Household Tips

Note: We DO NOT endorse nor are we responsible for the validity or safety

any of the tips sent in by visitors and/or published here.

1. Extend the life of your dryer, reduce energy bills and prevent fire by washing the lint screen of your dryer in hot soapy water at least once a month. Fabric softeners and dryer sheets cause an unseen film to build up on your lint filter screen thus reducing the efficiency of your dryer and working your dryer to an early death, raising energy bills and creating a fire hazard.

2. If your contact lenses fall on the floor, darken the room and slowly shine a Flashlight or small lamp back and forth across the floor area. The light should make the lens glisten, even in a deep pile rug.

If you don't want to scratch them while feeling for them, use a piece of bread and dab it on the floor. The lenses will stick to the bread and there will be no scratching.

3. Red wine on carpet or fabric:
Immediately cover the stain liberally with club soda. For carpets, you can also rub with waterless hand cleaner. In either case, if the stain persists, dab it with hydrogen peroxide and rinse with cold water. If all else fails, try cream of tartar paste.

4. Tea and coffee:
On fabric, spray with hair spray, then rub with a bar of soap and rinse in cold water.

5. Ketchup:
On carpet, first dab away as much as possible, being careful not to work the stain deeper into the carpet. Cover the area with a liberal amount of regular (foamy) shaving cream and rub vigorously with a sponge. When you wipe away the excess, the stain should go too.

6. Bleach to clean sink stains:
To remove stains from an unpainted white porcelain sink, line the sink with paper towels and spray them with undiluted chlorine bleach until the towels are saturated. Let sit for about 20 minutes.

Alternatively, you can plug the sink and pour in bleach to cover the stains. Let stand for 20 minutes and rinse. The bleach won't hurt your pipes as it drains, but it will kill bacteria in them.

7. Blinds:
You can wet wooden blinds when cleaning, but don't soak them. Clean them in place instead of removing them, as you would for other types of blinds.
Use a rubber dry sponge (found at hardware or paint stores) to remove dust and residue from both fabric and vinyl blinds. Simply wipe the dry sponge firmly across the blinds.

8. Eliminating Kitchen Odors:
To neutralize strong odors like fish and onions, pour about one cup of vinegar into one cup of water and boil until almost evaporated.

9. To clean a garbage disposal, pour in one cup undiluted bleach, which will kill bacteria without harming the pipes, or chop up the stems of aromatic herbs and place them in the disposal.

10. Keeping Can Openers Free From Bacteria:
Can openers can be a breeding ground for bacteria, so they need to be cleaned on a regular basis. Here's a few quick tips for how to do that:

Wipe the cutting blade each time you use it.

Wipe the tops of cans with a damp cloth before opening.

Frequently remove the blade and soak it in warm soapy water, then rub it with mineral oil to prevent rust.

Combine four parts water with one part rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle for a terrific eyeglass cleaner. Spray the solution on lenses and wipe clean with a tissue.

11. Remove a crease in a garment such as a hem by sponging on white vinegar then pressing with a warm iron. Launder as usual.

12. Another way to bust dust from such areas like a television or on top of a refrigerator is to mix together one part fabric softener and four parts water. Moisten a rag with this mixture, and rub over the area. It will help take away the static electricity.

For delicate areas like a lampshade, use a soft paintbrush to dust. Not only will it not hurt the lampshade, but it will also get into the nooks and crannies.

If the items in a china or curio cabinet get extremely dusty, seal the doors tighter by attaching self-adhesive foam weather stripping to the inside of the doors.

An easy way to clean knickknacks is to put them all on a tray and submerge them into a solution of soapy water or under a fine shower spray.

13. Getting Rid of Odors:
To remove an unpleasant odor from a lunchbox, make a mixture of equal parts vinegar and water and soak it into the sponge. Place the sponge in the lunchbox for at least 24 hours, and the odor will be gone.

14. To remove onion smell from your hands, plastics or storage containers hold a stainless steel knife under cold running water and allow it to run over your hands or plastics.

15. Cleaning Small Crevices:
Dip a cotton swab in a mild cleaning detergent, then use to clean small cracks and crevices on your phone.

16. To easily remove rubber gloves, hold your hands under cold tap water for a few minutes. They should slip right off

 

 

Have a Household Tip to share ?