Many of you are storing your RV for the winter. Conditioning is the key to pre-storage maintenance focusing on the materials that were used most frequently throughout your summer and fall travels. Here I concentrate on tips for the floors, counters, wood and seating areas.
You may have acquired a carpet stain or two and most likely have a few discolorations in your tile grout lines.
Tackle those nasty carpet “spots” with Folex spot cleaner after a
through vacuuming, Folex can be found at most big box stores. If you want to
clean the entire surface area of your carpet use Capture or Host dry cleaning
treatment. Both of these products can be purchased on-line or bought at a
carpet retailer or major home improvement store.
Tile is best cleaned with a
vinegar and water solution. For stubborn stains on the surface of
your tile my favorite cleaner is the Magic Eraser by Mr. Clean. There are several grout cleaners available
but I prefer a baking soda and water paste because grout color varies and
baking soda will not affect grout color.
Your counter tops may or may
not need attention. Look for dull spots
or scratches, depending on the degree of wear you can choose to have your
counters professionally re-surfaced or do it yourself. A professional solid surface fabricator can
have all your tops looking new again in about 3 hours. If you have some minor damage you can follow
the care instructions on one of the following web-sites. www.corian.com or www.wilsonart.com.
Use a mild surface cleaner of vinegar and water to clean your wood surfaces. To condition your wood before storage use an
oil compound that does NOT have any wax ingredient. If you have any scratches on your wood
surface I recommend using the meat of a walnut or you can also use pecans and
Brazil nuts. Just follow the
instructions below.
1.
If the walnut is still in
the shell, you will need to crack the shell and remove the walnut meat. Remove any other skin casings as well.
2.
Rub the scratch in the
wood from one end to the other with the walnut, moving down the length of the
scratch in a circular motion.
3.
Rub the walnut straight
back and forth over the scratch a few times.
4.
Leave the scratch for a
few minutes, allowing the natural walnut oils time to seep into the wood and
seal the scratch.
5.
Use a soft cloth (cotton)
to polish the area where the wood was scratched.
6.
Examine your work. The wood should be completely sealed, and no scratch should be
visible. However, if there are still slight signs of the wood scratch, repeat
the process until you can no longer see any scratch in the wood.
Don’t forget to add a couple buckets of water inside your coach if you are storing it in a dry place. They will keep your wood hydrated during storage.
A good vacuuming is all your upholstered furniture should need. If you have incurred a spot or two use Folex or any dry cleaning solvent cleaner. If you have leather (not vinyl faux leather) use a store bought leather conditioner and follow the manufactures instructions.
Natural Cleansers
The following are some of my favorite natural cleansers that you can mix up in a jiffy!
1 gallon warm water
Mix in your cleaning bucket and use this to clean vinyl and tile floors.
NOTE: To clean grout use a baking soda & water paste. Put paste on grout with toothbrush
or sponge and scrub grout, then rinse
Wood Cleaner
½ cup white vinegar
1 gallon warm water
Mix in your cleaning bucket and use.
Use “Meat of Walnut” to repair scratches in wood. Rub it in the scratch(s).
Furniture Polish:
Mix 2 parts olive oil with 1 part lemon juice. Apply to furniture with a soft cloth and wipe dry.
All Purpose Cleaner
In a clean, empty gallon milk jug put:
2 Tablespoons ammonia
1 teaspoon dish detergent
1 pint (2 cups) rubbing alcohol
A few drops of your favorite essential
oil for a nice fresh scent, I use Orange
Fill the rest of the gallon jug with
hot water. Pour into spray container to use.
Homemade “soft scrub” Type Cleaner
There are no measurements necessary for this one. Simply put a small amount of baking soda in a bowl and add liquid dish detergent until you have smooth paste or frosting like substance. This works very well on sinks and counters and won’t scratch the surface.
Homemade
Window Cleaner
3T Ammonia
1T vinegar
Put in spray bottle and fill the rest
of the way up with water.
A
word of caution: Never mix bleach with
any type of acid such as ammonia or vinegar.
It causes toxic fumes.Homemade Veggie Wash
Combine 1 Tablespoon of lemon juice to 2 Tablespoons of baking soda with 1 cup of water.
Debbie Hollembaek, DLH Design. E-mail: dlhdesign@comcast.net Telephone: 541-579-0910
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