Hello our Clean Freak Family! It’s another Happy Cleaning Tuesday!

Congratulations to all our fellow Cleaning Warriors! You survived the annual battle against grime and made the Spring Cleaning Spree a huge success!

You have officially earned your Cleaning Royalty ‘Coronation’ as Masters of the Mop and Lords of the Loo. 

You've also probably found things you didn't even know still existed, like that old sock that somehow ended up behind the couch six months ago. And let's not forget the thrill of discovering treasures in the depths of the fridge or crevices of the couch that have been there since the last century.

But now that it's all over, take a moment to bask in the glory of your shiny surfaces and organized drawers. You have emerged victorious, and your home looks like a sparkling palace fit for a Clean Freak King and Queen. Just be sure to enjoy it while you can, because we all know that messes have a sneaky way of creeping back into our lives.

A number of you had questions along the way so today in the Clean Freak Weekly we wanted to take a little time to answer some of those questions for you.

Stay Calm and Scrub On!

Question 1: Can I clean my carpet without a carpet cleaning machine?

Answer:

This is a tough one. When cleaning carpets you want to have good extraction of any moisture and pretreat that you have sprayed down on your carpet to avoid any stickiness or dirty residue left behind. If at all possible we would recommend picking up a cheaper carpet machine like a Hoover Powerdash or renting a machine from a big box store if at all possible.

Question 2: What floor cleaner is best for tile?

Answer:

We use a number of different products depending on the type of tile and degree of soiling on the tile and grout.

• Really Dirty (Where you can't even tell the original color of the grout): We suggest a hydrogen peroxide and baking soda mix (Mix equal parts of baking soda and 3% hydrogen peroxide into a loose paste) or the Zep Grout Cleaner and Brightener. These work great at bringing new life to super dirty grout.

• Just a Freshen Up: A great DIY we like to use is vinegar, water, and dawn. ( Mix 1 Cup of cleaning vinegar, 1 cup of water and a few drops of Dawn dish soap in a spray bottle)

• All Natural: A steamer is a great option if you want to go the no-chemical route. It uses pressurized steam to blast away the dirt and grime.

• Grease: If you have a lot of grease residue, we like to use a degreaser. The Dawn Pro Degreaser does a great job breaking up the oils and grime.

• Grout with Natural Stone: Use extra care and caution. The Natural Stone Institute suggests cleaning with a neutral cleaner, stone soap, or a mild liquid dishwashing detergent and warm water.

Question 3: Do you have ideas for cleaning carpeted stairs?

Answer:

Cleaning carpeted stairs can be a challenge. Typically, the carpet starts to wear in the traffic pattern in the center of the step. Over time the carpet and the pad will begin to break down in those areas.

The key to maintaining your carpet in rooms and on stairs is to clean them (usually yearly) before they begin to appear discolored and dirty.

Many people wait until the dirt is visible before they clean their carpets or steps. The problem is that usually by the time your carpet or steps appear dirty there is already visible wear and damage to the carpet fibers.

While cleaning will not remove existing wear and damage to the carpet it can help minimize future damage and wear.

Typically, to clean your carpeted steps we recommend our process found in this video on our Youtube channel:

How to Clean Your Carpet Like a Pro

Caution: Working on steps can be very dangerous. Be very mindful of any and all trip hazards.

For example: Cords from your machine and/or vacuum. The carpet can become slippery from the carpet cleaning solution. Also, the carpet can be slippery from the remaining moisture after cleaning.

If there is heavy matting, heavy wear and soiling- Frankly for the convenience and safety alone, we highly recommend calling in a Professional Carpet Cleaner to clean your carpeted steps!

Question 4: How do I remove red juice stains from carpet?

Answer:

Red juice stains can be challenging for several reasons. The type of juice and the specific carpet fiber can each play a role in whether a red spot can be completely removed.

Typically, a number of natural fruit juices are water soluble and readily cleanable. However, many juice products have dyes added to the juice to give it the ‘natural reddish’ color.

Even more challenging… some of the red dyes that are used to color some processed juices are the same dyes that are used to color carpet! So in that case, the carpet itself can literally be ‘recolored’ in those areas.

There are a number of red dye removal products available to Professional Carpet Cleaners. However, because of the factors listed above it may not be possible to remove the discoloration completely.

Many Professional Carpet Cleaners offer Free Quotes or Free Evaluations so we recommend calling out a professional and having them take a look.

If you are a Do-It-Yourselfer always be careful to test and fully rinse the product before a full application. Some products can remove the red discoloration but if they are not fully rinsed from the carpet they will continue to work until all color is removed in that area. So use caution!

Question: How can I clean my toaster oven? (The ones that are like little ovens)

Answer:

For a toaster oven we recommend following the same basic routine as on our normal oven cleaning video found HERE on our Youtube Channel - just on a smaller scale!

Pro Tip: If you have trays in your little oven we love taking ours out and soaking them in water with a dishwasher pod.

PS. We are planning an upcoming video on cleaning Toaster Ovens soon!

Many of our New Subscribers have asked us where they can find previous weeks of the Spring Cleaning Spree 2023. Here are the links:

Here is the link to Week 1 of the Spring Cleaning Spree 2023!

https://www.cleanfreakweekly.com/p/spring-cleaning-spree-2023

Week 2 of the Spring Cleaning Spree 2023!

https://www.cleanfreakweekly.com/p/spring-cleaning-spree-2023-week-2

Week 3 of the Spring Cleaning Spree 2023!

https://www.cleanfreakweekly.com/p/spring-cleaning-spree-2023-week-3

Week 4 of the Spring Cleaning Spree 2023!

https://www.cleanfreakweekly.com/p/spring-cleaning-spree-2023-week-4

There is still a little time left to be eligible for our Spring Cleaning Spree Give Away!

Here is the Give Away List:

• 1 Hoover Emerge Pet Plus Vacuum

• 1 Hoover Clean Slate

• 1 Scrub Daddy Gift Package

• 1 Bar Keeper’s Friend Gift Package

• 1 Microfiber Wholesale Cleaning Kit

The 5 winners will be selected tomorrow May 3rd, 2023.

So you have a little time left tonight depending on your time zone.

Please follow us on Youtube and leave a comment on our Day 30 Spring Cleaning video on how one or any of these great tools has helped you with your Spring Cleaning or just tell us your favorite part of the Spring Cleaning Spree.

DAY 30 Spring Cleaning Video on Youtube

*Rules:

▪️Must be 18 years or older to enter ▪️5 winners will be selected at random from across my social media profiles ▪️The contest runs from now, 4/25/23, until 05/02/23. ▪️Comment on this post to enter ▪️This is international. If prize can not be shipped, an Amazon gift card will be sent electronically via email to winner ▪️DISCLAIMER: This is my ONLY Youtube account, and it is verified. I will never ask you to click a link or fill out a questionnaire. Please watch out and report scammers & NEVER give out any personal information to fake account claiming to be me.

If you are wondering where to find the products we like to use, we put together a full list for you on Amazon.

Amazon Cleaning Supply List: Click HERE to check it out!

Thanks so much for joining us, see you next week!

💚 Brandon and James

P.S. If you're new here and want to catch up on previous editions of the Clean Freak Weekly you can find them here!

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