Is there really anything more boring than cleaning? It always seems to take forever, and the job never really seems to end does it? Whether you are interested in house cleaning, or you are trying limit the time spent office cleaning, there is more to good housekeeping than you might realize. Good housekeeping is more properly be described as general cleaning. So, if you are looking for ideas about making your general cleaning tasks less boring, time consuming, or simply just less, then look no further. Your answers are here.

Tips, Tricks, and Answers

The following articles are available for the 'General Cleaning' topic. Click the article''s title (shown in bold) to see the associated article.

   Always Ready for Guests
When you have little or no notice that guests are coming over, you'll want the most embarrassing messes cleaned up first. The best way to be always ready for guests is to clean your bathroom on a regular basis. In reality, last minute cleaning can be done quickly and discreetly if you keep cleaning supplies under your bathroom sink.

   Bug Bomb Cleanup
Bug bombs are a wonderfully effective method to get rid of an infestation of the creepy crawlies. The one item that makes them so affective, leads to a problem after they have been used—the get everywhere. Post-bug-bombing cleanup can be frustrating, and a little daunting, if you don't know what to do or where to begin. The next time that you need to clean up, just use one of these methods.

   Burst Cleaning
Very few people like to do a lot of cleaning all at one stretch. Instead of doing it in the traditional manner, why not try something new, such as burst cleaning? Burst cleaning is a great way that you can get your home cleaned quickly, and not be doing it all day long.

   Carpet Cleaning Companies
It is a good idea to clean the carpets in your home at least once a year. To save yourself time and hassle, think about hiring a carpet cleaning company to do the work.

   Carpet Cleaning Equipment
There's a lot to consider when deciding to clean your carpet. Hopefully, this article will make things much clearer.

   Chemical Carpet Cleaning
Buying a carpet can be an expensive transaction. What type of carpet? How much can I spend? These are all common questions you can ask yourself at the time of purchase. However one question that is never really thought about, until too late, is how to best keep it clean. Here is some information that can help you understand chemical carpet cleaning.

   Choosing a Cleaning Service
Sometimes cleaning may just not be your thing, or you just don't have time to do it. If this is you, then know that you don't have to have a dirty house—you can hire a cleaning service. If that's what you want to do, then here's how to choose a great cleaning service that will meet your needs.

   Clean Egg Messes Easily
Eggs are one of the most common cooking ingredients, but they spill at least a little almost all of the time. To easily clean up egg spills, all you need is salt. Just sprinkle a good amount of salt on any egg spill, and the egg will come right up instead of running away from the towel every time.

   Clean My House
Many people try to keep the house clean, but just don't have the time to maintain the cleanliness they would prefer. Prioritize your cleaning tasks to get the most out of cleaning time.

   Cleaning a Baseball Cap
Baseball caps are one of the more popular hat choices in today's world, and as such a very common clothing accessory. Since it is so popular, it only stands to reason that you will eventually need to clean them every once in a while. Cleaning a baseball cap needs to be done in the proper way, or you can find yourself damaging your hat without meaning to.

   Cleaning a Baseball Glove
Baseball gloves are an integral part of America's traditional pastime, baseball. However, they also tend to be a bit expensive and require a bit of care. One of the best ways to give that care is by cleaning a baseball glove the right way.

   Cleaning a Chalkboard
For routine cleaning, wipe your chalkboard down with a dry cloth. For a dirtier board, the following method can be used occasionally. You'll need an eraser, a dustrag, a sponge, liquid soap, and a bucket of warm water.

   Cleaning a Thermos Flask
Thermos flasks, because of their depth, can be as hard to clean as bottles. You can scrub out a thermos with a cloth at the end of a wooden spoon or you can soak the thermos with different cleaners. To keep your thermos clean, dry it before storing it and store it without the lid on.

   Cleaning a Whiteboard
If your whiteboard is now a grayboard, this article is for you. It describes how to routinely dry-clean your board with a paper towel. It also describes how to wet-clean using an alcohol solvent if your board is dirtier.

