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| What are the best cleaning/refurbishing products? - |
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MJTenn
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Mon Jun 19, 2006 2:00 pm |
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What are the best cleaning/refurbishing products?
I just now saw that we had this forum...I love decorating and remodeling discussions.
We're getting our house ready for sale, and I'm trying just about everything there is out there to try to make things look good. If anyone has any favorites, or knows of any real losers, please let me know.
Some of our hardwood floors are worn...and we don't want to go to the trouble and expense of refinishing. I have tried just about everything and just this morning tried something called Zap that my sister gave me. It is soaked cloths in a plastic tub...and let me tell you, those things are WONDERFUL. They restore color, take out scratches, etc. Great for floors or furniture. I can't believe all the hours I have spent trying to find a workable solution...and all along there was something EASY to solve the problem.
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| DivaToo
Posted:
Mon Jun 19, 2006 2:22 pm |
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Where did you get the ZAP, MJ?
I have a huge kitchen table, it's got the whole distressed look going, but has some very bad scratches and water marks etc. on it. I would love to try the Zap on it. TIA
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Miss Diva 2 U
Joined: 23 Mar 2006
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| Torti
Posted:
Mon Jun 19, 2006 9:20 pm |
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MJ, a few tips for house preparation for sale:
1. Declutter--everything: closets, basement, garage, utility room, kitchen countertops, bathroom cabinets and linen closets. A closet that is not crowded seems larger. Rent a storage unit if you have to in order to create space. Consider storing larger or worn pieces of furniture that you want to keep.
2. Clean the woodwork, especially around the doorknobs where hands touch. Include the exterior doors in this, too.
3. If you have Venitian or mini-blinds, be sure that they are clean and that they work.
4. Make sure that the bathroom tile and shower is despotted. Lemon oil or WD-40 works well, here. Just keep it off the grout, as it stains. If you have a shower curtain, consider a new one for open house or sales showings. Lubricate door hinges while you have the WD-40 out, too.
5. Unless you have a very unusual decorating scheme or odd colors, do not repaper or replace if the condition is generally "good" or above. If you really do need to repaint a room or two, use more neutral colors. "Vanilla" decorating sells better, as the new owners can do more with it.
6. Have the carpets cleaned professionally. If the carpet is extremely worn, consider a neutral replacement.
7. Consider having a janitor service do windows inside and out and scrub hard surfaced outdoor porches. It's amazing how much brighter the entry looks when scrubbed. Add a big pot of seasonal flowers, too, for a welcoming touch.
8. If your curtains and draperies need cleaned, do it now. If you have had smokers in your home, nothing holds stale smoke odors like curtains and draperies. Fresh and clean are the watchwords here.
9. Empty the dishwasher. Every prospective buyer will look inside it.
10. Clean the cooktop and oven and keep it empty. Every cook will look inside there, too. If it is a built-in, it stays with the house.
11. Clean the exhaust hood in the kitchen. Consider new replacement filters for it, if needed.
12. Take a tip from Peg Bracken and polish the fronts of your furniture, too. This is what people see first, not the tops, which you have already dusted and polished.
13. Clean the fireplace, if you have one. If it's warm outside, set a pot of flowers in the empty space or a large Japanese fan (these are available at many Asian markets, cheap). If it's cold, lay a fire ready to light.
14. Make sure that all electrical outlets and wall switches work, faucets don't drip, toilets don't run and replace light bulbs with brighter ones. If you have any chandeliers or fixtures that take special bulbs (candle type, or globes, for example) keep a replacement bulb or three on hand. Nothing looks worse than a light fixture with burnt out bulbs. Clean the chandeliers, too, and all diffusers on other fixtures. We tend to overlook the buildup of dead moths that accumulate in them, especially on the outdoor ones.
If I think of anything else, I'll add it in this thread. But this should keep you busy for a while.
Another tip: Do NOT leave any valuables (jewelry, money, coin collections, stamp collections) laying about during showings. Rent a safety deposit box at the bank and store it there.
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Joined: 23 Mar 2006
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| pax
Posted:
Mon Jun 19, 2006 10:28 pm |
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That was really kind of you, Torti.
