Showing posts with label household. Show all posts
Showing posts with label household. Show all posts

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

handy tips

A friend of mine sent me a forward email the other day with some useful tips. I hope it's as helpful as it was for me. Enjoy!

For icy door steps in freezing temperatures: get warm water and put
Dawn dish washing liquid in it. Pour it all over the steps. They won't

refreeze. (wish I had known this for the last 40 years!)

To remove old wax from a glass candle holder, put it in the freezer for a few hours.. Then take the candle holder out and turn it upside down. The wax will fall out.


crayons a sculptural photo by littleputbooks $44.00


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.



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.
Now a box of S.O.S pads last me indefinitely! In fact, I have noticed that the scissors get sharpened this way!



fresh laundry print by aYadesigns $10.00


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 on a sunny day. They will dry too quickly and will probably streak.


Spray a bit of perfume on the light bulb 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 stove top. Or, fill pan with water, add a fabric softener sheet.

Let it soak overnight. Food will just wash away.

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.

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.



small black chalkboard by RowansRoom $38.00


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 they 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, and
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 Heinz White Vinegar. Wait a few minutes, and then run the hot water.


Makes you wonder about ingesting Alka Seltzer, doesn't it?


Don't forget to enter my giveaway! Closes September 5.

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Spring Cleaning: A Rumble with the Household Jumble

Along with doing the basic wipe-downs, dustings, and scrubbings for your spring cleaning, try out some of these tips for getting into those dirty hidden places of your kitchen.




Some items you may need for your cleaning venture:

Dust mop
Step ladder
Cleaning cloths
Bucket
Sponge/rags
Vacuum
All purpose cleaner and dish soap
Oven cleaner
Broom and mop

Let's start out with the fun stuff up top! Dust off the top of those high cabinets and wipe down the top of your refrigerator. Brace yourself; it’s ain’t gonna be pretty. With a mild cleaner, wash down your walls, backsplash, and baseboards working your way from top of the room to the bottom.




Just because your dishwasher is designed to “wash” doesn’t mean it’s always fit to do so. Yes, washing devices need their share of cleaning as well. To make sure your dishes come out sparkling, try running an empty load with a cup of white vinegar. This will help clean out all the guts of your dishwasher.

One of my grandma’s cleanings tricks for cleaning a stainless steel sink was to pour baking soda in the sink and let the excess water in the bottom form it into a paste. Take a rag and work the baking soda paste into the micro-grooves of the stainless steel. When you rinse it away, your sink is left shiny! For a fresh scent, drop a lemon or orange peel into the garbage disposal and turn it on. Don't be alarmed by the montrous sound coming from the disposal. Let it run until it sounds smooth. Not only does this clean out the disposal, but it sends a wave of citrus scent throughout your kitchen.




Crumbs always seem to find their way into my kitchen drawers. This is a good time to empty out the drawers and wipe them down with a mild cleanser. Reorganize as you replace your items and set aside the ones you know you won’t use to give away. And don't think twice about the things in this pile; if you don't use it, lose it.

Completely empty out your refrigerator and freezer (one at a time) and sort out the food you'll keep from what you'll discard. Remove the shelves and drawers and wipe them down. This is the perfect time to go ahead and wipe out the walls since it's nice and bare inside. If you have a nasty odor, you've probably heard of leaving an open container of baking soda to eliminate this, but if the stench is still overpowering, try pouring the baking soda onto a cookie sheet. This will allow it to circulate better and wipe out the odor.


Next Spring Cleaning Post... Tackling Your Living Space