   Cleaning an Ink Stamp
Those of you who love ink stamps know the importance of keeping them clean. This article provides four methods for cleaning your stamps: baby wipes, running water, stamp scrubbers, and a sponge with dish soap.

   Cleaning and Sanitizing Home Gym Equipment
Home gyms are very convenient, but it s up to you to keep the equipment clean and sanitary. You will need to clean all the equipment you use regularly to prevent the spread of bacteria and dirt.

   Cleaning Brushes
Why wash your hair and then brush it with a dirty brush? Keep your brush clean with a little washing.

   Cleaning Cast Iron Radiators
If you have a house that dates back to the 19th, or early 20th centuries, then chances are pretty good you have a cast iron radiator. While fairly good at providing heat to your home, cleaning them properly can present a few unique challenges. That is if you don't know the trick to cleaning cast iron radiators.

   Cleaning Electric Razors
Electric razors, or shavers as they are commonly known, are supposed to save time and the skin of the men who use it. However, if the electric razor isn't clean then it is going to take more time to shave—and possibly cost you some skin at the same time. Cleaning your electric razor can save you all kinds of grief.

   Cleaning Glass Tables
Because glass tables don't hide any amount of dust, grease or grime, you'll need to clean them often. Here are three easy glass-cleaning methods for you to try: hot towel, Windex, and white vinegar.

   Cleaning Golf Club Grips
Golf is one of those unique games that can frustrate someone almost as much as it relaxes them. One of the ways that you can reduce that frustration is by cleaning golf club grips properly. Follow these simple directions so that they don't get your hands, clothes, or anything else dirty.

   Cleaning Hairbrushes
This article describes a quick, easy way to routinely clean your hairbrushes using basic household items. You'll also learn a method to soak dirtier brushes and a list of types of brushes that shouldn't be immersed in water.

   Cleaning Houseplants
Without spending much time you can have shiny, healthy looking houseplants. Houseplants are rarely dusted and cleaned, which means that with time even the healthiest plants can become sick. Prevent this with just a little time every couple of months. There are several different ways to clean and dust your plant, each described in this tip.

   Cleaning My House
Cleaning your house can seem like a huge job. If you set up a schedule for daily cleaning, however, you can keep things looking great all of the time.

   Cleaning Old Books
Whether it is from storage, or improper handling, over time your books will eventually get dirty or grungy. Instead of throwing your hands up and thinking that its a forgone conclusion that eventually your books will get dirty, why not try to clean them. Cleaning old books is surprisingly easy, read on to find out how.

   Cleaning Old Dolls
Old dolls are often more than just an old toy that has been around for a few years. They can easily become a beloved heirloom that is passed from one generation to the next. In order to get the most from your old dolls, you will need to do some periodic cleaning. Luckily, cleaning old dolls is fairly easy.

   Cleaning Old Photographs
When working with old photographs it is best to try to determine the method by which they were processed before you attempt to clean them. For very old photographs, consult with a professional restorer before you try to clean them yourself.

   Cleaning Pool Table Felt
Have you ever stopped to think about how expensive a pool table is? These items, at least the good ones, aren't exactly cheap. One of the best ways that you can go about ensuring that your money doesn't go to waste is by cleaning pool table felt the right way.

   Cleaning Rubberized Watchbands
There is one part of a watch that always seems to get a little dirtier than another, and that is the watch band. Considering that the vast majority of watchbands are made out of a plastic or rubberized material, this is actually a pretty easy problem to remedy. Here's how you can begin cleaning rubberized watchbands yourself.

   Cleaning the Fireplace
Use this method for a clean, healthy fireplace. You'll need 1-2 hours of time, some protective and cleaning items, and old-fashioned elbow grease to get the job done properly.

   Cleaning the Inside of Bottles and Vases
Stains on the insides and outsides of bottles can be easily removed with the methods below. Instead of putting in tons of work into trying to scrape off stains with bottle brushes, try these tips to remove stains with household chemicals and natural abrasives.