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Joined: 23 Mar 2006
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Location: Wish You Were Here
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| Torti
Posted:
Tue Jun 20, 2006 12:24 am |
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Thank you Pax. I have another tip--go to the hardware or wallpaper store for some heavy-duty cleaner with phosphate in it. They are available, and in small quantities do not harm the environment. A household cleaner spiked with one of these additives will really clean. BUT READ AND FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS--WEAR RUBBER GLOVES. This stuff is stout enough to remove some of the paint. And Rinse, rinse. Too much of a booster cleaner can mean you have to repaint, and that you do not want to do.
It may cost a few dollars more to have some things done professionally, like carpets and windows, but the results are worth it. The janitor services have the tools like squeegies for windows (not cheap at the hardware store) and power scrubbers that you have to rent and the results that the pros get are better than what you can get with rental equipment. And it saves wear and tear on your body, too, as well as sore muscles. I have rented do-it-yourself rug cleaning equipment, and it weighs as much as I do! The cost was not that much less by the time I bought the cleaner to go with the unit. And the janitor service also moves the furniture and puts it back with a shield under the legs.
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Joined: 23 Mar 2006
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| MJTenn
Posted:
Tue Jun 20, 2006 11:17 pm |
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| DivaToo wrote: | Where did you get the ZAP, MJ?
I have a huge kitchen table, it's got the whole distressed look going, but has some very bad scratches and water marks etc. on it. I would love to try the Zap on it. TIA |
She got it at Bed, Bath & Beyond. It really is amazing stuff; you wouldn't believe how much area just one of the little cloths will cover. I am thinking my floor is going to turn out great...I have done about 3/4 of the room now and am very happy with the results.
ha...I have a "distressed" kitchen table story for you. Several years ago we were hit by a tornado that came through Nashville; the same storm uprooted many trees out at The Hermitage (Andrew Jackson's home.). They milled some of the wood and sold it to help finance the repairs to the property. I bought some of the wood to have a kitchen table made.
Hired this guy to do the table...he had done really great work for us in the past. He did a great job...and THEN he got a bit too creative. He showed me a bullet hole in a piece of the wood...we were just chatting and I commented about liking the "distressed" look.
Famous last words. The day he delivered the table, I was so excited...couldnt wait to get it into the kitchen. When I saw the tabletop...I could not believe what he had done. He had put wood putty in the bullet hole and finished over it. THEN he decided to "distress" the table because that's what he thought I wanted...oh my, what a mess it is. It SCREAMS "fake distress!" Really contrived stuff...like laying screws down and pounding them into the wood. Not a thing I could do about it, because by this time it had about 10 coats of poly on it. I never DID understand...why would he obliterate the bullet hole and then do all that other stuff?
Fortunately, over time it is looking more naturally distressed...if that makes sense. But I think I won't EVER mention again to a carpenter or painter that I like the distressed look!
Good luck with your table...I don't know about the water marks but as for the scratches, the Zap should work well. I had some major scratches on the floor and I was pretty amazed at how well the Zap took them out.
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**Deactivated**
Joined: 23 Mar 2006
Posts: 2630
Location: On THE Clue Bus!
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| MJTenn
Posted:
Tue Jun 20, 2006 11:34 pm |
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| Torti wrote: | MJ, a few tips for house preparation for sale:
1. Declutter--everything: closets, basement, garage, utility room, kitchen countertops, bathroom cabinets and linen closets. A closet that is not crowded seems larger. Rent a storage unit if you have to in order to create space. Consider storing larger or worn pieces of furniture that you want to keep.
2. Clean the woodwork, especially around the doorknobs where hands touch. Include the exterior doors in this, too.
3. If you have Venitian or mini-blinds, be sure that they are clean and that they work.
4. Make sure that the bathroom tile and shower is despotted. Lemon oil or WD-40 works well, here. Just keep it off the grout, as it stains. If you have a shower curtain, consider a new one for open house or sales showings. Lubricate door hinges while you have the WD-40 out, too.
5. Unless you have a very unusual decorating scheme or odd colors, do not repaper or replace if the condition is generally "good" or above. If you really do need to repaint a room or two, use more neutral colors. "Vanilla" decorating sells better, as the new owners can do more with it.
