Brite Touch Cleaning: GRILL CLEANING FOR SPRING/SUMMER B-B-QUE

Brite Touch Cleaning: GRILL CLEANING FOR SPRING/SUMMER B-B-QUE: BBQ TOOLS Grill cleaning should be done regularly and barbeque tools should be always cleaned after they been used. But before you star...

GRILL CLEANING FOR SPRING/SUMMER B-B-QUE

BBQ TOOLS

Grill cleaning should be done regularly and barbeque tools should be always cleaned after they been used. But before you start to clean your grill, you should read the owners manual first. Different grills and different materials aren´t cleaned in the same way.

If you are cleaning a charcoal grill, remember that coals can´t be removed immediately after use. Sometimes it can take two to three days before coals can be removed from the grill. Hot or warm coals should not be should not be taken into a trashcan or placed into a plastic bucket, warm coals can cause a fire.

Cleaning Grill Grates

Grill grates should be removed before cleaning. Use a rags, wire grill brushes or steel wool for cleaning grill grates. For stubborn grease stains you might need some warm soapy water or oven cleaner. Before you set the grate back, coat it with a thin film of cooking oil.

 

 

Tips to keep in mind:

1. A clean grill burns better and doesn't leave a bad taste on foods.
2. Keeping grill surfaces lightly coated with cooking oil or spray will make clean up much easier.
3. If the gas jets are clogged, consider replacing the burner or carefully clean them with a soft wire brush.
4. Regular cleaning makes the job much easier. 

* Let us know how you get your grill clean and ready for bbq and what tools/products do you use to get it done?

CLEANING WITH ESSENTIAL OILS

Use essential oils that please your senses and at the same time deep clean your home. Essential oils are ideal cleaning supplies. They remove toxic mold, stale air, unpleasant odors, and kill viruses, bacteria and dust mites.

 Imagine your kitchen pleasing with the smell of lemon, grapefruit, cinnamon, or rosemary. Your living room inviting with fragrant cushions of peppermint - a natural insect repellant. And pine, cedar wood, sandalwood, frankincense, juniper and clary sage are relaxing companions in your sitting room.

For a calming and romantic environment in the bedroom, choose rose, ylang ylang, jasmine, geranium, and lavender. Scent your office with basil, rosemary, and lavender for concentration. And don't forget to scent the pet pillow with flea deterring lavender and peppermint.

HERE ARE A FEW PLACES IN THE HOME YOU CAN USE THEM:

Dishwasher:
A few drops of oil may be added to the dishwasher to help disinfect and purify. Some popular oils are pine, orange, tangerine, lemon, and peppermint.
 
Vacuum Cleaner:
You may also saturate a disposable cloth or tissue with several drops of essential oil and place it into the collecting bag of your vacuum. This will diffuse a pleasant odor as you clean.

If your vacuum collects dirt into water, simply add a few drops into the water reservoir before cleaning. This refreshes both, the carpet and the room.

In the Dryer:
Instead of using toxic and irritating softening sheets in your dryer, place a washcloth dampened with 10 drops of lavender, lemon, melaleuca, bergamot, or another essential oils. While the oils will not reduce static cling, they will impart a distinctive fragrance to your clothes.

Painting:
When painting, add a 5 ml bottle of your favorite essential oil such as White Angelica, Abundance, or Sacred Mountain, to 1 gallon of paint. Mix well. The oil will counteract the unpleasant smell of paint. Because essential oils are not fatty oils, they will not leave oil spots on the wall.

Deodorizing: Kitchen and Bathrooms, etc.
The kitchen and bathroom are often a source of odors and bacteria. use the following mixtures to freshen, deodorize, and disinfect the air, work areas, cupboards, bathroom fixtures, sinks, tiles, woodwork, carpets, etc. These blends are safe for the family and for the environment.

Since the oils separate easily from water, always shake well and keep on shaking the bottle as you use these mixtures. They will deodorize and clean the air instead of covering the odors.

Single oils: Rosemary with lemon, Eucalyptus globulus, and lavender.
Blends: Lavender with Purification

• 2 drops rosemary
• 4 drops lemon
• 3 drops Eucalyptus globulus
• 4 drops lavender with 1 quart water
  Shake well and put in a spray bottle.

• 3-4 drops lavender
• 5-6 drops Purification with 1 quart of water
  Shake well and put in a spray bottle.

• Pine with chamomile, melaleuca alternifolia, lemongrass, or clove 

 Tell us:What's your favorite ESSENTIAL OIL AND WHERE DO YOU USE IT IN THE HOME?

JUST TO NAME A FEW ESSENTIAL OILS:
Chamomile,Cinnamon, Eucalyptus, Lime,  Grapefruit, Vanilla 

Geranium, Lavender ,Lemon, Lemongrass, Tangerine, Peppermint

Pine, Rose, Rosemary, Spearmint,  Sweet Orange, Tea Tree

  

 

12 tips for safer holiday home decorating

 ACCORDING TO CONSUMERREPORTS.ORG  

The year-end holidays can be a time for beautiful home decorations, but the Consumer Products Safety Commission warns of an increasing number of injuries from consumers stringing up festive lights and other holiday decorating activities.

