Category Archives for "articles"

0 Some Helpful Cleaning Ideas Against Stains

Everybody hates having stains. They can appear anywhere- from the carpet to your brand new clothes. From the floor to any piece of your furniture. There are some traditional ways of cleaning stains without using any chemicals that can ruin some materials like silk for example. There are some cases when you are not home and you cannot just wash your clothes but you are in a place that you are so embarrassed from the stain on your shirt for example.

One of the easiest ways to get a stain is eating- when you’re at your place, or at the restaurant, and it doesn’t matter what you do that happens to everyone. The golden rule here is don’t let it dry before you remove it. For the different kinds of food you should use different tools but the stain should not get dry. If the spot is really dirty you should definitely use a chemical but first you can always try it from the inside part of the cloth so if it is too strong it doesn’t mess with the whole material. If you need to use bleach on a spot it’s always better to bleach the whole cloth because if the color get’s lighter nobody’s going to notice it. Do what you can to get rid of the stains but never ever mix the different chemicals or the bleach together- you may mess up your favorite shirt!

If you are out for a dinner and you mess up your clothes with the food clean it there but when you go home you should always wash the whole cloth again.

Not every kind of stain is one you can remove. That doesn’t mean that you can only throw those clothes. You can take a piece of cloth and seal it there – get creative…you can also cut that stain if it’s in a place you can cut- on a pair of jeans for example.

Don’t forget that some spots you can clean with traditional old methods but they work only if the stain is not washed and dried in the washing machine. For example if you have any kind of oil on your jeans you can fix it by putting salt on it but if you first wash it in the washing machine and then put salt on it you’ll never be able to take the stain off. When you wash your clothes you should always check their tags for any advices about the certain temperature for washing or drying or ironing.

And don’t forget you can never fix all of your clothes, but don’t feel sorry about that- it’s a good excuse for you to buy some new clothes and that’s going to make you feel better!

0 A Short Handbook of Cleaning Stains

There’s no home without an occasional stain. It could be on the sofa, on your curtains, your accessories, your table covers or the carpet. Stains can be caused by a variety of reasons but the most difficult ones are those which take a strong cleaning product to remove. Here are a few tips to help keeping your home neat and tidy.

Removing ketchup stains
Before you clean the actual stain, you should test this method on a part of the surface that is hidden or hard to see to make sure you will not damage the visible part. First, get as much of the ketchup as you can and rinse the surface. The water will dissolve the ketchup and the stain will go away easier. Then, put liquid detergent in some water and use it to clean the stained surface. For white surfaces you can use lemon juice or vinegar instead. After that, rinse the surface again and dry well.

Juice stains
Once again, you should test this method on a part of the surface that is hidden or hard to see to make sure you will not damage the visible part. Use a wet rag to soak up the juice as much as you can. If this doesn’t help instantly, use a little bit of club soda. Another thing you can use for juice stains is lemon juice and some salt. Put the lemon juice first then sprinkle the salt so it will soak up the juice from the stain. For color materials you can use a few table spoons of plain yoghurt and let it work for a few minutes. Then, use water and liquid detergent.

Grease stains
As you know already, you should test this method on a part of the surface that is hidden or hard to see to make sure you will not damage the visible part. Put what you want to clean in warm water with liquid detergent in it. The grease stains on velvet surfaces can be cleaned with the middle of warm bread. For silk and wool you can use chalk – sprinkle it on the surface and put a napkin under it. The grease will flow down on the napkin. For stains on cotton surfaces can be cleaned with ammonia soda. Stains from oil on dark surfaces can be cleaned using a rag dipped in gasoline. If you do not have a proper cleaning product in the moment you need it, sprinkle a little bit of salt on the stain. It will absorb the grease. Scrub well with a piece of bread, then wash with detergent and rinse.

These are a few of the most common stains you will have to deal with.

