DIY cleaners

How to Clean the Fridge

If there’s one thing that reveals your true self – it’s your fridge.

Mine is always higgledy-piggledy with heaven knows what in coloured containers or concealed in plastic wrap. But it’s almost clean.

The best thing about cleaning your fridge is getting, apart from a clean fridge, the opportunity to organise the contents.

Bur let’s start with a good clean-up.

Have your rubbish bag and compost bag ready. Some things may have to go out, either into the garbage or into the compost
Fill your sink 2/3 with hot soapy water. I often use my laundry sink for this, it’s bigger than the one in the kitchen.
Fill a bucket with warm, soapy water (mild dish detergent is fine)
Have some clean cloths, or tea-towels, ready

Now you’re set to start

Turn the temperature control knob to the “off” position. Your fridge will be open for a while once you start cleaning, so there’s no sense in having it running and using electricity.

Take everything out of the refrigerator and put it on the bench nearby.

Throw away spoiled food, anything that is mouldy, expired, or hasn’t been used in more than a month-6 weeks.

Take the shelves, wire racks and drawers out. Wash them in that in the sink full of hot water. Use an ordinary sponge or cloth unless you’ve found some caked, dried-on gunk. Leave them to dry.

Wipe away any residue from the bottom with a sponge before you begin the rest of the fridge

Starting at the top and working down, wipe all surfaces with the cleaning solution of your choice. Rinse using fresh warm water. Dry with a cloth

Using that bucket of warm, soapy water, wash the inside walls of the fridge. Wash inside all the compartments and inside the door racks. Use a soft scrubbing sponge for any dried spills.

Rinse the inside of the fridge with a clean sponge or dish cloth and clean warm water.

Replace all the shelves, wire racks and drawers.

Wash the outside. Don’t forget the rubber molding around the fridge door! Rinse with a clean cloth and wipe dry.

Organising your fridge

As you put the food back into your fridge, use your wash cloth to wipe off any sticky or messy jars, canisters, etc.

Turn the temperature knob back to the “on” position at the recommending temperature setting.

Remove Odour

If you need to control odour in your refrigerator, slightly squeeze half of a lemon and put it into a small bowl. Place it somewhere in your fridge

Clean the Coils

A few times a year, you should pull your refrigerator out and vacuum the condenser coils at the back. They have a tendency to get dusty and could cause a fire if there happened to be a spark.

Preserve the Lining

You should never use harsh abrasives, scouring pads or harsh cleaners in your refrigerator. Abrasives, scouring pads and harsh cleaners can damage the finish inside your refrigerator and compromise the integrity of the lining which could cost you more in energy to keep the refrigerator cool.

Make Washing Powder

Cath makes enough washing powder for a year for under $10. It depends on how much washing you do of course, but I reckon this should last me at least 6 months and that’s a substantial saving!

Instructions to make the washing powder

Ingredients:
1 bar soap, grated
1 cup washing soda (Lectric Soda)
1/2 cup borax
Mix together and store in a sealed container.

Use 3 scant teaspoons per load for a top-loader and 1 scant teaspoon per load for a front loader.
You can use up the small slivers of toilet soap you collect if you like, ordinary bath soap or laundry soap. This recipe is ideal for using up all the leftovers you collect in the family bathroom.

It won’t produce masses of suds, but it will get your clothes clean. Suds aren’t necessary to clean but they look good.

If you recycle the water onto your garden (doesn’t everybody?) leave out the borax. Replace it with one cup of bi-carb soda.

Here’s Cath in her video

Make Wool Wash

It’s simple to make your own wool wash and then you have the added advantage of knowing exactly what’s in it. I copied this down from Martha Gardener years ago.

2 cups of grated soap (I like the old fashioned Velvet)
1/2 cup methylated spirits
1 tablespoon eucalyptus oil
Add all the ingredients into a jar and shake well
Store in a jar with the lid firmly sealed

Add two tablespoons to your washing machine on the gentle or wool cycle.

Add a cup of vinegar to the fabric softener section. Don’t worry, your woollies won’t smell like vinegar!

How to Clean your Carpet without Chemicals

Cyrus the Great loved carpets. He took his hundreds of thick rugs from Babylon to the grave. But what happened if he spilled yogurt on a carpet? Who cleaned up the stains of eggplant stew? Was there a special servant to clean the stains from orange juice, lamb with paprika, goat cheese, apricots or saffron?

Every carpet, at some time, gets something spilled on it. In ancient Persia you couldn’t get chemical cleaners from the supermarket or phone a carpet cleaning expert with steam-clean appliances. We can, but we don’t always have to.

Over the years I’ve learned to clean a number of household stains from carpets.

I use different combinations of vinegar, bicarb of soda, glycerine, methylated spirits, talcum powder and sometimes ice cubes to get my carpets clean and fresh again. My tools are a small nylon-bristled brush and toothbrushes. Buy a few toothbrushes and keep them in a drawer ready for cleaning up spills.

It’s a heck of a lot cheaper too!

How to Clean Red Wine from your Carpet

Am I the only one to spill red wine on my carpet?

Shake your packet of bicarb over the stain and cover it. Use a fair amount, so that the stain is fully covered and you can’t see it anymore.
Let the bicarb dry. This will take only a minute, so spend that minute setting up your vacuum cleaner.
Vacuum up the bicarb.
Reapply more bicarb, not so much this time. Add a couple of drops of vinegar and now scrub the stain with a nylon brush.
Let it dry. Vacuum again

How to Clean Candle Wax from your Carpet

Candles turn a room into something special but, when a bit of wax drops on your carpet, it’s enough to put you off romantic candlelit evenings for life!

Ice is the answer to wax.

Place a couple of ice cubes (inside a small plastic bag) over the wax and it will harden. With a blunt knife, scrape off as much as you can.
Can you wedge a piece of metal under the remaining wax? I use a nit comb for this. Now you need a commercial paper towel. Put a piece of paper towel over the wax and give it a blast from your hairdryer. The paper will absorb the wax.
You may have to repeat this a couple of times but the wax will eventually come off.

Never use an iron on your carpet!

How to Clean Beer from your Carpet

Whoops! Beer all over the carpet. Been there, done that.

Grab a towel and soak up as much as you can.
Next, put a couple of teaspoons of cold water in a dish and add enough detergent to produce froth. Stir up the detergent with your fingers so it’s really sudsy. What you want to clean the stain is the detergent suds, not the water. Take a toothbrush and spread the detergent suds over the stain.
Let it dry. Repeat as necessary.

How to Clean Pet Mishaps from your Carpet

You can put your pet in a bath but not the carpet!

Soak up what you can from the carpet with disposable paper towels. (if your pet has left solids just scoop up with wads of paper towel). Keep soaking up until the carpet is touch dry.
Pour a moderate amount of bicarb over and add a splash of vinegar.
Scrub with a toothbrush. (Throw away the toothbrush afterward).
Let it dry, then vacuum.