Cleaning Products

[DianaB]

We may have had something like this a long time ago but I can't remember. I was just curious about what cleaning products that you use and what on.

I always use Dawn detergent for my dishes. I think that it cuts the grease better than anything that I've used. I use Barkeeper's Friend on my stainless steel pans. It works great! Then I use Cerama Bryte on my stove top. I got a small bottle with my stove and I love it. I use Comet or bleach to clean my kitchen sink. It's a white sink and it gets marks on it from my pans and gets stained very easily but bleach gets it out very quickly.

I used to use the tabs for my dishwasher but I found out (when it wasn't cleaning very good) that I had stuff building up in my sprayer arms. My husband cleaned a lot out of them and the dishwasher worked much, much better so I'm staying with the liquid dishwashing detergents. Right now I'm using Electrasol.

I used to use Amonia on my floors but the smell really bothers Jaci enough that I changed to Mr. Clean with Febreeze and I think that it's Mountain Rain fragrance (smells really good!). I use The Works for my toilet cleaner and another Works product for my shower. They're really cheap and you can get them at Dollar General. Sometimes I use Kaboom on my shower but it's hard on the metal parts. For my bathtub I use Scrubbing Bubbles.

I'm using a new laundry detergent from Sears that's made for front-load machines and is really concentrated but I use to use Purex laundry detergent because it worked pretty good and wasn't as expensive as some others. I use the store brand fabric softner sheets because they're cheaper and I think that they work fine.

So.....how about you? What do you use and why?

[2tiredmom]

I use Comet on my kitchen sink and counters because it really cleans and whitens,
my sink is stainless steel. My Counters are white with gray flecks. I use The Works also on my toilets. I also use Scrubbing Bubbles and Lysol Foaming Cleanser on my tubs and showers and toilets. I use Mr Clean Magic Eraser on my walls and showers and shower curtains and my stove top and my refrigerator.
I use Palmolive for washing dishes because nothing else suds up and stays as well. I use Amonia on my floors and then go back over them with Murphy's oil soap. I use swiffer duster to dust my woodwork and furniture. I use windex on my windows and on my door on my microwave and stove and mirrors in the bathrooms. I use ERA detergent for laundry and Vanilla & Lavender scented
Downey Liquid fabic softener.

[Janet]

Wow...you two clean a lot better than me....LOLOL

Let's see, I use Dawn Dish Detergent, because it really cuts the grease better than anything else I've tried. I use BarKeepers Friend for my stainless steel kitchen sinks and stove top and an a polisher for the stove top that I just can't remember the name and I don't have any at the moment.

I use bleach water on my countertops and Windex on oven, dishwasher, microwave and refridgerator and windows of course.

In the bathrooms I use Lysol toilet cleaner, the Works for my shower and sinks.

I'm not real big on using a lot of products so if I can get aways with using bleach water I do. Oh and for my floors, I just use the Swiffer Mop, but I also spray Windex on the floor.

[Marilyn]

Lets see..... I use Dawn dishwashing liquid. I agree with others here, cuts grease the best. Cascade powder dishwasher detergent. Use Black Diamond Counter Cleaner for granite counter tops. Magic Stainless Steel Cleaner for appliances, but will look for Barkeeper's Friend since most on here think it's great. I'm not completely happy with the Magic SS Cleaner.

For floors, I use the Swifter only for quick cleanups. We've discovered that the Swifter causes Chase (older yorkie) to have asthma like attacks. So for mopping, we use lemon scent Pinesol or Murphy's Oil Soap or just vinegar and water.

For the shower, since it's porous tumbled marble and we have high humidity here, Tilex Mildew Root Penetrator is the best stuff!!!!! Spray it on, let is set for a bit, scrub and rinse, and it helps reduce the return of the mildew. Your not supposed to use products with heavy chemicals on marble, but I've been doing it for 5 years and can't see that it has hurt anything. I was using Kaboom for the floor of the shower(small ceramic tile), but it was a paste in a bottle with some abrasive in it, and I can't find it anymore. For toilet, I like the Clorox toilet bowl cleaner. Flush, squirt it around and let it set a few minutes before brushing and even the dried up toilets in bathrooms seldom used are bright and clean. I use Great Value Glass Cleaner (Walmart store brand). I think it works better than Windex.

For laundry, All Free liquid HE for front loaders, and Downy Lavender and Vanilla liquid fabric softener. I don't use the dryer sheets because the waxes from the sheets build up in your exhaust hose and can be a fire hazard. The buildup of waxy lint almost plugged my drier vent hose off. My clothes weren't getting as dry so I went looking for the cause and discovered that the end of the hose where it blows outside was almost blocked. Cleaned it out, and it works fine now, but no more dryer sheets for me.

[DianaB]

I tried using the Swiffer mop but I have too much area to mop and it dried out pretty quickly so I quickly tossed it. My floors get too dirty to use it anyway.

I know that after I started using The Works for toilets that the deposits under the rim disolved away. I was really pleased with it.

