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You are not gonna believe this one. My dear friend gave me this suggestion several years ago when I got my new puppy.
To clean up piddle puddles, all you do is use Spray 'N Wash! You just dab up the moisture first, then you get the Spray N Wash and spray the area down really well. Wait about 5 mins, come back and use a towel to gently rub the area and dab up any remaining wet areas.
Then spray it again and walk away! This is the most amazing thing you have experienced. The SNW kills the odor and leaves a fresh smell. And the unbelievable part is - you know how when you use a commercial cleaner - like a spray on carpet cleaner - it dries and later seems to attract more dirt and even sometimes feels greasy? Well, SNW just disappears - does not attract dirt and I have never had a problem w/ fading or taking color out!
It has a pleasant odor and I really mean it - kills the doggie urine smell. I have bought bottles of all kinds of stuff to clean doggie piddle spots and also the odor - and I threw them out.
Oh - I also now use SNW as my carpet spot cleaner. Never attracts the dirt back and even coffee - just spray it, leave it a few minutes, come back and gently rub - spray again . . . and when you come back - the spot will probably be totally gone. Repeat if any still remains.
I can't wait to hear what the rest of you say about this!
Now, do you spray the vinegar on? I wasn't sure what you mean by using it in the detergent container. I love vinegar b/c it is natural so I am ready to try it. Also, have you tried it to spot clean furniture fabric? Or should I just stick to Spray N Wash for spots on furniture?
I am embarrassed to tell this story, BUT I do need help. My dog wipes her face on my sofas and on one wing chair after she eats/drinks!!! So I have the furniture in the family room covered w/ towels that I can wash every week. But she also sneaks into the living room if I don't catch her in time! And wipes her face on my french tapestry sofa!!! And my gorgeous wing chair!!!! (I know - this is truly awful - prized furniture). I have tried SNW on the areas she has soiled and I am not getting very far. The problem w/ the sofa is - the cushions have leather trim - so the one time I have had them cleaned - I had to send to dry cleaner - and I really have my doubts how clean they actually got the fabric (due to care taken w/ the leather trim) And it was over $100 to do. (BAD DOGGIEEEEEEE!!!!!)
Any ideas to clean that sofa and chair - I am willing to take apart, do by hand, whatever.
Awwwwww Bad doggieee! Teach him manners......either that or send him up here to kill my cats LOL they have recently decided they are too good for their litter boxes......reaction to a new puppy in the house I'm sure - but sheesh...they are pains in the butt! I've tried all kinds of cleaners to get them from going back to a couple of "chosen" spots. like having more kids!
Sorry I don't have any suggestions for you - good luck though.
Location: When things get hot they expand. Im not fat. Im hot.
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My most favorite cleaning thing is micro fiber cloths. Those things are worth their weight in gold.
I dont know if these are hints. More like things I do. I always dust first. Even baths. Sometimes youll find that all you need to do is spot clean. But if you add water, water and dirt make mud . Ive found that the more cleaner you use and the wetter you get stuff the more time you have to spend rinsing and polishing Truthfully I do a ton of cleaning with just windex and a dry terry wash cloth. works great on mirrors .
I keep a paint scraper handy and use it for tons of stuff. Like toothpaste on the mirror or crud on ceramic tile.
After I take a shower. I take my towel and wipe down the tile etc. Everything shines. Id rather wash towels than clean.
Before I run the sweeper. I get a bucket of plain water and a microfiber mop. I use the mop to mop the edges of my carpet and the baseboards and under the sofa and the bed etc. Then I run the sweeper. You'd be surprised how dirty the water gets. Other times I just use a soft broom. This keeps the carpet clean a lot longer
I do the oil for stainless and shower doors too. Good for fiberglass shower walls too. Truthfully any oil will work. Ive even used baby oil. I really like the pledge wth orange oil that comes in a spray bottle.
After I clean the counters I wipe them down with pledge too and buff them. I also put a thin film on the cupboards. It makes them shine and the thin film keeps crud from sticking.
Oh I do have a hint. Cascade dishwasher stuff will take that smeary film off your laminate floors. Rinse good then clean as usual. BTW I hate laminate floors.
anifani --- dont know what to tell ya about the soiled sofa and chairs... but my pooch does the same thing.... we obviously call it "wipe yer face"
when he's done consuming something a lil slopping ... never after eating his own kibble, but some thing we have given him.... he gets that look .... and has to wipe his face. When there isnt snow, like now ... we just open the door and he runs and rolls in the back yard to wipe ... but in the house he uses his dog bed, though i have seen him on the couch, wiping in the corner ... but it isnt that often.
If i had really nice furniture == i still have kids at home, so we have decided not to get anything "really nice" until the vacate .... but I too would use nice sheets ... I used to do that with our previous dog since we had a cream colored sofa.
I too LOVE microfiber clothes!! I also have these other things i've picked up at flea markets, etc ... they are more shammy type and come in various thicknesses .... awesome for cleaning.... and i keep one in the shower for wiping down the doors and walls.
and where the water holding tank is, on the side is the holding tank [its rather small] for the detergent ... i'll just fill that with vinegar instead of carpet cleaning solution.
Hi Everyone - since you are posting household secrets, maybe someone has one for me...
