#cleaning

Paul Cummins

Apr 4, 2019
1 min

Ceramic Cook-tops are the Cleanest!

Right, we started by cooking meat with a stick over a fire... no dishes to clean, no greasy spills, the fire burnt up any potential mess. It's the opposite with ceramic cook tops, any spilled water, spaghetti sauce or bacon grease will just keep calcifying and carbonizing. But of all modern cooking options they can stay the cleanest! The trick is to clean as you go. Never lived with anyone who subscribed to that. Maybe it was my Boy Scout training. When you do cook over

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Make anything less squeaky, without the oily drip!

Paul Cummins

Sep 7, 2018
1 min

Make anything less squeaky, without the oily drip!

I use this on stiff windows, reluctant sliding doors and those spring-loaded steel balls used to keep doors closed. Click on image for link. #cleaning #remodel #maintenance

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Moss on a roof is quaint but makes it deteriorate sooner.

Paul Cummins

Jul 1, 2018
1 min

Moss on a roof is quaint but makes it deteriorate sooner.

So will pressure washing your asphalt shingles! Round -up will not kill moss...something to do with being the first land plant. A bleach solution will but may ruin your favorite knock-around clothes. If you don't want to use bleach, try this, but read the label carefully about danger to pets and such... Also, bleach and Wet & Forget will also kill lichen and take care of those black streaks, which are blue-green algae. Click on image for link. Or call a professional roof

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Paul Cummins

Mar 6, 2018
1 min

Dark lines along carpet close to the walls

Those are often called filtration lines because they are made up of fine particles that get sucked through the walls by negative pressure provided by your HVAC forced air system. I find that hard to believe. There have got to be places sealed better than others, so how do you explain the uniform dirt? And all floors are glued down now anyway. Also why don't I have dust lines on my hardwood floors? My guess is that the problem is caused by the tack strips underneath which

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Paul Cummins

Oct 27, 2017
1 min

Moldy Coils are Quite Common!

No rinsing required. Click on image for link. #cleaning #HVAC #maintenance

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Paul Cummins

Jun 11, 2017
1 min

Forget the furniture crayons!

These new pens have real stain in them, great for touching up any stained surface. Click on image for link. #cleaning #maintenance

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Paul Cummins

Mar 10, 2017
1 min

Get rid of mold and algae on siding!

House wash--gets rid of mold and algae! Wear goggles! Wear old clothes! Just attach it to your garden hose. When empty simply refill with 50/50 bleach/water plus a half cup of laundry detergent and do it again and again...also effective on decks and plastic patio furniture. Pretreat any nearby plants with a coat of fresh water before and after using the bleach spray. Click on image for link. #mold #cleaning #popular #exterior

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Some tips from Trulia about preparing a home for sale.

Paul Cummins

Nov 20, 2016
1 min

Some tips from Trulia about preparing a home for sale.

They are also a good argument for having a pre-sale home inspection. I would add that a dirty HVAC filter is a dead giveaway for questionable maintenance and that this TEFLON SPRAY is an easy fix for stuck windows and sliding doors. MOLD ARMOR can take care of dusty or moldy siding easily. POLY CAULK is great for cracks in concrete. THUMB GUM can easily fill gaps in holes for plumbing. And new INSULATION on HVAC line can make it look a lot newer. CLICK ON IMAGE FOR ARTICL

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Paul Cummins

Jun 26, 2016
1 min

Safe "Power Washing"!

This little $5 device has endless uses. It's great for "sweeping" driveways and patios and cleaning out your outdoor drains. The ones at the bottom of your stairs often don't have their own trap, because the water in the trap would freeze. A horizontal portion of pipe usually runs to an indoor drain with a trap. So to clear the horizontal pipe simply put this on the end of your hose and shoot it down the drain! Can save many a basement from flooding! #drainage #plumbing #

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Paul Cummins

Jun 26, 2016
1 min

Easy Window Cleaning

Just attach this to your garden hose and you WILL do windows! This has the added advantage of cleaning your window sills of pollen and dust and dead stink bugs too! Also cleans siding. Click on image for link. #cleaning

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Paul Cummins

Dec 9, 2015
1 min

Red mold gone!

