Cast iron has always been a noble, durable material and now we see skillets in every chef’s social media. If you’ve followed the recent boom of popularity for cast-iron cookware and you’re thinking about buying one, or already did, find out ingredients and supplies you should (and shouldn’t!) use to make it last for decades. However, cleaning your cast-iron skillet involves a special process you’ve probably haven’t heard of until you own one of these.

Let’s see a few steps to make the most out of it and make sure you’re using it the right way.

Season Your Cast Iron With Oil

For everyday cleaning, you’re not supposed to clean your cast iron skillet with water and soap as you do with everything else in your kitchen. That’s because iron doesn’t get along with humidity and chemicals and is therefore very sensitive to rust. With a cast iron cookware, you need to take a much more “traditional” approach and use oil for seasoning.

That’s right, you normally “season” your cast iron pan. It’s just that you don’t use spices and seasonings but just plain oil. The goal here is to create a layer of polymerized oil. That is oil that has turned into more of a plastic than a fat and, when adhering to the skillet, it will create a non-stick surface.

This way, the food doesn’t get in direct contact with iron, and therefore it won’t be necessary to scrub it and apply chemicals for removing food scraps.

Avoid animal fat at all costs for seasoning. it will get rancid and create an acidic environment that can ruin the seasoning. It’s best to use unsaturated oil such as corn, flaxseed, or canola oil.

Remove Rust from Cast Iron Using Salt

Particularly, kosher salt. The salt is abrasive, which means that is capable of removing material when being rubbed. If your cast iron is rusty (which will happen from time to time if you don’t keep it dry as much as possible), just sprinkle a generous amount of kosher salt over it, and scrub using paper towels.

This technique will have you removing food scraps fast and without using steel wool, which can damage your seasoning.

Apply Baking Soda to Remove Flavors and Odors

Baking soda is, as you already know, a great all-purpose cleaner. And it’s also helpful for cleaning your cast-iron skillet! It works in a similar way as salt. It also has antibacterial properties and will remove persistent flavors and odors.

After using your skillet, rinse in warm water, sprinkle with baking soda and scrub gently.

Use Heat to Season Your Cast Iron Skillet

Heat will be necessary for preserving your pan after it’s been used. It will eliminate all possible bacteria. You will need to use either a stove or your oven. Your stove will do fine for your everyday cleanse, and your oven is ideal for seasoning a new pan.

A “hard” seasoning can be done by applying vegetable oil (just a thin coat) and then place it inverted in an oven preheated to 350 degrees for an hour, allowing it to cool down inside the oven before storing it back.

Clean Your Cast Iron Skillet With (A bit of) Soap

Contrary to popular belief, you can use a bit of mild soap. This won’t be necessary every time you use your cast iron pan, but it’s not forbidden. Avoid putting it in the dishwasher or soaking it though because that’s when the rust starts to appear.

Just rinse with warm water and some mild soap, scrubbing with a nylon sponge. Then, follow the custom seasoning with oil.

Bonus Tips for Cleaning Cast Iron

Because the raw material is in close contact with your food, you do get a bit of iron added into your meals. If you have iron deficiency, this will work out great for you! On the contrary, if you have excessive iron buildup, it’s best that you avoid cooking on cast iron.

Avoid using ingredients with high levels of acidity such as tomato and wine, because it will spoil all the seasoning you’ve built over time. The same goes for boiling water: when it reaches a boiling point, it will get inside your cast-iron surface.

Even though boiling water is usually a good cleaning ally, it will do the opposite here: with time it will create rust, so make sure you don’t cook meals that require boiling water first, such as pasta. 

Don’t use harsh scrubbers, a soft sponge or scraper will do just fine.

Always dry immediately after cleaning, and don’t forget to put it in the stove or oven.

Conclusion

Cast iron is a great material that can last for years if you take good care of it. It can look great in your kitchen even as a décor. Make sure to remember the essentials: don’t soak it, don’t use too much soap, don’t use animal fat for seasoning.

