How to clean everything in your life, according to our experts
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Cleaning is an inevitable and important fact of life. And while most people don’t relish doing household chores like laundry, vacuuming and dishes, those jobs serve an important purpose. The benefits of cleaning are myriad; to name just a few, regularly cleaning your home promotes good health and hygiene, reduces stress and extends the life span of your belongings.
Our cleaning expert, Jolie Kerr, has more than a decade of experience in the field — if something is in need of cleaning, chances are she knows how to do it. To inform this collection of articles, she’s called upon her extensive knowledge and sought out other experts to help you choose the right cleaning agents and tools for the job, detailing the techniques to use and explaining the science behind the mess.
Windex Multisurface Cleaner cleans both glass and chrome, so you can use it to polish mirrors and faucets. It also works as an all-purpose cleaner that can be safely used on countertop and flooring materials from corian and formica to granite and marble.
This is a great general natural cleaner, according to our experts, as it’s able to be used as window cleaner, leather cleaner, grease cutter and more.
While yoga mat sprays are not necessary, they are formulated with a mat’s grip and stickiness in mind, which can be important if you clean your mat after every use as recommended by experts.
When it comes to the tools used for scrubbing — sponges, rags, paper towels, etc. — Kerr strongly recommends using a Dobie Pad. These non-scratch scrubber sponges are the perfect thing for scouring surfaces without causing any damage to plastic or glass.
These are Amazon’s most popular — and a favorite of ours too.
For stuck-on food, these pan scrapers can be a big help.
Our pick for the best grill brush features a durable, large stainless steel brush head that effectively and safely cleans your grill.
A divided hamper allows you to separate laundry as it goes into the hamper rather than having to paw through a huge pile of dirty clothes on laundry day to separate lights from darks, or clothes from towels.
When it comes to detergent, you don’t need a specialty product for washing gym gear — but one can be nice to have. While the type of detergent you use isn’t important, how much detergent you use is important. Using too much makes it difficult to rinse your garments thoroughly, which can lead to more buildup that will trap sweat and fungi.
Take the stress out of leather care with these convenient nourishing wipes.
20 products under $25 to keep your car clean and organized
The absolute best thing you can buy to keep your car clean is a handheld vacuum. It will make quick work of cleaning seats, floor mats and even the dashboard. This portable vacuum by VacLife has great reviews and a low price, a practically perfect combo
How — and how often — to wash towels, according to experts
In some cases, using cold water to wash your towels is the best way to go.
How — and how often — to wash sheets and comforters, according to experts
For sheets that are dark-colored, using this sort of detergent can reduce fading.
Our experts says that for optimal cleaning and disinfecting, you should be sure the washer and dryer at its hottest heat setting are not overloaded so that the mask can tumble freely in each machine. They also note that just using a stain-focused detergent is just fine.
Felicia Linsky, an award-winning Hollywood makeup and spray tan artist, says her go-to stain remover for makeup is OxiClean’s gel stick.
Foam jewelry cleaners are a good option for most jewelry, as they are safe to use on all metals as well as almost all gemstones.
Everything you need to clean up holiday spills and messes
Red wine and cranberry sauce are staples of the holiday season — and they also stain like the dickens. Fortunately, Wine Away, an editor-approved solution, works on not only red wine stains but also those stubborn cranberry sauce stains.
It’s probably a good idea to have a light broom and dustpan nearby for the entryway to clean up anything from nature that is dragged in on shoes.
Note: The prices above reflect the retailers’ listed price at the time of publication.
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Source: https://www.cnn.com/2022/04/04/cnn-underscored/how-to-clean-house-guide/index.html?iid=CNNUnderscoredHPcontainer