I have a dishwasher with a stainless steel tub - I CAN NOT get it clean - it's filmy and streaky. I've run it empty with just vinegar and it looked worse! I've googled and gone up to the website to no avail.
Awwwwww Bad doggieee! Teach him manners......either that or send him up here to kill my cats LOL they have recently decided they are too good for their litter boxes......reaction to a new puppy in the house I'm sure - but sheesh...they are pains in the butt! I've tried all kinds of cleaners to get them from going back to a couple of "chosen" spots. like having more kids!
Sorry I don't have any suggestions for you - good luck though.
Okay - will send my doggie to your house, but all she will do is play w/ the cats!!!
Sadly, my elderly cat passed several years back (b/f we got the new doggie) but I can say that my friends who currently have cats say that the SnW does help w/ any kitty accidents . . . but that nothing really really totally can get that urine smell out once it gets into the padding. :-( However, maybe someone out there has some new ideas on kitty piddle . . .
I love those microfiber cloths too. I use them to soak up the water after washing my hair.
Pet urine: I have used some of those cleaners. It is impossible to really get carpet cleaned because it soaks thru the pad to the subfloor. The trick with the enzyme products is to get up as much as you can - I use paper towels to blot it up, soak it with vinegar and more towels to soak that up a couple of times. Then soak it thoroughly with the enzyme stuff and cover it with plastic to keep it wet for a day. It won't work once it dries out and it takes it several hours to break down the urine.
But my carpets are crap and will be replaced with wood floors one of these days, so I gave up on it. I'm going to seal the subfloors before the new flooring goes down.
My next dog is going to be screened better for ability to be housebroken. A lot of terriers are notorious for refusal to house break. I love her, but...
My most favorite cleaning thing is micro fiber cloths. Those things are worth their weight in gold.
I dont know if these are hints. More like things I do. I always dust first. Even baths. Sometimes youll find that all you need to do is spot clean.
I keep a paint scraper handy and use it for tons of stuff. Like toothpaste on the mirror or crud on ceramic tile.
Before I run the sweeper. I get a bucket of plain water and a microfiber mop. I use the mop to mop the edges of my carpet and the baseboards and under the sofa and the bed etc.
Cecelia . . . I edited out to let you know what tips I am going to try! I found all this very interesting and am soooo glad you took time to tell us about your routine and how you clean. We women have things we have learned but who ever finds out if someone is not kind enuff to pass it on????
I have always been taught to dust last. However, reading about your whole routine, I can see how this would work. And I also understand what you mean about "spot touching up" as opposed to having to always scrub down. I also prefer washing terry cloth wash cloths and towels than doing a lot of scrubbing! (I don't mind doing laundry - that is a rather passive activity for me-I try to see the process as Zen - you know - kind of calming to sort colors, smell clean laundry, put in dryer, then sit and fold, Hee Hee).
One of my biggest pet peeves - and why I miss having a housekeeper - is b/c I am really hung up on floors and baseboards. I have a lousy back (slight scoliosis plus some injuries - not a good thing). So I have been lucky to have help from housekeepers for 25 years. Well, since our last move, we just have not found anyone whose standards are ours (for what we are willing to pay, maybe!) We had a pretty good one (B- to C+) for a few months but she moved. :-( I say all this as background for explaining my interest in your method of "micro-mopping" around the baseboards and edge of the carpet. Have never considered this and it is very hard on my back to do what I usually do - get the vacuum crevice tool out and then hand wash baseboards (on my knees).
I am going to try this and see if that helps me as I won't have to bend and work so hard using your method. What a great idea!!!! I can run the microfiber mop along the baseboards as it swivels. And the paint scraper - WHO KNEW!!!! Great idea.
Just wanted to tell you how much I appreciate your sharing this! I am not going to pay a housekeeper $90 a week. Just ain't gonna do it. These tips are not only helpful . . . they are making it possible for me to keep my standards w/ my home and my BUDGET as well!
Ladies, keep those tips coming! Tell us your routines, your shortcuts - what products work for you!!!!
Hi Everyone - since you are posting household secrets, maybe someone has one for me...
I have a dishwasher with a stainless steel tub - I CAN NOT get it clean - it's filmy and streaky. I've run it empty with just vinegar and it looked worse! I've googled and gone up to the website to no avail.
Any suggestions!? TIA
Okay, Tia, you are gonna laugh on this one but it truly works!!!! I was taught this one years ago b/c I had the same problem w/ my kitchaid stainless steel tub (no longer have a stainless steel tub - different home - sure miss it).
TANG!!!! Yes, you heard it. Tang Orange Drink! You fill up your soap dispenser and run it through an empty dishwasher on a regular cycle!!!
It is a miracle . . . and not only that . . . I run it through my clothes washer every so often, too! I think I was told it works b/c of the ascorbic (sp?) acid and the granules in the Tang.
Hope this works for you as well as it has worked for me! Let me know.
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like having more kids! 
Stainless Dishwasher?
The trick with the enzyme products is to get up as much as you can - I use paper towels to blot it up, soak it with vinegar and more towels to soak that up a couple of times. Then soak it thoroughly with the enzyme stuff and cover it with plastic to keep it wet for a day. It won't work once it dries out and it takes it several hours to break down the urine.
I love her, but...
