I am the proud new owner of an All-Clad 12" skillet. It's awesome. However, after a week—and four uses or so—my new pan has greasy-looking spots in the cooking surface that won't come off even when I scrub pretty vigorously. What is this? Is there anything I can do about it? Is it even a problem?

I dropped my cell phone in the toilet. I saved it from death, but now it smells. What's the best/safest way to clean it now? (Posting anonymously because this is idiotic)

I had my cell phone in my shirt pocket last night, and after filling my toilet with solid and liquid waste, I leaned over to flush it and my cell phone dropped out, right into the toilet.

I grabbed it as quickly as I could, but I already felt the vibrating motor buzz a death rattle and saw the screen shut off. I quickly ripped out the battery and memory card, dried off the phone as thoroughly as I could, packed it in dried rice, and left it next to the furnace overnight.

Good news - I replaced the battery and memory card this morning, and the phone turns on and appears to work properly! Bad news - it smells foul. Not STRONGLY, but noticeably, and I AM going to be holding this thing like an inch and a half away from my nose, so that could be a problem. Also, it probably still smells bad because it's still contaminated with, uh, biohazard.

So here's my question: What's the best way to clean the phone safely at this point? Obviously I can't soak it in water or anything, but also I have my doubts that something drier (like say a Magic Eraser) will actually eliminate the residue.

Thoughts/suggestions?

My wife burned -- and I do mean burned -- some breastmilk she was scalding in a saucepan for long-term storage. What's the easiest way to the science experiment out of the bottom of the pan? She set it on the stove, went to go clean up a mess, and promptly forgot she'd left it going. When she discovered it, it had become a solid black smoking mortar-like substance, spot-welded on the bottom of the pan. It's a thick layer, and it's solid stuff.

I poured some water in there and boiled it for a good twenty minutes, but it's not loosening up at all. Hacking at it with a metal spatula has made some headway, but it's taking a lot of elbow grease and I don't think I'll be able to get down in the corners well enough. I'm leery of using serious chemicals like oven cleaners for health reasons (I make my morning oatmeal in that pan), and I briefly considered putting the thing in the oven and running it through a self-cleaning cycle, but I'm worried it will damage the pan.

Anyone encounter a seriously burned-on mess like this? Is there a good way that won't require harsh chemicals or an orbital sander? Or will I be safe with oven cleaner?

How can I make a trashed cat condo safe for my cat? On the way to work this morning I found a new-ish cat condo put with the garbage. Besides vacuuming, what can I clean it with so that my cat won't catch anything that its previous occupant had?

Its a normal three story cat condo that you would find in a pet store. Its carpeted along with some sisal rope legs and has no obvious stains or wear. Its an off-white color so I'm reluctant to bleach it but if that's the best best to nuke whatever is lurking on it, so be it!

Help me invest $1,000 for a cleaner house. Small child plus two full-time jobs + what seems like an awful lot of time spent cleaning = still distressingly filthy house. Thinking of getting a dishwasher, but given that pots and pans couldn't go in, not sure how much marginal gain there would really be. $1000 could buy a lot of other small things, like better toy and clothing storage, better system for dealing with muddy boots, that kind of thing. What's the most bang for the buck?

I want to comprehensively clean my apartment (bedroom, bathroom, living room, kitchen) in the most streamlined and "natural" (e.g. homemade, not commercial products) way possible, and I'm looking for specifics on how to do it. Two key requirements: I want to minimize the disposable products I use -- no lysol wipes, paper towels, swiffer cloths, etc (exception: sponges, although I'm curious if they can be done away with as well). I also want to stay as close to the vinegar-baking soda spectrum as possible.

My questions:
Which cleaning products to use where? When is a spray mixture of vinegar and water the best bet, versus a baking soda and water mixture, versus ammonia, versus bleach? If I'm dusting or doing general surface cleaning (e.g. on a bedside table) how should my application of the cleaner be different from when I'm doing a more intensive cleaning/disinfecting (like a biweekly thorough shower cleaning, or after cooking a big meal and making a mess of kitchen counter space)?

