Entries Tagged as 'Spills and Stains'

Ivy Reviews: The Little Green Clean Machine

July 7th, 2009 5 Comments

retrochick.JPGIvy says:

Remember this disaster? Well, I decided to just let my uncle have my carpet cleaner (since we’re pretty short on carpeting at Chez Ivy) and I bought myself a Little Green Clean Machine instead. Obligatory transparency statement: I was not paid to or asked to review this item. This is all me, kids.

So, let’s talk about the Little Green Clean Machine. (Henceforth to be called the LGCM since typing the whole thing out takes some effort.) As you all know, I had a heinous mess to clean up, so instead of what I’d usually do, clean up the mess with rags and then use some Spot Shot on it, I wanted something to be able to suck up the mess as well as clean it.

What I liked about it:

The LGCM does, in fact, suck. In the way you want it to. I wondered how well the suction action would work on such a small machine, and I’m pleased to report that it works very well. I’d say it sucks up about 80% of the water that I used on it- not bad at all. Now, in order to get all that water sucked up, you need to be sure to push down hard on the cleaning head. Because of that, I’m not sure how well it would work on a carpet you can’t do that to, like Berber.

It was easy to use: setup required attaching two hose clips, only one of which needed to be screwed in with a screwdriver. Within about 5 minutes, I was ready to clean. The instructions were written fairly well and were not confusing.

The sprayer works well. In fact, a bit too well. (See “what I didn’t like” for more) It covered the area I was cleaning and then some. I also really liked being able to see the dirty water that was being sucked into the machine through the clear head in the cleaning head. Though, I was a bit grossed out to see what I had been sitting on lately, ha. But by being able to see what was coming in, I could clean an area until I was satisfied that it was really clean- an option that my full sized carpet cleaner did not have.

I was able to clean the mess up quite well and very quickly, which is really important to me. I don’t want to be there all day setting up and taking things down, and setup and clean-up was very quick. Awesome.

Now, let’s talk about the things I didn’t like.

What I didn’t like:

Like I said, the sprayer worked too well. Like, it sprayed about twice the size of the cleaning head, which would be fine except that it went everywhere when cleaning the arms of my couch. I’d like to be able to control the amount of spray coming out of the sprayer.

Also, the hose was awfully short. I don’t have any stairs, but if I did have them, I’d like to use something like this to clean them, but I could imagine that this would be a pain when cleaning stairs, as I had to keep the machine close at hand while cleaning my couch.

The other thing I don’t like about it is that it seems that the only product you can really use on it is the stuff designed especially for the LGCM. I’d like to have an option of one to remove pet stains, since I doubt it’s specifically designed to remove the enzymes that need to be removed when cleaning up pet messes.

Overall, I really liked the LGCM and am glad I bought it. The pluses way outweigh the minuses. Next, I’m going to use it to clean my car. I can only imagine the nasty water that’ll come out of THAT! I can hardly wait, haha.

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Grease on Khakis

January 13th, 2009 10 Comments

Dear Home Ec 101,

Help oh great home ec goddesses! I was making breakfast for the kids, and didn’t have my tried and true apron on. As I am sure you guessed, I got grease on my favorite go to khakis. HELP!!!!!!! I need guidance! Thanks for all of your great tips.

Signed,

Greasy in Gallatin

retrochick.JPGIvy says:

When I worked at the auto repair shop, I was introduced to the miracle that is Simple Green. Not only is it one of the best degreasers I have ever used, but it’s nontoxic, biodegradable, and not stinky. I used it to clean the grease off my shoes and clothes that always gets on ya when you work around cars.

Later, I married a restaurant manager who brought home the grease all over his clothing, and Simple Green worked wonders again. My darling restaurant manager doesn’t bring home so much grease anymore, but since I’m a messy cook, Simple Green is still my best pal.

For your khakis, just spray Simple Green directly onto the stain and wash as usual. Make sure the grease stains are gone before you put it in the dryer, but chances are good that they’ll be fabulous once again. Thanks for the great question!