I needed a powerful spray to get rid of black mold on the ceiling of my breezeway that grows when it starts to get cold. Boy was this disappointing, the product just dribbles out like a baby that can't chew yet. HOWEVER, this baby- vomiting- foaming- action keeps the agent in place and has been the only thing that can get rid of red mold in my shower and around my faucets, without wasteful overspray and choking fumes... YAY! Click on image for product information. #cleani

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Paul Cummins

Aug 31, 2015
1 min

Too much stuff?

As a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Philippines I had two water jugs, two kerosene lanterns a few metal dishes, a bicycle and my plants and animals. When I came back home I realized we work for our stuff instead of making the stuff work for us. GC illustrates this point as only he could. #cleaning #remodel

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Paul Cummins

Jul 10, 2015
1 min

Who's in charge?

Do you walk into your house and feel like it's serving you, or is the stuff in charge? Have trouble uncluttering? Click on image for 10 creative tips. #cleaning

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Buying a past smoker's abode...how to get rid of the smell?

Paul Cummins

May 6, 2015
1 min

Buying a past smoker's abode...how to get rid of the smell?

Click on Image for video Instructions: Obviously must be done in a closed space and above 50 degrees, also use warm water to activate! Can be purchased from Amazon. This system releases a harmless gas that reacts with ordor -causing molecules and breaks them down, in a similar manner as chlorine splits apart ozone. Both chlorine and oxygen are very good at reacting with other molecules. The reviews indicate this is very good at getting rid of tobacco odors permanently. C

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Paul Cummins

Apr 25, 2015
1 min

Aromatherapy!

Lavender is known to sooth...wash your hands with this and you and your surroundings will be happy! Just leaving it in the bathroom makes even IT smell good! Click on image for link. #cleaning

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Paul Cummins

Sep 22, 2014
1 min

The Mystery of the Stinky T-Shirts!

So you have a high efficiency washing machine. It's great at conserving water, yet it always seems to "conserve" a little after each wash in its basin, so, if you don't switch the finished wash readily to the dryer, you may fold and put away clothes that end up smelling like swamp gas when you pull them out of your dresser days later! (This only took me three years to figure out!) Bleach helps but this Tide ends up being a whole-house pleasure (of smell and santitation sat

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New appliances need new products, I guess...get those dishes clean!

Paul Cummins

Sep 6, 2014
1 min

New appliances need new products, I guess...get those dishes clean!

High efficiency dishwasher wouldn't clean dishes! Until used Cascade Complete Action Packs! So, I'm thinking that the dishwasher gets cleaned every time you run it, right? Not so much. My dear wife thought it still looked dirty so she bought some Finish dishwasher cleaner and puts it in every week. The dishes and the dishwasher both come out cleaner. Must have some more caustic cleansers. #cleaning

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Paul Cummins

Sep 6, 2014
1 min

Changing your linoleum floor?

Think twice before replacing that worn but vintage linoleum floor. Just strip off all the old wax and paint this on with up to two coats. Might look brand new! Click on image for link. #cleaning

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Get rid of that old moldy caulk around your bathtub!

Paul Cummins

Aug 21, 2014
1 min

Get rid of that old moldy caulk around your bathtub!

You used to have to wait 24 hours after caulking a tub before you could use it…which means it never got done! This caulk dries in 2 hours! The preparation is the important part. Scrap out all the old caulk, wipe with rubbing alcohol and a cloth towel, then dry with paper towels. LET EVERYTHING DRY. Mask each side of the joint with blue painter's tape. Apply new caulk and finagle with your finger dipped in paint thinner. Remove the tape carefully and let dry. This caulk

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