Which tools to use where (minimizing the type/amount)? Are sponges the best option for cleaning counter and table surfaces in the bathroom and kitchen? Or are hand scrubbing brushes more effective? Or re-usable rags? For floors, I'm distrustful of mops and suspect that a floor scrub brush would be more effective. Is that baseless? If not, what cleaning mixture would be effective with a brush, and would I need to rinse the floor afterwards? Wipe it down with a wet cloth? Let it air dry? Should I fill a bucket with the cleaning mixture and use it for the whole floor space (e.g. a small- to medium-sized kitchen floor), or should I dump the mixture halfway through and refresh?

Finally -- what's some good advice on cleaning your cleaning products? If I'm using rags and dish towels to clean and dry counter and floor surfaces, should I put them in the washing machine as their own load, or can I mix them with gym clothes, or even with bath towels and sheets? Boiling water has also been recommended for dirty rags -- should I have a dedicated boiling pot, or is a regular food pot acceptable because, by nature of the boiling, it'll still be sanitary for cooking use? And do you only throw the rags in after the water boils (and if so for how long) or do you throw them in at the start?

Apologies for the obsessive questions, but the more detailed answers the better. Also, I've already read this and this, both of which were helpful but not quite what I'm looking for.

NSFSS (Not Safe For Sensitive Stomachs): What is the best way to pre-treat bedding that have been soiled by copious amounts of chunky vomit? My kidlet had some sort of 12 hour bug last night with a high fever. During the night he vomited twice. The first bout was densely packed with semi digested food. The second bout was much, much more fluidy but still contained food bits. I wiped up the foul gunk with the soiled bedding and stuck it in a laundry basket to be washed today.

In previous bouts of washing vomit-laden bedding and clothes, I've ended up with a clogged sink and bits of vomit left in the washing machine. Not fun to clean up. How should I pre-treat the soiled items to avoid this problem?

Asking for a friend: How to get rid of years of smoking residue? Without getting into too many of the gory details, a friend of mine has been letting her ex-husband live in the basement / bottom floor of her house. He is (finally) moving out, and she and her new husband want to reclaim that portion of the house, particularly because they are having a baby in June. The problem is that the ex is a heavy, heavy smoker, both of tobacco and marijuana, and he smoked inside the house for five years or so. The entire downstairs reeks of stale smoke.

How can she and her husband get rid of the smoke residue? The furniture is all being tossed; the floors are carpeted over cement. Complicating factors: they don't have a ton of money, the downstairs and upstairs share ventilation ducts, she's four months pregnant and has a three year old daughter, and there's a beautiful hand-painted mural in the bathroom they want to preserve. I read this question but the term of the smoking plus the other complicating factors make me want more ideas.

Green FlavorIce exploded in my freezer. It's disgusting. It's been there for years. How do I clean it? So, you know FlavorIce -- those sugary colored ice pops? Well, a few years back one of them exploded in my freezer, leaving behind a green, sticky mess. I'm finally ready to clean this up. How do I go about bringing my freezer back to its former glory? I was thinking about using a putty knife or, like, a chisel to scrape it up, but it's just so gooey. Any tips, ideas, recommended cleaning products? This is nasty. Thanks!

How best to remove gum from pants So, my fabulous SO and I were out for a pint recently and the bench she sat on had a fresh deposit of used chewing gum (thanks asshole!) which we didn't notice. Her nearly new dark blue jeans need to be salvaged.

I've tried putting the pants in the freezer for a day and then scraping with a butter knife but no joy on that. I've googled and searched mefi and the prevailing theories are:
1) Wet the area, freeze and then scrape
2) Rub peanut butter in, its oil loosens the gum, scrape then wash
3) Warm vinegar and a toothbrush
4) (I am not making this up) - carb cleaner!

Any anecdotes or data about which will both work and not lighten the area where the gum is so as to aesthetically ruin the pants?

