Linda Cobb, the Queen of Clean®, shares tips and recipes for cleaning patios and decks. There are a couple of techniques you can use to get rid of rust stains on the concrete of your patio. - Take a scrub brush and pat some warm water onto the rust spot. Sprinkle the spot with lemonade powdered drink mix -- covering the spot well. Then, cover the spot with a piece of plastic wrap (weighted down by a rock) (figure A) and leave it alone for 15 minutes and let it soak. Remoisten your brush and scrub it off and then rinse with a hose. Citric acid removes rust.
- You can also use Zud Heavy Duty Cleanser, found in grocery stores, home centers and hardware stores. Use your scrub brush and pat some warm water onto the spot. Sprinkle with Zud and then scrub. If it does not immediately remove the rust, wait about 30 minutes and come back and scrub it again and then rinse well.
Cleaning the Deck The first thing to do when cleaning your deck is to sweep it. Next hose the deck down by using the strongest setting on the spray nozzle. Use a brush to loosen the soil. The Queen has a great recipe for this. Deck Cleaning Solution Ingredients: 1 gallon hot water
1 Tbs. liquid dishwashing soap
1/4 cup borax Mix these ingredients together and simply mop this on and then rinse it. Make sure to rinse down any grass or plants that may be around it. Here are some hints for maintaining your deck: - Proper inspection and protection of your wood will keep it from splintering.
- It is important to seal your deck.. Use a good wood sealer that you pick up at a home center or hardware store. (Thompson's WaterSeal was used on-air.) Someone at the hardware store can guide you in choosing the best type to use for your wood.
- Make sure you check the deck for splinters. If you find splinters, you need to sand them down. Block sanders (figure B) are great for this.
- You may also need a deck brighter that will actually bleach the surface. You will have to spray it on, brush it and then rinse it.
- If you have sap on your deck, place mineral spirits on an old cloth and work it into the sap. When finished, use 1 teaspoon dishwashing liquid and 1 quart of hot water in a spray bottle. Put it on and let it sit for a few minutes and rinse it real well.
- Another method you can use for sap is glycerin and warm water. It is available at the drugstore in the hand cream section. Mix it 50 percent with warm water. Put it on and let it sit a few minutes and then wipe it off and rinse again.
The Queen has a great recipe for removing green or black moldy areas (figure C) underneath your planter. Ingredients: 1 cup trisodium phosphate
1 gallon oxygen-type bleach
1 gallon hot water Note: Use caution when using chemicals and read label instructions. Mix this solution together and apply with a garden sprayer, mop or brush for small areas. Wet the deck down first with the hose, and then apply the cleaning solution. You may have to do this a couple of times to get it really wet. Let it sit for 15 minutes and then scrub it again and then rinse well. The Queen's Dirty Little Secrets: - Sprinkle scouring powder on a cork and rub on rust stained metal.
RESOURCES :
Talking Dirty With the Queen of Clean
ISBN: 0743418301
Author: Linda Cobb
(1998)
Simon & Schuster / Pocket Books
Website: www.simonsays.com
Talking Dirty Laundry With the Queen of Clean
ISBN: 0743418328
Author: Linda Cobb
(2001)
Simon & Schuster / Pocket Books
Website: www.simonsays.com
The Queen of Clean: The Royal Guide to Spot and Stain Removal
ISBN: 0743437837
Author: Linda Cobb
(2001)
Simon & Schuster / Pocket Books
Website: www.simonsays.com
A Queen for All Seasons: A Year of Tips, Tricks, and Picks for a Cleaner House and ...
ISBN: 0743428315
Author: Linda Cobb
(2001)
Simon & Schuster / Pocket Books
Website: www.simonsays.com
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