Cleaners and Cleaning Solutions: Part 1

All the elbow grease in the world won’t get you your apartment home clean if you don’t use the proper cleaning solutions.

Commercial Cleaners

Most people use commercial cleaners in their homes. You’ll need several different products for the different surfaces in your apartment.

• All-purpose cleaners: A general-use cleaner for countertops, wood, enamel, and linoleum, and for wiping appliances nd spot-cleaning washable floors. Not for the use on granite, stone, or tile, which it can damage. (Those surfaces should be cleaner with a mixture of dishwashing soap and water or a cleaner that’s formulated specifically for them.) All-purpose cleaners come in spray form or as concentrates that you mix with water and pour into a spray bottle. Some popular brands include: Mr Clean and good ole Lysol.
• Glass cleaner: Cleaner designed for windows and mirrors. Many glass cleaners contain ammonia, which should never be mixed with bleach. (The fumes that result from the two of these items result in highly toxic fumes.) Some popular brands include: Windex.
• Mildew cleaner: Bleach is used to remove mildew. Always dilute bleach with water, following the instructions on the bottle, and never mix bleach with ammonia. Especially avoid using bleach on metals (it will cause discoloration.) You can dilute pure bleach, such as Clorox, to clean mildew, or buy a mildew cleaner such as Scrubbing Bubbles Mildew Cleaner.
• Scouring cleansers: Powdered cleaning products used to clan sinks and toilets. They contain abrasive particles that scrub dirt and grime off surfaces. Some popular brands include: Ajax, Comet, and Bon Ami.
• Tub-and-tile cleaners: These products break up soap scum and and hard water stains in tubs, showers, and tiles so that they can be scrubbed away with ease. Some popular brands include Tilex.
• Over cleaner: This product is used to clean the inside of your oven. Some popular brands include Easy-Off Heavy Duty Oven Cleaner.
• Dishwasher detergent: A detergent designed for use in a dishwasher. Some popular brands include: Method Dish Cubes, Cascade Dishwasher Detergent Pure Rinse Formula Orange, Palmolive Gel Dishwasher Detergent Baking Soda, Electrasol 3 in 1 Tabs with Jet-Dry PowerBall, Ecover Dishwasher Tablets, Palmolive Triple Action Tabs, Electrasol Dishwasher Detergent Powder, and Cascade 2 in 1 Action Pacs Pure Rinse.
• Dishwashing hand soap: Liquid soap used to clean dishes. Diluted with water, it can also be used as an effective all-purpose cleaner. Avoid detergents that contain water-polluting phosphates. Some popular brands include: Dawn, Ivory, and Palmolive.
• Speciality cleaners: Depending on the housewares you own, you may also want to keep cleaners for silver, brass, crystal, copper, and fine wood.

Stay tuned for part two of this article where we’ll be discussing “Green Cleaners that are Safe for the Environment” and more.