How do I Clean My Refrigerator?
Your refrigerator does a lot of work. It also doesn’t get a lot of cleaning attention if you’re like most people. When the time comes and you just can’t stand it anymore, you know you’ve got to clean your refrigerator. In this article, we’ll teach you how to clean your refrigerator.
- The first step to cleaning your refrigerator is to take out all the food. Having an empty fridge makes the process of cleaning it so much easier. It also prevents possible contamination of your food from cleaning products.
- Throw out any aged, old or moldy food. Anything that is inedible should be tossed in the garbage can. You can also use this time to throw out any food items that you don’t use. If you haven’t used it since the last time you cleaned your refrigerator, then it’s safe to assume you don’t need it.
- Take out all the shelves, drawers and other removable surface items from the refrigerator. Place it in the kitchen sink and fill it up with cool water and dish-washing soap so those items can start to soak while you tackle the inside of your fridge.
- Wipe all surface areas including the doors with commercial wipes or with dish-washing soap, water and a good sponge. You don’t want little particles to break off and get set in the refrigerator. If you find stubborn stains, you can use a small amount of baking soda and water to produce a thick paste. Apply the paste to the stain and leave on for an hour before you wipe with a damp sponge or strong cloth. The baking soda is supposed to loosen the stain thereby making it easy to wipe away.
- Now, you should wash the shelves and other items that you took out of the fridge. It won’t fit in your dishwasher so just get ready to clean it by hand. Lather up a sponge with some dishwasher soap and use cool, not hot water to clean these items. Hot water can cause cold glass shelves to break due to the temperature change. Clean by hand. Be careful of stains. You can remove these the same way you did those inside the fridge. Make sure you let everything dry out completely or dry it by hand before you put it back into the refrigerator.
- Once you put the shelves and other items back in the refrigerator, you can begin to put the food back in. Then, your clean refrigerator is ready to be used again.
Of course, if you’d prefer not to clean your refrigerator, Garcia Green Cleaners can add on this cleaning to one of our service appointments. Just call 512-705-2812 in Austin to set it up.
How to Clean a Kitchen Sink
Just because water and soap are continuously running through your kitchen sink, it doesn’t mean that your kitchen sink is always clean. In fact, it can get rather scummy-looking with debris, grease and other leftovers. Some recommend that you scrub your kitchen sink every night. We know that most people don’t have the time or the wherewithal to do that and that’s okay. In this article we’ll teach you how to clean a kitchen sink on your terms.
- When you’re ready to clean the sink, remove all dirty dishes and leftover food from your sink. You should have an empty sink as you begin to clean.
- Wash the entire surface of your sink with a gentle soap, a soft cloth and warm water. A good way to get a clean sink is to use dish-washing liquid in warm water. This can be used to clean faucets, drains and the outer rim. If you can, do this every time you use the sink. If not, thoroughly clean it weekly.
- Run the hot water into your drain. This step helps eliminate bad odors and can soften any gooey material that’s been left behind in your drain. Wet down the entire sink through this process. If you can, aim to do this several times a week.
- Pour 1 teaspoon or baking soda and one-quarter cup of lemon juice over the surface of your sink including down the drain. You should let this mixture stand for about ten minutes. Then you use hot water to rinse away the leftover residue.
- Sanitize the drain with one-half cup of baking soda and one-fourth cup of lemon juice mixed together. Once you put the mixture in the drain, you should pour one-half a cup of white vinegar down that drain. The combination of these ingredients will break up stubborn clogs.
- Rinse your kitchen sink thoroughly with hot water after you perform any of these cleaning routines.
Some extra tips:
- Install a perforated plastic mat in the bottom of your sink. It will protect the sink’s surface from scratches and other imperfections. It will also protect your dishes.
- Don’t use scouring powders to clean your sink. It’s better to use warm water and a dish detergent formula.
- Clean your sink gently so that your arms don’t get too tired.
If you want to have a sparkling clean kitchen sink, contact us at Garcia Green Cleaners. We’re happy to clean your kitchen sink on a regular basis so you don’t have to. We can be reached in Austin at 512-705-2812.
How do I Clean a Toilet?
In this article, we’ll teach you how to clean the toilet. No one likes to clean toilets, but it’s necessary. A clean toilet doesn’t smell bad and it prevents bacteria from spreading. To correctly clean the toilet you’ll need both a toilet cleaner and a disinfectant. In fact, we recommend the following materials:
- Gloves,
- Toilet brush,
- Toilet bowl cleaner,
- And disinfectant spray.
First, you should take everything on the toilet off. If you have pictures or books or tissue boxes on the top, take them off so you can clean the toilet. You can clean these items later before you put them back on. Keep them somewhere safe where they won’t get sprayed with the toilet cleaner and disinfectant or water while you’re cleaning the toilet.
