Cleaning is one of the tasks that we often find annoying, but that has to be done if we want to feel comfortable in our own homes in the long term. With the right cleaning agent, this is easy to do and the results are impressive.
In the jungle of cleaning supplies, however, it is easy to lose track. Which home remedy for what? What does the pH value of the cleaning agents say? What are alkaline cleaning agents? Acidic, alkaline, or neutral?
Don’t let the multitude of terms unsettle you. In today’s blog post, we have compiled 6 facts and tips with which you can not only use the right acidic, neutral, or alkaline cleaning agent in the household but also look forward to quickly visible success.
Tip 1: Find Out About The pH Value Of The Cleaning Agents
Before assessing which cleaning agent is best for which task, you should know the pH value. This makes it relatively easy to determine which cleaner is best for oily stains or limescale, for example. But don’t worry, you don’t need to be a chemist to easily understand the connections.
The lowest value 0 stands for strongly caustic acids. the average pH value of 7 for neutral products, and the highest value of 14 for highly caustic lyes.
Tip 2: Distinguish Between Acidic, Alkaline, And Neutral!
Acidic, alkaline, or neutral? The fact about this tip is certainly already clear to you, the three designations are related to the pH value just described.
Sounds scientific and highly complicated, but it isn’t if you understand these three terms and know which cleaning agents are best suited for which purpose in the household.
Neutral: We start with neutral cleaning agents, which have a value of 7 because they can be used universally and are therefore well suited for a regular house or apartment cleaning.
Acidic: As you move from the neutral center with a value of 7 into the acidic range, the acidity increases from weak to stronger. One generally speaks of acidic cleaners.
Alkaline: The same applies in the other direction for lye mixtures with pH values between 7 and 14. These are also referred to as alkaline cleaning agents. Alkaline cleaning agents are particularly popular cleaning agents because they are excellent at removing organic dirt.
Our practical overview shows you once again what is important:
pH less than 7 means acidic
pH value = 7 means pH neutral
pH greater than 7 means alkaline or basic
The pH value is therefore an indicator of the effectiveness of acids or alkalis and makes it easy to roughly differentiate between cleaning agents.
Tip 3: Use Acidic Cleaning Agents To Remove Limescale And Urine Scale
The fact is that acids can be very effective against inorganic or mineral dirt. They are ideal for eliminating limescale, urine scale, rust, and base metals. For this reason, acidic cleaning agents are often used in bathrooms, toilets, and sanitary facilities.
However, caution should be exercised in this regard as there are lighter and highly corrosive acids on the market. For most bathroom products, milder acids such as citric acid or sulfamic acid will do just fine.
However, you should be particularly careful with vinegar and vinegar essence, because the irritating acids can cause lasting damage to brass alloys, for example.
Because lime is attacked by acids, natural stones, which include marble floors and areas made of granite or slate, are also damaged by acids. For this reason, never clean kitchen worktops made of marble or granite with a vinegar-based cleaner or acidic cleaning agent. This can cause unsightly discoloration or make the surfaces look dull.
The same applies to floors and surfaces made of cork and, of course, to items of clothing that you wear during the cleaning. If cork and fabrics come into contact with acids, extreme damage can occur. This also applies to the skin. Always wear gloves when cleaning with acidic cleaners to avoid injuring your skin.
Tip 4: Use Alkaline Cleaning Agents To Remove Grease, Protein, Dirt, And Other Deposits
We already have the question: what are alkaline detergents? answered in tip 2. Alkaline cleaning agents are, so to speak, the counterpart to acids and are suitable for organic soilings such as deposits of fat, protein, plant residues, and similar substances. However, alkalis do not damage metals. Aluminum is an exception.
An important fact in this tip is the fact that alkaline solutions are also ideal as drain cleaners due to their properties. For example, they remove hair from the pipes without damaging them. They are also suitable for removing some paint and glue residues.
Numerous all-purpose cleaners available on the market are slightly alkaline and therefore also have excellent protein and fat-dissolving properties. The alkalis adhere firmly to the dirt and are often removed from the surface to be cleaned together with the dirt by lightly rubbing.
As with acids, caution should be exercised when dealing with alkalis, which can range from mild soda used in washing up to extremely caustic sodium hydroxide, which is used in oven cleaners and drain cleaners, among other things.
This is made clear by the hazard symbol GHS 09, which indicates the environmental risks of alkaline cleaning agents. As with acids, wear gloves to protect your skin when working with alkalis.
Tip 5: Use Neutral Products As Universal Cleaners For Wiping Or High-Pressure Cleaning
The clear fact in this tip is that neutral stands for a neutral reaction and for cleaners that are ideal for universal cleaning with the surfactants and emulsifiers they contain. You can use this for light soiling or for daily cleaning, but also for house cleaning when wiping and high-pressure cleaning.
Neutral cleaners have a number of advantages over acids and alkalis, because they can be used without any major concerns, are gentle on the material, and are also suitable for use on sensitive surfaces. In addition, do not harm the skin when doing housework.
Tip 6: Pay Attention To A Resource-Saving And Environmentally Friendly Application
Alkaline cleaning agents in the household ensure radiant cleanliness, but like acidic cleaning agents they should only be used sparingly and in places where they are actually needed.