6. Have the carpets cleaned professionally. If the carpet is extremely worn, consider a neutral replacement.
7. Consider having a janitor service do windows inside and out and scrub hard surfaced outdoor porches. It's amazing how much brighter the entry looks when scrubbed. Add a big pot of seasonal flowers, too, for a welcoming touch.
8. If your curtains and draperies need cleaned, do it now. If you have had smokers in your home, nothing holds stale smoke odors like curtains and draperies. Fresh and clean are the watchwords here.
9. Empty the dishwasher. Every prospective buyer will look inside it.
10. Clean the cooktop and oven and keep it empty. Every cook will look inside there, too. If it is a built-in, it stays with the house.
11. Clean the exhaust hood in the kitchen. Consider new replacement filters for it, if needed.
12. Take a tip from Peg Bracken and polish the fronts of your furniture, too. This is what people see first, not the tops, which you have already dusted and polished.
13. Clean the fireplace, if you have one. If it's warm outside, set a pot of flowers in the empty space or a large Japanese fan (these are available at many Asian markets, cheap). If it's cold, lay a fire ready to light.
14. Make sure that all electrical outlets and wall switches work, faucets don't drip, toilets don't run and replace light bulbs with brighter ones. If you have any chandeliers or fixtures that take special bulbs (candle type, or globes, for example) keep a replacement bulb or three on hand. Nothing looks worse than a light fixture with burnt out bulbs. Clean the chandeliers, too, and all diffusers on other fixtures. We tend to overlook the buildup of dead moths that accumulate in them, especially on the outdoor ones.
If I think of anything else, I'll add it in this thread. But this should keep you busy for a while.
Another tip: Do NOT leave any valuables (jewelry, money, coin collections, stamp collections) laying about during showings. Rent a safety deposit box at the bank and store it there. |
WOW Torti...this is some really good advice here...and so well written and organized, too. Definitely a "keeper" post! Thank you so much for taking the time to put all this together.
The frustrating thing about doing some of this is...I think to myself WHY didn't we do this for ourselves? An example: we just redid the utility room because it badly needed painting, and I reorganized everything in there and we put up some more shelves. I've never paid much attention to that room because no one sees it but us...now I actually don't MIND being in there doing laundry because the room is so nice now. And it really wasn't very expensive to make those changes, and not all that time consuming.
It really is difficult to get a house in saleable condition, though, with 3 people, a big dog and several cats living here. We did put up some baby gates so that the animals no longer have the run of the entire house; that does help.
I have to admit: I never thought about people looking inside the oven, dishwasher, etc. Good thing you said that...I would probably have stuffed things inside both just to get them out of the way.
Again...thank you for all the excellent advice. I will let you know how it goes....you're right, there is enough to keep me busy for quite some time.
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**Deactivated**
Joined: 23 Mar 2006
Posts: 2630
Location: On THE Clue Bus!
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| dallas
Posted:
Wed Jun 21, 2006 6:41 pm |
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MJ don't know if you shop QVC or not. I do, and swear my a product called \\"Rejuvenate Floor Restorer and Protectant\\" 40 oz. Item # V22173 for $19.81. Go there and query Floor Care.
But, looks like you have a wealth of info now. Good luck in selling your house.
PS... -- I didn't put those /// marks in the first paragraph either! This board is WEIRD today!! I even edited them out -- but they were back again. WTF??
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Joined: 23 Mar 2006
Posts: 6449
Location: Somewhere on RT. 66!!
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| MJTenn
Posted:
Fri Jun 23, 2006 8:53 am |
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| dallas wrote: | MJ don't know if you shop QVC or not. I do, and swear my a product called \\"Rejuvenate Floor Restorer and Protectant\\" 40 oz. Item # V22173 for $19.81. Go there and query Floor Care.
But, looks like you have a wealth of info now. Good luck in selling your house.
PS... -- I didn't put those /// marks in the first paragraph either! This board is WEIRD today!! I even edited them out -- but they were back again. WTF?? |
Hey dallas, and thanks. I will check out the Rejuvenate, too.