Take the clean gloves and put them on. We suggest that you use a dedicated pair of gloves for the job. You don’t want the bacteria from the toilet being spread to other household cleaning tasks. If you must, buy your toilet-cleaning gloves in a different color than your other rubber gloves so they don’t get confused.
Next, you should wipe down the toilet with a damp sponge. Give it a once-over with hot water. You should wet with water and wipe around the tank, lid, seat, base and exterior of the bowl. This might be enough to remove the dirt without specialty cleaning products. If not, you can clean with a disinfectant or toilet bowl cleaner later on.
Now you can apply with a toilet cleaner to the inside of the bowl. Toilet cleaners help eliminate stains, rings and mineral deposits in your toilet. Squirt the cleaner on the inside rim of the toilet bowl, allowing it to drip down the sides of the bowl and in the water. Read the instructions on the cleaner because some cleaners require time to sit for maximum cleaning effect. If so, take a short break and then continue.
It’s time to scrub the bowl with a toilet brush. You should use a brush with firm bristles. Scrub the bowl thoroughly and pay attention to any mineral stains that have accumulated at water level or the back of the bowl. The more thoroughly and firmly you scrub the bowl, the cleaner it will get. To get the most out of your toilet bowl cleaner, dip the brush in the toilet water and grab some suds to clean the bowl. It will give you extra cleaning power.
Once the bowl is scrubbed and clean, you should flush. This rinses the bowl. You should continue to scrub as water drains from the toilet because the motion of the water alone might not be enough to rinse the dirt away. If you have persistent stains, repeat the process of applying toilet cleaner through rinsing the bowl. Do it as many times as you need to to clean the toilet bowl.
Now that the bowl is clean, you can clean the rest of the apparatus with disinfectant. Clean the bottom, the top and all around the toilet. Don’t forget the handle because it has bacteria on it too. Once it’s sparkling, wipe up the residue with a dry cloth and then you’re done.
All you need to do is clean the items that were on the toilet before you started cleaning and then put them back where they belong.
If you need help cleaning your toilet or don’t feel like doing it yourself, Garcia Green Cleaners can help. Give us a call in Austin at 512-705-2812. We’re happy to take care of this for you!
How do I Clean an Oven?
Most people neglect to clean their oven. At Garcia Green Cleaners, we can clean ovens for you. However, we feel that we should pass the process along to you so you know what to do in case you wish to do it yourself. There are three things you should know before you clean an oven.
- Does the oven have a self-cleaning feature?
- Is the oven an electric range or gas range?
- Which of the oven parts are removable?
Clean the stove top first.
Use a proper cleaning agent to clean the burners and stove top. Scrub everything down. If you have removable burner trays, put them in the sink for a little bit with some soapy water. After about twenty minutes, rinse them off and scrub them with a sponge to get all the little bits of food and other debris off of them. Place them back on your cleaned stove top and get ready for the next step.
Remove oven racks on the inside and clean them.
You will remove the oven racks and put them in a sink full of warm, soapy water. Let it sit in the soapy water for twenty minutes or longer if you can manage it. This will loosen up the grease and caked on dirt. After the twenty minutes is up, take a sponge or dish washing apparatus and scrub any remaining residue. Rinse them off with warm water and dry them with a paper towels.
Clean the inside of the oven.
Cleaning the inside of the oven is not hard. You can probably finish the bulk of it while your oven racks are soaking.
If the oven is self-cleaning, lock the oven door and select the option for “clean”. Let the oven go through the cleaning cycle. It will set itself to a very high temperature to ‘bake’ all the food and debris. When done, all you need to do is pick up the ash that’s left and wipe down with a damp cloth. Be careful not to streak the oven’s insides.
If your oven is not self-cleaning, then you’ve got yourself and a can of oven cleaner. Remove any loose crumbs using a cloth or paper towel. Wipe the crumbs into a garbage can or dust pan to save yourself extra cleaning later. Spray the oven with oven cleaner and follow the directions on the can.
If you don’t use an oven cleaner, you can use ammonia. Pour two cups in a bowl and place a rag or sponge in the bowl. Apply the ammonia to any rough spots on the side or the bottom. Let it sit for about 30 minutes. Then, wipe out the rest of the oven with water. Make sure the ammonia is rinsed out thoroughly; otherwise, your oven will smell like ammonia the next time you use it.
Clean the outside of the oven.
Use an all-purpose kitchen cleaner and a rag or paper towel to clean the outside of the oven. It’s a good idea to clean the window or any glass parts with a glass cleaner. This will avoid streaks.
That’s it. You’re done. Your oven is cleaned. If you’d prefer that we do it for you, certainly ask for the service when you set up your appointment. It costs extra, but it is well worth your time. We can be reached in Austin at 512-705-2812.