How to clean French apartment
July 5, 2024 3:51 AM Subscribe
I am staying in a Parisian flat. The owners have asked me to clean the place prior to departure which I am happy to do. But I am befuddled by cleaning products on offer at the super marché.
I am staying for nearly a month at a French flat. The owners have asked me to clean the flat prior to departure, which I am happy to do. I am, self-admittedly, an intense person when it comes to tasks. I want to do things very well. I am familiar with both Australian and American cleaning products but clueless about French ones, besides bleach.
What do I grab to clean in the hard water punished surfaces of Paris? AND be respectful of the owner wanting minimal chemicals?
The surfaces are predominately wooden (floors and counters) but I have porcelain and tile, too with glass shower screen. Terms and brands I should I get would be real helpful.
I am staying for nearly a month at a French flat. The owners have asked me to clean the flat prior to departure, which I am happy to do. I am, self-admittedly, an intense person when it comes to tasks. I want to do things very well. I am familiar with both Australian and American cleaning products but clueless about French ones, besides bleach.
What do I grab to clean in the hard water punished surfaces of Paris? AND be respectful of the owner wanting minimal chemicals?
The surfaces are predominately wooden (floors and counters) but I have porcelain and tile, too with glass shower screen. Terms and brands I should I get would be real helpful.
Best answer: If they don't have any products at all (not even toilet cleaner?) and if they want no chemicals, I'd go to Naturalia or Bio C Bon, or whichever bio supermarket is closest and get something for "multi-surfaces". Or some supermarkets have cleaning products "en vrac" so you can just buy a little (search for Day by Day, for example). Happy shining!
posted by bwonder2 at 4:48 AM on July 5
posted by bwonder2 at 4:48 AM on July 5
Jacques Briochin is a brand that I find a good balance between fewer industrial chemical ingredients but still having action without too much waiting / scrubbing. This is a good kitchen / degrease / general purpose spray. And this whilst pricey is excellent for bathrooms including build up from hard water.
Carolin is a good brand for floor cleaner, they have products for either parquets classiques or modernes (old wood floors vs. laminate). They (and many other brands) also have various "savon noir" products which are generally seen as "natural" and can be used on a wide range of surfaces.
posted by protorp at 5:03 AM on July 5 [1 favorite]
Carolin is a good brand for floor cleaner, they have products for either parquets classiques or modernes (old wood floors vs. laminate). They (and many other brands) also have various "savon noir" products which are generally seen as "natural" and can be used on a wide range of surfaces.
posted by protorp at 5:03 AM on July 5 [1 favorite]
You could just make your own cleaning solution.
Our recipe is 500ml distilled water (not tap water), 400ml vinegar, 100ml isopropyl alcohol, and one drop of dish washing liquid.
This will clean pretty much everything that is not real wood (do not use alcohol or vinegar on finished wood). It will remove hard water spots. You'll still want bleach for sanitizing toilets, and a gentle soap-based cleaner for wood if necessary.
posted by seanmpuckett at 5:33 AM on July 5 [6 favorites]
Our recipe is 500ml distilled water (not tap water), 400ml vinegar, 100ml isopropyl alcohol, and one drop of dish washing liquid.
This will clean pretty much everything that is not real wood (do not use alcohol or vinegar on finished wood). It will remove hard water spots. You'll still want bleach for sanitizing toilets, and a gentle soap-based cleaner for wood if necessary.
posted by seanmpuckett at 5:33 AM on July 5 [6 favorites]
Best answer: Unpopular opinion but cleaning products are WILDLY over-used in marketing. This makes us think we need to spray spray spray every surface all the time. It just means we're eating and breathing in tons of hormone-disrupting fragrances and antibacterial chemicals.
The chemical mechanism of soap is that it's a molecule that attaches to grease on one end, and attaches to water on the other end. Then when it gets rinsed, the flowing water grabs the soap molecule, which pulls the grease off your surface, and takes it down the drain. So: if we are not removing grease, and we are not rinsing, then soap is NOT what we need, and we're not using it right anyway!
Soap is great for pulling the grease off of dishes and pulling skin oils off our bodies and clothing. Soap products are not great for wiping relatively clean tabletops or floors, because the soap doesn't get rinsed away and most tables and floors aren't that greasy anyway.
So: if the place isn't filthy, you can actually clean most of it really well using just water and gentle friction!
- Wipe counters and tables with a damp rag, rinsing it clean and wringing it out often.
- Dust surfaces with a verrrry well wrung out damp rag, then dry them with a dry rag, to avoid water spots.
