[debj]

Hi there, I'm relatively new to all this, so please bear with me. I’m self employed and have a number of domestic, regular jobs and am also doing end of tenancy cleans for an estate agent. I'm at the stage of taking on staff as i can't physically do all the work myself and am desperately looking for tips on the right products to use to make the cleaning easier. The boot of my car is full of products i've brought as someone's friends, mothers, dog :-/ has successfully used them but I don't seem to get the same results. I have brought some ‘commercial ??’ products from my local suppliers but haven’t been that impressed with the results so far.
The 2 major problems I have (at the moment !) are;
1) stainless steel sinks/hobs/oven fronts (water marks/limescale/burnt on food around the burner) I'm really conscious about not using a scouring pad as this will scratch the surface but don’t know what will actually clean them properly.
2) Ovens I’ve been using 'Ovenpride' for the racks, which is fine if I get to see the job the day before and can bring the racks home with me to soak overnight, but I still struggle with the inside of the oven.
I just want to know what really works  I’m tempted to get a steam cleaner as there seems to be some quite positive comments about these.
Any advice would be greatfully appreciated.
Thanks
Debbie 

[Bertie Boo]

Debbie

I work alone and what i buy is for my own use. I know what i like. No two people like the same things so once you;ve decided a few ground rules like do you use bleach, do you use furniture polish etc (i use bleach as i work alone but i would never let any 'staff' use it, and i NEVER use furniture polish) the best thing is to ask your staff what they get on with and see if you can buy what they like. As an example i only ever use 100% cotton cloths (specifically face cloths) as i do not like any other and i cannot take to microfibre. But most people DO like microfibre so it just goes to show that different people like different things.

I rarely use specialist suppliers as i have wasted a lot of time going to such places, only to find that they didnt have what i wanted, or that teh shop was miles and miles away, or that the product was no better than a supermarket brand. I also find 5litre bottles are a nightmare.

I would have thought that with your experience so far you'd have a pretty good idea of what you like? I always say if it works for you then stick with it and buy nothing else. Things like washing up liquid will work wonders in place of expensive spray cleaners etc if you use it sensibly.

As for stainless steel cooker tops, i've probably scratched a fair few in my time, but then agian they've usually been in a fair old state to begin with.....

I cannot get on with steam cleaner per-se but they have their uses and are worth investing in.

Cheers

Stephen

[Tim Downer]

Hi Debbie

How about trying a sponge with white scourer pad, which you will get at most suppliers. The white pad is supposed to be less abrasive and scratch friendly....i.e should not scratch the surface you are cleaning. Try one with your oven / stainless steel item?? See how you get on......lol
For most marks on the appliances i have used toilet cleaner (with limescale remover) and this has removed most stains / limescale etc....but you must be careful with this, because you could damage the metal if you leave it on for long periods without washing it off......Have also had good results from using a limescale remover from tesco etc etc.

If you also get hold of some micro fibre cloths, these clean and polish up your stainless applainces up a treat with no smearing or lint left behind and have found these time saving time and invaluable.

I wouldnt say that specialist supliers are a waste of time, because many a time i have gone to my local cleaning supplier with a problem and they have the answer or the product to use.....have found them to be invaluable many a time.....lol.

Regarding oven cleaning......not come accross any that are that bad.....so could not recommend a product for you there, but will see what others recommend here on this post.

Have fun Debbie and catch you later.

Regards

Tim
 

[dhnjj]

Hi Debbie

you could try Deepio powder its a great greece buster and iv never had any problems with it. you can get it from most suppliers but i think i recently seen it in one of the supermarkets, Asda i think it was.

I personally wouldnt recommend using toilet cleaner because of its caustic properties and as Tim said it could damage the metal.

Regards

Dave 

[debj]

Hi there, thanks for the replies. I spent hours looking through some of the threads last night, only got up to page 10 !!! so will keep looking and learning.

Bertie Boo aka Mr Bleach !! I did expect that reply from you..haha !

Thanks again.
Debbie
 

[The Great One]

Hi

I use some stuff from tesco (Viakal)

but mainly I use pro stuff.

5 ltr Brillo degreaser, about £12.00 and lasts me a year in EOT cleaning,Use a Pelican pump to dispense into trigger sprays.

melts the grease and nicotene right off the item.

Regards

Martin

[Joe H]

For regular cleans - have you tried baby oil on stainless steel hobs. Really good.

I am also a lover of microfibre - be they cloths or floor mops.

[Joe H]

Hi Martin_606

Not seen you on the forum recently  - must have been busy!!!!

After our recent "chat" I got myself an Envirodri machine, not used it in "anger" yet - maybe this Friday on a local job - like the neighbours carpet - theve gone away on hol so I can have a play around.

[The Great One]

Hi Joe

It's been manic.

I have been in my student season, 146 jobs in 3 months.

The carpet machine is continuing to perform, did a 2 bed flat yesterday, green carpets, badly stained and came up a treat.

Hope Lorna did you a good deal & business is good for you?

Kind regards

Martin

[Bertie Boo]

Debbie, have we chatted before?

Stephen

[Lizzy]

I used a liquid called "Elbow Grease".  I still use it in my own home & catering business.  You spray it on and leave it for 5 mins.   You can literally see the grease dispersing.
I buy mine in the local £1 shop.....its the only place I have found it besides this online shop which is expensive in comparison to the £1 shop!

http://www.shop-com.co.uk/Elbow_Grease_Degreaser_500ml-45181546-p!.shtml

oh, if you spray a little on grease spots on clothing a few minutes before washing, the grease disappears!   (test colour fastness first though)

[debj]

hi

thanks to all for the tips. will try them all out and see how i get on.

Stephen - no we haven't chatted before, like I said I've been looking through the other questions/tips and you appear to be in a lot of them defending your use of bleach :-/  Was only joking, hope i didn't offend.

thanks again
Debbie