0 Autumn Cleaning – Part 3

As I promised I am going to tell you about the rest of my big autumn cleaning. During the week I was so occupied that I could actually do anything at all- all day work after that at home I was so tired that I could even think about cleaning.

However, it is Saturday again and I have nothing else to do except finish with the so postponed cleaning. The living room and part of the bedroom- that is the end of this year’s autumn cleaning and I have planned to clean them up today for once and for all.

The living room is nothing special but it takes some time to dust, to polish, to vacuum- you know the procedure. But, yeah, it takes time; especially when you are so easily distracted that you forget what you are doing at that exact moment.  I start little by little, shelf by shelf, I prearrange all of my books and, of course, I take to time to read a passage or two while trying to balance on top of a stool. And I am trying really hardly, this is one dangerous situation and it could become bloody and painful, too.

I finish without any accidents and I am really happy about that. I am about to vacuum the floor now. I take out the vacuum cleaner and turn it on. Oh, I forgot about one of my childhood traditions- I forgot to turn on the music. Now with the music turned on I float in the air, sing and dance if you could say that it is a dance at all. I am like a funny even ridiculous version of Freddie Mercury in the video for the song I Want to Break Free. Bur don’t laugh I am trying really hard and I sing with all my heart and all my voice. Ohhh, the bell is ringing- who could that be? Ops, my neighbours, well maybe I should stop screaming and start cleaning instead. That is one pretty good idea. I continue cleaning but very often I thing that I want to metaphorically break free (stop with that autumn crab), go outside, party hard instead of cleaning hard.
So I clean as quickly as possible. I finish with the living room and I head toward my bedroom where only the wardrobe is well- arranged. I clean up in a slip-shod way- I vacuum without singing this time (I do not want neither to scary nor to make angry my neighbours), dust and polish everything.

Phew, I am done for this year. Now I throw myself in the first armchair I see, grab a cup of coffee and a nice book. Enough physical work let’s train my brain a little bit.

0 Autumn Cleaning – Part 2

Yesterday I started the autumn cleaning but got distracted so I barely finished with the first part of it. Although it’s a lazy Sunday I am going to try to finish what I have started. I do not want my autumn cleaning to turn into a winter cleaning.

Here I am- starting with my tasks. It is drizzling and it is a bit windy so I am really happy that I washed the clothes yesterday. I am also a little bit cold but I decide not to pay attention and continue as planned.

I start my day with a cup of freshly grounded coffee as usually. Today I have to clean the kitchen, too. My coffee smells delicious and I am inspired by the aroma so I light up a candle with coffee aroma and decide to start with the cleaning of the kitchen first.

The kitchen is my favourite room of the apartment, it is cosy and comfortable. I like spending my time there so I will put a lot of efforts to make it perfectly clean. I always start with washing all the cups and plates and what is more every time when I clean thoroughly the kitchen I rearrange the places of everything- the food, the cups and glasses, the jars.

I wash and polish all the shelves and cupboard. After that, of course, I continue with the stove, refrigerator and the other kitchen appliances. I wash up every piece of cutlery, every plate and glass. I arrange the cups on one of the lower shelves. I have a lot of cups and mugs- all different sizes, colours and materials. So it takes some time to get everything done.

Now the whole kitchen smells good and looks even better. It is high time I continued with the other rooms if I want to finish any time soon.

I continue with the kitchen balcony and the corridor. It is nothing special. However, I take all the plants inside the kitchen so that they will not freeze and arrange them around the kitchen so it becomes even cosier than before. I plan to put there and a small colourful carpet which is going to contribute to the feeling of comfort. It will be the perfect place to gather up with friends, to cook something delicious and enjoy the evening with a glass of wine regardless of the howling winter wind outside for example.

You can see that I am very easily distracted and even when I write my thought flickers back and forth. Well, I hope that you will enjoy my articles about my autumn cleaning and you will find something useful for yourself.  You will get to know how I clean the rest of the house in my next article because now I am already tired and I prefer to go outside for a walk.