Marilyn, I don't know about the others but I find BarKeeper's Friend at Wal-mart. It's kinda' like Comet but it's made for stainless steel. I've used it for years.

I have had a build up on the outside of my dryer vent but I didn't realize that it was from the dryer sheets. Hmmmm.......I may try the fabric softner and see if I can keep it from coming back.

This has been really interesting. Is there anything that you wouldn't ever buy again?

[Janet]

What about those of you that live in the country and have to deal with iron/rust in your water? We do have a water softener that does get most of it, but I have a heck of a time with it in one of my showers. You can see it on the walls. I've tried BarKeepers Friend..it works, but you really have to scrub and that's hard leaning across the tub. I've also used CLR, IRON OUT and a few others, but not satified with any of it really. Most work real good if you can let it soak for a bit, but it's hard to let it soak on the wall of the shower. Any other ideas to help remove the rust stains?

[2tiredmom]

Janet,

I'm like you can't find anything that really works on the walls. We have a softener too. I have used Lime Away but it just leaves run marks and makes it look worse
and the smell is terrible. Even with ventilation.

[Marilyn]

Does anyone use that Mr. Clean scrubber thing. It looks like a white sponge on TV. I bought one, but have no idea what happened to it between the shopping cart and home. I remembered I'd bought it, but cannot find it anywhere. It may have stayed in the bagging area at the store.

I'd like to know if they work before I buy another.

I was thinking if they work like on TV, maybe that would work on your rusty showers. We've never had iron in our water like that here, even when we lived in the country. We usually have to add iron to our soil and such around here.

[2tiredmom]

Marilyn,

Yes it does work. I love it. It gets down into the groves on my fridge door handles and gets the dirt out. It also works on scuff marks on the walls.
And it works on countertops it lifts the stains right up. It works on shower walls,
shower curtains, I really to like it.

[DianaB]

I don't think that I've seen the Mr. Clean scrubber thing. I'll have to keep my eyes open for it.

I don't know what to tell you, Janet, about the rust on your shower walls. I know that Kaboom or The Works tub and tile would probably work for you but you'd still have trouble with it running down your walls. What if you soaked a rag in it then laid it on there for awhile?

[Janet]

Originally Posted by 2tiredmom

Janet,

I'm like you can't find anything that really works on the walls. We have a softener too. I have used Lime Away but it just leaves run marks and makes it look worse
and the smell is terrible. Even with ventilation.

Originally Posted by 2tiredmom

Marilyn,

Yes it does work. I love it. It gets down into the groves on my fridge door handles and gets the dirt out. It also works on scuff marks on the walls.
And it works on countertops it lifts the stains right up. It works on shower walls,
shower curtains, I really to like it.

Okay girlfriend...you have me totally confused. I that thing is called Mr Clean Magic Eraser right? So does it work or not....LOLOL If it works without killing my back and arms leaning over the tub then I want it and I want it now...LOLOL.

[DianaB]

Oh, if you're talking about the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser then I love it!!! I thought that maybe they had a new product out. Janet, I don't know if it works on the shower or not but I use it all the time on other things. It gets marks off of the walls very easily. You just wet it barely wet and start wiping with it. Very easy!!! With all of my grandchildren it's one of the things that I always keep on hand and I've used it on other things but at the moment my mind has gone blank on what I've used it on. LOL I did read an article about not letting children play with it because it is abrasive and can cause skin injury if rubbed on a child's face or body. (The child had done it to himself.)

[2tiredmom]

Originally Posted by Janet

Okay girlfriend...you have me totally confused. I that thing is called Mr Clean Magic Eraser right? So does it work or not....LOLOL If it works without killing my back and arms leaning over the tub then I want it and I want it now...LOLOL.

If you had read my post you would have seen that yes it is the Mr Clean Magic Eraser! And yes it does work on shower walls. Pay Attention GF.......LOL

[Janet]

Okay...I will pay attention from now on.

[Marilyn]

I have a cleaning tool that you ladies should consider for cleaning your showers. I can't find the exact product online. I think I bought it at Target, but I'm not sure. It is a Clorox product, but is not one of the kind you get in a box with changeable pads. It's actually a scrubber that would be more on the order or a houseware type item. From my online research, it looks like it's made for Clorox by the Melody company. Here's a link to a display of their products, though I don't see the one I have on here.
http://www.esseplast.com/servlet/Srv...4&id=2&lang=en

What I have is a scrubber with a metal extendable handle about 4 feet long. It has a heavy duty triangular pivoting scrubber on the end that works great for cleaning my shower. I was thinking of you with shower and tub enclosure walls that you are having trouble scrubbing without hurting your backs.

The product works well for me, but again, I've searched pretty extensively, even the Clorox website, which is where I eventually got to the Melody products. I'm not good at posting pics, but if anyone is interested, I'll try to post one. The materials look like the ones in the picture on the link above. Only instead of a mop head, it has pivoting this triangular scrubber pad. I might have gotten it at the Container Store, but I can't find these products on their website either. Frustrating....