Household hints and cleaning recipes!

[deedarino]

One of my faves...

Vinegar in laundry! Add about 1/4 cup white distilled vinegar to the last rinse. It is too mild to harm fabrics, but strong enough to dissolve the alkalies. It also whitens whites, brightens brights and makes black less blah. AND, it acts as a fabric softener and static reducer; using it will actually make your towels softer. Plus, it helps with the bad smells like smoke etc. Finally, it works on clothes that have mold or mildew (for anyone who has forgotten about a load of wet clothes in the washer).

This is so wonderful! Adding a little essential oil with will make your clothes smell amazing.

Vinegar will also attract those pesky fruit flies. They dive right in to a little cup left on the counter.

[PaPa]

Originally Posted by LaneyDoll

Ok, more laundry stuff-kind of.

Laundry sheets uses:

~put in your pocket to help repel mosquitos
~tuck under the seat of your car to help the scent stay fresh
~wipe across hair when static is an issue
~stash in the lingerie drawer for body-friendly sachets

I have also found that dryer sheets are good for dusting furniture and television screens...anything that usually gathers dust. The fabric softener in the sheet works as a dust repellent.

Also using cooled cigarette ashes mixed with a little bit of water on water stained end tables or coffee tables will remove those white spots.

Toothpaste is an excellent cleaner of silver jewelry. You must brush lightly with a toothbrush because it can be abrasive.

Use a rubber glove to help grip and open tough to open jars. Also if you put it under hot water it helps to break the seal.

Hard to clean shower doors? Use WD 40 applied to a cloth and be careful not to get it on the tub or floor surface because it will make it slippery. But it will clean the hard to get off soap scum.

A clogged drain? 1 cup of baking soda followed by 1 cup of hot vinegar (heated in the microwave) Wait a few minutes and then follow with two quarts of hot water. The reaction of the baking soda vinegar boils out anything that is in there...it's temperature helps as well.

Also you can remove odors from a garbage disposal in the sink by running through some citrus.

Coat a deck of old cards with baby powder to make them slippery again.

Ever wonder why they sell bunches of daffodils together without other flowers?? Do not mix cut daffodils with other flowers as there is a toxin that daffodils produce that will kill the other flowers.

Vinegar water (1/2 cup vinegar to 2 cups water approximately - more vinegar if the glass is very dirty) and old newspapers for cleaning windows for a streak free look.

Crayon on walls? WD 40 or a hair dryer which will help to melt the wax base of the crayon and assist in wiping it off.

Pen or pencil marks on the wall. Cloth dipped into milk and wipe it off.

Clean brass with lemon juice.

Remove chewing gum with peanut butter. If on clothing put it in the freezer and then scrape it off.

Rubbing alcohol to clean flat topped stoves.

Clean the microwave...I always hated this job until I found this! Cut up one lemon and add one cup of water in a microwave safe bowl. Heat for five minutes. It will loosen any stuff from the inside and you can just wipe it out with a cloth. It gets rid of the grime while adding a fresh scent.



I guess that is all from me for now. I have learned many tricks of the trade over the years. I did janitorial work for many years. Hope these help y'all. If I think of more I will post again later.

[The JD]

Am I the only one who gags at the smell of white vinegar? My parents used to run it through their coffee maker once a month to make their coffee taste fresher (yet another use for it), but I HATED those days. I'd run for the jar of Vick's salve and rub some on my upper lip to fight off the smell and the gag reflex (years later, I discovered that forensic scientists used Vick's in exactly the same way, to mask the smell of decomposing bodies... it seems I was on to something. Wait, does that count as a household cleaning tip?).

Anyway, I want to like the smell of vinegar. I do. It's clearly the miracle cleaner, and way better for the environment. But thanks to my nose, just not *my* environment.

[julieisafemme]

Wow! My favorite subject is cleaning! Great tips so far.

To clean a slow or stinky drain put a big pot of water to boil. Take some baking soda and pour it into the drain. Pour some vinegar on top and watch it froth up! Let that sit for 10 minutes or so and then pour the whole pot of boiling water down the drain. Do this once a month to keep drains fresh and clear. This will not, however, clear up a very clogged sink.