What is color-safe bleach composed of? I'm specifically referring to Clorox 2 (just because that's what I have around the house). I was under the impression that it was some sort of a peroxide formula, but in looking at Clorox's website it says that Clorox 2 does not actually disinfect, which I would expect a peroxide to do. I feel like I remember successfully cleaning mold with it in the past, so I'm a bit baffled. Any ideas?

What strategies can I use for culling books? I'm a book editor. As such, I have lots of books.* I recently sacrificed my personal bookcase at work so that we wouldn't be drowning in boxes of books all the time, but now, of course, I have to assimilate all the books that had lived on that shelf.

I know where I can take books once I've decided which ones need to go; what I'd like help with is a plan of attack. What's the threshold for books that stay and books that go? What questions should I ask myself to determine a particular book's fate?

*In addition to the ones in that photo, there's another full size bookcase in my bedroom (most of the contents of which I've recently moved to the big living room shelves) and a small bookcase dedicated to art books and cookbooks.

My apartment is starting to look like I'm trying to audition for the TV show Hoarders. The floor is covered in trash and I have not a single organizational system. How do I deal with this mess by myself and how do I learn to change my behavior? I've never learned to promptly put away or throw away things but all my life I've lived in small enough spaces that a deep decluttering every week or so was a feasible task. Now I live in a huge studio apartment and the trash just won't stop piling up. I'm ok about taking care of stuff that will smell bad but right now the mess seems insurmountable and I'm terrified that my landlord/boss will drop by. I want to spend the day cleaning, but where should I start and how should I approach it? And how do I develop good habits so I don't let my apartment get this bad in the future? email is: throwawaytothrowaway@gmail.com

AlasPoorBasementFilter: My basement...could be cleaner. Unfortunately, I'm not strong enough to budge the appliances to clean behind them (or get to the stuff over them). Googling and Craigslisting are, so far, not turning up individuals/businesses who would be happy to clean a dirty basement, as opposed to a dirty rest of the house. Are there any fellow Monroe County, NY area Mefites with suggestions? If you'd prefer to contact me privately, feel free to use the e-mail address in my profile, or memail.

What's the best way to get the calcium deposit ring off my toilet bowl? Like many people with hard water, we have a toilet which has developed a creepy-looking ring of mineral deposits at the water line, which means the toilet never looks clean. I'd like to get this off in the easiest way possible. My mother told me she uses a big pumice stone to scratch it off, which seems like the most labor-intensive solution imaginable.

I'd obviously rather choose a course that does not involve chemicals that have the potential to damage our plumbing or bowl, but beyond that I'm open to anything. Bonus points for things that are environmentally friendly (yes, I recognize that I probably am not going to get any more environmentally friendly than scratching the gunk off with a pumice stone).

CuteANDGrossFilter: kittens zooming around the house + mushy poop stuck to tail area & feet + newly-discovered roundworm (re)infestation + carpet = OMG what do I do now to make sure it's really clean in here? We have two foster kittens (mandatory photos here. They were spayed and neutered yesterday. By last night, they were even more lively than usual thanks to the excellent work by POP-NC.

Emmett, the fuzzy black male kitten, had "loose stools" last night which tended to stick to his backside and feet, and I think he was a little muzzy-headed and less fastidious in his toilette than usual as a result of the surgery or anesthetic. Extremely stinky and disgusting, although of course his winning personality and good looks compensate for a great deal. However, it turned out that he'd tracked a few small clumps onto the carpet, and when picking them up I found what definitely appear to be roundworms. A couple of small bouquets of them.

Ugh. These kittens have already been dewormed (twice). My theory is that they may have picked up a new infestation from a large, fleecy toy I brought home from the animal rescue organization's free but very used collection - it's a 4' long, 14"-diameter fleecy flexible tunnel, how could I resist? This very fun toy is currently sitting in the middle of my living room. I guess I learned my lesson. I'm not sure whether to bleach or destroy this thing - probably bleach, but that will be a mess, too.

But now, I worry that there are worm eggs in the carpet, on the cats, and who knows where else. I've been trying to find best cleaning practices for this situation.

