Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with cleaning and clean

Smudgy Stainless

yellowcandy — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 08:37:52 -0800

Stainless steel everywhere. What's the best way to clean it to be free of fingerprints and smudges? We inherited a kitchen that is pretty much wall-to-wall stainless steel (cabinets, countertops, sink, fridge, etc.). The smudges and fingerprints make me crazy. What's the definitive word on cleaning it?

Smells like Teen Spirit

asockpuppet — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 16:44:16 -0800

How/when did floral, citrus, pine, and mint become associated with cleanliness?

How do I clean these shoes?

reenum — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 09:41:16 -0800

How can I clean vomit off leather shoes? My friends and I had a bit too much fun over New Year's, and my Florsheims paid the price.

I now have several whitish spots on them. All solids have been removed. I want to clean the shoes without ruining them.

Any ideas?

Fix for Braun Shaver/Razor Syncro Clean & Charge System?

criticman — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 06:18:39 -0800

Fix for Braun Shaver/Razor Syncro Clean & Charge System? The base on my system has been broken for years. Here is a replacement: http://www.theessentials.com/jump.jsp?itemID=186&itemType=PRODUCT&iProductID=186

The upper "arm" that snaps into the bottom of the razor when it is placed in the charge/cleaning station stopped working. It used to snap into place and stay there unless you hit the blue release button on it. Now (and as I said, for years) it never snaps/clicks into place. For about a year, thanks to the position of some shelves in my bathroom at my old house, I could wedge the unit between shelves after inserting the shaver. This kept the top part locked into place & allowed the cleaning and charging cycles to run.

However, in my past two (including my present) living situations, there is no place to wedge it. I spent time on Google seeking answers previously without any luck.

I am hoping someone either A) managed to open it and fix it or B) has a clever way to keep the top locked into place to allow normal operation. Yes, I could spend $50 (plus shipping) to get a new base station, but I worry if they did not update the design, that it may fail (I noticed newer models did not have anything that snapped into the back of the razor, making me believe they recognized the design flaw but chose to ignore it on the old parts).

I love this shaver, but the quality of shave (even with recently replaced foils etc) is not as good as when it is frequently cleaned with the base station. I actually have 3 cleaning cartridges waiting to be used, so hoping someone can help.

automatic keycap cleaining?

ArgentCorvid — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 21:53:47 -0800

What (automatic) methods would you recommend for cleaning grime off the keycaps of a keyboard? The keyboard on my desktop went out the other day. I have a backup I can use, but it's really dirty. I've taken off the keycaps, and cleaned underneath, but I still need to clean the crap off the keys. I really don't feel like scrubbing them off one-by-one.

I have this awesome idea to put them in the washing machine, but am not sure if this will work without damaging them.

If you have a better idea, let me have it!

Is there a Flylady for FlyFulltimeworkingCouples?

tastybrains — Tue, 20 Mar 2007 11:46:18 -0800

Is there anything like FlyLady but for people who actually work outside the home? Lazy 20-something couple is looking for help keeping our apartment from being a sty. I love Flylady, but I can't keep up with her ... are there any similar systems that work better for people who work outside the home? Flylady seems mostly geared towards Stay-at-home-Moms, and while I am envious of people who are able to squeeze in a load of laundry at 10am, I am not one of them.

My new husband and I are trying to work out our household chores angst so that we stay on top of basic cleaning, but I guess our parents didn't teach us how to act like grown-ups.

Any links, books, or suggestions on how to set up a *realistic* plan for cleaning/organizing and splitting up chores between two lazy people who work long hours would be great.

A housekeeper is, unfortunately, not an option right now. And, as often as I ask, the cats refuse to pitch in.

How can I clean a dirty pasta maker?

teem — Sat, 10 Dec 2005 19:42:54 -0800

What is the best way to go about cleaning a very dirty pasta maker? I bought an Atlas Marcato at a very reduced price because it had been sitting on the display shelf of a supermarket's deli section (along with the other props they use to make it look like a cosy little Italian grocer). It is in great structural shape, and there is no rust or corrosion to be seen, but it is covered in grease. What would be the best way to clean this thing up?

It says here strictly not to wash with water. I'm trying to understand why. If it's to prevent rusting, would thoroughly drying it be enough to combat rust? Or is there something inherently damaging about the machine contacting water?

What cleaning methods would be fine to try, and what should I definitely not do?

Collar Stains

jasper411 — Fri, 20 Aug 2004 11:34:03 -0800

Clothing stain filter: In addition to t-shirts, I have a number of shirts with a regular collar (non-button down). After I wear them for a while, EVERY ONE of them gets this little kind of brownish stain at in the front where the collar comes to a point. It looks kind of like rust. These stains are *really* hard to remove, and resistant to most stain removers. There are no similar stains anywhere on the shirt.

But my question is - what the heck is that stain? Where does it come from? Is it just me? Or is this a problem that all people who wear shirts with collars deal with but never talk about? Is this a message from the gods that I should only wear t shirts or only dark colored collared shirts?

BTW most of my shirts are wrinkle free cotton/poly blends, and they usually have one of those clear plastic collar stay things inside the material to keep the collar straight and pointy.

Cleaning a White iBook

UKnowForKids — Wed, 16 Jun 2004 08:04:37 -0800

A friend without a Metafilter account asks, "I have an ibook. It is white, but is slowly turning gray from use. Any suggestions on how to clean dirt off the surface?"

Scanner Repair

Grod — Wed, 24 Dec 2003 10:33:36 -0800

I just acquired a scanner that was destined for the dump. THe only thing wrong with it is that the glass is fogged on the interior of the scanner. I would think that opening it and cleaning it would be fairly straight forward, and am wondering if anyone has had an experience to suggest this is a none trivial operation. I don't know if this is bad form, asking two questions in as many days. Please forgive me if I've made an AskMe faux pas. And thanks in advance.