   Cleaning Tools
Do you want to make cleaning in your home simpler and more efficient? Be sure you have the right cleaning tools on hand to assist you with various cleaning tasks.

   Cleaning Up After a Toilet Reversal
Cleaning up anything that has spilled from the toilet can be a dirty and disgusting job. Often when you find yourself cleaning up after a toilet reversal, it can even be worse. It is best to clean the mess as soon as possible to prevent any damage, and make sure any problems with the toilet are fixed immediately.

   Cleaning Vinyl Records
A gentle approach is the key to washing vinyl records. Handling with care you want to wet the record on both sides with slightly soapy water and run a wash cloth around each side following the grooves. Rinse it in cool water and try to keep the label as dry as you can, then run a dry washcloth around the grooves and press the label between two dry cloths and set the record on its side to finish drying before you put it away.

   Cleaning Watchbands
Watchbands should be washed occasionally to remove any gunk buildup. Cloth bands can be washed in warm soapy water and scrubbed with your fingers if necessary, and rinsed in cool water. Leather bands should be washed with saddle soap and conditioned afterward. Metal bands need to be scrubbed a little with a toothbrush or nailbrush in warm soapy water. To avoid a buildup on your watchband you should take it off at night and keep the band a dry as possible.

   Cleaning Water
Do you dislike the taste of your tap water? Instead of living with it, try cleaning your drinking water first to remove unwanted particles.

   Cleaning Water Dispensers
Water dispensers are a wonderful item to have both in the home and in the office. As with most water related items though, you need to be sure that you are periodically cleaning these things for their most effective use. Cleaning water dispensers not only ensures that they work effectively, but also helps prevents any possible disease.

   Cleaning Wax Spills
Candles are perfect for creating a warm, welcoming ambience in a room. But when melted wax drips or spills, it can leave you wondering how to clean it up. This article will give you tips and tricks for cleaning wax spills from several different surfaces, and also how to prevent wax spills in the first place.

   Cleaning Your Bicycle
As with most things in life, having a clean bicycle will help ensure that they are able to work at their best. Cleaning your bicycle isn't all that difficult, though it can be fairly time consuming.

   Cleaning Your Children's Toys
Have you ever noticed how children's toys, just like children, get dirty over a period of time? Instead of letting that dirt and grime build up, and create a more nasty environment, take some time to do a bit of cleaning. Cleaning your children's toys isn't all that difficult if you know what to do.

   Combine Cleaning and Weatherproofing
When the weather begins to turn cold, it is time to finally begin thinking about weatherproofing your home. However, instead of taking any extra time to go around and make a special trip to inspect everything in your home, simply take a look at a few things while you are dong your regular routine cleaning. Here's how.

   Commercial Cleaners
Does you business need help keeping up with cleaning responsibilities? Commercial cleaners can help keep your building looking neat and clean.

   Create a Cleaning Plan
Cleaning anything can be a major hassle, and when you have an entire home to clean it can easily seem like the job will never get done. One way to combat this, and to ensure that you get everything accomplished, is to create a cleaning plan. Creating a cleaning plan isn't all that hard to do as long as you focus on what needs to be done.

   Dealing with Wheelchair Stains
Wheelchairs, though very useful for getting around, aren't exactly the most clean of items. In fact wheelchairs can create huge messes that are a major hassle to clean up. However, dealing with wheelchair stains is entirely possible if you take a few simple steps.

   Domestic Cleaning
Do you ever wish you had some help getting things done around the house? Domestic cleaning services may be able to assist you.

   Enjoy Yourself while Cleaning
Cleaning is many people's least favorite chore. However, these simple ideas can keep you entertained while cleaning, or even make cleaning time go by faster. You can spoil yourself with beauty treatments, get other things done at the same time like phone calls or exercise, or give yourself something to look forward to.

   Finding Professional Cleaners
The house is out of control and you just don't have the time to clean your home yourself. Then it's time to think about finding a professional cleaner. Here are some ideas on how to find the right person or company.