Your cast-iron cookware might be tough to take care of, just like the rest of your kitchen. If that’s the case, just remember to hire a cleaning service and get rid of tedious hours and hours of cleaning.

Even though you may think it’s just too cumbersome to preserve them, they’re also resistant and will make you prepare a ton of delicious meals.

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Magic Powders: Baking Soda and It’s Endless Purpose. Dallas Maids, LLC ~ by Norma C.

When it comes to cleaning, there are so many products created for specific tasks and we understand not only how unpractical it becomes having more than 20 different bottles or containers under your sink just taking space but how toxic some can be when overusing them around your family and pets.

We bet you have heard about the fantastic properties of baking soda and how it can be used for different purposes, well here we are going to focus on listing some tips on how using baking soda as a cleaner can save you money and expose yourself and your family to so much chemical products.

So here is our list of all the uses you can give to baking soda when it comes to cleaning:

Use Baking Soda To Clean Your Kitchen

• Cleans mold stains.
• Eliminates grease from pots and pans.
• Good option to clean microwave and get rid of bad smell.
• Gets rid of pesticide remains in vegetables and fruits.
• A cup of baking soda gets rid of all food smells in fridge.
• Clean the blender cup.
• Wash dish towels and cleaning cloths to get rid of grease and smells.

Your Home in General

• Clean tiles and get rid of mold in bathrooms.
• Use to disinfect toilets and sinks.
• Use to clean and give shine to mirrors and glass.
• Clean chrome fixtures.
• Cleans and gets rid of mold in shower curtains.
• Clean the base of the clothing iron.
• Use it to get rid of ugly stains on carpets and upholstery.
• Removes stains from hardwood furniture and floors.
• Use to clean jewelry.

Get Rid of Stains from Your Clothes With Baking Soda

• Removes pen stains.
• Helps loosing out dirt attached to fibers.
• Increases detergent’s whitening power when added to the washer.
• Helps get rid of yellow stains on white fabrics.
• Removes wine stains from clothes.

Something really important to take into consideration when mixing baking soda with other products is reading the labels and instructions and testing it first in a small area to make sure you don’t cause any harm to different surfaces or fabrics.

Conclusion

Nowadays we have to be more careful with the cleaning products we use at home. Yes, it is amazing and magical how some work but we need to be aware of what are we exposing ourselves, our family and our pets too.

Everyone enjoys a clean house and that task should not turn into a hassle and cost more. We just have to better inform ourselves to make life more practical and create a safe environment.

We are sure this information will be useful for you and we are always happy to share tips and our experience as professionals to our customers!

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Cleaning With Baking Soda: A Very Versatile Cleaner. Part 2

Specific Uses for Baking Soda in Cleaning

If you enjoyed Part I of this article, we’re sure you will enjoy this one too! Here’s a quick recap:

Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) is an extremely versatile compound and has countless uses in cleaning and other fields.

It can be useful for eliminating bad smells, cleaning the kitchen and the bathroom, cleaning your body and can even be used in cooking. It is affordable and eco-friendly, which means that it will not pollute the environment if you use it. In this article, we will see some specific uses for baking soda in cleaning so you can keep your home pristine.

General home Cleaning:

• Cleaning surfaces: To clean places like the bathtub, bathroom tiles, drains and other surfaces (even fiberglass and delicate tiles), sprinkle baking soda in a slightly damp sponge and scrub them as you would if you were using a chemical product, then rinse and dry. If you need to clean a particularly dirty spot, you can make a paste with baking soda, salt and liquid soap, mixing them in a bowl. Then, let the mixture rest for 5 minutes, apply it to the sponge, scrub the affected areas and rinse.
• Cleaning floors: Mix ½ cup of baking soda in a bucket with warm water and use it to scrub floors, then rinse. This will help remove dirt and grime from tile floors and floors without a wax coating. If you want to remove scratch marks and similar marks from your floors, scrub them with a wet sponge where you applied baking soda and then rinse with water.
• Clean furniture and walls: Using baking soda can help remove stains and scratches from your furniture and wall. Sprinkle baking soda on a damp sponge and scrub the surfaces carefully. Then, clean them again with a soft, dry cloth.

