Household Cleaning Hints and Tips

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 sheets of bounce 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 ten minutes to remove tarnish.

General carpet stains: Rub Canada Dry Club Soda onto the stain with a sponge and blot with paper towels.

Wine stains on carpet: Pour Morton 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 ten minutes.

Mirrors: Colgate Toothpaste cleans mirror tarnish. Mott’s Applesauce also will clean a mirror.

Paintings: Use a slice of Wonder 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.