Update on cleaning products/equipment: Yesterday I bought a Scunci steamer and a Bissell Spotlifter. I finally got the steamer put together last night, went to try it out and ended up burning my hand. Not badly, because I was being very, very cautious...but it certainly could have been bad. I'm 99percent sure I had everything put together correctly, but am going to get hubby to check it out today. If that is the case, it is going BACK to the store asap. Haven't unpacked the Bissell yet but am about to. Will keep you all posted.
I also found more Zap products: for countertops, glass, stainless steel, etc. I haven't tried those out either; was too worn out from all that comparison shopping AND the steamer experience last night.
I did try the Zap floor cloths on my dark oak kitchen cabinets...nice!
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Joined: 23 Mar 2006
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| MJTenn
Posted:
Sat Jun 24, 2006 1:47 pm |
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Bissell Spotlifter is a great machine!
OK, the Bissell Spotlifter is one little awesome machine! It comes all put together in the box...no annoying little parts and pieces of things to put together. (I have a feeling that is why the steamer doesn't work right...there were SO many things to put together and they have to fit just right...hubby hasn't had chance to look at it yet, so I still don't know about that one.)
Anyway, you just take this one out of the box, fill it with the solution and water, plug it in and you are good to go. I started with an old wing chair that I had really decided to throw out (just in case it might prove to damage fabrics, etc.). And I mean, this is one dirty chair; the only reason I had not gotten rid of it was because I had considered having it recovered. I cleaned it...and I swear it looks like a brand new chair...and it was bought new in 1983!!
So I went on to clean some of the other upholstered furniture...it worked wonderfully. The only troublesome part is curved arms...you just have to do these by hand, I think. There was a stain on the bottom of my draperies; came right out and the fabric still looks just fine. I had always had these drycleaned before...no more. I did take a deep breath before I used it on the draperies...I was afraid of shrinkage and fading but thankfully, it didn't happen.
I think the idea of this machine is to get at stains just as soon as they happen so they don't become problematic, but everything I used it on has been old stains...stains that I had tried to remove in the past with no success. That's why I'm so impressed with it.
And this machine was only $39.99...
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| likestoflap-lol
Posted:
Sat Jun 24, 2006 2:09 pm |
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i love tilex-fabuloso-and orange oil products. my hoover steam vac is used daily. one good hint for home for sale---buy cinnamon rolls pillsbury type and pop in oven before real estate showing---i popped so many in oven when home for sale i looked like the dough boy!lol
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** Banned **
Joined: 24 Mar 2006
Posts: 2433
Location: at the mall buying purple sandals to meet clients -oh my~!
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| MJTenn
Posted:
Sun Jun 25, 2006 9:44 pm |
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| likestoflap-lol wrote: | | i love tilex-fabuloso-and orange oil products. my hoover steam vac is used daily. one good hint for home for sale---buy cinnamon rolls pillsbury type and pop in oven before real estate showing---i popped so many in oven when home for sale i looked like the dough boy!lol |
Good idea, ltc. I will certainly try that! I hope it will sell quickly; I love cinnamon rolls and can't be having too many of them (if i still want to fit into my clothes.)
I got some orange oil furniture reconditioner...it works well and makes things smell so nice, too.
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| xcptnl
Posted:
Thu Jul 06, 2006 5:13 pm |
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For cleaning one piece shower/bath units. I have an older one piece unit and could not get the floor of it clean no matter what I used - even bleach! So I had tried every product out there and nothing worked until I used the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. I was actually shocked that it worked!!
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Joined: 27 Mar 2006
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| pastaman
Posted:
Thu Jul 06, 2006 10:46 pm |
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I just used the Mr.Clean ERASER.....OMG it is the best.....