0 Autumn Cleaning – Part 1

Autumn is here. It is raining outside and the ground is scattered with leaves of various colours and sizes. Saturday morning. I don’t have any special plans for today. It would be one lazy weekend. I put the pumpkin into the oven and start to think what I can do while waiting for the sweet dessert to get done. I am thinking on different things- maybe watching some movie or reading a good book. However, I am not into the mood for either of these. So I decide to start with the autumn cleaning. It is something you should do before the weather becomes so awful that you cannot hand out the clothes outside.

I always start with the summer clothes first and this year I will not make an exception. Everything should be washed, dried, folded and put into separate bags. Of course I lose a lot of time doing this because I try on every piece of clothing that I have in order to see if it fits. For my surprise this year everything is perfect and at the end of the first day of the autumn cleaning my summer dresses and skirts are washed and put at the lower drawer of the wardrobe. I feel somehow strange- as if with the clothes I have put away and my good cheerful mood. Yes, this is what I call autumn depression. I have to get used to the long clothes with dark colours, rough leather jackets, and of course the muddy weather, the wind and everything else. However, I immediately remember that with the wind comes along my favourite accessory- the shawl. I get distracted by the thought that I should take out my shawls and see how I could match them with my clothes.

In the meantime, I have completely forgotten about the pumpkin in the oven and my autumn cleaning. However, I could smell the aroma coming from the kitchen and I hurry up in its direction fearing that I could have burnt the dessert. Fortunately, that is not the case. I take out the pumpkin and it is perfectly done with just a little crust and smells so delicious. I get a slice and make myself a cup of coffee when I am once again reminded that I have work to do- sort out my shawls and what is more important to continue with my autumn cleaning. I have sorted out and put away the clothes. I should arrange the autumn and winter clothes in the wardrobe. I have to wash the carpets, to dust and polish the furniture. I have to take the plants inside the apartment and so much more.

But first of all, let me finish with my pumpkin and my coffee…

0 How To Deodorize A Room

It often happens that your room acquires a strange smell. And you probably can’t find the source no matter how hard you try. Even if you clean regularly, there are still chances the room or whole house might smell. Unfortunately, some odours get all over the place. Although items which are clean in theory shouldn’t smell, this might not be the case in reality. This is why they need some serious cleaning and maybe chemicals. It’s quite important to follow the right methods in order to effectively remove any unpleasant smells. With a little effort any odour will disappear in a few days. Here are some various ways to do this so that your troubles come to an end.

Firstly, what you should do is open the windows. Unless you’re convinced the smell is coming from outside, of course. Letting in fresh air and sunlight is the first step. Who knows, maybe that’s all your house needs. If nothing else, fresh air will at least make the rest of the cleaning more bearable. Because nothing is better in getting rid of odours than fresh air. However, if for some reason you can’t take advantage of the windows, try to ventilate the room in another way. For example, use a fan, instead.

The next step is to track the source of the dreadful stench. There is no use in removing an odour if the cause is still present. This way it will most probably reappear constantly. So do whatever is necessary to stop any smells from being created again and again. You could start from the air vents and wall outlets to check for dead mice in there which smell up the whole room. You’ll be surprised what you can find there. It’s also a good idea to look for any holes in the wall. Most likely the mouse used it to get inside the wall. When you find such wholes, you have to seal them right away.

You should also consider vacuuming the room. Be sure to vacuum not only the carpets, but also all of the upholstery and curtains. You could spray some carpet deodorizer and leave it for a while to absorb (baking soda is also an option).Afterwards, vacuum the place thoroughly. Keep in mind that deodorizers have their own scent so pick one you actually like.

A very efficient way to remove odours is to shampoo the carpet. You could do it by yourself or if you don’t want to take any risks, call professional help. By cleaning the carpet you will definitely remove any kind of smells and freshen up the whole room as well.