For all other cleaning tasks, it is best to use neutral universal cleaners that are environmentally friendly in the correct dosage and do not contain any questionable or caustic substances. This protects the surfaces in your household and the environment at the same time.
Conclusion: Which Home Remedy For What?
After reading our article, you will not only know the PH value of detergents, but you will also know which products are best suited for which purpose in the household.
Slightly acidic and alkaline cleaning agents are highly effective cleaning agents for the respective areas of application. However, the use of a neutral all-purpose cleaner in your apartment or house is often sufficient to achieve the desired goals.
With the knowledge you have gathered, you can start immediately and clean your home thoroughly and at the same time gently, or you can give us a call and we’ll do the cleaning for you.
The sun is shining and throwing its rays into our apartments and houses. Actually, a guarantee for a good mood, if the light didn’t suddenly reveal dirty corners everywhere, dust on the furniture became clearly visible and unsightly smears and stains on the windows appeared, seemingly out of nowhere. Then it’s high time to clean. Don’t worry. With the right spring cleaning checklist, this is easy for you.
Don’t let the usual dirt in your living room spoil your mood. With our tips & tricks for spring cleaning, you can do the big cleaning and you can look forward to a sparkling clean home in no time at all!
How do you start spring cleaning? Just go step by step. A suitable plan supports the spring cleaning and helps you not to get lost in details or to get frustrated. We will show you what is important and describe how you can optionally hire a spring cleaning company.
1. Prepare And Create A Spring Cleaning Plan
How to start spring cleaning – with a plan and creating a spring cleaning checklist. On it, you can record all the important points that are important to you about cleaning and that you absolutely want to do.
In this step, you can also write down which utensils you need for cleaning. These can include, for example, rags, dusters, microfiber cloths, feather dusters, and all-purpose or special cleaners.
With the resulting list, it is easy to go shopping and organize cleaning supplies that make your work easier and ensure hygienic cleanliness.
2. Accept Support
Our lives are often characterized by a stressful everyday life. If there is still a large spring cleaning checklist to be worked through, you quickly lose the desire to start cleaning.
In addition to the work, there is often simply a lack of the necessary time window to do all the work.
In this case, you have the option of handing over the tasks related to your thorough spring cleaning to an experienced service provider, who will not only go through your desired checklist points with you but will also be happy to take over the cleaning. Our tip: Get a cost estimate beforehand.
3. Clean Up Thoroughly
Tidying up should definitely be part of your spring cleaning plan. Even before you actually start cleaning furniture, floors, or sanitary facilities, you need to clear the areas, discard old items that are no longer needed, and put things away.
A good opportunity to sort out some material baggage and make room. If you tidy up thoroughly before cleaning, you will find it easier to wipe surfaces or floors, for example, without having to constantly “work around” objects.
4. Wipe Off Dust
The next important item to add to your spring cleaning checklist is dusting. You should be particularly thorough and not just think about dirt on furniture or shelves.
But also dust on your lamps and cobwebs, which tend to form over the winter wherever you don’t get to that often with a cleaning rag.
Take the opportunity to check how dirty your radiators are. Special microfibre cloths and feather dusters will help you to remove the dirt optimally. After you have cleaned the surfaces of dust, you can clean them with a damp cloth.
5. Clean Windows And Curtains
Cleaning windows and washing or cleaning curtains are part of spring cleaning.
Proceed with a system and first remove the curtains. For example, while they are being washed in the washing machine on a gentle program, you can devote yourself to the windows.
Don’t forget the frames inside and outside as well as the window sills when cleaning.
6. Vacuum And Mop Floors
The next step on your spring cleaning checklist should be targeting the floors. Depending on the nature of the floor, you can first vacuum thoroughly. Special attachments for smooth floors or carpets help you to loosen stubborn dust.
Then you have to wipe your stone, wood, or laminate floor. Here you should make sure that you use a cleaning agent that is specially tailored to your floor materials. Otherwise, there is a risk of unsightly streaks or permanent damage to the surfaces.
7. Clean Your Bathroom
A separate section of your spring cleaning checklist is given to the bathroom. Here it is important to ensure clean ceramic surfaces and fittings, for example in the wash basin and bathtub, but also to subject the tiles and glass surfaces of the shower to a thorough cleaning.
During your work, make sure that you follow a certain cleaning sequence and that you use the appropriate cleaning agents.
8. Clean The Hallway And Entryway
In the last step of your spring cleaning checklist, you can free the hallways and entrance areas from the dirt of the dark season. They are particularly frequented and require an extra dose of attention.
This includes, for example, wiping all doors, cleaning picture frames, mirrors, and the cloakroom area, but also vacuuming and wiping the floors.
Appropriately, stairs are also maintained in this step and shine again in new splendor.
Afterward, when the weather is nice, you can leave all cleaning utensils such as rags and buckets to dry in the open air and have earned a good cup of coffee or tea for your extensive work.
Congratulation! You Have Completed The Spring Cleaning Checklist
We hope our tips & tricks for spring cleaning have helped you to proceed systematically and to complete all tasks. Then you can now put your feet up and enjoy the cleanliness all around.
If despite all your efforts, you simply lack the time or patience for a comprehensive spring cleaning and you would like to entrust your spring cleaning checklist to professionals, you can easily hire ana cleaning services.
Our team of top cleaners will be happy to provide you with a free quote. You can request this conveniently by phone or via our online form.
