Needed: Home Cleaning Tips

After you have squeezed the juice out of a lemon, put it in a microwave safe container, cover with water and mircrowave on high for 5 minutes, then throw the lemon away and wipe out the microwave with a paper tower--takes all the stale microwave smell away.

Do laundry tips fit in this category? I have a miracle one for when a bright colored print bleeds into a white background. Imagine a white cotton dress with a red candycane print that, when washed, became a pink dress with red candycanes.

Soak the article in a strong vinegar & cold water solution in the bathtub overnight and rinse fully the next morning. (6 inches of water in the tub and a half gallon of vinegar)

~then~

Soak all day in cold water and powdered all fabric bleach in the bathtub (6 inches of water and 2-3 cups of the bleach) for several hours, preferably all day. There may be some wierd color change stuff that goes on in the process - my candycanes turned black for about an hour - but the end result *should* be a white dress with red candycanes again.

The vinegar sets the dye in the print, but not the dye that bled out for some reason. The all fabric bleach removes the bleed. Afterward, it whould be safe to launder.

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My miracle everything cleaner? Clorox Clean-up. that stuff is amazing!

Tish Davidson said:

After you have squeezed the juice out of a lemon, put it in a microwave safe container, cover with water and mircrowave on high for 5 minutes, then throw the lemon away and wipe out the microwave with a paper tower--takes all the stale microwave smell away.

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If you microwave a Clorox wipe (oh i dunno, try 15 to 30 seconds) the steam will loosen some of the built up crud, then you have a hot wipe to clean it the rest of the way. Be careful when first picking up the wipe though.

Got a bad stain on your upholstery? Try corn starch. Mix some up with a very little bit of water to make a thick paste. Stir it well (it will have a really weird consistency) then spread it over the stain. Let it dry completely overnight. The corn starch will draw the stain up and out. When dry, scrape off as much as you can with a butter knife or similar tool, then vacuum up the rest. Voila!

When cleaning the dust from the top of all the doors in your house,
it's always nice to add a few stretches to your cleaning routine.

hahaha JAlpha

Speaking of vinegar for the wash..use it for a first rinse before wearing any new brightly colored item, especially tie-dye, to prevent bleeding.

sassandgroove said:

If you microwave a Clorox wipe (oh i dunno, try 15 to 30 seconds) the steam will loosen some of the built up crud, then you have a hot wipe to clean it the rest of the way. Be careful when first picking up the wipe though.

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You can get the same results with baking soda. Microwave a solution of a couple of teaspoons baking soda mixed with a cup of water. Put them in a small bowl and nuke for a minute or two. The grease and food around the microwave will be loosened and you can dip a sponge in the soilution and use to clean the remaining stains from the walls of the microwave.

I cook a lot with citrus, so I use the left overs.
Cut up one orange, or lemon, or lime, and drop piece at a time in the garbage disposal (turned on) with super hot water running. It deoderizes the entire kitchen, and kills a lot of the smelly crap in the garbage disposal.
(my whole family does this, lol, i guess it is the orange appeal )

This is an email entitled "Good Things to Know" that a friend of mine sent me a while back. There are probably some spelling and formatting mistakes - I didn't write it, just copy and paste it here:

Good THINGS TO KNOW

1. Budweiser beer conditions the hair
2. Pam cooking spray will dry finger nail polish
3. Cool whip will condition your hair in 15 minutes
4. Mayonnaise will KILL LICE, it will also condition your hair
5. Elmer's Glue - paint on your face, allow it to dry, peel off and see the dead skin and blackheads if any

6. Shiny Hair - use brewed Lipton Tea
7. Sunburn - empty a large jar of Nestea into your bath water
8. Minor burn - Colgate or Crest toothpaste
9. Burn your tongue? Putsugar on it!
10. Arthritis? WD-40 Spray and rub in, kill insect stings too

11. Bee stings - meat tenderizer
12. Chigger bite - Preparation H
13. Puffy eyes - Preparation H
14. Paper cut - crazy glue or ! chap stick (glue is used instead of sutures at most hospitals)
15. Stinky feet - Jello!