0 How To Do Pest Control With A Vacuum Cleaner

When you have a pest problem at home, there is no need to call pest control. You can actually solve the problem yourself which will save you a great amount of money. The only thing you need is a vacuum cleaner. Not only do you save money but it’s also a non-toxic way to get rid of the pests. This is the most harmless solution to the problem and it’s definitely worth trying. The vacuum cleaner can help you remove insect populations in no time. So don’t hesitate to try out a few tips.

Firstly, choose a vacuum cleaner. There are different kinds so be careful. For example, there is the vacuum with a hose. It’s really practical to use it for sucking up insects. Especially from irregular surfaces. Although, a vacuum with a rotating brush is even better at removing unwanted bugs. It also cleans scraps on which the insects survive. And some vacuum cleaners have both a hose and a rotating brush.

Next thing you should do is vacuum regularly as this will make bugs unwelcome, permanently. The reason is that they won’t have anything to eat. No food means that the environment won’t be good enough for the insects. In result, they won’t come in frequently and multiply. Another trick is to put food in containers as well as jars. Be sure to clean any dust from shelves, corners carpets, etc. Don’t forget to mop or vacuum under the fridge, the oven, under sofas and any other large items like these where dust settles. By cleaning any spider webs you decrease the future spider population. Provided that there are 300 little spiders in one egg, it’s quite important to get rid of all the webs you see. All of these precautions are much better than chasing each and every bug in the house.

In case you have pets, it’s a must to clean after them. The area where your pet eats should be cleaned as often as possible because dry pet food leftovers are the main reason for insect intrusions. If you have a dog, it’s advisable to give it a bath every day. Because various bugs can hide in your pet’s fur, baths are a really good idea.

Finally, after using the vacuum cleaner, you should immediately empty it and throw the bag away. If you don’t tie it, the insects can easily crawl out. So be sure to get rid of the garbage bag right away.

0 The EnviroSurvey 55

The elderly are a part of our society, but hardly anyone ever asks for their opinion on different matters. There is an international project whose aim is to change this fact.

This project is called “The EnviroSurvey55”, and the surveys will be distributed in the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia. An online access is also available from anywhere in the world. The purpose is to determine how people older than 55 years react to environmental pollution and how they take care of and preserve the nature. They also wish to know the opinion of elderly people on climate change and rising environmental scepticism.

Gary Haq, a senior researcher at the Stockholm Environment Institute’s York Centre, at the University of York, and also the research team leader, says that the survey will provide knowledge about how well this demographic group is informed about the environment. The results will help in addressing their concern about the environment and its problems.

There are other partners – Age UK, Council On The Ageing, Community Service Volunteers’ Retired and Senior Volunteer Programme and Help Age International.

Professor Gloria Gutmans, a research associate at the Gerentology Research Centre in Vancouver, says that it is evidential how elderly people can affect the environment and vice versa, and that their voice should be heard throughout the world so that their needs could be met, as they cannot do that by themselves.

The EnviroSurvey55 is based on different, older research of elderly people and their attitude towards environment, especially those on how climate change affects people their age. There have been published several reports on the topic.

The Stockholm Environmental Institute has published some reports on the topic of elderly people, environment and climate change.

A conference was hosted recently, at the Gerontology Research Centre. Its topics were the interface of population aging and the dangers of climate change.

The survey happens to coincide with the United Nations Conference for Environment and Development – the so called “Earth Summit” in Rio de Janeiro – and this summer, in June, environment will be in the spotlight.

0 An E-Waste Site Near A School In Ghana

Near a school in the capital of Ghana, Accra, is an electronic waste recycling site. The pollutants from lead and other metals there are 50 times above what is considered to be safe levels.

Sample readings were made, and the results revealed that there is a high contamination of iron, lead, copper, magnesium, etc. in the area. The soil near the school is lead contaminated in such a high level, that action should have been taken a long time ago.

The scrap site contains lots of electronic equipment from Europe and North America, and many children as small as six-years-old work around it. The valuable metal is stripped from the equipment and what’s left is incinerated.

