Household Cleaning Hints and Tips

By J. A. Young

The following article provides sage (and easy-to-follow) household wisdom to keep your abode in tip-top shape.

Dirty Microwave: Put a dish of water in the microwave with a lemon slice and bring it to a boil. Wait until there is plenty of steam, then open and wipe out the inside with a damp cloth.

Greasy Pans: Add a tablespoon of vinegar to your dishwater to help remove the grease more easily.

Dirty Pots and Pans (with baked on food grime): Boil Coca-Cola in the pan and the burned, baked-on grime should come right off.

Ice Trays: Soak your trays in vinegar to remove hard-water buildup.

Musty Books: Place several dryer sheets between the pages of the book and place in a Ziplock bag for a couple weeks. Placing a book in clean kitty litter is also known to remove musty odors.

Brass Tarnish: Soak your brass in cherry Kool-Aid for 10 minutes to remove tarnish.

General Carpet Stains: Rub club soda onto the stain with a sponge and blot with paper towels.

Wine Stains on Carpet: Pour some household salt onto the stain. Salt should cause stain to disappear.

Glass Coffeepot: Fill the stained pot with Coca-Cola and let it sit overnight. By the morning you should see a clean pot - just wash out the Coke.

Crayon on the Walls: Use a hair dryer to heat the wax from the crayon, then wipe with a paper towel.

Garbage Disposal: Freshen your disposal with a quarter cup of lemon juice. Let it sit in your drain for 10 minutes.

Mirrors: Toothpaste cleans mirror tarnish. Applesauce also will clean a mirror.

Paintings: Use a slice of bread to run off dirt or grime from oil paintings.

Crock Pot: Fill your grimy crock pot with soapy water and cook on high for one hour.

Dirty Glassware: Use a vinegar-saturated sponge to clean glassware.

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© Doityourself.com 2006