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18
l Spring 2015
· 1-2 cups Ammonia
· Several tsp Baking Soda
· 1-2 cups Boiling Water
Preheat oven to 200° then turn it off. Pour ammonia and boil-
ing water into two separate heat-safe dishes. Put ammonia dish
on the middle rack and boiling water dish on the bottom rack.
Close oven and let it sit overnight. Moisten a sponge with warm
water and sprinkle baking soda on it. Wipe the oven clean. Be
sure to rinse and add more baking soda to the sponge through-
out the process, so as not to spread the grease back onto the
clean surface.
Everything will melt off, even the crud-covered racks. For burn-
ers, add a 1/3 cup of ammonia to a freezer bag and place one
burner inside. Seal and let sit overnight. Repeat the wiping
process with the sponge and a bit more baking soda. Rinse
and voila!
· Baking soda
· Vinegar
· Scrub brush with bristles and sponge
For these pesky areas, plain old chemistry is all it takes to re-
move dirt and grimy build-up. First, sprinkle baking soda along
grout grooves, all over sinks and inside of tubs. If your shower
is tiled, try coating the area with a splash of warm water before
sprinkling on the baking soda, so it sticks. After everything is
covered, spritz vinegar generously on top. You'll notice a reac-
tion, which will cause the baking soda to fizz and bubble up. This
is completely safe, even the kids can help scrub, which is the
next step.
Take your scrubby, or an old toothbrush for the smaller areas,
and begin to scrub after the bubbling mixture has been allowed
to set in for at least five minutes but no longer than ten. Try not
to wipe down muddy areas as you're scrubbing. You'll want the
surface to be gritty, letting the mixture work as long as possible.
Once you've scrubbed out all the grime, you can now rinse thor-
oughly and wipe clean with a sponge or moistened rags.
· Old towels and/or pillowcases
· All-Purpose Cleaner Spray
· Rags/Microfiber Towels or Paper Towels
· Coffee Filters
Cleaning ceiling fans is always something we dread doing
because the dust ends up falling on us. To avoid becoming
a dust bunny yourself, simply slide a pillowcase over the
blade or wrap the blade in a towel. Apply pressure to grab
the clumps of dirt and pull off. The dust is now all inside of
the pillowcase (or towel). Turn them inside out, give them a
shake in the yard and throw them into the washing machine.
SPRING
CLEANING
Ovens
Grout, Sinks, and Tubs
Ceiling Fans, Light Fixtures
and Electronics