Ghanian researcher Atiemo Sampson reported his findings to 20 global graduate researchers attending the “Solving the E-waste Problem” (StEP) Summer Schools that were held in Europe and were organised by Umicore and Philips.

He says that until recently, there were no regulations in Ghana about management and importation of e-waste.

There are too many people who are thus informally recycling in this waste site, the Agbogbloshie scrap site, to be forced away from the location.

Many people live on what they can get in such scrap sites. Because of that, a solution is difficult to make, and it should focus on improving health safety and environmental standards.

There are more e-waste facilities established in Ghana.

Even though Ghana has signed the Basel Convention, which regulates the management of hazardous waste, there were no rules about it until recently.

Actually, the transportation of electronic waste from Europe and North America is forbidden, but some still somehow reach Africa.

A government report in 2009 showed that around 215,000 tons of electronics were imported in Ghana that year, and 15% of it was waste. It results in a lot of informal recycling, which is dangerous for the health and environment. Responsible recycling should be encourages by a new regulatory system which controls import.

“How to improve efficiency and close the resource loop” was the topic discussed at the StEP.

Ghana isn’t the only place whit reports about recycling at the StEP. Xinwen Chis, from China, told about the cooperation of long-established recycling companies with up-and-coming competitors. Latin American researchers talked about how companies shared practices and encourages regional collaboration.

Philips want their products’ design to make it easier to recover materials. Other companies have also started to make their products more recyclable.

Umicore are leaders in metal recovery. They have a modern facility near Antwerp, where more that 17 types of metal can be extracted from mobile phones, batteries and circuit boards.

The StEP Summer schools project is collaboration between some UN organisations, commercial and governmental bodies, scientific industries and non-governmental organisations.

0 UK’s Top Ten Improved Rivers

The 10 rivers in the UK that have shown the most progress when it comes to environment have been revealed by the government. They have turned from the definition of pollution to beautiful parts of nature and wildlife.

The river Taff, in Wales, was once so much polluted by coal, that it was black. Today it’s the site of many international fishing tournaments. And the Thames, who 60 years ago was said to be devoid of all life, is bringing wildlife back in London.

EA (the Environmental Agency) are urging people to go witness the huge improvement. They say that many have helped that happen – projects for improving habitat, better legislation on pollution and farmers, businesses, water companies too.

The EA have spent around £18 million this year on new projects. However, it seems that their work is still not over.

The ten most improved rivers are:

Wandle. It’s in London, and 50 years ago was used mainly as a sewer, but today it’s one of the best places for fishing in the country.

Thames. Its transformation has been so shocking that it won the International Theiss Riverprize last year. What was once considered a national disgrace is today the home of salmon, otters and sea trout.

Wear, in the Durham County. Together with its neighbour Tyne, it’s one of the top rivers with salmon in the country.

Stour, in Worcestershire. It was once used as a dumping site for carpet dyes and looked as a rainbow. Today, in the heart of the carpet manufacture in Kidderminster, otters have been spotted.

Darent, in Kent. It was once almost wasted by water extraction, but now it’s fully recovered and has lots of brown trout.

Dee, which flows through Wales and England, may pass through Britain’s most famous countryside, but also gathers lots of pollution on its way. That was regulated, though, and now its inhabitants include waders and water fowls.

Nar in Norfolk is one of the protected fenland chalk streams, but it was used as an agricultural drain and that drove away most wildlife. Today, it has returned, including otters, kingfishers, and a rare breed of sea trout.

Taff, in Wales, used to be the victim of the mining industry and sheltered no life, until recently. The pollution controlled, fish has returned and the river even hosts some interesting fishing competitions.

Stour, in Dorset, has a huge historical significance. Its oldest mill has been restored, and the river has become a refuge for wildlife.

The Mersey Basin also suffered the industry age and was called the most polluted river in Europe. The funds for its clean up have been more than £1billion, but it was worth it as today it’s the home of salmon, trout, eels and otters once more.