- Even mirrors will get really clean if you just wipe the dust and toothpaste off with a slightly damp cloth, followed by a dry cloth to remove water spots.
- Sweep the crumbs off the floor, then mop with a damp mop. If the floor has a small bit of grease like a spill, use a little soapy water on the greasy area and rinse it up with a wet rag,, or put a small squirt of dish soap or hand soap into the bucket, mop with that slightly soapy water, then rinse away that soap by mopping again with clean water.
I don't really use cleaning products in my house except for these instances:
To cut grease from food - Definitely need dish soap for dishes. Then, before rinsing the soapy dish sponge, use some more dish soap lather on stovetop / counter food splatters and the kitchen sink. And kitchen cupboards, stove hoods, etc get greasy after frying, which builds up over time, so they do warrant a bit of soap after frying, or just a couple times a year as a deep clean.
To remove bathtub soap scum (which has lots of skin oil in it)- dish soap on a sponge (I suppose it bears saying I have a dedicated bottle of dish soap and sponge for the bathroom!)
To remove peepee smells from the toilet - toilet cleaner, now that I have kids who pee everywhere and I need to get the cleaner up under the rim, but before that, I squirted in a bit of dish soap or even shampoo and just scrubbed it the toilet brush.
TLDR - You don't need a ton of cleaning products, most dirt is water-soluble and literally can just be removed with water + mild friction!
posted by nouvelle-personne at 6:27 AM on July 5 [21 favorites]
The chemical mechanism of soap is that it's a molecule that attaches to grease on one end, and attaches to water on the other end. Then when it gets rinsed, the flowing water grabs the soap molecule, which pulls the grease off your surface, and takes it down the drain. So: if we are not removing grease, and we are not rinsing, then soap is NOT what we need, and we're not using it right anyway!
Soap is great for pulling the grease off of dishes and pulling skin oils off our bodies and clothing. Soap products are not great for wiping relatively clean tabletops or floors, because the soap doesn't get rinsed away and most tables and floors aren't that greasy anyway.
So: if the place isn't filthy, you can actually clean most of it really well using just water and gentle friction!
- Wipe counters and tables with a damp rag, rinsing it clean and wringing it out often.
- Dust surfaces with a verrrry well wrung out damp rag, then dry them with a dry rag, to avoid water spots.
- Even mirrors will get really clean if you just wipe the dust and toothpaste off with a slightly damp cloth, followed by a dry cloth to remove water spots.
- Sweep the crumbs off the floor, then mop with a damp mop. If the floor has a small bit of grease like a spill, use a little soapy water on the greasy area and rinse it up with a wet rag,, or put a small squirt of dish soap or hand soap into the bucket, mop with that slightly soapy water, then rinse away that soap by mopping again with clean water.
I don't really use cleaning products in my house except for these instances:
To cut grease from food - Definitely need dish soap for dishes. Then, before rinsing the soapy dish sponge, use some more dish soap lather on stovetop / counter food splatters and the kitchen sink. And kitchen cupboards, stove hoods, etc get greasy after frying, which builds up over time, so they do warrant a bit of soap after frying, or just a couple times a year as a deep clean.
To remove bathtub soap scum (which has lots of skin oil in it)- dish soap on a sponge (I suppose it bears saying I have a dedicated bottle of dish soap and sponge for the bathroom!)
To remove peepee smells from the toilet - toilet cleaner, now that I have kids who pee everywhere and I need to get the cleaner up under the rim, but before that, I squirted in a bit of dish soap or even shampoo and just scrubbed it the toilet brush.
TLDR - You don't need a ton of cleaning products, most dirt is water-soluble and literally can just be removed with water + mild friction!
posted by nouvelle-personne at 6:27 AM on July 5 [21 favorites]
You've probably done this but I'd first look thoroughly through the apartment's cabinets and so forth on the assumption that there are almost certainly some cleaning products hidden away somewhere.
If not I'd just sweep the floors (definitely not use any product on them) and wipe everything else down with soapy water or vinegar or even just a dust cloth. I agree with nouvelle-personne that that's not doing a lesser job, that's doing a good job.
Owners who have specific preferences about products need to be supplying the products they like themselves (and definitely not expecting short-term guests to pay for them...)
posted by trig at 6:31 AM on July 5 [15 favorites]
If not I'd just sweep the floors (definitely not use any product on them) and wipe everything else down with soapy water or vinegar or even just a dust cloth. I agree with nouvelle-personne that that's not doing a lesser job, that's doing a good job.
