Home Sciences

Which things do you use when cleaning at home? What are they used for?

Cleaning materials and tools are those equipment used in cleaning and removal of dirt. They include brooms (see Fig. 1.19), mops, brushes and buckets, among others. On the other hand, cleaning products are agents that are used in the process of cleaning. They include detergents, grease absorbents, grease solvents, toilet cleaners and glass cleaners.

          

We will begin looking at cleaning materials and tools.

       

Brooms have a handle and a head. The handle could either be made of wood, metal or plastic. For wood, it could either be plain, painted or varnished. The heads are filled with bristles of fibres. The broom fibres may be made of animal hair, vegetable fibre, grass, straw or synthetic fi laments. Brooms are mostly used for sweeping smooth surfaces and removing cobwebs from our houses and classrooms.

Brushes are shorter than brooms. They may also have handles or lack them. The bristles of most brushes are short and hard; mostly made of synthetic fi bres.

The following are some common types of brushes we use at home and at school.

 

Some ways of caring for brooms and brushes include:

1. Wash in warm soapy water.

2. Wash the bristles by flicking them in water to remove dirt. (If there are any remaining fluff, bits of hair and dirt, remove them using a wire or smooth stick).

3. Rinse in warm water, then rinse again in cold water to freshen the bristles.

4. Clean the handle carefully, depending on the material used.

5. Flick the broom to remove excess water.

6. Dry the brooms outside by either hanging, or placing them sideways to drip.

Remember: Wood gets soaked when left wet for long. If this is done repetitively, the handle will quickly rot.

Whenever we are buying brooms and brushes, we must consider the surface we will be cleaning them with. The hardness or softness of the bristles has to be well considered. The handles also have to be comfortable.

Note: Ensure you remove fluff, threads and bits of hair trapped during cleaning after using the brooms and brushes.

Activity 1.6

Buckets are roughly cylindrical open containers with handles. They can be made of either metal or plastic. They are mainly used to hold and carry liquids. The plastic ones are however more popular because of their light weight, non-rust, easy to wash, variety of colors and they are also not as noisy as metallic buckets. Basins on the other hand are wide open containers used for holding liquids. They are available in both metallic, enamel and plastic options. However, the plastic ones are more preferred due to the stated reasons under buckets.

Note: Protect the plastic buckets and basins from excess heat, fire and the sun. These cause them to warp. Also, avoid using harsh abrasives; they make the plastics rough.

Care should be taken when disposing plastics. We must avoid burning plastics. Let us protect our environment!

Mops are implements consisting of a bundle of thick loose strings or a sponge attached to a handle. They are used for cleaning floors or other surfaces. A mopping bucket is used to make wringing the mop easier.

                                 

How to maintain a mop:

• Wash in warm soapy water.

• Use a little friction to remove fixed dirt. Do this carefully so as not to pull out the spring or mess up the sponge.

                                      

• Rinse severally in warm water to remove traces of soap and dirt.

• Give a final rinse in cold water with disinfectant.

• Wring out excess water and dry the mop out in the sun. This helps to remove all moisture and odour.

• Store in a clean and dry place.

Dust pans are mostly used for collecting dirt after sweeping. They can be made of either plastic or metal. The front edge of any dust pan should be fl at and smooth. This is to allow easy collecting of dirt. The handle should be well designed to allow for easy grip.

A dust pan is used together with a dust pan brush.

                              

• Collect the dirt in one place and place the dust pan fl at near the dirt.

• Use the dust pan brush to sweep all the dirt into the dust pan.

• Wrap the dirt with a wape paper.

                           

• Clean and store the dust pan and the brush.

Note: Remember to always clean the dust pan and the brush after use.

These are pieces of cloth that are used for dusting and wiping various surfaces. Cleaning clothes should be highly absorbent. The material should be soft but of good quality (with strong fibres). Cleaning clothes should be washed after use. They should also be dried and stored away from dust.

