Cleaning Secrets
Kitchen Tips
** For more effective dishwashing, add a few tablespoons of vinegar along with the dishwashing detergent when washing dishes. The vinegar cuts the grease and leaves dishes sparkling.
** To clean up spills in your oven, sprinkle the spills immediately with salt. When the oven has cooled, brush away the burnt-on food with a damp sponge.
** To disinfect smelly sponges, wash sponge thoroughly, then microwave it while it is wet, for a short period. When you see steam from the sponge, the bacteria in the sponge will be dead. Remove carefully, it will be hot! Wash the sponge thoroughly before use.
**Make sure the sponge has no metal components!
**To remove hard-water and lime build-up in a teapot or kettle, pour in two cups of vinegar and bring to a boil. Let simmer for about 10 minutes, then rinse well.
**To remove mineral deposits in a tea pot or burnt spots on a coffee pot, put some ice cubes, cut-up lemon, and salt with a tad water and swish around and let sit overnight.
**To whiten an old stained sink , poor a half cup of salt in it and then scrub it with a lemon. Let it stand for a few minutes and rinse.
**To remove skid marks on linoleum rub the spot with toothpaste before washing the floor.
**To keep your plastic containers from getting stained from tomato based foods, rub the inside with vegetable oil before placing the food in the container.
**Kitchen surfaces: Mix in spray bottle, 1 part ammonia to 3 parts water. Or try diluted bleach solution in a spray bottle. It will remove stains AND disinfect.
**Removing kitchen and food odors: Soak pure vanilla on a cotton ball and place in a saucer. Put the saucer in the car or refrigerator to remove odors. Keep cotton ball out of reach of children as it contains some alcohol.
**Odor producing mold and bacteria in garbage cans: sprinkle 1/2 cup Borax in the bottom of the garbage can.
**Cleaning coffee maker: Pour straight vinegar into it as if you are making the coffee, no filter is need. Turn coffee maker on as if you were making a pot of coffee. Repeat this with a new batch of vinegar until it runs clear of calcium deposits.
Bathroom Tips
** Bars of soap too small to use effectively can be pressed into the sides of new bars softened by recent use.
** Shower curtains can be renovated by being washed, on gentle cycle, with a pint of white vinegar.
**If you have more than one bath to clean, keep separate cleaning supplies in each bathroom, that way you can clean the bath at a moments notice.
**To clean tubs and showers use a product that contains phosphoric acid, their is no scrubbing involved.
Buildup on shower doors: Wipe with lemon oil. Removes buildup and keeps doors protected longer from future buildup.
**Removing mildew from shower or bath: 3 parts bleach and 1 part water -- put in spray bottle. Spray on mildew areas and it will virtually disappear.
The Laundry Room
** To remove perspiration stains in clothing, soak in warm vinegar and water.
** Microwaves can be used to emergency disinfect clothes, such as a child's cap that another kid has put on, as long as they have absolutely NO metal in the zippers, buttons, rivets etc. ALWAYS place a cup of cold water next to the article to absorb the heat and microwave on high until the water is steaming.
** Removing mildew stains from clothes: Begin by brushing of mold outdoors so you don't scatter mildew spores in the house. On washable fabrics, pretreat by rubbing detergent into the dampened stain. Then, launder the items in hot water, detergent and chlorine bleach, if it is safe for the fabric. If the stain remains, sponge it with hydrogen peroxide, rinse and launder. If the item isn't bleach-safe, soak it in an oxygen bleach that is safe for colors, then wash it. Take non-washable fabrics to the dry cleaner and tell them what the stain is.
** Urine Stains: For washable fabrics that can be bleached… pre-soak them in cold water for at least thirty minutes. Launder these fabrics in hot water using detergent and chlorine bleach according to the directions on the bleach container. For washable, non-bleachable items, sponge the stained area with a solution of equal parts of household ammonia and water then launder the item in warm water and detergent. Rinse it well. For non-washable items, sponge just the stained area with clear water to which a few drops of ammonia have been added. Then, sponge with clear water only.
**Gray Dinghies: One cause of the gray dinghies is overloading the washing machine. When you do this, the clothes cannot move freely, resulting in poor washing and unremovable soil. To estimate the right-sized load, place dry, unfolded clothes in the washer loosely until it is about three-quarters full. Another cause is using non-phosphate detergents, particularly the granular type. If you`re using a non-phosphate detergent, use the hottest water possible and dissolve the detergent in the water before adding the clothes. If you have hard water, you might want to add about a third to a half cup of packaged water softener along with the detergent.
