Who wants to clean a Castle?

I was watching a documentary the other day on Highclere Castle. You know the building which is used for Downton Abbey? My first remark as the cameras moved through the different rooms, was “Fancy keeping this place clean!”

It was mentioned at one stage that prior to World War I there used to be a least thirty people on a daily basis helping to clean. It would seem it takes two days just to clean the crystal droplets on one of the chandeliers. Multiply that by five or six and you have a month’s work for a contractor who specializes in chandelier cleaning.

Highclere castle is now taken care of by six people, three of those working outside and two who are chefs. But there is a butler and he seems to be always busy. So who does the cleaning? This wasn’t mentioned, but I suspect, like you and I, they have a set of cleaners who come in and clean on a weekly basis. With the size of the building, and the number of rooms, and high ceilings, the army of cleaners required each week would be massive.

A couple of years ago I walked through the Louvre in Paris and was appalled at the dust and dirt that had collected on the stairs in a day. I would imagine Highclere has exactly the same problem. Every room would need an extra special dust, mainly because of the heritage articles housed there. On top of that all the parquetry floors would need polishing after being vacuuming which of course takes time. Even if one room was allocated to one cleaner, that person would be working there for well over an hour maybe even two.

Thankfully with the help of the Downton Abbey series and excellent financial management, the Earl of Carnarvon and his wife have been able to repair and fix up the building bringing it back to its former glory. But like all buildings, constant cleaning and maintenance is a must to preserve the original.

I was thoroughly impressed with Highclere Castle, and I guess if I ran a cleaning company in England I could organise the regular cleaning of the property. But knowing how many people I would need to carry out the work, the security requirements on the people doing the jobs; and the necessity to overseer each clean, I am not so sure I would be happy to take on the job. Mind you if they paid me enough I would give it consideration.

Cleaning up after Nail Polish spills

I am often asked how to clean this and that. One of the most asked questions is about nail polish spills. Having spilt nail polish myself I can sympathise with these people.

I once spilled nail polish on my polished cork floor in the kitchen. Hubby noticed the spill and used acetone to wipe it off. The nail polish came off OK but so did the polyurethane that coated the tiles. Obviously this was not the best method because the acetone softened the coating. Removing the nail polish with a damp cloth while the polish is wet will not leave a mark on the polyurethane coated floor.

Nail polish is made of acrylic, like paint. If the spillage has hardened lay a tissue soaked in acetone free polish remover over the spill until the polish feels soft. With the back of a knife gently lift the edge of the spill and peel back the polish until it is removed. Spray some furniture polish onto the area just cleaned and rub it in to the floor. The same process can be used for wooden furniture but furniture is softer than polished floors so more care will be required.

Spilling nail polish onto carpet is easier. I found acetone removes the polish, but only if it the spill is pretty fresh. If there is a lump caught up in the fibres, and the polish will not soften with acetone, you might have to cut the polish with scissors down to the level of the pile. You should be able to gently pull on each fibre to remove the nail polish attached at the top.

Prevention of course is the answer when using nail polish. Spills can so easily happen, and it’s not just the bottle tipping over. I’ve had drops of the polish fall off the brush just before I reach the nail and if I didn’t have protection under my hand, who knows where the drop would have landed.

When you have your nails painted by a professional manicurist they have a little towel where you rest your hands. Under that towel is plastic of some sort. This is my preferred setting when painting my nails. I have an old plastic place mat which I put on the kitchen bench (my bench is high enough for me to sit at) and over that I put an old hand towel.

On the towel I set out the cotton wool balls, remover, polish, files, scissors, nail clippers and anything else required to make my nails look great. This way everything is to hand and I can complete my manicure without any hassle. Having the prepared space also makes it easier to sit and wait while the nails dry. There is somewhere to rest my hands while I read a book.

The most important factor about setting out a space especially to paint nails is the job gets a better finish. I have the right light, the right space and probably the right mind set. I am concentrating on specifically painting my nails and not worrying about other things.

I am sure other people have their own methods for making sure they don’t spill their nail polish, but this is mine. If it is of help to you, then great.

Best way to manage grease in the range hood

The sun had just risen and was shining into the kitchen; directly onto the glass protector of my range-hood. The glass was filthy. I hadn’t noticed it before but the sun shine highlighted the dirt.

Our range hood is very rarely turned on. It isn’t ducted outside the building so if used any grease in the steam that emits from the stove top is absorbed into the filters. It looks impressive but doesn’t really do anything substantial.

I was appalled at how the glass protector looked so out came the cream cleanser from the cupboard and with that and a sponge/scourer I cleaned the glass. But as I was cleaning I realised the rest of the range-hood surface was just as greasy. This meant the full clean, under and over and along the sides. No I didn’t remove the grill, though maybe I should have, but that will be done another day.

Because the range-hood had been thoroughly cleaned, inside and out, about four months ago, the build up of grease on the surface wasn’t that hard to remove. When I wiped off the residue with a soft cloth, rung out in hot water, the range hood was not only cleaner but actually sparkled.

Range-hoods are a great invention, and if ducted out through the roof or the wall work extremely well at extracting steam and cooking smells from the kitchen. It is only when range-hood is the absorbent kind that the grease build up is worse. Obviously being above a stove top, a range-hood will always accumulate grease on the surface. They will always need a regular clean, but with the absorbent type there is no place for the grease to go except into the fibre-glass or mesh filters inside. This means if not cleaned regularly the grease build up can be dangerous and an open gas flame can cause a fire.

I make it a point to clean the filters inside my range-hood at least every six months. As they are not too big to fit in the dish washing machine, I find the dish washer does the best job. The hot water flushes through the filters and removes the grease and because it is so hot inside they dry out quicker than if you have to wash the filters in a sink of hot water with washing up liquid and leave them outside to drain and dry in the sun.

As I said, range-hoods are a great invention for keeping the steam and lingering smells out of the kitchen, but they do need a regular clean to keep down the grease.