I already know I "probably ought to" do a lot of stuff, including never sleeping again, steam-cleaning the carpet, and running all kittens through a full cycle with bleach in the washing machine -- but the only (very limited and informal) information I've found by Googling downplays the risk of picking up roundworm eggs except in feces. OK, the feces are definitely all gone now, but wouldn't there still be eggs in the carpet somehow?

I'm inclined to be super cautious and throw away a lot of stuff, bleach what's left, and set fire to the floor -- but that's impractical, I've got a bunch of heavy furniture the kittens crawl under all the time, and my dear man will probably rebel before I collapse.

Is there any definitive information out there? Does anyone have experience with this specific problem? I know that virtually all kittens have worms, yet some people foster litter after litter -- what do they do?

I already know:

- roundworms can cause blindness in young humans;
- they're not that great for cats, including future foster kittens;
- bleach isn't good for kittens, so leaving even a dilute solution it in the carpet to dry won't work well anyway;
- worm eggs can survive for a long time outside a host body (but do they have to be inside feces? or not?);
- berber carpet (which covers most of our floor) is particularly difficult to clean thoroughly.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

I bought a second-hand swimsuit. I know, ew, but I'm on a budget and this suit fits much, much better than anything I could afford to buy new. It looks and smells clean and seems very lightly worn. What's the best way to to wash/sterilise it so as to a) not catch anything gross and b) not feel so squicky about putting it on? In case it's relevant, the label says:

82% Polyamide/Nylon
18% Elastane
30 degrees C machine wash
Do not use bleach
Do not iron
Do not dry clean
Do not tumble dry.

How do I clean my silver and pearl bird's nest necklace? I have a bird's nest necklace made out of silver wire with pearls. After wearing it every day for, oh, about a year, it's not looking so good. Not only is it really tarnished, it also looks kind of gunky, probably from my sunscreen. (Side question: is it just me, or does silver tarnish crazy fast in Chicago?) I can't even wear it anymore because it looks so grungy.

But I have no idea how to clean it! I can't dip it in silver polish because of the pearls; my silver-cleaning cloth is of no use because it only rubs the very exterior of the nest and doesn't get into all of the little nooks and crannies. Is there some kind of pearl-safe silver dip I can use? Can I take it to a jeweler and let them deal with it? Or is this just a necklace with a limited lifespan?

What's the best way to clean a nighttime bite guard? I use a custom bite guard from my dentist to prevent me clenching/grinding my teeth down to little nubs. After every use, I brush it, and I brush it again before I go to bed, but it still gets all white and crusty about every 6-7 months; the dentist cleans it, but it doesn't get all the crustiness off.

I was thinking of using something like a denture cleaner to soak it in, but I don't know if that will damage it - does anybody know a good way to get and keep my clear plastic bite guard clean?

What's the best way to clean soap scum off a shower curtain? I don't want to remove the curtain, and I don't want to die from the fumes. And I don't want to spend $4 on another curtain when the old one is just fine. I'd love a chemical that I can spray on the scum, wait a bit, and then just rinse off. Does such a thing exist?

(Currently I spray on cleaner and use a brush to scrub the scum off, with my free hand pressing against the other side of the curtain to provide a surface to scrub against.)

Has anyone had success in removing permanent marker from an LCD monitor? My 2 year old got hold of a purple Vivid marker, and drew on the computer screen. I usually wipe the screen with a dry microfiber cloth, but it's not working on the dried marker.

How do I keep the bottom edge of my half-frame glasses clean? This is my second set of half-frame glasses. The lenses are held in by means of a length of monofilament attached to each end of the frame and running along a groove in the bottom edge of the lens.

In my last pair, this groove and line collected dirt and became a visible dark line. I got a new pair on Monday and today noticed that there is already a spot of dirt trapped in the groove under the monofilament.

This must be a common problem? Do any of you have half-frame glasses and a successful method for keeping them clean?

How can I save the shreds in my shredded jeans? I recently bought a pair of jeans with some shredded patches. Every time I wash them, some of the threads snap. I don't want the shreds to turn into holes so what can I do to stop/minimize the thread snapping when I wash them? Would dry cleaning make a difference?

