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Cleaning tips
- When
you dust, start at the top and work down.
- Take
all your cleaning tools, avoid unnecessary trips back and forth.
- Clean
as you go! It takes a lot less time to remove new dirt than old.
- Leave
baking soda on carpeting over night will absorb musty odors
- Make
a checklist of chores to get organized first.
- Wash
walls from the bottom up, to avoid streaking.
- Use old
socks as mitts for cleaning difficult wood work.
- Wash
small knickknacks instead of dusting.
- To removing
heel marks , take pencil eraser and rub them off.
- Don't
mix cleaning products. Ammonia and bleach are toxic.
- Remember
common cleaners such as windex and comet meet this don't do rule.
- Allowing
cleaners to set for several minutes will ease the cleaning job.
Interior
Walls
- Wall
cleaner, mix 1/2 c. ammonia, 1/4 c. white vinegar, and 1/4 c.
baking soda to 1 gal. warm water.
- For cleaning
textured walls use nylon socks instead of a sponge or cloth to
avoid leaving material chunks behind.
- To dust
wall paper, tie a dustcloth over your broom and work from the
top down.
- To remove
pencil marks & other non-greasy spots from non-washable papers,
use an art-gum eraser .
- To remove
greasy spots or crayon, apply a paste of cleaning fluid and fuller's
earth and cornstarch. Let the wall dry and brush off residue.
Repeat the treatment until the spot is gone.
Exterior
Walls
- Use a
water hose to spray the outside of your house. This will remove
siding cobwebsand dirt.
- Textured
siding ? Attach a car-washing brush to the hose to remove dirt.
Windows
- Make
your own spray cleaner. Fill a spray bottle with 3 tablesoopns
ammonia, 1 tablespoon vinegar & the remainder with water.
- Dust
blinds by wrapping a cloth around a ruler. Spray cloth with a
dusting spray and run the flat end across each blind.
- Shine
windows using old newspaper.
- Clean
windows on an average temperature, preferably overcast day to
avoid streaks.
- Dry windows
outside in one direction then inside in the other direction. If
you see a streak, you will know which side is the ofender.
- To clean
window sills, pour diluted rubbing alcohol on a cloth and rub
the entire surface.Then dust off the sill with a clean cloth.
Bathroom
- Rubbing
alcohol can remove the dull haze from mirrors.
- Use rubbing
alcohol to remove spots from bathroom fixtures.
- Glass
shower doors will sparkle if cleaned with white vinegar.
- To clean
the shower, use a solution of 1/2 cup vinegar, 1 cup ammonia,
and 1/4 cup baking soda added to one gallon of warm water.
- Lemon
furniture oil will remove water spots on metal frames.
- Rusty
tile marks can be removed with kerosene.
- Running
the shower on hot for five minutes will steam the dirt loose.
- Grout
need cleaning? Wash with 2 tablespoons chlorine bleach in one
quart of water. Dry thoroughly, then apply several coats of lemon
oil. Let dry one hour between coats.
- Dull
walls will shine when washed with vinegar and waterand plished
with a dry cloth.
- Lighter
fluid will remove most stains from porcelain sinks and bathtubs.
Kitchen
See
Kitchen 101
- Pour
club soda on counter and clean with a soft cloth, rinse with water
then wipe dry.
- Baking
soda or club soda will clean and shine stainless steel sinks easily.
- Remove
stubborn water spots from a stainless sink with a cloth dampened
with rubbing alcohol.
- Spots
on stainless steel also can be removed with vinegar.
- Rub stainless
steel sinks with lighter fluid if rusty .
- For a
sparkling white porcelain sink, place paper towels across the
bottom of your sink and saturate with household bleach. Let sit
for 8 hour & rinse. Never use bleach in colored sinks.
Refrigerator
- An open
box of baking soda will absorb odors for a month or so.
- A few
drops vanilla extract on a piece of cotton placed in the refrigerator
will eliminate odors.
- Wipe
refrigerator with vinegar to prevent mildew.
- Use your
vacuum on the front of the coils and motor to remove dust and
dirt
Appliances
- Stop
yellowing of white appliances. Mix 1/2 cup bleach, 1/4 cup baking
soda and 4 cups of warm water. Apply with a sponge and let set
for 10 minutes. Rinse and dry thoroughly.
- Wax large
appliances with car wax to make them shine and to remove small
scratches.
Wood
Floors
- Floor
cleaner is a solution of 1/2 cup of white vinegar in 1 gallon
of warm water. Damp mop with a mop squeezed nearly dry. It is
safer to mist the mop with the cleaner than to apply to floor.