   Fireplace Cleaning
Your fireplace is a great tool that can save you money during the cool months. Remember to take care of the fireplace by cleaning it as needed.

   Getting Family to Help Clean After Mealtimes
Do you live in a home where it seems like it is only one person's responsibility to do all the post dinner clean up? Would you like to see your family help out more with the dishes, table clearing, or simply general after meal clean up? If so, you really can't miss out on this information.

   Green Cleaning Products
Green cleaning products can be really confusing to the layperson. Have a look at this article and you'll have a better handle on ways you can bring a little more green into your life.

   Household Cleaning Supplies
Have you ever wondered what should be included in your household cleaning supplies? Well then wonder no more. Here is a great list of supplies that you can use to help make your supply cabinet the best around.

   How to Get Rid of Oil Smell in Plastic
Plastic is a material that we can find just about everywhere in our homes and offices. One of the more annoying traits associated with plastic though is that it will absorb the smells and odors that it comes into contact with. If you need to learn how to get rid of an oil smell in plastic, then here is what you need to do.

   Hygiene Services
Maintaining good hygiene is a vital factor for many companies. Using a hygiene service can ensure that your facilities remain clean and safe.

   Maintenance Services
Do you have tasks at your home or business that need to be completed? If you just don't have time to do them yourself, think about hiring a maintenance service to help.

   Make a Checklist for Cleaning Chores
Making a checklist will help to give you a sense of accomplishment when you get things done. It will help you to remain organized and remember the things that you need to do. You can also assign rewards to different checklist items to motivate you to do them.

   Microfiber Cleaning
Microfiber is the hottest thing in cleaning these days. It's no wonder, with the heavy-duty jobs it can handle.

   Move In Cleaning
Are you wondering just how clean your new place is? Be sure everything is spotless by cleaning thoroughly before you move in.

   Move Out Cleaning
Moving can be loads of fun. The excitement of meeting new people, seeing new places, and the adventure of creating a new life in new surroundings are all things that just about everyone can understand and feel their pulse quicken over. Usually, though, there is one part of moving that no one really likes—the final move out clean up. Here are a few easy-to-follow guidelines that you can use to help make the whole process a little easier.

   Never Again Clean On Weekends
Weekends are made for having fun. If you don't want to spend your weekends cleaning instead of having fun, you need to make a plan for when you will clean your house during the week. Write down which rooms you will clean each day, and a little bit of work at a time will go a long way; save your weekend for yourself.

   Office Cleaning Services
It can be difficult to keep up with the cleaning responsibilities in your office. Instead of trying to do it all, think about hiring a cleaning service to make things easier on everyone.

   Organic Cleaners
Organic cleaners are becoming more and more popular as time goes by, and one of the reasons for that is the cost. Invariably organic cleaners are just a bit less expensive than other kinds of cleaners, in large part because they are often not marketed that way.

   Organic Cleaning Recipes
Just because you have a bunch of dirty things to clean up doesn't mean that you have to spend and arm and a leg to get the job done. Here's a collection of organic cleaning recipes that you can begin making (and using) today to get your home nice and clean.

   Photo Cleaning
One of the great things about photos is that they can help us remember and re-experience many of the greatest moments of our lives. However, there is often a slight problem. Over time, photos can become "stuck" in their albums. When this happens you have two options—either leave them in the album, or attempt some photo cleaning.

   Polishing Ceramic Tiles
Ceramic tile is an extremely durable and relatively cheap material, all of which makes it more attractive to home owners and builders. Due to reasons such as these it is a pretty safe bet that there are some ceramic tiles in your home. There are times when cleaning alone isn't going to cut it; that is when polishing comes into play. Luckily, it's not that hard to do.

   Professional Carpet Cleaning
Does you carpet look dull and worn? Instead of thinking about replacing it, call a carpet cleaner to get it back in good shape.

   Professional Cleaning
There are some jobs that can require special tools and expertise to complete correctly. Professional cleaning technicians can take care of many of the cleaning needs you might have.

