Ask a Brit III

[Sandra Craft]

At least, I think we're on III.  There was a British reality show a while back that I just can't remember the name of and it's really bugging me.  Two women went around cleaning up the homes of messy people and giving advice on cleaning using simple household products.  Does anyone know what show I'm talking about?

[Tank]

At least, I think we're on III.  There was a British reality show a while back that I just can't remember the name of and it's really bugging me.  Two women went around cleaning up the homes of messy people and giving advice on cleaning using simple household products.  Does anyone know what show I'm talking about?

Yes. Never watched it so no help from me I'm afraid

[hermes2015]

Was it perhaps How Clean Is Your House?

[Sandra Craft]

Was it perhaps How Clean Is Your House?

That's it!  How could I forget a name that on the nose?

[xSilverPhinx]

Sounds like an interesting show. I could probably use a few tips as my house isn't as organised as I would like...but I know where everything is! I call it 'ordered chaos'.

[Sandra Craft]

Sounds like an interesting show. I could probably use a few tips as my house isn't as organised as I would like...but I know where everything is! I call it 'ordered chaos'.

  I remember a lot of talk about vinegar and baking soda, but nothing more specific.

[Icarus]

Sandy both those common items are useful as cleaners.  Warning: Do not mix the two together except as  a fun project . One is a basic chemical the other one, vinegar, is acidic.  The reaction when mixed is a bunch of foamy stuff that releases a gas. Not deadly but not the best stuff to breathe. 

Do not get over enthusiastic when cleaning the toilet bowl.  If you use some of the common bowl cleaners, do not be tempted to throw in a bit of ammonia  or bleach such as  Clorox or other (sodium hypochlorite) stuff.  The danger of gaseous emissions from one of those combination is dangerous because bathrooms are often rather closed spaces.

Hermes is our go to guy for such as this. I suspect that he can tell us some other things not to mix.

Plain hydrogen Peroxide works well to defeat certain kinds of mold spore in bathrooms.  Regular household bleach ....Clorox.... is often an effective remover of certain mold types.

There re times when you want to remove labels from cans or jars. When you do that there is often a residue of gooey stuff.  A small bottle of mineral spirits kept in the kitchen is an effective remover of the sticky stuff.  It is also sometimes useful for removing stubborn fat deposits on your utensils.  It is not as dangerous  in terms of flammability as are solvents like acetone (finger nail polish remover)  but do not use it around the pilot light of your gas range................while I am at it I advise that you be pretty fussy about rags that you have used to apply furniture oils or stains that contain linseed oil and certain tree oils.  When stored in an enclosed place some of those oils will become subject to spontaneous combustion if the storage place is warm.  To store your oily rags, put them in a closed jar. 

Fumes from petroleum hydrocarbons, like gasoline, emit heavier than air fumes that are combustible.   The fumes will fall to the floor or ground and if there is a flame or something like an electric heater near the floor the result can be disastrous.

I was once working on a boat that I was building.  I had used some epoxy adhesive and of course needed to clean off my tools and my fingers. I used a solvent such as ketone or acetone to do the clean up job.  I had the soaked rag in my hand and reached for the light switch to turn it off................holy shit the solvent rag burst into flame ( the light switch will make sparks especially if the light is in a reactive circuit such as a fluorescent or an electric motor).  Of course I instinctively and swiftly discarded the burning rag.  Where do you suppose the burning  rag landed?  In the open pan of solvent that I had used to clean my tools, of course.  I managed to extinguish the flames before my workshop sustained any serious damage..   One thing is for sure, I will never again flip a light switch when my hands have volatile substances on them. 

I like all you guys and girls so please keep yourselves safe. DO renew the batteries in your smoke alarms, do keep at least small and  functional fire extinguishers in the kitchen, furnace room, and garage. Also use rubber or nitrile gloves if you are using any of those powerful detergent solutions with brand names like Greased Lightning, Purple Stuff, Simple Green and other high powered de-greaser soaps.

[hermes2015]

Those are some good tips, Icarus. The gas from the reaction of sodium bicarbonate and vinegar (dilute acetic acid) is carbon dioxide, so don't worry about using it for cleaning. Bleach mixed with acids and some other chemicals can release very dangerous chlorine gas, so your advice there is good.

I don't like to use acetone or other solvents to remove the sticky residue left by labels. It's OK on glass, but can leave ugly marks on plastic items. A better thing to remove the sticky glue is cooking oil. Apply the oil and leave it for a few minutes, then rub the glue off with your fingers. After that, wash the oil off with dish-washing liquid.

[Dark Lightning]

Another method I have used for labels is some form of carnauba paste wax. Works great on the plastic used for encasing some items, not dissolving it. I have to be careful doing that when removing labels on wood that I'm going to make something from, as the wax can affect the finish. There, I use mineral spirits, acetone or isopropyl alcohol in descending order. There is nothing more annoying than laying on the first coat of finish and finding a rectangular blemish with rounded corners, where that label used to be. I'm over it! I haven't had that problem in decades, since the last time I suffered tooth-chattering fury (I keed, I keed) over the blemish. 

[Essie Mae]

Some of the houses in that programme were so filthy, mouse infested, faeces in the kitchen, etc that the householders clearly had mental health issues turning us from viewers to voyeurs. I wonder if that's why it was discontinued.

[xSilverPhinx]

Some of the houses in that programme were so filthy, mouse infested, faeces in the kitchen, etc that the householders clearly had mental health issues turning us from viewers to voyeurs. I wonder if that's why it was discontinued.

I know someone personally who kept cats and dogs in a small apartment, they would poop all over the place and she wouldn't clean their faeces, which would roll under wardrobes, dressers, and other hard-to-reach places. The place stank like you wouldn't believe. Very sad. 

[Icarus]

Your acquaintance person is clearly an ignorant, unconscionable slob.  He/she may end up with  the plague or some other malady caused by living in filth.  That behavior also borders on cruelty to the pets.
...
On a different subject, I beseech you to  never ever to use the word; sad.  That is a word, used all too commonly in my president's persistent tweets. .. 

[xSilverPhinx]

On a different subject, I beseech you to never ever to use the word; sad.  That is a word, used all too commonly in my president's persistent tweets. .. 

Ok, 'sad' scratched from my repertoire of words! 

Thanks for making my vocabulary great again!

[Dark Lightning]

When I worked away from home on business travel, I did watch some TV. I watched "COPS" for awhile, but it was just so depressing to see what these people had done to their lives. I couldn't watch that any longer, and I've had glimpses of the "Hoarders" or "Filthy Homes" shows, whatever they are called. My wife watches them sometimes, but I can't stand those any more than a lot of the other programming.

[hermes2015]

I find watching cooking shows relaxing, even if I will probably never cook any of the dishes. People like Rick Stein, Nigella Lawson, and the Hairy Bikers have a calming effect om me. Gordon Ramsey and Jamie Oliver are at times too frenetic for my "taste".