Anyone that has an accidental spillage of bean bag beans knows just how these seemingly harmless pieces of polystyrene can get into every nook and cranny around the house. Since bean bags have made their way into our lives to aid our relaxation or to add a little bit more comfort to our rooms, there's been the small matter of accidental spilling of bean bag beans.
Whether you have a toddler who's opened the zip to see the wonders inside or it caught on something which resulted in a significant snowstorm of bean bag beans. Learning how to pick up bean bag beans is a fine art. What is the approach to picking up bean bag beans without making a significant mess to your living space?
Preparing your space for a bean bag beans pick up operation
It can be quite an operation to get your wayward bean bag beans picked up as easily as possible. The great news is that it's not as difficult as you think. There are a few tried and tested tips that you can use to your advantage. But what you need to do first is to make sure that the space with the spillage is as contained as possible.
Ensuring your space is clear is priority number one. And while it may not be so straightforward to pick up every single bean bag bean, especially if it's been some time, you should take the following into account.
> When was the last time you cleaned the room?
> Have the windows been open a lot recently?
> What type of flooring is in the room (carpet or laminate flooring)?
> How much traffic is in that room? (For example, if it's a spare room and you are looking to renovate the space the beans can stay contained in one area.)
The most important thing to make sure that your space is ready for bean bag cleaning is to close all of the windows and doors. The slightest breeze will cause a flurry of bean bag beans to go everywhere, and this only serves to make your clean up operation longer and more frustrating.
Luckily, there are a few different options so let's break them down.
Using a dustpan and brush
Using a dustpan and brush is the easiest method. Before you grab a dustpan and brush or a broom, you need to get rid of the static. When the beans have a significant amount of static on them, it stops you from directing the beans on to the dustpan. You need to make sure that you get rid of the static before you attempt any cleanup operation. You can do this with a handful of methods.
1. Spraying anti-static spray over the beans is the easiest option. You can purchase anti-static spray from supermarkets. You only need to give the beans a quick spray, and you can scoop them up into the dustpan.
2. Using bicarb soda. If you're not able to find anti-static spray, this cupboard staple is a perfect option. You don't need to use much. A little sprinkling will help to neutralise the static.
3. Using water. You don't need to douse the beans in water. The most important thing to remember is that you spray the water as finely as possible. Get yourself a sprayer and sprinkle the water over the beans to get rid of the static.
Once you've neutralised the static, you can sweep the beans on to the dustpan with the brush or broom. If you don't have a brush, you can use a large piece of cardboard. Using cardboard can work to your advantage because smaller brooms can move the air in various directions meaning that your beans might blow everywhere.
Make sure your movements are slow when sweeping the beans into the dustpan. You need to minimise the breeze. If you are in a hurry and work with rapid sweeping motions, you will cause more problems for yourself. Keep it slow and very steady.
Using static to your advantage
You can use static to get the beans on to a dustpan, as long as you do it properly. Because static is a magnet of sorts, this can work wonders if you're struggling to get the beans on to a dustpan. While static can be incredibly annoying one of the best things you can do to use static in your favour is to get a balloon.
1. Grab a balloon (the bigger, the better).
2. Rub your hands over the balloon to create static.
3. Hold the balloon over the dustpan. The static you have made will bring the beans on to the pan.
Static can lose its potency. So if you are using this method, you may have to top up the static on the balloon by giving it another rub. As a way of attracting the little beans that have disappeared from your sight after a major cleanup operation, this can work wonders.
Using a lint roller to pick up bean bag beans
There are, of course, other methods to pick up bean bag beans. Using a lint roller isn't a great way to remove annoying little bits of materials from your clothing. Taking this approach and using them to pull up small bean bag beans can work if there's only a handful to grab.
Make sure that when you are are using the lint roller to apply slow movements. When we remove material from our clothing, the temptation can be to do it quickly. Taking it slow and steady will guarantee you pick up more beans from the floor. If you do it too fast, you could roll over them.
There are numerous types of lint rollers out there. You need to use the sticky ones. These will guarantee you get as many bean bag beans as possible when going over the floor.
Making a sticky tape system
It's also possible to make your version of a lint roller. If you don't have access to a lint roller, you can use good old fashioned "painters tape." This type of tape goes over windows and skirting boards, and is ideal because it's not as strong as duct tape. Using duct tape on carpets or wooden floors you can pull up the polish or materials. If you use "painters tape" this is strong enough to pick up the beans.
It is your choice on how you want to use the tape. The most effective approach is to take one line of tape and roll it into a big ball. The bigger the ball, the more bean bag beans you will get from the floor. Start rolling the ball over the area, making sure that you press down slightly to pick up everything in your path.
Can't we use a vacuum cleaner?
Most people would automatically think about grabbing the vacuum cleaner for this particular problem. While it can get the job done very quickly, unfortunately, it's not so straightforward.
Firstly, static can cause issues. As the beans can stick to the outside of the vacuum, this can clog your vacuum cleaner quickly. You can get rid of the static using the points mentioned above, or you can apply a dryer sheet to the offending area.
As vacuum cleaners only have a small bag to collect dirt the beans can fill up the vacuum cleaner very quickly so you will keep going back and forth to the bin to empty the bag before starting again. Having to empty the vacuum cleaner frequently can add a significant amount of time to your cleaning operation. The way to fix this would be to prevent the beans from going into the vacuum. By putting a stocking over the vacuum nozzle, you can keep the beans in one place while you can brush the beans into a bucket. If you want to get rid of the static at this point, you can use anti-static spray or baking soda over the end piece.
If you have a vacuum with a large bag, it is possible to clean everything up quickly. Still, you must remember that because these little critters can get caught in so many different parts of the vacuum nozzle as soon as you turn the vacuum off a few beans may come back out again.
Picking up bean bag beans
Looking after your bean bag is essential. But picking up stray bean bag beans from the floor can prove to be very frustrating. But as long as you go into it with the right mindset and keep yourself organised it won't be so difficult. As long as you focus on minimising the static, reducing airflow in the room, and focus on slow movements, you will be able to collect the beans.
