The American Cleaning Institute (ACI)

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Grout is generally porous and white or light colored and can get dirty or discolored quickly. Get it clean with a little chemistry and a bit of elbow grease. First off, you'll want to use an alkaline cleaner. Grout is primarily cement and can be dissolved by acids. Over time, an acidic cleaner may require you to re-grout sooner than intended. How do you know if your cleaner will do the trick? Typically the product label…
Whether for move out cleaning or just keeping your place, here are the tasks that should be on your list. Just because you don’t "own" your place doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have a regular cleaning routine to keep your environment fresh and in good condition. Cleaning on a regular basis makes the job easier when you do tackle these tasks – and what’s more, keeping your rental in good shape helps ensure that you’ll get your deposit…
How To Clean to Get Your House Ready for Sale! Tips for Getting It Buyer-Ready When a house is for sale, the goal is to make it as attractive as possible to potential buyers. The most cost-efficient way to spruce up the home is to clean it thoroughly. Here's how to clean your house from top to bottom fast. Getting Rid of Clutter Many potential buyers may not see past dirt and clutter. If the house is crowded with the owner's…
Writing letters, arts and crafts, homework, making a grocery list … it doesn’t really matter how it got there. But if you take a close look around, you’re bound to find pen, marker, pencil or crayon markings on walls, desks, tables and furniture. Here’s how to remove those stains on a variety of surfaces. Painted Walls and Painted Wood Furniture Test the washability of the surface by first washing an inconspicuous area. Use a nonabrasive, all-purpose cleaner or a wood cleaner. For walls,…
The American Cleaning Institute (ACI) offers room by room cleaning suggestions for the many surfaces in your home.
Living/Dining Rooms and Bedrooms serve up different types of challenges. Dust and dirt tracked in on shoes ... spill and stains on carpets and upholstery ... rings on wood surfaces. But here again, there are products that meet the challenges. Use rugs or mats at all entrances to catch dirt and grit that can build up on floors and carpets. Choose a soft cotton cloth or paper towel for cleaning glass surfaces. Fabric softener on cleaned cloths can leave a…
Items Routine Care Special Instructions Appliances  Accessories  Trim Use a nonabrasive, all-purpose cleaner. Rinse with clean water and dry with a clean, soft cloth. Avoid using abrasive cleanser that may scratch the plastic. Bathtubs Shower Stalls Sinks Wall Tile Use a tub/tile/sink cleaner; nonabrasive, all-purpose…
Did you ever think about how the spring-cleaning ritual developed? Before the advent of electricity and a host of other modern conveniences, homes were heated with coal, oil and/or wood, and lit by gas or candlelight. Soot and grime were the natural companions of winter. Once spring arrived, the doors were thrown open, and everything – rugs, furniture, cupboards, curtains and more – was aired out, cleaned out, swept out and scrubbed out. Although today's centrally heated…
Summer’s here, and with it, the increased awareness of, and need for, sunscreen. We need the protection, but our tile floors? Not so much. Fortunately, there are easy ways to clean up when we accidentally slather and spray SPF on surfaces other than our skin. Clothes While that’s definitely good news for you and your kids, it sounds like the family wardrobe didn’t make out as well. But don’t fear; most commercially available bug sprays and sunscreens do wash…
Bathrooms are where the cleaning challenges can really get tough. There are so many surfaces: chrome, brass, glass, porcelain, fiberglass ... plus a wide variety of soils: hard water deposits, soap film, rust stains and mildew, not to mention germs. An assortment of effective cleaning products is available for these jobs. Cleaning Tips Rinse the tub after each use to keep soap film and hard water deposits from forming. Keep a small sponge…