What a holiday season 2017 was…

What a holiday season 2017 was this year, following the tragedy of the Napa Fires and the whole state of California the air quality and ash, soot and debris reached so many surfaces as well as our lungs and eyes. As a proactive measure it would be good to replace all of the air filters and check vent pipes exhaust fans anywhere air is coming into your home.

WALLS—In most cases after cleaning walls for smoke or soot damage painting is recommended. The odor of smoke is strong and every application should be used to get the results needed. In some cases TSP is still the most powerful and or bleach but I use a steamer to extract the debris on the surface without any chemicals or soap.

January seems to be a month of turning your life around, setting goals creating expectations for the coming year. But it’s also a time for rest less activity and while the world never stops it’s just as valuable to accomplish less.

However a great way to maintain some low key activities is cleaning the house! Or if it’s motivation you need, start with at least one clean room and move on from there.

**My mother devised a system where she would get us all five kids watching a Saturday morning cartoon around 8 AM and after an hour with breakfast in us she would holler ‘Room to Room and none would escape her clutches! Vacuum in hand we were cornered into staying for each rooms completion before moving on to the next room.

What my mom didn’t realize is that I would use part of that system to design my approach to team cleaning.

Each team member discusses what each will do before the clients building is started, then each time the job is cleaned the team members switch to give the surfaces a different perspective.

An industrial toothbrush is bigger and has good handle, wrap a damp microfiber rag over the toothbrush bristles and gently use this in corners and crevices or molding and baseboards for the complete job.

This evening I was out to dinner with my son who turned 20 yesterday, I noticed when I went to the restroom that the floor was very greasy or waxy. The food in this place is outstanding every time and I decided to approach the owner and ask about his floor. He was eager to listen because of his frustration with the floor. So I asked to see what chemical he was using and the dilution amount then I borrowed a rag and asked for vinegar.

We then discussed how the floor company he thought had put a shiny wax on the floor.

I got on all fours applied straight white vinegar and watched it bead up on the floor then I dried it with a dry towel and presto no more greasy floor. To make this a complete job I would use a diluted solution of warm or cold water and white vinegar one tablespoon per gallon. I would use my floor machines to try for an industrial application for removal. While I personally cannot do much work on my hands and knees anymore this is one of the best ways to clean but hard on the body.

But to remove what I thought was paste wax on a floor it was important to test first to get some results. Floor waxes like paste wax or carnauba * wax are petroleum based and made to penetrate the surface. His floor was already sealed and needed a water based wax or nothing at all. Mixing his floor cleaner into the surface made it break down and turn the whole floor into a slow motion skating rink.

Now he has solution to his problem. Although the work still lies ahead, he was excited to change his floor so his patrons could get back to admiring his great food.

Till then cleaning friends.

Thank you,

Mr Atomic