                    

    Generally, we throw dirt into dustbins before it is collectively disposed of. Dustbins are containers, which may either be metallic or plastic, where we throw in all kinds of dirt after clean-up. There are various kinds of dustbins as shown below.

Let us always be responsible enough to throw all rubbish into a dustbin. We must avoid disposing of trash carelessly!

A vacuum cleaner removes dirt by sucking dirt particles into a special bag. The bag is later emptied and cleaned for subsequent use or thrown away. It is very useful especially for cleaning carpeted floors. It is an electrical appliance i.e it uses electricity.

1.What products do you use when doing the following?

        a) Washing clothes

        b) Cleaning the house

        c) Washing utensils

2. Practice doing the above activities at home with your brother or sister. List the cleaning products that you used.

Apart from the tools, there are other products we use that help us in the cleaning process. These are also called cleaning agents. Examples include water, soap and detergents.

Most cleaning processes require water. It is the main solvent used when cleaning various surfaces and articles at home or at school. There are two types of water: hard water and soft water. Hard water contains an appreciable quantity of dissolved minerals like calcium and magnesium. Soft water is treated water and the only ion present is sodium. When hard water combines with soap, a precipitate of calcium and magnesium compounds form. This precipitate is called scum. Scum interferes with the process of dirt removal from surfaces by redisposing the loosened dirt back onto the cleaned surface. It also makes the fabric being washed dirty.

We should avoid careless disposal of dangerous chemicals in our environment. Such chemicals can seep into the soil and affect the water table.

Note: Use water moderately during cleaning of various surfaces. Different surfaces react differently to water. Prolonged wetting may spoil surfaces such as wood that become sodden. It is advisable therefore to clean such surfaces with a damp piece of cloth wrung out of water.

Detergents are substances that loosen and emulsify dirt making it easy for them to be removed from surfaces. There are various types of detergents with a wide range of uses. Can you name some detergents that you know? What is the difference between them?

1. Look at the pictures below with a friend. Do you recognise the things in the pictures? What are they used for?

         

2. List other cleaning detergents that you know.

Detergents are substances used together with water for washing and doing general cleaning. They can be soap or soapless detergents. Soap is usually made of a compound of natural oils or fats mixed with sodium hydroxide or any other strong alkali. Most soaps typically have perfume and colouring added. They also come in various shapes and sizes. Their uses also vary, for example, we have soaps for washing dishes, bathing soaps, soaps for doing laundry and those meant for general cleaning. Soaps can also be either in form of bars or in liquid form. On the other hand, most soapless detergents are in powder form.

Always store detergents in a cool and dry place to ensure that their effectiveness is preserved. This ensures value for money.

Apart from water and cleaning detergents, there are other cleaning products that we can use during cleaning. They include:

• Abrasives – they are commercially available in forms of pastes and powders. They help remove fixed dirt from surfaces by scratching it off.

• Grease solvents – these are mostly hydrocarbons that contain hydrogen and carbon. They can be used to dissolve grease and remove stains when cleaning surfaces in the home.

• Grease absorbents – these include fi ne powders such as chalk. They are usually spread on surfaces to take in and remove grease from fabrics and other surfaces. Blotting paper can also be used as a grease absorbent.

• Acids - mild acids for example, citric acid, vinegar and oxalic acid are commonly used to remove stains when cleaning surfaces and fabrics at home.

• Alkalis - they are also known as bases. They are used in diluted form. Their concentrated forms are very corrosive, so we should take care!

• Bleaches - these are substances that improve the white color of fabrics; it is mostly used on linen and cotton clothes and articles.

• Salt – salt is used in removal of stains especially those of blood, mucus and ink, from textile fabrics. It is also used in polishing tarnished metals.

Be careful when selecting soaps or detergents for doing laundry and washing clothes. When a soap is irritating to your skin, stop using it immediately!

The table below shows other examples of cleaning products and their uses.

 

Assuming that your teacher requested you to clean your uniforms, describe the cleaning tools, materials and products you would use. Clean the uniform using these things.

Match the following cleaning tools, materials and products with their correct uses.