The Sonic Scrubber – A Review

A while back, a new TV infomercial started showing off the amazing cleaning power of the Sonic Scrubber. No task was too much for this little dynamo! It powered through everything that was thrown at it. Is this the greatest cleaning product ever made? Well, not exactly. The Sonic Scrubber definitely has some wonderful uses, which I will explain later. But it also has a few limitations.

The Sonic Scrubber can truly power through really tough, really small stains.

What the Sonic Scrubber has gotten right. Although it does look like an oversized electronic toothbrush, the speed of the oscillations and the power of the motor turns this device from a tool for oral hygiene to a cleaning machine. The device is lightweight and powered by AA batteries. Surprisingly, the batteries actually last quite a long time, even when I used my rechargeable ones! The different scrubber heads insure the right size and scrubbing surface for the job, and the device can truly power through really tough, really small stains.

What is lacking and not mentioned in the commercials for the Sonic Scrubber is that you will never be able to clean large areas with this device. Unless you have a dozen Sonic Scrubbers and a dozen friends helping, you will never be able to clean an entire room. You must also be careful to let the device do the work. Do not try to use your own strength to help clean faster. The device is just not robust enough to be muscled around!

The Sonic Scrubber is great at the really tough spots. Let it do the work by just using minimal pressure. Use the speed of the scrubber to do the hard work. Using the right cleaner for the type of stain is also of vital importance. For tough, problematic stains, such as grout or around a soap dish, the Sonic Scrubber is fantastic. If you are trying to clean an entire tile bathroom, you had better not plan on doing anything else for quite a while! The Sonic Scrubber kit is available at Amazon and you may just find out that it is the perfect little scrubber for your needs!

CLR Cleaner – Uses, Dangers, Alternatives

If you have hard water or well water you likely know the damage that the minerals in the water can cause.  Hard water can clog up your coffee maker, shower heads and hot water heater.  CLR Cleaner is advertised as an easy way to get rid of calcium, lime and rust deposits.  I can say that it does work, but I don’t like how it works and the dangers it can cause.

CLR Cleaner Uses and Instructions

Coffee makers, pots, pans and tea kettles can all be cleaned with CLR.  Just pour in enough to swish around the item and rinse thoroughly.  For coffee makers, run it thru with 50% water and 50% CLR mixture. Although these are the instructions from the bottle, I highly suggest that you don’t use this on anything you eat on or with.

You can clean dishwashers and washing machines by running an empty load without any detergent and ½ cup of CLR.  Always run an extra full cycle with plain water to thoroughly rinse the machine.

Soak a shower head or faucet aerator in equal amount of CLR and hot water for about 2 minutes to clean out all of the hard water deposits and start the free flow of water.  You may need to repeat this on badly encrusted items.

The Dangers of CLR Cleaner

CLR is 8 to 12% lactic acid.  It is very corrosive if left on too long and can damage wood, clothing, wallpaper, carpeting, marble, terrazzo, natural stone, colored grout, painted or metallic glazed surfaces, plastic laminates, Formica or aluminum.  When using CLR always use in well-ventilated area, wear rubber gloves, rinse the area completely with cold, clean water and never mix with other household cleaners or bleach.  Mixing with bleach will release toxic fumes!  You can read about all the dangers and first aid measures on the CLR Material Safety Data Sheet.

CLR Cleaner Alternatives

CLR is an effective product but comes with some dangers to you and your family.  One of the best homemade alternatives to CLR is plain old white distilled vinegar.  Vinegar can do all of the things listed in the Uses section above.  Not only does vinegar work just as well and cost half as much, but it is completely natural.  I am always more comfortable cleaning things in the kitchen with a natural product like white vinegar because I know there is no chance of my food becoming contaminated with toxic chemicals.

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Free Swiffer Wet Jet Coupons

I was doing some product research for an upcoming set of posts that compares the Swiffer Wet Jet and the Clorox Ready Mop.  I came across some pretty good coupons for the Swiffer Wet Jet and its refills.  You can save up to $15 if you would use them all.  Sadly these are not printable, so you will have to wait for them in the mail.  I wanted to pass the info along because I know a lot of you are saving where you can and probably can use the Swiffer Wet Jet Coupons.  Stay tuned for more details in the Mop Off and enjoy the Super Bowl!