16. Athletes feet - cornstarch
17. Fungus on toenails or fingernails - Vicks vapor rub
18. Kool aid to clean dishwasher pipes. Just put in t! he detergent section and run a cycle, it will also clean a toilet. (Wow, and we drink this stuff)
19. Kool Aid can be used as a dye in paint also Kool Aid in Dannon plain yogurt as a finger paint, your kids will love it and it won't hurt them if they eat it!
20. Peanut butter - will get scratches out of CD's! Wipe off with a coffee filter paper

21. Sticking bicycle chain - Pam no-stick cooking spray
22. Pam will also remove paint, and grease from your hands! Keep a can in your garage for your hubby
23. Peanut butter will remove ink from the face of dolls
24. When the doll clothes are hard to put on, sprinkle with corn starch and watch them slide on
25. Heavy dandruff - pour on the vinegar!

26. Body paint - Crisco mixed with food coloring. Heat the Crisco in the microwave, pour in to an empty film container and mix with the food color of your choice!
27. Tie Dye T-shirt - mix a solution of Kool Aid in a container, tie a rubber band around a section of the T-shirt and soak
28. Preserving a newspaper clipping - large bottle of club soda and cup of milk of magnesia, soak for 20 min. and let dry, will last for many years!
29. A Slinky will hold toast and CD's!
30. To keep goggles and glasses from fogging, coat with Colgate toothpaste

31. Wine stains, pour on the Morton salt and watch it absorb into the salt.
32. To remove wax - Take a paper towel and iron it over the wax stain, it will absorb into the towel.
33. Remove labels off glassware etc. rub with Peanut butter!
34. Baked on food - fill container with water, get a Bounce paper softener and the static from the Bounce towel will cause the baked on food to adhere to it. Soak overnight. Also; you can use 2 Efferdent tablets, soak overnight!
35. Crayon on the wall - Colgate to! othpaste and brush it!

36. Dirty grout - Listerine
37. Stains on clothes - Colgate
38. Grass stains - Karo Syrup
39. Grease Stains - Coca Cola, it will also remove grease stains from the driveway overnight. We know it will take corrosion from car batteries!
40. Fleas in your carpet? 20 Mule Team Borax- sprinkle and let stand for 24 hours.
41. To keep FRESH FLOWERS longer Add a little Clorox, or 2 Bayer aspirin, or just use 7-up i! nstead of water.

42. When you go to buy bread in the grocery store, have you ever wondered which is the freshest, so you "squeeze" for freshness or softness? Did you know that bread is delivered fresh to the stores five days a week? Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Each day has a different color twist tie. They are: Monday =Blue, Tuesday = Green, Thursday = Red, Friday = White and Saturday = Yellow.

So if today was Thursday, you would want red twist tie; not white which is Fridays (almost a week old)! The colors go alphabetically by color Blue- Green - Red - White - Yellow, Monday through Saturday. Very easy to remember. I thought this was interesting. I looked in the grocery store and the bread wrappers DO have different twist ties, and even the ones ! with the plastic clips have different colors.

Hope this helps!

WVWG

WVWriterGirl said:

This is an email entitled "Good Things to Know" that a friend of mine sent me a while back. There are probably some spelling and formatting mistakes - I didn't write it, just copy and paste it here:

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Now that's some pretty cool tips. Some I've heard before, but the one about the bread, which is the best tip of them all, is new to me. I must use that one next time I'm buying bread.

Hey,

What brilliant tips! How I wish we had all that with the names of UK products. Some I recognise, some I don't. For instance does anybody know the UK equivalent of 'corn starch'?

As for the microwave, Instead of leaving lemon to heat, I use vanilla essence. Makes a gorgeous smell in the kitchen. I also use white vinegar and lemon juice in a spray for cleaning just about everything.

Must go, off to get some pink 'bleeds' off a white shirt.

Thanks,

With the Kool aid for tie dyeing...It will work, but it will also fade if the fabric is cotton because it is technically a stain and not a dye with cotton fibers. Kool aid doesn't form a permanent bond unless you are dyeing nylon or wool...I also think silk can be dyed this way. Heat is a major factor in the process, so you either have to do the microwave thing or put the garment into a pot of near-boiling water with kool aid. It does make a fabulous, permanent nylon dye though. I have been tye dyeing vintage lingerie and selling it for ages.

