Wednesday, September 27, 2006

Cleaning Pots and Pa

Cleaning Pots and Pans

So what do you do about those pans sitting in your sink that need cleaning? Let's take a look at some quick tips for cleaning cookware. With a few precautions, those pots and pans no longer need to clutter your sink.

Number one rule: no pan should be preheated on high heat. It may take 30 seconds longer to heat a pan on medium heat, but the lifespan of the pan will increase twofold and your sanity triple fold.

Number two rule: More house fires begin due to a pan being left on a burner especially those preheating or with food deep frying. Please be extra cautious this upcoming holiday season when we tend to forget about the stove when guests arrive.

Cleaning Copper: Tomato paste removes tarnish from copper cookware, kettles, trivets etc. Try pouring salt on a lemon sliced in half to clean copper. Toothpaste will work in a pinch.  Toothpaste makes swift work polishing jewelry. I've found tomato paste works the best and fastest with copper.

Care of Cast-iron: If you are having stomach problems it may be coming from your cast iron cookware. Cast iron is very porous. That black is food bacteria that seep into the cookware. Well it seeps back out during cooking. If your stomach is sensitive or you have ulcers or acid reflux, your cast iron cookware may be the culprit.

Remove the black from the outside by spraying the bottom and sides with a product we will have by mid Oct. It's called TerraPlus and will take that black off without toxic chemicals.  Place plastic down on a back porch or garage and cover with paper. Spray the pan, letting it set two to three hours. Wipe with newspaper and rinse with vinegar and water. Although you are not supposed to wash the inside of cast-iron I recommend it to remove what food bacteria you can. Wipe it down with olive oil when you finish.

How to clean stainless steel: Wash with dish soap to clean. Cameo found in the grocery along with the silver polishes is designed to clean keep stainless steel pans, bakeware or appliances looking new. Fine scratches can be covered up by rubbing with fine steel wool then buffing with a soft cloth. This is true for stoves, appliances and sinks. They can be shined by rubbing with white vinegar. Never use bleach on stainless steel because it leaves stains.

Coated cookware. If food is stuck simmer water in the pan with a bit of dish washer detergent and a dash of salt. Clean with hot water and mild detergent. Never use high heat when cooking with coated cookware.

Loose your marbles? Try looking in the bottom of your double boiler or under your vegetable steamer. If they are hidden there, it's because they want to remind you that the water in the pot is getting low by rattling around.

This article may only be reprinted giving full credit to Mary Findley and her website at http://www.goclean.com. Copyright @2006 All rights reserved worldwide.

Saturday, September 02, 2006

Fall Round UP

Fall Round UP
     Before we delve into fall cleaning and some tips and trips there, several of you have been asking me why your washcloths and dishcloths continue to harbor odors after they have been washed. If I previously passed along this tip, ignore this paragraph. We have quite a few new members and I would like to pass this along to them.
     A gentleman at a recent rally, who worked in a laundry detergent plant told me that some powdered laundry detergents, including theirs, are made from saw dust that has been blown and treated. Saw dust has no cleaning abilities. It cannot rinse clean and it sticks to terry towels. That is one reason why towels scratch the side of vehicles when used to dry them. After I switched to a natural powdered detergent from a health food stores, my clothes are cleaner and my dishcloths and washcloths have ceased to smell.
      I suspect the sawdust is also the reason why cotton tee shirts, knits etc gets balls on them and become rough looking when they are laundered. And it would make sense that the sawdust would wear down fabrics quicker. I now turn knit shirts, pants, jeans, sweaters etc inside out and wash most everything on permanent press. It saves on water and electricity and my clothes don't seem to be wearing as quickly.  Pretreat stains with Bi-O-Kleen.
Fall cleanup tips:
  1. Swimming pool: For the hard water line - use our Erase It for Bathrooms http://www.goclean.com/erase-it.htm  to remove those lines. It is faster than a pumice stone and won't scratch.

  2. Add a quick sparkle to windows and screens. Clean screens by wiping with our Dry Sponge, use dry not wet http://www.goclean.com/dry-sponge.htm.  A one-inch paint brush whisks dust from window frames. Remove film on windows with a solution of three parts rubbing alcohol, one part white vinegar and six parts water.

  3. Have your air ducts and fireplace chimneys professionally cleaned and clean the fronts of screens and glass enclosures to fireplaces. Be sure to check the date of your fire extinguisher! Do you have one on every level of your home and one in the garage? Are they easily accessed? Do you have a ladder to hang from your window for your second story?

  4. Remove tree sap on patio furniture by freezing it with ice. Chip off what you can with a putty knife then apply a bit of concentrated Bi-O-Kleen. Let that set 20 to 30 minutes then clean with one-quarter cup of white vinegar to a quart of water.

  5. Fabric patio furniture: Add one cup 20 Mule Team Borax and one-third cup laundry detergent to a bucket of warm water. Saturate the cushions, wait several minutes then scrub with a medium bristle brush. Rinse and air dry. Wipe them down with hydrogen peroxide if they mildew when stored.

  6. Umbrellas: Open and brush off all dirt particles. Starting at the outer edge working towards the center, spray a section at a time with a foaming tub and tile cleaner. Foaming cleaners cling to vertical surfaces giving the cleaner time to dissolve the dirt. Scrub, rinse and air dry.
This article may only be reprinted giving full credit to Mary Findley and her website at http://www.goclean.com. Copyright @2006 All rights reserved worldwide.