Garage And Basement Clean Up Made Easier

Tuesday, March 1, 2005

Garage And Basement Cleanup Made Easier (NAPSA)—Your workshop, basement or garage may be a great place for fun and creativity—but it can seem like a tough place to keep clean. Your wet dry vacuum is your best defense for basement cleanup. Here are a few hints that may help: Use your vacuum nozzle hose to quickly collect dust from the hard-to-reach tops of cabinets. Clean them thoroughly several times a year with a good grease cutter. Vacuum dust and dirt from behind and beneath the major appliances and heavy furniture. Sanitize the garbage can every now and then by cleaning with a stiff brush and bit of ammonia. Put a fabric softener sheet in as an air freshener. To dust in narrow spots between cabinets or appliances and walls, dampen an old sock, slip over a yardstick and secure with a rubber band. Keep small tools, supplies, and any other itemsleft around the workshop in a designated chest or closet to avoid the appearanceofclutter. * Dust electronic equipment with an antistatic dryer sheet to prevent dust buildup. Clean and disinfect the biggest germ collectors in the home— light switches, doorknobs and telephones. Clean from top to bottom. Finish off with a vacuum cleaner that retains dust and you’re done. If you use a wet/dry vacuum you can save yourself time and trouble if it has a washable high-efficiency vacuum cleaner filter. For example, the CleanStream’ filter comes factoryinstalled on some brands of household vacuums. Ownersof other vacuumscanreplace their paper bag or cartridge with the reusablefilter. A good filter can enhance the performance of your vacuum cleaner and protect it from pre- mature wear, even when clean- ing damp or dusty workshops, basementsor garages. If your vacuum cleaner uses paper cartridge and bagfilters, change them regularly. A cartridge or bag that’s too full can interfere with your vacuum cleaner’s performance. Most are disposable and must be replaced every six to 12 months. It’s a good idea to note the date of the filter replacement on the label. If you have the reusable filter, however, you can just remove the filter, tap (or rinse) off the dustcol- lected on the surface, insert it back into the vacuum and it should work like new. Overthelife of the vacuum cleaner, you may save hundredsof dollars by not having to purchase replacementfilters. The reusable filter picks up either wet or dry so there’s no need to remove it when it cleans up water leaks, a wet basement, plumbing emergencies orspills. It also works on drywall, cement dust and ash. You can learn more about cleaning and vacuumfilters online at www.cleanstream.com/filters_ wetdry.html.