Does Household Ammonia Kill Germs?

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Cleaning & Laundry : Home & Garden

Surface Cleaning Tools

Scrub brushes work well for cleaning tile and grout.cleaning brush image by Alison Bowden from Fotolia.comSurface cleaning tools are essential household supplies that make your cleaning jobs easier. These tools can clean surfaces such as floors, tables, bath tubs, counter tops and tiles....

How to Safely Clean & Remove Black Mold

Mold spores are found indoors and are part of normal house dust; however, they are generally not a problem unless the spores land on a hospitable area and create mold growth. Mold grows in warm, moist concrete environments, such as basements and garages, and on porous surfaces like carpet and drywal

How to Clean an Alkaline Battery

Alkaline batteries are made up of manganese dioxide, zinc, potassium hydroxide and graphite. Alkaline batteries may need to be cleaned for two primary reasons. First, they may need to be cleaned if something was spilled on them. If this happens, remove the batteries from the electronic device as qui

Homemade Tile Cleaners

Tile is a versatile building material that can be used nearly anywhere in the home, from shower stalls to kitchen floors. When you need to clean tile, you must first keep in mind the type of tile you have. Stone, ceramic and vinyl tiles all are different, but the cleaning process is fairly similar.

How to Get Gum Out From Inside of Your Shoe

Removing gum from your shoe, whether it is inside or out, is a tough job. However, you can aid in the gum's removal by simply freezing it. The coldness will cause the gum to harden and become less sticky, which eases its removal.

How Do I Get My Vinyl Porch Lights White When They Have Turned Yellow?

Vinyl light fixtures can become discolored and gain a yellowish appearance over time. This unsightly yellowing can be attributed to several factors. Buildup of dirt and grime, damage from UV light, or a combination of the two will cause your vinyl light fixtures to discolor. While it may be possibl

I Am Looking for Ways to Redesign My House

The addition of bold paint and floral arrangements are a great design technique.Liz Whitaker/Stockbyte/Getty ImagesBecause our homes are where we spend a great deal of time, it's worthwhile to take the time to design a space that demonstrates your own personal taste, style and preference....

How to Shine a Fiberglass Sink

The low cost, durability and versatility of fiberglass sinks make them a common choice for many homeowners. The fact that fiberglass can be easily molded into a wide range of shapes and sizes for a more customized style sink is just one more drawing point that attracts homeowners to sinks made from

Home Remedies to Get Fade Stains Out of Clothes

Remove Stains from Clothes at Homestain - splat image by angelo.gi from Fotolia.comGetting a stain on your clothes can ruin your whole look for the night, but it doesn't have to ruin your piece of clothing forever. Even set in and faded stains can come out of clothes. You don't need...

Black Fungus on My Japanese Magnolia Tree

The Japanese magnolia is a member of the Magnoliaceae family and is also known as the saucer magnolia. This tree produces lovely pink flowers, grows upright and is oval in shape. The Japanese magnolia is susceptible to developing a black fungus on its leaves and flowers. This disease is known as soo

How to Remove Permanent Marker From My Table

Permanent marker is never an easy stain to deal with. When you're using a permanent marker on a hard surface, such as a table, the marker can easily slip off the item you're writing on and get ink on the table's surface. If this happens, don't panic. With the right methods, you may be able to remove

Uses for Pine-Sol Cleaning Solution

Pine-Sol cleaning solution is a multipurpose cleaner and disinfectant for general household use. Popular as a floor cleaner and disinfectant, Pine-Sol is also used to brighten laundry and clean hard surfaces, and it is known for it's fresh pine scent.

How to Spray and Mix Household Bleach to Treat Black Mold

Black mold is a common fungus that grows both inside and outside the home. It thrives in dark, damp and humid areas. Black mold feeds off the item it is growing on and, over time, deteriorates it beyond repair. Black mold can also spread and cause a discoloration on the surface of the item. Black mo

How to Clean Ink on Car Upholstery

Keeping your car clean and looking new can raise its value. This is especially true of the interior. Keeping the interior looking new requires cleaning it regularly and spot-cleaning stains as soon as you notice them. Ink is one stain that can become a permanent part of your car's upholstery if a lo

How to Cover Plastic Wallpaper to Paint

Plastic wallpaper is most commonly made of vinyl. In most cases, vinyl wallpaper is glued to the wall's surface. You can change your wallpaper over to a painted surface without removing the old wallpaper. Depending on the current condition of your wallpaper, the amount of prep work needed will vary.

How to Clean Concrete Equipment With Vinegar

Simple household vinegar has many uses: cleaning water deposits out of coffeepots, flavoring food, getting the smoke smell out of clothes, and making pickles, to name a few. However, while using vinegar on coffeepots seems to make some kind of sense, spraying vinegar on concrete does not seem as if

How to Clean the Odor From a Dishwasher

The dishwasher is typically thought to keep your dishes clean, but often people forget that the dishwasher itself needs to be cleaned from time to time as well. Cleaning and deodorizing prevents the musty, mildewed odor from forming in your dishwasher, thereby allowing your dishes to come out clean

How to Stain Exterior Stone

Stone or concrete staining is the process by which color is added to stone or stone-like materials through the application of an acid wash. This color is permanent, as the acid etches it directly into the face of the stone rather than simply applying color over the stone. The application process is

How to Polish a Granite Slab

A granite slab is a very large and usually rectangular-shaped piece of rock that has already been sanded down. It is general practice to clean and polish a granite slab prior to fabrication so that the process can be performed as smoothly as possible. Polishing a granite slab to get it ready for fab

Boiler Cleaning Tools

Keeping the boiler in your home clean is important for safety and monetary reasons. A clogged boiler could be dangerous and it could cost more to run if it is not cleaned properly and regularly. Soot clogged in boilers can decrease the heating efficiency by as much as 50 percent. Two...