How do I take care of sterling silver jewelry? I feel dumb that I don't know how to do this, but I have no idea how to take care of jewelry. My family does not wear any for religious reasons, so I've never seen how it's supposed to be stored or cleaned.

I mostly own costume jewelry, but I have a number of pieces of sterling silver jewelry, most of which is from SilverJewelryClub.com. Some of the pieces are tarnished and dirty, but not all of them, and there's no rhyme or reason--it's not the pieces I wear the most that look tarnished, nor the pieces I wear the least. Some of the pieces are just as bright and shiny as the day I bought them.

All the pieces are less than five years old. I keep all my jewelry in a clean old makeup case which was never used for storing makeup, so doesn't have any residue in it. I never wear the jewelry swimming or in the shower and don't sleep in it. I hang the necklaces so they don't get tangled, and toss rings and earrings into the box of the case, which is lined with cloth. It is open to the air, so could be getting dusty, I suppose. The room is not especially humid nor especially dry.

I used an aluminum foil/baking soda/hot water mixture to clean and brighten some of the pieces a few weeks ago, which made a difference but some of them still look just, well, old and dirty. I've done some reading online about how to care for jewelry, but I'm looking for realistic advice--I'm not going to wipe down my jewelry with a special cloth every time I take it off, or store it in a special jewelry chest with velvet linings or anything like that. That's not really how people live, right?

So. Am I being unrealistic and sterling silver jewelry really does need that level of care? Or are the pieces with the problems more likely just junk? Or am I doing something else wrong?

My housemate doesn't clean up, like ever. How can I do to make things work, or at least more bearable? I've been sharing an apartment since the beginning of September with an old acquaintance, and everything's been going well enough. EXCEPT:
My housemate doesn't help out with the cleaning. Every day I come home to even more mess, and it's starting to really bug me.

Some background here: My housemate and I are both 23, male, and college seniors. We went to high school together but lost touch after graduation. I was looking for a housemate for an apartment I found this August, and a mutual friend said Housemate (whose mom died last year) was looking for a place as well. We signed a lease, moved in and started school, so far so good.
The first hint I got that Housemate wasn't very good at cleaning was about a week in when he asked me what "rinsing" dishes meant. Since then, he's remained pleasant, but the amount of housework he's done has gone from little to almost none.

The main problems:
-His dishes stay dirty in the sink either until I wash them or there are no more clean ones, whereupon he washes a dirty one, uses it, and puts it back in the sink. The same thing goes for pots and pans. I can count the number of times he's washed all the dishes in the sink on one hand, and even then they've come out covered in brown curry grease and needed to be washed again.

-When asked to wash his dirty pots and pans that were filling up the sink, Housemate was surprised that I would want them to be cleaned even if I wasn't immediately going to use them. Housemate said that he would wash them before he needed them again "only as a favor". He cooks about four gallons of curry every two weeks.

-Although he was willing to split the cost of a $50 vacuum cleaner, the only time he's picked up a broom was when he broke a glass. He's been leaving brown greasy globs of curry on all the kitchen surfaces and covers the floor in oil when he cooks. All these problems with cleaning up have carried over to the bathroom as well.

Apart from all this, he's been a decent housemate, asking if I want to watch cartoons or split a pizza or whatnot, or coming out to parties with me.
I've talked to him about washing dishes and cleaning up around the apartment, and he's always said "sure"- the problem is it doesn't end up happening. He tends to drink beers and watch cartoons when he's done with schoolwork and doesn't have anything to do, so it seems like a combination of procrastination and just not knowing how to run a household: his mom used to do all the housekeeping.

What can I do to encourage him to do his share of housework, or failing that, what can I do to minimize the amount of mess I have to deal with? Ideally, we would clean up after ourselves, and if someone else missed something then the other would clean it, no problem.
I don't want to be that passive-aggressive guy, but something's got to change, since I'd like to be able to have guests over without feeling embarrassed. I'd be tempted to only clean up after myself, but I'm afraid the apartment would be taken over by maggots.