The Most Common Cleaning Mistakes I See Being Made Everyday
I am asked by my clients, at least weekly, how I get everything so shiny! The shiny object can be anything from a stainless steel fridge to a glass stove top, to a shiny streak-free granite countertop. In each of these situations, my answer is always the same—microfiber towels!
What are microfiber towels?
Microfiber cloths are made of fibers that are split to make them up to 100 times finer than human hair! Because of this, they are super absorbent—but not just water absorbent! All the fine fibers that make up the microfiber cloth also work to absorb dust and other particles. Because of the super dense nature of these fibers, microfiber cloths can absorb seven times their weight of water! That is why when put into action, the microfiber can absorb more moisture and, therefore, leave your surface that much dryer and shinier than if you used any other cloth.
Where can you use microfiber towels in your cleaning?
So where can you use microfiber towels in your cleaning? The answer is just about anywhere! When using microfiber, I like to spray my cleanser on the surface I am cleaning, wipe the surface dry, and then polish it really, really dry with a clean microfiber towel. (This last part is where the great shine comes from.) For instance, if I am cleaning the front of a glass-front stove, I will use my glass cleaner and wipe the glass surface pretty dry and remove all of the dirt build-up; then I take my microfiber towel over it. While this extra step may seem unnecessary, it is that detail that really does the trick and makes the surface gleam.
Using microfiber but still not getting the desired result?
If you are using a microfiber towel as described above and still not seeing the desired outcome, then the most likely scenario is that you are not drying the surface well enough. If you are cleaning your granite countertop and you have washed and dried it, the countertop should look dry; you wouldn’t describe the countertop as any more than damp. That’s when you want to come in with your microfiber towel and really polish the countertop dry. I say polish because you’ll want to use a little bit of elbow grease! Feeling some friction means that you are getting it completely dry and you will get the shiny countertop of your dreams.
Where Not to Use Microfiber Towels
Have I sold you on the value of using microfiber towels? If so, you are probably ready to throw out all of your other towels and only use microfiber, but don’t! While microfiber towels are great to dust, shine, dry and polish surfaces, I do not recommend using them to clean surfaces that could have a lot of undesirable bacteria present, such as a toilet. Why not? The denseness of these towels that allows them to trap dirt and water also makes them trap bacteria and other particles you’d rather not have hanging around long term. Since microfiber towels call for gentler handling when washing, you cannot get them as clean as you can regular cloths. For that reason, I never recommend using them to clean heavily soiled areas or areas such as a bathroom or toilet.
Taking care of microfiber towels
Speaking of how to care for microfiber towels, you’ll want to make a few adjustments in how you wash these cloths in order to get the best life out of them and to keep them super absorbent.
First, never wash them in hot water. You can use warm water but it is even better if you stick with cool-cold water. Second, do not dry them in a hot dryer! Drying them on a hot cycle will cause the fibers to melt together, reducing their effectiveness. Dry them on the lowest possible setting and when possible skip drying them in the machine and hang dry them instead. Lastly, if you can, try to wash your microfiber cloths with only other microfiber cloths. This will keep them from collecting lint which will in turn keep them from leaving lint behind when you use them to dust.
I hope you find this information useful! If you have any other cleaning questions or topics you’d like me to discuss just shoot me an email at: alainascleaingservice@gmail.com and I will do my best to get back to you.
Disclaimer: All of these cleaning tips have come from my personal experience and that of the clients whom I serve. While the information here should be applicable and safe in most circumstances if you have any doubts be sure to check with the manufacturer for the product which you are cleaning and always test a cleaning product or procedure in an inconspicuous area first!
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