What are your favorite cleaning products you can buy at the store?

[deedarino]

Coat a deck of old cards with baby powder to make them slippery again.

Also cornmeal...

[deedarino]

Originally Posted by The JD

Am I the only one who gags at the smell of white vinegar? My parents used to run it through their coffee maker once a month to make their coffee taste fresher (yet another use for it), but I HATED those days. I'd run for the jar of Vick's salve and rub some on my upper lip to fight off the smell and the gag reflex (years later, I discovered that forensic scientists used Vick's in exactly the same way, to mask the smell of decomposing bodies... it seems I was on to something. Wait, does that count as a household cleaning tip?).

Anyway, I want to like the smell of vinegar. I do. It's clearly the miracle cleaner, and way better for the environment. But thanks to my nose, just not *my* environment.

I HATE it...Blech. The laundry tip doesn't leave the vinegar smell in the end.

[The JD]

Originally Posted by deedarino

Vinegar will also attract those pesky fruit flies. They dive right in to a little cup left on the counter.

So... you catch more flies with vinegar than honey?

[~ocean]

coffee filters r great on windows too

[girl_dee]

Originally Posted by julieisafemme

Wow! My favorite subject is cleaning! Great tips so far.

To clean a slow or stinky drain put a big pot of water to boil. Take some baking soda and pour it into the drain. Pour some vinegar on top and watch it froth up! Let that sit for 10 minutes or so and then pour the whole pot of boiling water down the drain. Do this once a month to keep drains fresh and clear. This will not, however, clear up a very clogged sink.

What are your favorite cleaning products you can buy at the store?

i love COMET. Plain ole Comet!

[chai~]

I haven't read the entire thread, but before this slips my mind again, I will share it.
Maybe someone already has and if so, sorry for the repeat!

Sterling silver is my favorite precious metal.
I use toothpaste, not gel to clean all my jewlery.
To get into all the nooks and crannies, I use an old toothbrush.

I scrub till the past turns grey, rinse and voilla!!!

Shiny, gorgeous, as beautiful as new, and inexpensive!

To lessen the tarnishing of sterling, it's a great idea to keep the pieces in a zip lock bag with as much air squished out as possible.

[girl_dee]

Uses for used coffee grounds?

[pajama]

Originally Posted by Cajun_dee

Uses for used coffee grounds?

African violets love them. They also can go in compost for other plants.

[The JD]

Originally Posted by Cajun_dee

Uses for used coffee grounds?

Facial scrub? :P

I've heard coffee grounds are fantastic for compost. Wonder if I could get a caffeine buzz from the veggies grown from it.

[femmennoir]

Originally Posted by Cajun_dee

Uses for used coffee grounds?

Of course, compost, but also good to dye stuff, just like black tea. It gives a very light golden brown to yellowed doilies, yarn, t-shirts etc.

Elle*

[justkim]

Use them in your garden or potted plants...

ETA you can go to your local Starbucks and get grounds... I am not sure if any of the other coffee houses do this but it won't hurt to ask...

Originally Posted by Cajun_dee

Uses for used coffee grounds?

[girl_dee]

being from the south we have bugs


putting grounds in plants draws bugs and so i've never tried it.

But i will, i have african violets and other stuffs

[girl_dee]

Originally Posted by justkim

Use them in your garden or potted plants...

ETA you can go to your local Starbucks and get grounds... I am not sure if any of the other coffee houses do this but it won't hurt to ask...

we have a surplus

[justkim]

There is something about the smell of bleach that makes me feel like things are really clean. But, I also like anything that has a Citrus scent to it.

[girl_dee]

Originally Posted by justkim

There is something about the smell of bleach that makes me feel like things are really clean. But, I also like anything that has a Citrus scent to it.

i am the opposite, i don't like citrus ... although i have taken cinnamon sticks and sliced oranges and simmered them which smelled divine.

[justkim]

I can't handle the smell of Vanilla... it makes me want to vomit... Shot, dee, I believe you have seen my perfume collection I am all about how stuff smells. I recently was introduced to a new scent by Scentsy Weathered leather... I may have swooned... just a little... some of their other scents are to die for...