Bathrooms, Cleaning, DIY, Hacks, Home maintenance, Tips

Q&A: How to Clean Your Shower Liner

shccraleigh

showerliner

Question: How do you clean your shower liner?

Answer: Throw it in the washing machine with some vinegar, et voilà!

To clean your shower curtain, remove it from the hooks and throw it in your washing machine with a 1/2 cup of vinegar and 1/2 your usual load of detergent. For extra kick, we add 1/2 cup of baking soda or Borax. Run on cold water and hang to dry — no spin cycle necessary for plastic liners! To help prolong its use, remove it from the shower after each use to dry and prevent trapped moisture. While we still replace ours periodically when it stops coming clean in the wash, our current shower liner is several years old and holding up wonderfully.

Whether you have a cleaning question or want to discuss services, we are happy to help! Contact us or complete our quote request form for more information.

Additional resources and solutions:

Barber, Trish. “How to Wash Shower Curtains | Reader’s Digest.” Reader’s Digest, 23 Feb. 2017, www.rd.com/home/how-to-wash-shower-curtains/.

Gibbs, Karen B. “How Often You Should Clean Your Shower Curtain – and the Right Way to Do It.” TODAY.com, 17 Feb. 2016, www.today.com/series/how-often-should-you/how-often-you-should-clean-your-shower-curtain-right-way-t73991.

Smith, Lauren. “Yes, You Can Clean Your Shower Curtain … Even If It Has Mildew.” Good Housekeeping, 21 Mar. 2018, www.goodhousekeeping.com/home/cleaning/tips/a22024/heloise-spring-cleaning-eliminate-mildew/.
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Cleaning, DIY, Hacks, Home maintenance, Kitchen, Tips

Q&A: How to Clean Your Dishwasher

shccraleigh

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Question: How do you clean the interior of your dishwasher?

Answer: By checking the ‘nooks and crannies’ of your appliance and clearing the drain.

Before you clean your dishwasher, be sure to clear your disposal. Run hot water down the drain while running the disposal. You can pour a little dish soap as it’s running to clean and deodorize the disposal area, but some people prefer baking soda and vinegar, lemons, or ice.

If you have noticed a lingering funk or small particles sticking around on your dishes, check the trap and clear the drain. Remove the bottom rack and check around the drain. Many units have a cover to protect the drain and help strain out large debris, and you may need to remove this to access the drain area.

In many dishwashers, the sprayer can also be lifted and cleaned under. You can also use a wire, paper clip, or similar to clean out the holes in the sprayer arm, if necessary.

To clean the interior of the unit, place 1-2 cups of vinegar in a bowl or large measuring cup on the bottom rack and run a wash cycle to clean it. It will smell like vinegar while it’s running, but it fades quickly.

For additional deodorizing, you can run a second rinse cycle with approximately 1/2 cup baking soda sprinkled throughout the bottom. Typically, though, a good clean out and rinse does the trick!

Don’t forget the seal and exterior of your machine — lots of gunk gets trapped around the seal!

Whether you have a cleaning question or want to discuss services, we are happy to help! Contact us or complete our quote request form for more information.

References:

Gibbs, Karen B. “How Often You Should Clean Your Dishwasher – and How to Do It.” TODAY.com, www.today.com/series/how-often-should-you/how-clean-dishwasher-t17946.

DiClerico, Daniel. “How to Clean a Dishwasher.” Consumer Reports, www.consumerreports.org/dishwashers/how-to-clean-a-dishwasher/.

Smith, Lauren. “10 Smart Ways to Get More Oomph Out of Your Dishwasher.” Good Housekeeping, www.goodhousekeeping.com/home/cleaning/g2877/dishwasher-tricks/.

Announcements, Cleaning, Community, Home maintenance, Local, News, North Carolina, Services

Thank you for your support!

shccraleigh

Screenshot 2018-03-19 at 6.43.36 AM

We are so excited to have been nominated for Indy Week’s Best of the Triangle 2018! We were awed to be recognized by YOU in not only Wake County, but Durham and Orange/Chatham, too! Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts, for your continued support.

Nominations for your favorite Triangle-area businesses will be accepted through 4/8. Finalists will be announced 4/23. Thank you in advance for considering SHCC for best of Wake, Durham, and Orange/Chatham counties! We are truly honored and appreciate each of you!

Whether you have a cleaning question or want to discuss services, we are happy to help! Contact us or complete our quote request form for more information.

Leisure, Local, North Carolina, Tips, Travel

Save Your Saturdays: Weekend Travel

shccraleigh

blueridge

A client recently told me that, while they loved the country and always longed for long swaths of land, he couldn’t imagine spending every Saturday maintaining it. Instead, they chose a home with a modest plot (and hired us for their interior!) so they could maximize their family time.

Only 48 of the 168 hours each week are on the weekend, when most of us are able to enjoy our family time, and 14-16 of those hours are spent sleeping. If you have children, the Saturday opportunities are limited. Make the most of your and save your Saturdays.