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Joined: 06 Jul 2006
Posts: 208
Location: in spicy tomato sauce
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| diandra
Posted:
Thu Aug 03, 2006 3:14 am |
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re hard-to-clean-bathtubs:
Prell or Pert shampoo usually works well if left overnight
a decent substitute if you have sensitivities to the stronger cleaning agents
one of my intructors in cosmetology school shared her experience w/ Prell
a couple years before she got her license & became an instructor,
she moved into a house where the previous tenants were 6 male college students ...
she cleaned the bathtubs from dark gray to lighter gray & was still unhappy but lived w/ it
then her 3-year-old spilled a bottle of Prell & closed the shower curtain to hide the deed.
when she rinsed the tub she saw that it was white where the spill had been
so she coated the tubs w/ Prell, used a brush to work it in & left it overnight ...
wah lah ... nice white tubs after a thorough rinsing
she taught us that there are 2 basic shampoo bases:
ammonium lauryl sulfate (ammonia) or
sodium lauryl sulfate (salt)
those are the first ingredients listed (after water) on the label
the ammonia shampoos are much harsher & to be avoided if you color or perm your hair
(fades the color or tends to relax the curl, which was locked in w/ the neutralizer)
she also said that you could perm your hair w/ Prell
if you were willing to leave the rods in for 24 hours ... ouch
perming requires breaking/re-forming the chemical bonds in the hair
which Prell/Pert is strong enough to do, given extended time
or so she said ... never tried it so I dunno about that part
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Joined: 24 Mar 2006
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| Sabrina
Posted:
Sun Aug 06, 2006 11:28 am |
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Home Depots now carry a full range of Zap products and are probably less expensive than Bed Bath and Beyond.
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Joined: 26 Mar 2006
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| MyContentions
Posted:
Sun Aug 06, 2006 12:05 pm |
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Oh man - I've got to get this ZAP stuff!
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** Banned **
Joined: 15 May 2006
Posts: 312
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| MJTenn
Posted:
Mon Aug 07, 2006 1:58 am |
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| diandra wrote: | re hard-to-clean-bathtubs:
Prell or Pert shampoo usually works well if left overnight
a decent substitute if you have sensitivities to the stronger cleaning agents
one of my intructors in cosmetology school shared her experience w/ Prell
a couple years before she got her license & became an instructor,
she moved into a house where the previous tenants were 6 male college students ...
she cleaned the bathtubs from dark gray to lighter gray & was still unhappy but lived w/ it
then her 3-year-old spilled a bottle of Prell & closed the shower curtain to hide the deed.
when she rinsed the tub she saw that it was white where the spill had been
so she coated the tubs w/ Prell, used a brush to work it in & left it overnight ...
wah lah ... nice white tubs after a thorough rinsing
she taught us that there are 2 basic shampoo bases:
ammonium lauryl sulfate (ammonia) or
sodium lauryl sulfate (salt)
those are the first ingredients listed (after water) on the label
the ammonia shampoos are much harsher & to be avoided if you color or perm your hair
(fades the color or tends to relax the curl, which was locked in w/ the neutralizer)
she also said that you could perm your hair w/ Prell
if you were willing to leave the rods in for 24 hours ... ouch
perming requires breaking/re-forming the chemical bonds in the hair
which Prell/Pert is strong enough to do, given extended time
or so she said ... never tried it so I dunno about that part |
Now this is some good advice, diandra. I never knew that about shampoos and the ammonia, etc. I'm going to look at the labels from now on.
Also am going to buy a bottle of Prell and try it out for cleaning...that is a much better alternative to the harsh chemicals.
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**Deactivated**
Joined: 23 Mar 2006
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| MJTenn
Posted:
Mon Aug 07, 2006 2:04 am |
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| MyContentions wrote: | | Oh man - I've got to get this ZAP stuff! |
I have bought the floor cloths I was talking about earlier in the thread; also the marble/granite cloths and the glass cloths.
The floor ones are the best, imo. They are good for furniture, too, and I find that the results are long lasting. It has been several months since I did the floor, and it still looks good. I really like the convenience of just being able to pull out a presoaked cloth.
The marble/granite ones are good, too. But the glass ones: I don't know if it is something I did wrong, but the glass was smeared horribly after using the cloths. I went over it several times, too, and ended up having to re-do it with Windex.
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| Fiery
Posted:
Tue Sep 12, 2006 1:16 am |
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the Imus cleaners are fabulous:
http://www.lnt.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2252393&cp&pg=3&origkw=cleaners&kw=cleaners&parentPage=search
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Who died and made YOU Darth Vader?
Joined: 23 Mar 2006
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