Owners who have specific preferences about products need to be supplying the products they like themselves (and definitely not expecting short-term guests to pay for them...)
posted by trig at 6:31 AM on July 5 [15 favorites]
(erm, the part about paying for supplies is me assuming this is an airbnb-type situation. If the owners are letting you stay at the place as a favor, scratch that!)
posted by trig at 7:05 AM on July 5 [1 favorite]
posted by trig at 7:05 AM on July 5 [1 favorite]
Is it possible to contact the owners and ask them for brands they usually use? I'm surprised they haven't left you with anything if you've been there for a whole month. But they might be the best ones to ask in terms of what they'd prefer you to use in their home.
posted by fight or flight at 8:13 AM on July 5 [4 favorites]
posted by fight or flight at 8:13 AM on July 5 [4 favorites]
Most chemical cleaning products are formed from synthetic detergents or degreasers. People cross "soap" and "detergent" a lot but they're not precisely the same thing nor are they usually as interchangeable as people think they are. Mainly, detergent products are typically waayyyyyy more powerful and more harsh on objects than soap products, plus detergents may have additives that are unsuitable for cleaning delicate things. This is why you're not supposed to use regular laundry detergent on wool sweaters (too powerful of a degreaser + enzymes that weaken the wool).
In this case, your options for cleaning things are:
* As mentioned above, dry dusting or water + elbow grease
* White vinegar, 5% strength as a degreaser and odor absorber. In laundry, vinegar is diluted heavily - 1/2 cup or 1/4 cup per rinse cycle. I would at least dilute vinegar 1:2 parts in water. Ideal for windows (a gentler product than ammonia by far), possibly useful for durable non-porous floors
* Castile soap, which is liquid and is not detergent and, if diluted well, is mostly safe for anything that can take soap
* Except for dishwashers (!!), dish detergent is an extremely powerful product that tends not to come with a ton of material-harming additives, so it could be used in a very diluted form for some cleaning tasks outside of the sink. I use it to pretreat stains (if Tide is not readily available) or attack very greasy situations requiring special care. Use it normally on dishes.
* There are a ton of abrasive chemical cleaners that you can skip. If something needs a gentle abrasive, baking soda works as an effective degreaser, rinses/lifts easily and hardly damages anything. It could be used, for example, for a very crusty mess in a pan as a next step if wiping with a non-abrasive cloth or dish detergent had trouble with it. (Also, odor absorption)
* If you have special cleaning needs for wood, I would just search the web for "DIY wood cleaner". I'm surprised to see so many initial suggestions with white vinegar, but I think it's diluted in these suggestions... it's still a risk. To be honest, I wouldn't use anything on a wood floor or wood furniture that wasn't actually dirty... I would just dust off wood furniture, and for floors I would sweep and then use a damp (but not soaking wet) mop with water on it. Let the unit owner figure out more-involved wood cleaning strategies.
posted by brianvan at 9:38 AM on July 9
In this case, your options for cleaning things are:
* As mentioned above, dry dusting or water + elbow grease
* White vinegar, 5% strength as a degreaser and odor absorber. In laundry, vinegar is diluted heavily - 1/2 cup or 1/4 cup per rinse cycle. I would at least dilute vinegar 1:2 parts in water. Ideal for windows (a gentler product than ammonia by far), possibly useful for durable non-porous floors
* Castile soap, which is liquid and is not detergent and, if diluted well, is mostly safe for anything that can take soap
* Except for dishwashers (!!), dish detergent is an extremely powerful product that tends not to come with a ton of material-harming additives, so it could be used in a very diluted form for some cleaning tasks outside of the sink. I use it to pretreat stains (if Tide is not readily available) or attack very greasy situations requiring special care. Use it normally on dishes.
* There are a ton of abrasive chemical cleaners that you can skip. If something needs a gentle abrasive, baking soda works as an effective degreaser, rinses/lifts easily and hardly damages anything. It could be used, for example, for a very crusty mess in a pan as a next step if wiping with a non-abrasive cloth or dish detergent had trouble with it. (Also, odor absorption)
* If you have special cleaning needs for wood, I would just search the web for "DIY wood cleaner". I'm surprised to see so many initial suggestions with white vinegar, but I think it's diluted in these suggestions... it's still a risk. To be honest, I wouldn't use anything on a wood floor or wood furniture that wasn't actually dirty... I would just dust off wood furniture, and for floors I would sweep and then use a damp (but not soaking wet) mop with water on it. Let the unit owner figure out more-involved wood cleaning strategies.
posted by brianvan at 9:38 AM on July 9
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posted by pipeski at 4:38 AM on July 5 [12 favorites]