Kitchen Cleaning Using Baking Soda

• Cleaning the oven: Sprinkle baking soda inside the oven, then add a few drops of water to moisten the powder. Let it rest overnight. The next morning, scrub and remove the baking soda and dirt with a sponge or cloth and rinse.
• Polishing silverware: Make a paste with baking soda (3 parts baking soda and 1 part water) and scrub the silverware with a sponge. Make sure to rinse them very well and dry them with a soft cloth to polish them.
• Cleaning the microwave: Sprinkle baking soda on a wet sponge and scrub carefully the inside and the outside of the microwave. Then, rinse with water and dry.
• Washing dishes, pots and pans: Add 2 full tablespoons of baking soda to your regular dish soap to help remove grease stains in your tableware, pots and pans. If your pots have food stuck in them, let them soak in a mixture of baking soda, dish soap and water for some time, then use dry baking soda with a sponge or soft cloth to avoid scratching their surfaces.
• Removing coffee and tea stains from your pots and cups: Mix ¼ cup of baking soda in 1 quart of hot water. Scrub the pots and cups with a sponge soaked in this solution. This will remove coffee and tea stains and get rid of any bitter remnants. If the stains are hard to remove, soak your pots and cups in a solution of baking soda and dish soap overnight.
• Cleaning fruits and vegetables: Using baking soda is a great way to eliminate all traces of dirt from your fruits and vegetables. Sprinkle the powder on a damp sponge, scrub and rinse.

Take Care of Your Bathroom

• Cleaning combs and brushes: Soak your combs and brushes in a solution made with 1 tablespoon of baking soda in a small amount of warm water. This will help keep them clean and remove any traces of dust or scalp skin and hair from them.
• Washing clothes: Add ½ cup of baking soda to your clothes before washing them. This will help balance the pH of the detergent and will leave your clothes cleaner and feeling fresher.
• Cleaning your shower curtain: Eliminate stains and bad smells from your shower curtains by sprinkling baking soda over a brush or clean sponge. Then scrub the curtain thoroughly and rinse. Hang to dry.

Removing Smells With Baking Soda

• Remove smells from the fridge: Place an open box or container of baking soda in the back of your fridge to absorb any smells from food and other products.
• Removing bad smells from your kitchen and bathroom sponges: Soak your sponges in a saturated solution of baking soda to remove dirt. Mix 4 tablespoons of baking soda in 1 quart of lukewarm water.
• Remove smells from drains: To remove smells from the drains in your sink and bathtub, pour ½ cup down them while the water is running. The warm water will mix with the baking soda and neutralize the smells. This is also a great way to use the baking soda that you put inside the fridge.
• Removing smells from tableware: Scrub all tableware with a sponge and baking soda before placing it inside the dishwasher. You can also put it in the dishwasher for mild cleaning.
• Remove smells from rugs and mats: Sprinkle large amounts of baking soda on your rugs. Let it rest overnight or for as long as possible (it works better the more you let it rest). Then sweep off the baking soda and vacuum the rest (it will likely fill out your vacuum bag).
• Removing smells from vacuum cleaners: Cleaning your rugs and mats with the aforementioned method will also help remove smells from your vacuum cleaner.

These are only some of the uses of baking soda in cleaning, but they are the most important ones. You will see that it is truly a miraculous substance!

Don’t forget to visit our blog for more cleaning tips.

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Baking Soda: A Very Versatile Cleaner (part 1)

What is baking soda?

Baking soda, also known as sodium bicarbonate, is a solid, crystalline, white-colored compound, soluble in water, which can be found naturally in nahcolite or produced artificially in the lab.

This compound has many uses, from health to cosmetics to house cleaning, among others. It would take a very long article to list them all, so for now, we will focus only on its uses as a household cleaner.

Why is baking soda a great household cleaner?

Baking soda is a chemical compound that does not harm the environment, as it occurs naturally and does not need to biodegrade. It also does not contribute to pollution of water sources and the soil, which means that you can flush it down the drain safely.