   Properly Disposing of Hazardous Household Products
Not all of your garbage should actually go in the garbage can. Hazardous household products should be dropped off at specific places to keep the environment safe.

   Quick and Easy Home Sanitization Methods
There are many quick and easy things you can do that can help sanitize your home. Try them out to get your home's surfaces clean and safe.

   Remove Scratches from CDs or DVDs
While less prone to damage than tapes, CDs and DVDs are not invincible. These tips can help you prevent and repair scratches to your discs. Toothpaste and a soft cloth can solve many skipping problems. Keeping the shiny, grooved side of the CD or DVD out of contact with other surfaces will prevent almost all scratches and gouges on the surface of a disc.

   Remove White Board Stains
White boards are becoming more and more popular throughout the country. In fact, they can be found just about everywhere from the local school, to your board room, to your home. However, if you are not careful you can find yourself needing to remove white board stains when the incorrect markers are used. Here is how you can deal with that problem.

   Removing Chewing Gum
Gum will stick to anything dry, including carpets, fabric, and hair. Ice or a freezer can harden gum up and make it easy to chip off. Oil or peanut butter works to make gum less sticky so it can be combed out. It will take work to remove the gum, but these tips make it possible.

   Removing Musty Smells from Upholstery
Just about all upholstery can end up smelling really terrible. It is possible to get the scent out though, and possibly wash off the mold from which the musty smell might be coming.

   Removing Paint from Hands
When painting anything, it is next to impossible to keep paint from getting on your hands. While it would be nice to go and wash your hands immediately whenever this happens, it is not a very practical solution. Removing paint from hands is usually a job that is saved till after the painting task if finished. By that time the paint is usually pretty difficult to get off. However, there are a few tricks that you can use to make the task a little easier.

   Removing Residue from Adhesive Tape
It's so frustrating when you remove adhesive tape and it leaves gunk behind, and sometimes that gunk seems impossible to remove. Here are some ways that you can remove that gunk from your surfaces.

   Removing Soot Stains from Carpet
Soot can leave an unsightly dark stain on your carpet. Although the situation might look bad, there are ways to get the stain out in most cases. Just remember that removing soot stains from carpet can really be an exceptionally easy task. Here's how.

   Removing Soot Stains From the Mantel
Just about everyone loves to see a fireplace whenever they go to look at a new home or go away on a vacation. However, what many people do not realize is that these wonderfully romantic additions to any home can be a wonderfully major hassle to clean. Here is everything that you need to know about removing soot stains from the mantel of your home fireplace.

   Removing Staph from Surfaces
Staph is an infectious bacteria that lives on human skin. It can be controlled by cleaning public surfaces with antibacterial products and by practicing personal hygiene.

   Removing Urine Odor
It doesn't matter if you have young children or a pet; you can pretty much expect some kind of bathroom accident to happen. When that happens, it can be a huge pain to remove the odor of urine if you don't know what to do. Removing urine odors from carpeting, upholstery, or even bedspreads can be a relatively simple task as long as you are willing to experiment a little.

   Safely Cleaning Antiques
Antiques need to be cleaned with care, if they should even be cleaned at all. This article gives suggestions for cleaning items made of metal, ceramic, glass, wood, etc. and also lists products that are safe to use on antique wood.

   Save Time when Cleaning
You can save time while cleaning by making sure you always have the right supplies with you. You can make sure of this by using caddies or carry-alls for all of your cleaning supplies. If you cart around these handy containers, you'll never leave behind the cleaning supplies you need.

   Saving Money When Cleaning
In these tough economic times, who doesn't like to save a little money? Since we can't all be huge banks, it only makes sense that we would like to be as money wise as possible. Saving money when cleaning is something that can be more than a dream, here's how.

   Selecting a Cleaning Service
If you want a clean home, but don't exactly have the time to do the work yourself, you may want to think about getting a cleaning service to do the work for you. There is more to selecting a cleaning service than simply picking a name out of the phone book though. Use these guidelines to make sure that you know how to go about getting a cleaning service that you can work with.

