.  In some cases, meat tenderizer may work in place of the digester.

Water Stains and Mineral Deposits:  Wipe with vinegar and water or lemon juice and water.  If it's returning, use a baking soda/vinegar paste.  Cover and let dry (the longer the better).  Rinse and Buff.  For chrome and silver try the following alternative method, it works wonders and it's fast!  Wet the metal slightly with water then scrub with a piece of aluminum foil.  The foil acts as an abrasive, but it also removes the stains in a reaction similar to that used in the aluminum/silver cleaning described below.

Wine:  White wine is supposed to remove red wine.  Soaking the stain in milk or salt is also supposed to help remove red wine and fruit stains.  If you spill wine on a tablecloth at dinner blot up as much as you can.  Then cover the stain in salt.  It will help absorb the rest of the wine and it should wash out with cold water later.

General and Miscellaneous Household Cleaning Tips

Air Freshener:  For immediate air freshener, place a fabric softener sheet in the wastepaper basket or add a dab of fragrance on a light bulb. When the light is on, the heat releases the aroma.  This is a quick fix and does not actually neutralize the odors, just covers them up.  If you have a little more time, sprinkle baking soda around and let sit before vacuuming it up.  For smoke odors set out a bowl of vinegar.  Make sure you have time to let the vinegar-smell dissipate before you have company or your house will simply smell like vinegar.  If you like a house with a more exotic smell, boil water and throw in your favorite smelling herbs and fruits (cinnamon, cloves, oranges, lemons, limes, etc...)

Cigarette Burns:  If you can't afford a commercial solution, cut the burnt fibers from the carpet.  Fill the hole with liquid glue and replace the carpet fibers with stray fibers from leftover pieces or pieces stolen from an inconspicuous place.  This takes a little skill and luck and only works well on certain types of carpet.

Dust and Grime in Hard-to-Reach Crannies:  Use paintbrushes to reach hard-to-reach dust cracks.  Use an old toothbrush to get your scrubbing solution into the crannies around your faucet knobs and other hard-to-reach cracks in the kitchen and bathroom.

Pet Hair:  To avoid quite so much pet hair, brush your pet often (outside, of course).  To get pet hair off upholstered furniture, put on a pair of dishwashing gloves, dampen them slightly, and then run your hands over the area.  Or, get a piece of tape, wrap it around your hand, press onto your furniture or clothes and jerk upward.  When the stickiness of the tape starts to wear off, replace the tape and continue until pet hair is gone.

Ring Around the Collar:  Dirty neck rings around shirt or blouse collars can be removed by putting shampoo on them. Rub the shampoo in like you were washing your hair. Shampoo is specifically made to remove body oils. A cheap bottle of shampoo kept by the washing machine is handy for all kinds of stains in clothing. Don't forget this trick when you are traveling.

Silver Cleaning:  This homemade cleaning solution works like magic!  Place aluminum foil in the bottom of a shallow bin or in the bottom of a clean kitchen sink.  Mix very hot water, salt and baking soda.  Pour over the aluminum foil.  Put your tarnished silver into the bin and watch as the tarnish leaves the silver and appears on the foil.  This method is actually much better for your silver than commercial silver cleaners because it reverses the tarnishing reaction on the silver and restores the silver to its original state.  Commercial cleaners often remove the tarnish and strip the top layer of silver.  See:  Silver and Aluminum Reaction to see how this works.

Smoke Odor:  A bowl of vinegar set out will help remove smoke odor.  It will also make your house smell like vinegar, so don't do it just before company is coming.  However, once the smell of vinegar is dissipated, the smoke odor will be gone or greatly reduced.  

Stuffed Animals:  If the stuffed animal does not have any mechanical parts, put it inside a pillow case, tie a knot in the case and wash it in the washing machine.  You can also freshen a stuffed animal by placing it in a paper sack with baking soda or talcum powder and shaking it up.