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Acetone and Furniture Do Not Mix

December 17th, 2008 14 Comments

Dear Home Ec 101,

My daughter spilled finger nail polish remover on her dresser.  What can I do to repair it?  Thanks.

Signed,

Acetone ACK!
Heather says:

There are a few options to make the best of the situation.

First, we have the disguise it and pretend it didn’t happen approach. With this method, you clean up any remaining acetone and find a knick knack or doily to place over the damaged area. Obviously, this solution is limited, besides who really wants a lot of doilies lying around, right?

A more costly approach is to call the manufacturer and ask if they offer repair services. Even if they don’t, they may be able to provide the color of the stain and the type of the finish and the type which will aid in repairing the piece yourself.

If the dresser is old, time, sunlight, humidity all take a toll on furniture, changing the coloration over time. This makes a perfect match unlikely, but it can be disguised. If the damaged area is small, there are pens available that stain dents and dings to hide the bare wood. For larger areas, sand and use a matching stain, followed by the appropriate finish to match the rest of the piece. Follow the stain and finish manufacturer’s recommendations for the best results.

You mentioned that this was your daughter’s dresser. If she is a child and the finish was badly damaged, consider stripping and refinishing the entire piece, either with a new color of stain or as a painted piece.

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Plastic Residue

November 20th, 2008 6 Comments

Dear Home Ec 101,

I have a dresser that my mother gave me. She had a doily thing on it with a plastic backing.  When I removed the doily, there where sticky spots in a lacy pattern from the doily.  What can I use to remove this without damaging the stain on the dresser?

Thanks,

Doily Dummy in Woodstock GA

Ivy says:

Ugh, I know the plastic doillies that you speak of, and I hate them with the fire of a thousand, errr…fires. When we were going through my late grandmother’s stuff, we opened a box that had nothing but plastic doillies in it. Why would she have so many? No earthly idea, kids, but they were there.

Anyway, I digress. There are many ways you can fix this. The premise is to use something with an oily base to soften that funk and get it off. Murphy’s Oil Soap is formulated for finished wood and might be your best bet. However, if your dresser is particularly old, the finish may be worn, so test a spot before going whole hog.

If you don’t want to run out and buy Murphy’s Oil Soap, try a light coating of vegetable oil or even peanut butter. I use my handy dandy plastic scraper that you get with Pampered Chef stoneware to do any kind of scraping that needs to be gentle. Of course, a butter knife wrapped in a towel would do the trick too. You want a gentle edge that will take off the funk and not the dresser’s finish.

So, just lightly coat with what you’re using and then let it sit for 10-15 minutes to soak in and then gently scrape away. Good luck!

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Getting Gross With Home Ec 101

November 17th, 2008 6 Comments

Dear Home Ec 101,

My two year old has started potty training.  She’s very good at taking off her clothes and getting naked, not so good yet at actually making it to the potty on time.  So, I was wondering if you had any brilliant tips for cleaning toddler poop out of carpet?  I do not have a wet/dry vacuum or steam cleaner or anything else fancy.  Do I need to get some special cleaning product for this job?

Thanks,

Na-Na-Na-Na-Poo-Poo-Head

Ivy says:

I have three cats, a dog, and three kids. If there’s anything I know better than cleaning poo off the floor, I don’t know what it is. Now, if it’s of the solid variety, no problem. Pick up the solid stuff and spray a little Nature’s Miracle (expensive, but the best) or Kids N Pets (less expensive, pretty good, but not as fabulous as Nature’s Miracle) on the area, go on with day.

It’s when it’s the not-so-solid variety that it’s kind of a problem. This is the very reason I have mostly laminate floors, I despise cleaning up this kind of poo. Anyway, get a couple of paper towels. Scrape up as much poo as you can. Then get out the Nature’s Miracle or Kids N Pets and SOAK the area. Then take either a nice thick rag (This is why I cloth diapered my kids. I have the best rags in town.) or else some paper towels and BLOT the area up. If it doesn’t all come out at first, repeat the process.

Have..er…fun.

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