Everyday Advice

By using ordinary household products to clean, you can save money and at the same time do something positive for our environment.

Give your counter tops a new shine with club soda.

To deodorize carpets, sprinkle them with baking soda at night and vacuum in the morning.

Use a soft cloth dampened with white vinegar to remove water spots from stainless steel and wipe dry.

Add a generous amount of baking soda to your hot dish water to help remove dried on foods from pots and pans. Let soak for 15 minutes, and then wash as usual.

For faster dusting, wear old socks like gloves and go at it with both hands.

Wash windows on a cloudy day to help prevent streaking. Use vertical strokes on the inside and horizontal strokes on the outside so you will know which side has streaks.

To eliminate refrigerator odours, pour a little vanilla on a piece of cotton and place in the refrigerator or place a bowl in the back of the refrigerator with a few briquettes of charcoal.

The bathroom will be much easier to clean after a steamy bath or shower. The steam will help loosen the dirt.

Apply a good paste wax to shower tiles and buff with a dry cloth to deter water spots.

Alcohol on a rag cleans keyboards great!

Rubbing alcohol takes off the sticky stuff left from scotch tape.

When dusting, start at the top and work your way to the bottom. Vacuum last.

After cleaning your garbage cans, scatter a handful of dry laundry detergent in the bottom of the can to repel flies and other insects.

Use a slice of lemon to rub off dried on eggs from tableware.

Use a soft paint brush for dusting hard to reach places, cracks, corners, etc.

Keep an outdoor mat at each outside door to cut down on tracked in dirt.

Add a little vinegar to the rinse water for shiny, streakless glasses.

When washing windows, use crumbled newspapers for drying the windows, a great way to recycle and lint free. Wear gloves to keep the ink from your hands.

When you have a spray bottle your going to throw out put a little bleach in it and spray the tub and shower - then throw out the bottle - rinse thoroughly. Gets rid of stains and mildew!

Use baking soda on a damp sponge to remove odours from cutting boards.

Line your oven with foil in bottom, to keep oven clean after you clean it! Never mix two or more cleaning products together, they could be toxic.

For an unpleasant odour from the garbage disposal, grind lemon or orange peels in it.

Polish leather upholstery with a cream made from 1 part vinegar and 2 parts linseed oil.

When polishing silver forks, use pipe cleaners dipped in silver polish to polish between the tines.

Use a sponge dampened with white vinegar to remove soap residue.

To clean electric drip coffeemakers, periodically run a solution of half white vinegar and half water through it. The heated solution will clean the coffeemaker. If the buildup is heavy, repeat the process. Thoroughly rinse all parts of the unit. Then run plain cold water through a cycle to remove all traces.

To have shiny wood floors, place a piece of waxed paper under your dust mop. Mop the floor, the dirt will stick to the mop and the wax will shine your floors.

After cleaning your ceiling fans, apply a thin coat of wax to the blades to repel dust.

Mix one cup bleach with one gallon water and pour into a spray bottle. Use as a daily shower cleaner, spraying after each shower. No need to rinse.

Do you have ring around the collar? Apply white chalk to the stain. The chalk will absorb the oils in the fabric.

To keep your white sink white, cover with paper towels soaked in bleach. Let stand for 30 minutes; then rinse thoroughly with cool water.

Vinegar and baking soda gets out stubborn bathroom stains...I once used it to remove black hair dye from a shower-tub.

After cleaning the inside of your refrigerator or freezer, wipe the the inside with white vinegar and allow to air dry. The vinegar will discourage the growth of mold and mildew.

Other hints