   Selecting a Maid Service
Choosing a maid service is a foreign concept to some of us. It is for these people that this article has been written.

   Spring Cleaning Checklist
When people mention spring cleaning, the phrase may evoke feelings of consternation at having to perform hours of drudgery. If you have a spring cleaning checklist, however, and organize your home by regions, spring cleaning can be completed easily over several weekends, leaving time for other springtime activities.

   Spring Cleaning Made Easy
Spring is a great time for renewal, and renewing your home should be no exception. Spring cleaning is an intense endeavor, but if you know how to do it right, then spring cleaning will be a breeze!

   Spring Cleaning Tips
Spring cleaning can be accomplished more easily if you first remove the clutter accumulated throughout the year. After removing clutter, assign one room per family member, and provide a checklist to ensure that everything that needs to be cleaned is cleaned.

   Spring Cleaning Your Office
Whether it is time for spring cleaning or not, periodically spring cleaning your office can have a dramatic effect on your productivity. Simply use these guidelines to show you what you need to do.

   Start at the Top when Cleaning a Room
Having an order and method to everything may seem excessive, but it really can help in your cleaning. If you clean a room from top to bottom and from one end to the other, you'll save yourself the hassle of dirtying things you've already cleaned and needing to clean them again.

   Storage Cleaning
Storage areas are often ignored and forgotten when it comes to cleaning. Clean your storage rooms and closets to make it easy to find items you need.

   Storage Shelving
Shelving as a means of storing items comes a long way from ancient times when our ancestors built mud shelving into their caves or mud homes. These shelves were used for cooking utensils to displaying of gifts received from neighboring heads of state. We have come a long way from mud shelving to the most sophisticated shelving used today.

   Storage Solutions
Don't let items in your home pile up. Store items in an organized way and enjoy more space as a result.

   Teaching Your Children to Recycle
Recycling can seem like a chore, but getting kids excited about it can help get them to recycle, too. There are many fun ways to get kids into the idea of recycling, and some of them could work for your family.

   Things to Clean Before Moving In
Moving into a new apartment or home can be both an exciting and daunting event. Exciting because you are getting a new home, and daunting because you never really know what condition the home is in. There are things to clean before moving into any new home, and this list will help you understand what they are.

   Top Tips for Spring Cleaning
If you make spring cleaning a family tradition, they will learn that it is expected. Make a schedule for each room, and assign tasks. Spread the cleaning over several weekends, and make sure you reward the family with a special treat when you are finished.

   Using Carpet Cleaning Equipment
Paying someone to professionally clean your carpet can be expensive. Rent or buy carpet cleaning equipment that you can use to clean the carpets yourself.

   Wake Up to a Cleaner Home
In order to wake up to a clean home, you'll need to do some tidying before you go to sleep each night. While actually having to put in the work after a fun day may sound depressing, it is much easier to finish when you're jazzed up from you activities than when you should be starting a fresh new day.

   Water Cleaners
Most of us don't consider the cleanliness of the water we ingest as much as we should. By using a water filtration system, you can clean impurities from your water in seconds.

   Water Damage Restoration
Water damage can come from a variety of different sources. Some of the most common are flood, burst pipes, backed up sewage, and sometimes children. While hopefully not a common occurrence, water damage restoration is generally a good skill to have. Here are some pointers that you should keep in mind.

   Weekly Checklist for Housecleaning
Using a weekly checklist for housecleaning provides a feeling that you are in control of your house instead of becoming bewildered and overwhelmed at the sight of clutter, debris, and dirt. Make a checklist of chores for each day of the week, and then your weekend will be free with time to spend for entertainment and family.

   What to Ask When Cleaning and Organizing
Are you having trouble deciding what you should keep, and what you should get rid of when you are organizing something? If you are, don't worry since this is only natural. To help you decide what you should keep and what you should get rid of, here are some questions to ask when organizing next time.