Small brushes for cleaning

Several times when writing my blog I mention using a small paint brush to clean out dust from intricate areas.  I was recently asked how small was the small paint brush required for these jobs?  As there are several versions I will now explain which type of small paint brush to use and when.

There are paint brushes used by artists, and paint brushes used when painting buildings or furniture.  Actually both are useful, but for different things.

Let us take the small artist paint brush first.  These can be purchased in newsagents or a hobby shop.  Most of the small brushes are used for water painting and can be found in children paint boxes.

Because these brushes are used by artists the bristles form a point at the tip.  The dry bristles are soft and are perfect for flicking out dust in tiny crevices.  If you have intricate porcelain or china these artist brushes can penetrate the small indentations and providing the dirt hasn’t stuck to the article the paint brush will remove the dust when flicked towards you.  Of course if the dust has stuck to the item and is washable it is better to soak the article in warm soapy water.  You can still use the paint brush to get into the areas that cannot be reached with a cloth around your finger and rub over the dirt until that area is clean.

The small paint brushes used to paint your home are a lot wider that the artist’s paint brush.  There are some small thin brushes with long handles used by commercial artists for painting letters on windows, or the thicker flat topped brushes used for painting over small areas of woodwork.

I find this type of paint brush perfect for dusting along flat surfaces that sit at the base of bannisters and rungs and supports in ornamental or dining room chairs.  The small artist paint brush is too small for these jobs, but the smaller house paint brush is soft enough to flick out the dust along the flat surface and swivel around the base of each support.

Because of the confusion, in future I will make a point of describing which type of small paint brush is required for the cleaning job in question.  But out of all this has come the realisation how much dust collects in so many places and just wiping over with a cloth or a duster-on-a-pole is not always enough to remove the dust build up in many articles.

Cleaning verandah tiles is fun.

Who would think cleaning can be fun, but washing down tiles with a high pressure hose is. You might get wet, but who cares when you are dressed for the occasion. The results are great, and you can then invite your friends around to show off your handywork.

Continuous roll toilet paper verses single dispensers

As ease of cleaning and timing aspects become more important for cleaners, more and more public buildings are swapping their toilet paper dispensers for the continuous rolls. Having discussed this with several people I am of the opinion that this kind of toilet roll is a waste of paper, and the serrated cutting edge at the base is dangerous.

There are two ways to use toilet paper: fold it up to form a small compact hand size wad, or scrunch it into a ball. Depending or your preference either way is useful and presumably does the job. Personally I am a fold-up type, but my mother used to scrunch it into a ball; so, to each his own.

Whichever way you prefer, I am aware that when removing the paper from the continuous roll the amount of paper distributed is always more than if I had taken sheets from a single dispenser, or torn a specific number off the perforated sheet roll.

Over the years I have discovered that five sheets of toilet paper gives me the protective amount I need. I have heard others recommend the same number. When I remove paper from the continuous roll: I am very careful to ensure I don’t cut myself on the tearing edge and once I fold the paper into the same size as a single sheet, I end up with many more folds than equivalent to five. Meaning my hand size wad is somewhat thicker than I would usually use. Therefore a waste of paper.

Why do I and others with whom I have discussed this, take more paper when using the continuous roll? I do believe the dangerous cutting edge has a lot to do with it. Because there is no perforation, the cutting edge is required. But, as that edge is sharp and dangerous, people pull out more paper so, when they tear, their hands are far away from the jagged edge. This means there is more paper being removed with each tear.

By having continuous toilet rolls, someone, somewhere is saving money. But that is only on the manufacturing side. Elsewhere there is a loss because more paper is being used. Maybe adding the perforations would help. At least they could then remove those awful jagged tearing edges at the bottom.

I feel someone has come up with a cost saving idea which they haven’t completely thought through. What do you think???