Do a section at a time and throw an old towel on the floor and
scoot back and forth with foot to dry and prevent streaks. Standing
liquid from mopping, spills, and pet accidents can damage floors.
- The greatest
damage done to wood floors is from grit. Mats at doors are necessary
to collect grit and it's important to keep these clean. Frequent
dust mopping in high traffic areas to collect grit is the best
prevention. This should be done based on the amount of traffic,
which may require dust mopping several times a day in an active
household. The brush attachment of a vacuum can be used (no beater
bars). Felt and furniture protectors should be installed on furniture.
Never scoot furniture on wood.
- Put a
piece of waxed paper under your dust mop. Dirt will stick to the
mop and the wax will shine your floors.
- Use a
paper bag over spilled candle wax then lightly iron
- Removin
Stains
- Water Stains
- Rub the spot with No.
2 steel wood and rewax. For more serious water stains,
lightly sand with fine sandpaper, clean the spot with
No. 1 or 00 steel wool and mineral spirits or floor cleaner
then refinish and wax.
- Cigarette Burns
- If not severe, the burn
can be removed by rubbing with steel wool moistened with
soap and water.
- Heel and Caster Marks
- Rub vigorously with fine
steel wool and floor cleaner. Wipe dry and polish.
- Ink Stains and Other Dark
Spots
- Use No. 2 steel wool
and floor cleaner to clean the spot and surrounding area.
Thoroughly wash the affected area. If the spot remains,
sand with fine sandpaper, re-wax and polish. Stubborn
stains may require that you replace the affected area.
- Chewing Gum and Wax Deposits
- Ice until the deposit
is brittle and crumbles off. Pour floor cleaner around
the stain so the fluid soaks under and loosens it.
- Alcohol Spots
- Rub the spot with liquid
or paste wax
Vinyl
Floors
- Sweep
then damp mop using a gallon of water and a dash of dishwashing
detergent.
- No-wax
floors eventually need waxing, this will help to prevent further
deterioration.
Cleaning
Carpets
- To clean
dry spots, loosen soil and vacuum away prior to moistening it.
- When
taking out stains, always use a white cloth.
- Wax dropped
on carpet or upholstery? Set a clean, absorbent cloth over the
wax stain and hold a hot iron on it. Then remove the cloth.
- Coat
mildly greasy stains with aerosol shaving cream, use a hair dryer
to speed dry. Then vacuum.
- Sprinkle
a greasy stain with baking soda, cornstarch or talcum powder.
Leave on at least 8 hours, then vacuum.
Did
you know that Bounce, the stuff you use in the dryer has many cleaning
uses?
- Eliminates static electricity
from your television screen. Since Bounce is designed to help
eliminate static cling, wipe your television screen with a used
sheet of Bounce to keep dust from resettling.
- Dissolves soap scum from shower
doors. Clean with a used sheet of Bounce.
- Freshens the air in your home.
Place an individual sheet of Bounce in a drawer or hang one in
the closet.
- Prevents thread from tangling.
Run a threaded needle through a sheet of Bounce to eliminate the
static cling on the thread before sewing.
- Eliminates static cling from
pantyhose. Rub a damp, used sheet of Bounce over the hose.
- Prevents musty suitcases. Place
an individual sheet of Bounce inside empty luggage before storing.
- Freshens the air in your car.
Place a sheet of Bounce under the front seat.
- Cleans baked-on food from a cooking
pan. Put a sheet in the pan, fill with water, let sit overnight,
and sponge clean. The anti-static agents apparently weaken the
bond between the food and the pan while the fabric softening agents
soften the baked-on food.
- Eliminates odors in wastebaskets.
Place a sheet of Bounce at the bottom of the wastebasket.
- Collects cat hair. Rubbing the
area with a sheet of Bounce will magnetically attract all the
loose hairs.
- Eliminates static electricity
from venetian blinds. Wipe the blinds with a sheet of Bounce to
prevent dust from resetting.
- Deodorizes shoes or sneakers.
Place a sheet of Bounce in your shoes or sneakers overnight so
they'll smell great in the morning.
Cleaning Marble "MARBLE IS
TRICKY, USE AT YOUR OWN RISK"
- For heavier stains on marble,
take three or four cakes of Ivory soap, cut them up and dissolve
in hot water until you have a "slurry." Paint this on
the marble and let it sit for five days or so. If the gunk starts
to dry during that time, wet it down. At the end of the period,
wash it all off.
