Green Products

Floor Grout: Most sun room floors contain flooring made from stone floor, which is grouted. Grout must be properly sealed or you will find it difficult to remove stains.

• Clean them first with our Stain Eraser to remove those stains.
• Head to a hardware store to purchase a five year grout sealer then to a beauty supply store for a squirt bottle used to apply hair coloring. Snip off just a small section of the tip and fill the bottle with the sealer. Apply one coat of the sealer then let that cure for three to four days. Apply a second coat and wait another four days.
• Spray a bit of water on the grout. If the water beads on top of the grout, the grout is sealed. If not, then apply a third coat. So be generous with the amount of sealant you use with the first two applications. Apply new grout when you begin to notice that the traffic paths are beginning to soil.

Glass: Ok Houdini, where are you when it comes time to clean the glass in sun rooms? Your magical touch is needed in these rooms. One streak in one pane and it is visible from everywhere in the room.

Remember never clean any window in the direct sunlight. Early morning or late evening is best. Any product will leave streaks in a window if used in direct sunlight. This is where your microfiber products will outshine any other product on the market.

• First of all grab the durable and dependable Best Home Mop with extension handle that includes our Extension Handle and 14 inch cleaning head. Toss in our Angle Adapter, the Microfiber pads that comes with the Swivel Pad Holder, and our Window Squeegee for the fastest most effective way to clean those windows
  inside and out.
• Use an old but clean terry hand towel to remove the cobwebs both inside and outside the windows. Drape the towel over the Mary Moppins cleaning head. The round mop head conforms to the curves of the windows and the edge of the mop head is wide enough to clean the edges of the metal bracing as you dust the cobwebs. Then with the towel still draped over the mop head, pull the towel down the center span of those bracings to clean them as well. You will love the convenience and be amazed how quickly that job is finished.
• Outside windows: Next tackle the outside windows. Never clean a window when the sun shines directly on the window. Doing so only guarantees smeared windows no matter how good your product.
• Attach the Angle Adapter to the Moppins Handle removing the Grip Tite. Then attach the Microfiber pad holder. Angle the adapter to the correct position to angle over the top of the windows. The microfiber pads come as a pair one washes and the other dries. Dampen the washing pad with water only then thoroughly saturate the window. It will scrub away all the bird residue, dirt etc. Then use the window squeegee to remove the excess water. Finish drying with the microfiber drying pad.
• The inside job: For the inside windows, use only the microfiber pads. You can use minimal water with them so it won’t drip on the floor. Use the wash pad to clean the windows and the dry pad for, of course, drying them. A microfiber towel attached to the Mary Moppins Mop head will also dry these windows. The angle adapter coupled with the swivel action of the pad holder makes cleaning these windows a breeze. The microfiber pads will work wonders on all your glass windows.
• Should you find you prefer a window cleaner, purchase a 32 ounce spray bottle at the hardware store. Pour in one-third cup white vinegar and one-fourth cup rubbing alcohol. Fill with distilled water. I guarantee it not to streak and to save you money.

Furniture: Cleaning wrought iron or wicker furniture present problems all their own. Use water on wrought iron and it will eventually rust. Wicker furniture must be damp cleaned to keep the wicker from drying.

• Wicker: Use a 100% lambswool duster for removing dust and cobwebs on wicker furniture or the soft bristle brushes of a vacuum cleaner. Alternately wipe with one of our Dry Sponges. Wicker furniture must be cleaned regularly with a very damp cloth to prevent it from drying and cracking. Doing so four time a year keeps it in top condition.
• Wrought Iron: There is a safe product that not only cleans your furniture but will not rust metal. Some folks say our Ion-A-Clean is only water. Well they are correct with one major difference. Our water has been negatively charged. The negatively charged ions encapsulate the soil separating it from the surface, which releases it so dirt and stains wipe away quickly and easily. Read more about our exciting Ion-A-Clean.Ion-A-Clean will not rust metal. Drop a nail in a plain cup of water and drop another in a cup of Ion-A-Clean. Three months later the regular water will be full of rust while our Ion-A-Clean will be crystal clear. It prevents oxidation and rust from forming on all metal parts not exposed regularly to the elements.
  When you spray Ion-A-Clean on your metal furniture the dirt releases and drips to the floor. Just think how much time you will save cleaning your furniture.

  Glass tables: The base of most glass tables in sun rooms are either wrought iron or wicker. Never spray any kind of glass cleaner directly on these table tops. The cleaner will deteriorate wrought iron and dry wicker. Rather spray a soft cotton cloth with window cleaner then clean the glass. To remove stubborn spots on glass, spray with Ion-A-Clean or plain water, wait 5 minutes to soften the spot then wipe clean.

Metal or ceramic figurines: Caution must be used when dusting and cleaning these items. Do not use microfiber cleaning cloths on either. Over time they will scratch the finish.

A polishing cloth for metal is best for metal figurines. Most jewelry stores carry them. Liquid or solid polishes get into the groves and can be difficult to remove. If a liquid polish is necessary, an old toothbrush comes in handy for removing the polish.

Dust and clean ceramic figurines with a soft cotton cloth dampened lightly with water. Allowing water to set for 30 minutes before use gives the chlorine in the water time to dissipate.

Answers to your questions:

1. My wrought iron furniture left a rust spot on my tile floor. Is there any way to remove that spot?

   First of all, you will want to purchase some sticky backed felt pads at the fabric store. Put one under the foot of each table and chair leg to prevent future rust spots.

   Removing rust from tile can be very tricky. Tile is porous so liquid run right through. Get some fresh lemons from the store. Roll them on the counter so they juice easier. Place a heavy duty paper towel down on the spot and squeeze a sizeable amount of juice on the towel. Let that set at least an hour keeping the towel saturated the entire time. Then scrub with a salt and lemon juice paste.

   If that doesn’t work then mix a paste of baking soda and lemon juice. Pat on the spot and let it set a couple of hours again keeping the baking soda saturated with lemon juice. Scrub and rinse with hot water. Sometimes rust stains just will not come out of tile floors. If one method lightened the spot keep repeating until the stain has been removed.

   Now head to the hardware store for a bottle of 5 year grout sealer and purchase a pointed tip plastic bottle. Fill the bottle with the grout sealer and apply two coats allowing three to four days in between coats. Then spray some water on the grout. If the water beads up, the grout is sealed properly, if not apply a second coat.

2. The fabric pleated shades in my Sun Room get small dots on them. Do you know what causes it and how to remove it?

   The fastest way to dust them is with our Dry Sponge. It is used dry so it will not damage any fabric. Wipe over the shades shifting the sponge as it soils. You can wash these sponges to reuse over and over.

   For spots, dampen a Q-Tip with a bit of water. Then dab it into a little bit of liquid dish washing detergent. Now apply to the spot, wait 10 to 15 minutes and rinse with a barely damp cloth.

3. All the window cleaners I use streak my windows and they are expensive. Do you have an easier solution?

   You bet I do. In a new spray bottle, add one-third cup of white vinegar and one-quarter cup of isopropyl alcohol then fill with distilled water.