[Taken from a conversation on the old forum:]
Maybe you “green” folks know this one but it was new to me so I’m sharing.
Our oven was getting cleaned today with Easy Off oven cleaner and somehow the person cleaning it didn’t notice the grease/Easy Off mixture dripping onto a spot on the floor not protected by newspaper.
Some effort was made to clean this using the chemicals on hand (bleach/SOS pads/Comet) no luck. This brown ugly stain was then left for about 7 hours until I came home and was told about it.
Now I get to try… a little googleing suggests a “natural” oven cleaner is a salt and baking soda paste. Make up a roughly 50/50 mixture of salt and baking soda and and just enough water to make a thick paste.
I spread this liberally over the stain and let sit for 10 minutes. *scrub scrub scrub* Clean, rinse and repeat 3 times.
Big uncleanable stain is now down to a sight discoloration if looked at closely.
Much better than a big ugly brown blotch.
Thanks for the tip Sean. Oven “crud” for lack of a better term is mainly made up of grease. You might find that some dish detergent (the hand stuff not the machine stuff) might pull out the bit of stain that’s left.
And natural-product oven cleaners you can use to clean the oven next time, instead of chemical cleaners include Orange-Plus and baking soda. If you use the baking soda, first moisten the oven surfaces with a sponge and water, then sprinkle several layers of baking soda; let sit for an hour before rubbing gently with fine steel wool on tough spots. I hear that Arm & Hammer’s Oven Cleaner has been declared nontoxic by Consumers Union.
I recently began using a professional agency that only uses steam to clean my house and am happy to report that the results are very impressive. My tile floors absolutely glisten! Also, my oven came out looking like it was brand new. I had just broiled salmon in it which splattered all over and made a huge mess. (I usually grill my salmon, but discovered that the valve had not been shut off and with company on it’s way, had to use my oven.)
They steam clean the kitchen counters, microwave, mirrors, basically all surfaces (except the carpeting).
I plan to use this same method when I have my own B&B some day and am wondering if anyone else has used steam cleaning long term. And if so, I’d like to know if you recommend it or have any tips about it’s use.
I really like the fact that it completely disinfects everything. These are of course heavy duty, professional grade steam cleaners.
Many thanks,
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-Rhonda, Aspiring Innkeeper
That sounds like an interesting cleaning approach. As I read your post I remembered that I have seen steam cleaners you can buy as in individual, rather than using a service (I do love the idea of a service handling my cleaning though!) so you can clean anytime you want or need.
My only concern, and it applies to any cleaning approach, is how the steam would affect different surfaces. Would marmoleum, stone, and wood hold up as well as formica, for example?
Yes, I plan to ask my cleaning service about long-term use on surfaces other than tile, corian, porcelain and glass. (I understand that they are not necessarily an objective resource, which is why I was hoping someone out there has used steam cleaning in their B&B and could offer advice.)
When I have my own B&B, I plan to purchase my own professional-grade steam cleaner. I’ve looked at the ones at Home Depot and they are just not at the calliber needed for this kind of application.
I love some of the advantages it offers:
1. Nothing being dumped into the environment,
2. No chemical odors that some may be sensitive to,
3. Cost savings of cleaning products no longer needed,
4. Ease of use, and
5. It disinfects everything.
Would this contribute to qualifying an Inn to be “Green?”
Thanks!
The advantages sound promissing, though I wonder about the disinfecting part. On very non-porous surfaces like tile and formica I could see it doing a great job. But on more porous surfaces like grout I can see it forcing water into pores which then becomes a breeding ground for stuff. The water is only effective while its hot. It is worth checking into a bit. Its got my curiosity up so I will see what I can find.