One of our favorite ways to spend our reclaimed time is travel. New experiences and memories promote family bonding. Also, travel is a scientifically-proven stress-buster and mood-buster, and it promotes creativity and wellness. We are huge promoters of shopping and living locally, and there are some incredible local destinations to explore when you take back your time and save your Saturdays.

Planning a weekend getaway? Here are some great resources for travel in North Carolina:

The Official Travel and Tourism Website for North Carolina
Trip Advisor’s Travelers’ Top-Rated Places in North Carolina
Travel & Leisure’s North Carolina Travel Guide
Fodor’s Travel North Carolina Travel Guide
North Carolina Travel – lonely planet

Whether you have a cleaning question or want to discuss services, we are happy to help! Contact us or complete our quote request form for more information.

Bathrooms, Cleaning, Home maintenance, Kitchen, Laundry, Recommended Products, Tips

How to Care for Your Home After Illness

shccraleigh

allergy-cold-disease-flu-41284The 2017-2018 flu season has been challenging, and many clients have been asking what they can do to around their home to keep illness at bay. Preventative methods such as periodic disinfection and hand-washing can be helpful defenses against the spread of illness.

To help prevent the spread of the flu and other viruses, make periodic disinfection part of your cleaning routine. Be certain to follow the directions for your chosen disinfectant. Focus on shared spaces and objects, particularly areas that are frequently used.

Some household items are shared by many family members, such as cell phones, remote controls, and computers.  Light switches, door knobs, handles are touched frequently. The kitchen sink, cutting boards, and sponges harbor bacteria and should be disinfected frequently. In bathrooms, focus on your toilet and the surrounding area, the tubs/showers, and sink basins. Bed linens, blankets, towels, and stuffed animals should be washed in the hottest water the material allows after illness.

Most importantly, to prevent the spread of illness, wash your hands often with soap and warm water. Many hand-sanitizers have also proven effective against the flu.

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What disinfectants do we recommend? Our preference is Lysol or Seventh Generation Disinfecting Multi-Surface Cleaner, but there are many on the market that can accomplish similar results.

Click here to check out disinfectants recommended by the Environmental Working Group. Interested in more recommendations? Bestseekers has several recommended products here.

Whether you have a cleaning question or want to discuss services, we are happy to help! Contact us or complete our quote request form for more information.

References:

Chodosh, Sara. “How bad this flu season really is-and what you should do about it.” Popular Science, 30 Jan. 2018, www.popsci.com/how-bad-flu-season-2018#page-4.

“De-Germing Your House: Words to the Wise.” CBS News, CBS Interactive, 21 Jan. 2011, www.cbsnews.com/news/de-germing-your-house-words-to-the-wise/.

Fields, Lisa. “Your Home Cleaning Hit List: What to Disinfect.” WebMD, symptoms.webmd.com/cold-flu-map/cleaning-hit-list.

“Is your house hit with the flu? 7 cleaning tips to keep it from spreading.” TODAY.com, www.today.com/home/how-protect-flu-cleaning-tips-your-house-t121435.

Bathrooms, Cleaning, Home maintenance, Laundry, Tips

Q&A: How Dirty is Your Bath Towel?

shccraleigh

how dirtyQuestion: How often should I wash my bath towel? I mean, how dirty is it if it only dries a clean person?

Answer: After three uses, if dried completely.

A microbiologist from the New York University School of Medicine found that our bath towels are a breeding ground for bacteria, the moment we first use them to dry ourselves. If the towel stays wet, the bacteria continue to breed rapidly because bacteria loves warm, wet environments. Allowing the towel to dry between uses does extend time between washes, but should be washed every three uses.

And if it smells? Definitely overdue for a wash. Read about disinfecting smelly laundry or laundry post-illness here.

Whether you have a cleaning question or want to discuss services, we are happy to help! Contact us or complete our quote request form for more information.

Bathrooms, Cleaning, DIY, Hacks, Home maintenance, Tips

Q&A: Shower Door Build-Up

shccraleigh

Question: How do I remove hard water deposits and build-up from my glass shower doors?

Answer: There are many techniques, but our favorite is a mild abrasive, a sponge, glass cleaner (optional), and a microfiber rag.

28124702_1412956412165760_256370012_o (1)While our favorite powdered abrasive is natural Bon Ami, other great options include Barkeepers Friend, Comet, Ajax, and baking soda. Wet your sponge and apply a quarter-sized amount of cleanser to the scrubber side of the sponge. Scrub the affected area in a circular motion. Use a dry microfiber cloth to buff off excess cleanser. Shine with glass cleaner and a clean microfiber (optional).

showerglass

While this technique works for many examples of soap scum and hard water deposits, there are some that will need additional attention, and more extreme examples of hard water deposits may etch the glass.

Having trouble? We love a challenge. Contact us for a complimentary virtual consultation or to schedule your appointment.

Whether you have a cleaning question or want to discuss services, we are happy to help! Contact us or complete our quote request form for more information.

Disclaimer: all opinions and product suggestions are our own. We were not paid to promote any content.