How to Safely Replace Garage Door Springs

We are all looking for ways to save money. Do-it-yourself projects are a great example of this. If you have an electronic garage door opener, you will have to replace the garage door springs at some point. You will know when you have to replace them when your door starts to take longer to open. You may also notice the opener making more noise as it operates. The garage door springs help the motor by reducing the amount of force that it has to exert to open the door. As the springs wear out, the motor has to work harder, reducing its life expectancy and increasing the amount of power that it consumes.

Replacing Garage Door Springs will save you Money in the Long Run!

Electronic garage door openers have long tension springs running along the door tracks, manual garage doors have torsion springs housed over the door usually in a metal box. Do not attempt to replace torsion springs! Torsion springs have a tremendous amount of energy stored in them that can be released with catastrophic results. Major injuring or death can result from improperly changing torsion springs! Leave changing torsion springs to professionals!

To replace your garage door springs, open the garage door all of the way until it locks into place. Using two lockable vice grips, lock the door in place by attaching the vice grips in front of the foremost wheels on the track to keep the door from moving. If you do not have two lockable vice grips, adjustable C-clamps can also be used. Once the door is locked into place, release the electronic garage door opener by pulling on the release handle. Now the springs are in their most relaxed position and you can remove them by disconnecting each end. They may be connected by a threaded bolt or with an S-clamp. Once removed, replace with your new springs. Always replace both springs at the same time or else you can damage your garage door opener. Once finished replacing the springs, reconnect your garage door opener and remove the vice grips or C-clamps. Your electric garage door will now function more efficiently and save you money and time!

How to Maintain Your Carport

When you don’t have any extra room in your garage, a carport is a great way to protect your assets from the weather. A sturdy carport can extend the life of any vehicle and can make it a lot nicer to get into in the winter months. However, once your carport starts to show its age, they can become eyesores very quickly.

There are multiple types of structures that you can use as a carport. Many steel, aluminum, and plastic pre-formed kits exist to help you construct one quickly and cheaply. If you live in a home with an older carport, it most likely constructed of wood or wood and metal. A wood constructed carport requires more maintenance than a metal one, but can easily be maintained with minimal effort.

To really keep your carport looking its best, I recommend getting a power washer.

If you have a wooden carport, the power washer is great for quick cleanups even in the tallest parts of your carport. They can blast away grime and loose paint, which comes in very handy when you plan on repainting. It is very important to keep up the paint on your carport. Without the paint, the wooden structure will be susceptible to bugs and rot. A power washer is also a great investment for metal carport owners as well. They are also great at removing the startup bird nests that are always showing up in the rafters or the roofing of your carport. If you cannot afford a power washer for your carport, a bucket of soapy water and a good, long-handled brush will do a great job.

If you have trees around your carport, you may begin to see mold and mildew building up on the roof. Put on some clothes that you care nothing about and get the sturdiest ladder that you own. If you can safely set up scaffolding alongside your carport, this will save you some time. Now mix one part bleach to ten parts of water in a large bucket. Scrub the roof of your carport with the mixture and a stiff brush. Rinse with a lot of water.

It you get oil stains on the concrete floor in your carport; use our tip for Removing Oil Stains from your Driveway.

Lestoil Cleaning Tips and Cautionary Words

Here at Chester's Clean House we believe in cleaning in the most natural way possible.  I like to say "if you can eat it, you can clean with it"; meaning that using natural products that you could eat to clean will ensure that you are not exposed to chemicals that may harm you.  I don't believe that there is any way to quantify what exposure to harsh chemical cleaners may do to your body over your lifetime.  So I like to play it safe and do things naturally.  This is where my conflict starts, sometimes to really get the job done the right way you need to use some of those chemicals in a responsible way.  Lestoil is one of the best cleaners for removing greasy spills and splatters from fabrics so put caution to the wind and learn how to carefully use Lestoil Cleaner.

