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Latest Cleaning Questions

Q. When grilling this summer, how can I prevent the spread of bacteria? A. Here’s how to keep bacteria at bay at the grill: Always wash hands thoroughly with warm water and soap before and after handling food. If possible, use one cutting board for raw meat, poultry, and seafood...

Removing Gardening Stains

Now that gardening season is here, your first harvest is probably a bumper crop of stains. Grass stains, pollen, mud and dirt are byproducts of around-the-garden cleanup. And tidying up the outside of the house can also reap paint and rust stains. Here are some tips to weed them out:...

Cleaning Task Cards

Have you used task cards? The idea is to put each task on a different card and then go through them to determine who does a task currently or who should be put in charge of a particular task. We’ve seen this come up as a way to find a...

How to Clean Your Jeans

Jeans have become a wardrobe essential. However, they require a bit of special care to help them last a long time. You do need to wash them. In fact, you should be washing them every few times you wear them. Here’s how: Read and follow the fabric care label. If...

How to Unclog a Drain

Clogged drains can be annoying, and expensive. They can cause leaks or become a place for mold and germs to spread. However, if you act quickly, a little effort keeps a small issue from becoming bigger. Before you call in a plumber, there are a few things you can try...

Dealing With Hard Water Stains

If you’re cleaning and still seeing cloudy spots on your glassware, you probably have hard water. What you’re seeing is some film residue caused by the hard-water minerals that has remained after the water has evaporated. And it isn’t just an aesthetic concern. That residue can build up in other...

Stocking the Clean Dozen

As we head into the time of year for spring cleaning, it’s a good time to check your cleaning supplies. For effective cleaning, make sure products are within their use by date and you restock anything running low. Whether you’re establishing a new household or getting your existing one in...

How to Use a Degreaser

For many messes, an all-purpose cleaner will do. Sometimes you just need some extra cleaning power to help cut through the grease and those burnt-on messes. That’s where degreasers come in handy, especially in the kitchen. You can use degreasers on most surfaces, like food preparation areas, oven hoods, pots...

Getting Odors Out of Clothes

Most of the time, doing a load of laundry can make your clothes looking better and smelling better, too. But sometimes the odor doesn’t all come out. Here’s how to eliminate those tough clothing odors: Allow sweaty clothes to dry. If clothes are dry before they hit the hamper, it...

How to Clean Key Spots in the Home

The kitchen and bathroom top the list of key rooms to clean in the home. That’s why they were the focus of a panel discussion during the third annual Discover Cleaning Summit, hosted by Good Housekeeping and the American Cleaning Institute. Why should these rooms be at the top of...

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