During November and December 2010, CPSC estimates that more than 13,000 people were treated in emergency departments nationwide due to injuries involving holiday decorations. This is an increase from 10,000 in 2007 and 12,000 in 2008 and in 2009.
Estimates of deaths and injuries related to fires from Christmas trees and lit candles are down, but there are still an alarming number of incidents says the CPSC.
Between 2006 and 2008, there was an annual average of four deaths and $18 million in property damage related to Christmas tree fires. During this same time period, CPSC received reports of about 130 deaths and $360 million in property losses related to candle fires.
The CPSC has UL suggest the following 12 safety tips to help keep your holiday home safe this year:

1. Check for freshness when buying a live Christmas tree. A fresh tree is green, its needles are hard to pull from branches, and don't break when bent between your fingers. The bottom of a fresh tree is sticky with resin and, when tapped on the ground, the tree should not lose many needles.
2. Keep trees away from heat sources. Fireplaces, vents, and radiators can rapidly dry out live trees and increase the risk of flammability. Be sure to keep the tree stand filled with water and monitor water levels daily. Place the tree out of the way of foot traffic, and do not block doorways with the tree.
3. Check for a "Fire Resistant" label when buying an artificial tree. It indicates the fake tree is more resistant to catching fire. But still exercise caution since an artificial tree, like a live evergreen, can still catch fire.
4. Avoid sharp, weighted, or breakable decorations when trimming a tree with children. Keep trimmings with small removable parts or ones that resemble food or candy out of children's reach to avoid choking dangers.
5. Keep burning candles within sight. Extinguish all candles before you go to bed, leave the room, or leave the house.
6. Keep candles on a stable, heat-resistant surface. Chose a place where kids and pets cannot reach or knock over burning candles. Lit candles should also be placed away from flammable items—trees, decorations, curtains and furniture.
7. Use only lights that have been tested by nationally-recognized laboratories, such as UL. Decorative indoor and outdoor lights must meet strict requirements. UL's red holographic label signifies that the light decorations meets safety requirements for indoor and outdoor usage. UL's green holographic label signifies the lights are safe for indoor use only.
8. Check each set of lights for damage. Discard decorative light sets with broken or cracked sockets, frayed or bare wires, or loose connections. Do not use electric lights on a metallic tree.
9. Check each extension cord to make sure it is rated for the intended use. Indoor extension cords should not be used for outside lights.
10. Check outdoor lights for labels showing that the lights have been certified for outdoor use, and only plug them into a ground-fault circuit interrupter (GFCI)-protected receptacle or a portable GFCI.
11. "Fire salts" should be used with care. The salts, which produce colored flames when thrown into lit fireplaces, contain heavy metals that can cause intense gastrointestinal irritation and vomiting if swallowed. Keep them away from children.
12. Do not burn wrapping papers in the fireplace. A flash fire may result as wrappings ignite suddenly and burn intensely.

For more safety advice, see Consumer Reports guide to safety and product recalls.
Holiday Safety Alert: Consumer Injuries Involving Decorations and Decorating Are on the Rise [US CPSC]
Holiday safety tips [UL]

—Paul Eng

Share with us the precaution you take and if you have you followed any safety tips? If not are you going to start following them?

TIME SAVING LAUNDRY TIPS FROM BRITE TOUCH CLEANING!!!!

• Keep a bath towel in your laundry room to throw in the dryer with something that needs “ironing.” Set your dryer for a 10 minute spin, and you are good to go. (If the wrinkles are bad, lightly spray the item with water or put a damp wash cloth in the dryer with the item).

• Clothes dry faster if you pop a tennis ball or two into the dryer with the wet clothes.

• Have pants that can’t go through the dryer? Hang them upside down. The weight of the top of the pants–which is now at the bottoms........ will pull out all or most of the wrinkles.

• Keep a bag or box in the laundry area for those lone socks that always seem to show up in the wash. At the end of the month you will have the joy of witnessing socks reunited with their mates. 

• Vinegar makes a superb fabric softener. Just pour a cup into the fabric softener section of your washer. Vinegar also makes your towels more absorbant, and actually deoderizes your wash too. (I know that’s counter-intuitive, but it’s true–trust me!)

• Yes, you can keep your dark colored clothes from fading. Before the first wash set your washer to the small load setting and add 2 cups of salt and 2 cups of white vinegar to the water, agitate and then add the clothing item. Run it through the wash cycle and then launder as usual.

Now, it’s your turn. What makes “laundry day” easier for you? Please share your tips and ideas with us?

CLEANING FOR A REASON

We are happy to announce that Brite Touch Cleaning was featured in the Brooklyn Newspaper from the Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz highlighting our partnership with Cleaning For A Reason helping women under going chemo therapy.

CLEANING FOR MEANING

Lewisville, Texas resident Debbie Sardone wanted
to make life a little easier for women undergoing
cancer treatment, so she founded Cleaning for a
Reason, a national nonprofit that arranges up to
four, free professional house cleanings a year. Giving
the gift of a clean house may sound like a small
thing, but women suffering from cancer, who are
often exhausted by the treatment, are truly grateful
for the service.
Cleaning for a Reason relies on 975 partners
across the U.S. and Canada to volunteer their services.
And Brooklyn is doing its part. Denise Bogan
has always wanted to help other women, and by offering
the services of her Coney Island company,
Denton Cleaning, she can. “Being a mother and a
working woman is tough enough,” said Bogan. “Offering
to help women who are facing chemotherapy
or radiation treatment is just the right thing to do.”
Melinda Grant of Brite Touch Cleaning Service in Crown Heights was also quick to
volunteer the services of her company and she eagerly awaits her first appointment. Clean
Green Maid in Greenpoint is another Brooklyn cleaning service that volunteered to
partner with Cleaning for a Reason.
Signing up is easy. Those seeking the service fill out an application on the Cleaning
for a Reason website and submit proof of treatment from a physician. Cleaning for a
Reason then arranges for a cleaning service in your area to contact you.
For more information, visit the Cleaning for a Reason website at
www.cleaningforareason.org.

What do you look for when hiring a cleaning service to clean your home?

 What's more important value or price?