Furthermore, baking soda is easy to find and very affordable. You can find it in most supermarkets and stores, and can purchase it for very little money. For example, a box of 4lb of Arm & Hammer Baking soda costs $6.64 at Walmart. This amount could potentially last you a long time.

Why house clean with baking soda?

Every person has chemical products of some sort in their home. However, many of them contain toxic compounds that can irritate or burn skin if touched, and damage internal tissues if inhaled or ingested.

aking soda does not do that (it can lead to stomach problems in large amounts, however).

Main uses

Baking soda is a powerful acid neutralizer. With a pH of 9, it is considered a base, and thus reacts with acids in a neutralization reaction.

In the human body, it can react with the acids in the stomach (mainly hydrochloric acid), which is why it is sometimes used as an antacid. Chemists often use baking soda to cause these reactions, but that is not its only use. It also:

• Neutralizes and removes bad smells in almost all areas of the home.
• Removes stains, especially grease or oil stains.
• Softens water, which allows the person to use less detergent and thus clean surfaces easily in their home without polluting the environment.

How to clean large and small objects

1. Soak a sponge, cloth or rag in water.
2. Apply the baking soda (if desired, you can also add a few drops of essential oils, which are great disinfectants – particularly lavender oil and tea tree oil).
3. Clean the object.
4. Dry it with a soft, clean cloth.

For small objects, let it soak for some time in water mixed with baking soda, and then rub and dry it with a clean cloth.

Next article, we will be having specific uses for baking soda in house cleaning.

Remember to check Dallas Maids’ booking page if you need a maid service in Dallas. Also, bookmark our blog if you want more cleaning tips! Stay tuned!

The post Baking Soda: A Very Versatile Cleaner (Part 1) appeared first on Dallas Maids® | Maid Service & House Cleaning Services Voted #1 for a Reason.

Even if the rest of your house is spotlessly clean, grungy walls can make your home look dirty. Before you reach for more paint to mask the problem learn how to clean your painted walls in this video.

Find your finish…

The way you should clean your walls and the effectiveness of washing them will all depend on the paint you are cleaning. Most wall paint will be of one of the four following varieties:

Baked Enamel

Baked enamel is the easiest paint to clean, so if this is your paint you are in luck. The enamel paint is durable and doesn’t easily stain, dirt can’t easily penetrate this paint. You will typically see baked enamel on appliances etcetera Feel free to give baked enamel a good scrub with a mild abrasive cleaner, a heavy duty cleaner or a degreaser if needed. Just be careful not to use any harsh abrasives, steel wool or serious solvents as any of these can dull or scratch that shiny finish!

General Purpose Enamel

This is a popular paint choice for kitchens or bathrooms especially. This kind of enamel paint is pretty durable and can clean up nicely if you give it a light scrubbing with a neutral cleaner and a white scrubby sponge. Avoid color sponges that may stain white walls and stay away from abrasive cleaners. If your enamel is latex based don’t get it too wet, you can dry as you go. Oil based enamels are more resistant to water damage.  The finish will also affect your outcome, glossy enamels are the easiest to clean, followed by semi-gloss and satin. Satin finish is the least washable of the enamel family.

Flat Latex

Flat latex paints are the least durable and washable of the interior paints. You run the risk of removing some of the paint if you scrub too hard so be careful! A mild cleaner and a soft rag are acceptable, just don’t get the walls too wet. Rinse off the product quickly and if you can blot the walls to dry with a clean towel that’s even better.

Exterior Paint

Obviously you will usually see this paint on the outside of your home. It’s pretty durable but you should still steer clear of using pressure washers or harsh chemicals as these can both damage the paint. Instead give it a scrub with a mild detergent and then rinse it off with a hose. You may need a ladder or a long handled brush to reach the high up trim.

The hard and fast rules for cleaning painted walls are: know your paint, know it’s weaknesses and know when it may just be time for a fresh coat. That’s it for this edition of Clean Freaks and as always: if it sounds like too much work just call Dallas Maids!

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