- To remove lighter stains, sprinkle
salt on a fresh cut lemon. Rub very lightly over stain. Do not
rub hard or you will ruin the polished surface. Wash off with
soap and water.
Sealed envelope - Put in the freezer
for a few hours, then slide a knife
under the flap. The envelope can then be resealed.
============================================
Use Empty toilet paper roll to store appliance cords. It keeps
them neat
and you can write on the roll to what appliance it belongs.
============================================
For icy door steps in freezing temperatures: get warm water and
put Dawn
dishwashing liquid in it. Pour it all over the steps. They won't
refreeze.
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Crayon marks on walls? This worked wonderfully! A damp rag, dipped
in
baking soda. Comes off with little effort (elbow grease that is)!
==================================================
Permanent marker on appliances/counter tops (like store receipt
BLUE)!
rubbing alcohol on paper towel.
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Whenever I purchase a box of S.O.S Pads, I immediately take a
pair of
scissors and cut each pad into halves. After years of having to
throw
away rusted and unused and smelly pads, I finally decided that
this would
be much more economical. And now a box of S.O.S pads last me
indefinitely! In fact, I have noticed that the scissors
get sharpened
this way!
============================================
Blood stains on clothes? Not to worry! Just pour a little hydrogen
peroxide on a cloth and proceed to wipe off every drop of blood.
Works
every time! Now, where to put the body?
================================================
Use vertical strokes when washing windows outside and horizontal
for
inside windows. This way you can tell which side has the streaks.
Straight vinegar will get outside windows really clean. Don't
wash
windows on a sunny day. They will dry too quickly and will probably
streak.
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Spray a bit of perfume on the lightbulb in any room to create
a lovely
light scent in each room when the light is turned on.
================================================
Place fabric softener sheets in dresser drawers and your clothes
will
smell freshly washed for weeks to come. You can also do this with
towels
and linen.
================================================
Candles will last a lot longer if placed in the freezer for at
least 3
hours prior to burning.
================================================
To clean artificial flowers, pour some salt into a paper bag and
add the
flowers. Shake vigorously as the salt will absorb all the dust
and dirt
and leave your artificial flowers looking like new! Works like
a charm!
=================================================
To easily remove burnt on food from your skillet, simply add a
drop or
two of dish soap and enough water to cover bottom of pan, and
bring to a
boil on stovetop.
================================================
Spray your TUPPERWARE with nonstick cooking spray before pouring
in
tomato based sauces and there won't be any stains.
================================================
Wrap celery in aluminum foil when putting in the refrigerator
and it will
keep for weeks.
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When boiling corn on the cob, add a pinch of sugar to help bring
out the
corn's natural sweetness.
================================================
Cure for headaches: Take a lime, cut it in half and rub it on
your
forehead. The throbbing will go away.
=================================================
Don't throw out all that leftover wine: Freeze into ice cubes
for future
use in casseroles and sauces.
================================================
To get rid of itch from mosquito bites, try applying soap on the
area And
you will experience instant relief.
================================================
Ants, ants, ants everywhere . . . Well, they are said to never
cross a
chalk line. So get your chalk out and draw a line on the floor
or
wherever ants tend to march. See for yourself.
================================================
Use air-freshener to clean mirrors. It does a good job and better
still,
leaves a lovely smell to the shine.
===================================== ===========
When you get a splinter, reach for the scotch tape before resorting
to
tweezers or a needle Simply put the scotch tape over the splinter,
then
pull it off. Scotch tape removes most splinters painlessly and
easily.
================================================
Now look what you can do with Alka Seltzer. Clean a toilet. Drop
in two
Alka Seltzer tablets, wait twenty minutes, brush and flush. The
citric
acid and effervescent action clean vitreous China.
================================================
Clean a vase. To remove a stain from the bottom of a glass vase
or cruet,
fill with water and drop in two Alka Seltzer tablets.
================================================
Polish jewelry. Drop two Alka Seltzer tablets into a glass of
water and
immerse the jewelry for two minutes.
=================================================
Clean a thermos bottle. Fill the bottle with water, drop in four
Alka
Seltzer tablets, and let soak for an hour (or longer, if necessary).
================================================
Unclog a drain. Clear the sink drain by dropping three Alka Seltzer
Tablets down the drain followed by a cup of White Vinegar. Wait
a few
minutes, then run the hot! water.
Now that your done
cleaning enjoy the outdoors
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