Just remembered another one. Scrubbing bubbles (aerosol, not the trigger spray kind because it is too wet) bathroom cleaner cleans just about anything off flat wall paint without removing the paint. Ordinary fingerprints to crayon, I have cleaned miles of walls with that stuff and a plain cello sponge.

scarlet said:

. For instance does anybody know the UK equivalent of 'corn starch'?

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Corn Flour.

l.stormgaye said:

This is the best cleaning solution by far.

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Kids. (HEH HEH HEH, until my boy was 8, HE thought the dust buster was a toy car. Dust Bunnies beware!)

Coffee maker: run white vinegar through then clear water.

Scratched wood: Color hard with a like color crayon, buff off excess.

Slow Drains: A cup of bleach at night usually disolves most of it by morning.

No Liquid Fabric Softener: 3 tablespoons of hair conditioner, mixed with 3/4 cup of water, mix well.

Obnoxious Family: Don't use fabric softner then line dry everything.

Bathtub: Old broom handle. Staple or nail nylon net (or old bath scrubbies) to it. Be generous. Then any kind of cleanser will do. The leverage of the long stick helps you scrub without having to bend over like a babushka.

Baked on stuff inside of stove: Half an orange with salt on it, scrub. use more as necessary.

Edges of the kitchen floor/bathroom floor: Disobedient child with a toothbrush and cleanser.

Fleas: Buy an extra flea collar and cut it up and put it in your vaccuum bag.

Pet hair: Dustbuster your pet. Some cats don't like this. (like I really care, I feed him don't I?)

Sofa cushions: Tell the kids (roommates) that any money they find is theirs.

Mildew: If on shower curtains, take down and put in the washer with cold water and a cup of bleach. Even if they are plastic. Hang to dry. If on walls. Spray bottle and bleach solution 50/50 with water. Spray all surfaces open the window.

Wood floor: Tape those Swifter things to your slippers, open a beer and dance, dance, dance!

Mud tracked in on shoes: Death threats.

Crayon on the walls: Absorbent cotton rags and a Hot Iron. Most of it irons off, the rest can usually be wiped.

Stuff just left lying around the house: I have a big trash can labeled "LAST CHANCE" if the stuff is in the wrong place it goes in the trash can. the trash can goes out every Friday. If you want your stuff, go look in the trash can. There is rarely anything in it on Friday.

Bathroom Mirrors: someone answered this earlier but...Barbasol or any cheap shaving cream..no emolients. WHen mirror is dry, spray on about two quarter's size worth, rud in and polish off. Do this twice a week and your mirror won;t fog up when the steamy shower is on.

Diaper Pail: Husband or oldest child.

I like Jaycinth's attitude!!!! I will remember that when I have kids, especially the last chance can!

Baking soda, for me, has been a lifesaver! It really helps to remove crayon marks from walls, television sets, windows . . . I just use a little with any ol' all purpose cleanser.

BTW, I will have to try the iron to remove crayon, but only after the kiddos are asleep.

Shwebb said:

Baking soda, for me, has been a lifesaver! It really helps to remove crayon marks from walls, television sets, windows . . . I just use a little with any ol' all purpose cleanser.

BTW, I will have to try the iron to remove crayon, but only after the kiddos are asleep.

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You know what else is great for removing crayon from everything? WD-40!

Calcium and mineral deposits...

We are on a community well in a rural area and the water has lots of particulates in it. We went away for 6 weeks and when we came back there was a brown scum line at the water level in the toilets. It took repeated attempts to get rid of it; white vinegar, bleach, baking soda, Lime-Away, amonia and TSP all failed but one of my friends told me to try a pumice stone! It worked great and was worth the $4 I spent on the pumice.

DTNg said:

You know what else is great for removing crayon from everything? WD-40!

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WD40 will also remove the sticky left after you take off a price tag.

The cloth & iron trick for crayons also works for candle wax on table cloths.

Those "Magic Erasers" are amazing too! They'll remove crayon from walls, black heal marks from floors, etc.