What is Lestoil?

Lestoil is a product of the Clorox Company.  It is a heavy duty solvent that is a mixture of light petroleum distillates and about 30% Stoddard solvent. It is a golden color and has a strong pine smell.  It works wonders at removing grease, tar, ink, blood, grass stains, and those really hard to get out stains from cloths.  It can be used on fabric furniture and carpeting just as well.  Before you continue you should read the Lestoil Material Safety Data Sheet (Lestoil MSDS) to know more about Clorox Lestoil.

Lestoil is a great solvent.  So great that if you keep a bottle around for more than 18 months, there is a good chance that it will eat through the plastic bottle and leak all over.  To help protect againt this, I always write the date I purchased it on the bottle so I know when I need to get a new container for it.  Knowing how caustic this stuff is, I also always wear rubber gloves and a respirator whenever I am using it.

Using Lestoil in the Laundry

Lestoil is very concentrated, so you only need to use a little bit to treat each stain.  I just pour a little onto the stained area and rub it into the fabric.  I let the Lestoil stand for about 30 minutes before laundering the clothing.  For really thick stains, I will use the cap to try and scrape away the stain.  Wash and dry as you normally would.  Do not use this on dry clean only fabrics.

Lestoil works best on the following stains:

• Greasy
• Tar
• Ink
• Grass Stains
• Hydraulic Fluid
• Motor Oil
• Dry Erase Marker
• Perspiration Stains (paraffin wax from deodorant)
• Lip Stick
• Juice Spills

Where to buy Lestoil

Lestoil can sometimes be fairly hard to find.  Most grocery stores carry it in the laundry detergent isle.  If you cannot find it at your local grocery store, the next place I would try would be at the drug store.  If all else fails you can find it at amazon.com.

Enjoy the cleaning power of Lestoil, but also remember to stay safe.

Related Links:

• Chester's Clean House's Best Laundry Tips
• Lipstick on my Collar
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How to Deal With Ground Bees

Ground bees are very different from honey bees. Honey bees are quickly going extinct, and their hives should never be tampered with except by a beekeeper. Beekeepers will gladly remove honey bee nests and will sometimes do it for free. Ground bees are longer than honey bees and are much, much more aggressive. It you are attacked by ground bees, which are often referred to as Yellow Jackets, they do not usually give up. Running and flailing your arms will only make them even angrier. A groundskeeper friend told me that it was best to just stand still and take the hits, as he called it. He claimed that you will get stung a few times and that they will then leave you alone. Personally, I don’t want to get stung at all!

Ground bees burrow hives into soft soil or into wood or other places that they can find a safe sanctuary. This, unfortunately, means that they will go wherever they can. It may be your yard or your home. Since they are extremely aggressive, this means that you have to be extremely careful once you have discovered their nests. 

I have read a ton of horrible ideas on how to deal with their hives. Ideas from pouring gasoline into their nest to sticking road flairs into the hive may work, but are completely dangerous and foolish. When I found the nest in our side yard, I first tried a powder that I got from my local hardware store. You are supposed to dust it around the nest at night, and during the day, they track the poison back in and kill off the entire hive. I added more every night for a week and there was no change. I then tried a spray foam insecticide. This worked, but only as long as the bees dove into the foam. Once the foam was gone, they were back to work as usual. A few more cans later, I was looking for a better and cheaper idea. So, I listened to the advice of an old friend of mine and covered the hive a 6 foot by 6 foot clear plastic drop cloth. I weighted down the sides with a few scrap 2 by 4s and waited. The next day, they were trapped, and ticked off! But a few days later, they were dead. Just to be safe, I waited an entire week before removing the drop cloth. I haven’t seen a bee in that area again!

Some quick tips: Only approach the hive at night when they are dormant. During the day, you can mark the nest with a brightly colored object (like a Frisbee). Anything that you can toss from a safe distance that will help you locate the nest again at night. And, if you are allergic to bee stings, get someone else to do the dirty work!