Other Great Tips...
** Use crumpled up black and white newspaper dipped in vinegar to wash windows. Dip paper in vinegar and wipe the glass until almost dry, then shine with dry newspaper or cloth.
** Children's stickers can be removed from wood by applying white vinegar to the sticker, letting it soak and then scraping off.
** Clean those dirty, dusty, mini-blinds in your house in a snap! Fill the bathtub with warm, soapy water and let the blinds soak. If they are white blinds add a little bleach to get rid of any stains.
** Remove spilled nail polish from wood furniture: Don't wipe it up! The solvents in nail polish soften most finishes, and wiping may take off the finish. Instead, let the polish dry completely; then gently scrape it off with a credit card. Wax the surface, using superfine steel wool.
** Use cooking or salad oil for lubricating non-essential mechanical things like hinges, tools etc. A light coat of oil will keep tools from rusting and you don't need to buy expensive and toxic chemicals like WD-40 etc.
**To get hard water deposits off of your fixtures try some diluted muriatic acid (available at pool stores or hardware stores), but don't store it near chlorine- they can combine and become explosive!
**Consider investing in a small rug cleaner to use for quick cleanups of pet stains and kid spills.
**If you have a busy schedule (and who doesn't?), and hate to clean, (and who doesn't?), make a schedule of what needs cleaning when and who will do it. If you have too much to do, consider hiring someone to come in once a month and do the chores you can't get to.
**Run your sponges through your dishwasher every few days, and dispose of them every few weeks. They breed bacteria because they do not get the opportunity to dry out in between uses.
**If you live in a two story house, keep a second vacuum cleaner upstairs; who likes to lug those things up and down stairs? Having 2 makes it easier to whip off some vacuuming when the mood strikes.**Wash your child's toys after an illness to prevent reinfection or infection of another child.
**When washing windows, wipe the windows with newspaper, it won't leave streaks.
**Don't buy special cleaners to get out baby formula stains, use a little isopropyl alcohol on the stain, then a regular stain remover. Works like a charm.
**Cleaning ceramic tile: Regular rubbing alcohol works wonders for a ceramic floor. Just pour straight on and rub around with mop until it dries. Make sure children are not in the area during this process and have good ventilation in room.
**Removing Crayon from walls: use damp sponge and Colgate toothpaste. Rub carefully.
**Removing scuff marks, pen, and pencil from walls: use a dry cloth and rubbing alcohol.
**Cleaning your carpet: Preparing for carpet cleaning? First sweep your carpet with a broom, this loosens up all the ground in dirt. Then vacuum. After that you might notice a big difference in the way your carpet looks. For wiping out stains, you can use a solution of 2 parts water one part ammonia in a spray bottle. Spray stain and wipe. For a dry cleaner use a mixture of 2 cups cornmeal and 1 cup borax. Sprinkle on carpet and let sit for one hour then vacuum. To remove pet odors, sprinkle carpet with baking soda and let sit for one hour, then vacuum.
**Make your own furniture polish: Yucky but works, take a slab of spam and rub it on your wood -- wipe with pantyhose. Or, make a concoction of: 1 tsp olive oil, juice of a lemon, 1 tsp whisky or brandy, 1 tsp water. Mix together and rub on furniture with cloth, buff for a deep shine.
**Cleaning a Keyboard: On a weekly basis, carefully vacuum the keys with the round brush attachment of your vacuum. Never spray keyboard directly, spray the a cleaning cloth with all-purpose cleaning solution and wipe it with it.
**Home oil spills: Paint thinner is best for this type of spill. Pour on spill and it will dissolve oil.
**Garbage Disposal: If you've got a lemon that's a little past its prime, cut it in quarters and run it through your sink disposal to freshen your drain.
**Use an alcohol(isopropyl)/water solution for cleaning mirrors. 1 part alcohol to 4 parts water. Cleans with no streaks. Coffee filters make great glass cleaning cloths.
**Dirty neck rings around shirt or blouse collars can be removed by putting shampoo on them. Rub the shampoo in like you were washing your hair. Shampoo is specifically made to remove body oils. A cheap bottle of shampoo kept by the washing machine is handy for all kinds of stains in clothing. Don't forget this trick when you are traveling.
**For removing ink stains: Ball point pen stains can be removed by using hair spray - let the hair spray dry and wash the item. Table salt will absorb ink when it is spilled - pour salt on the wet ink and continue to add salt until there is no more "wet ink". Then vacuum or wash. Other types of ink can be removed using rubbing alcohol.