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HOUSE CLEANING

Most have a broad revolving brush, which helps them make quick work of a variety of soils ground into a rug.

OVEN CLEANERS
Use oven cleaners only on shiny porcelain-coated metal surfaces, or glass. Never use them on continuous-cleaning (dull finish) or self-cleaning oven finishes or on bare metal. Some oven-cleaning products contain lye, one of the most dangerous substances sold for household use. Baked-on oven dirt is too tough for ordinary cleaners. Lye causes a chemical reaction, decomposing the stuck-on fats and sugars into soapy compounds you can wash away. Lye-containing oven cleaners are corrosively alkaline and reactive enough to cause serious burns, which is why labels on such products contain long lists of warnings. Some oven cleaners on the market are aerosol sprays, which are convenient to apply but hard to aim neatly. Clouds of aerosol mist deposit cleaner not only on oven walls but perhaps also on heating elements, thermostats, and light fixtures, and in your lungs. Such product labels warn you not to inhale the fumes. But some other application methods and container deSigns protect you better. Still, any product that contains lye must be used with extreme caution. Lye can burn skin and eyes. Inhaled droplets can actually burn the throat and lungs. Before using any cleaner containing lye, you should don safety goggles, a long-sleeved shirt, and rubber gloves. If you're using an aerosol, you should also wear a paper dust mask (to keep from inhaling the droplets) along with protective goggles. Not only should you take steps to protect yourself from the corrosive effects of lye, you should protect nearby floors, counters, and other surfaces. Spread newspaper on the floor in