Tuesday's Top 10 Cleaning Tips
1. Peroxide for blood stains - One of the best ways to remove blood stain is to pour some peroxide on the stain and let it sit for 10 minutes, then rinse with cold water. This will usually take the stain right out. Launder as usual. Some fabrics may fade slightly, so do a test spot first.
2. Grass stains for baseball/football pants - We've all been there. The little boys who don't think it is a sport unless they slide into base or jump on the tackle. Grass stains are very hard to get out of those white pants so many teams wear. When my son played ball, I discovered that you could make a "paste" of Cascade dishwasher detergent and a little water and rub it into the stain. Scrub a little and let set for about an hour. Launder as usual and the stain should come right out.
3. Ball caps - People of both genders and all ages love their baseball caps. Whether for work or play, they have a tendency to lose their shape when you wash them. For years, I have washed hubby's hats with Arm and Hammer detergent (it is good for removing sweat stains and odor). I then turn a sauce pan upside down and place the hat on it and sit it out in the sun to dry. They look brand new when it's done.
4. Laundry Baskets - I am a big fan of a laundry basket for easy clean up around the house. I start at the front of the house and walk through every room and collect items that are not where they are supposed to be (magazines, shoes, socks, etc.). After making a sweep through the whole house, I start back at the beginning and as I clean a room, I pull out items from the basket that belong in that room and put them back up. When I'm done, the basket is empty and things are where they should be.
5. Emergency Dusting - I hate to dust. I try to do it on a regular basis, but it seems like the minute you are done, it starts all over again. How many times have you received "the" phone call that says "I'm in your neighborhood and just wanted to stop by and visit." You immediately look around the house to see what absolutely needs to be done. A quick swipe of a Pledge Dust Cloth can get around the main items. But what about that knick-knack area that has so many things that need removed before dusting? It's simple. Keep a can of the computer air spray that you use on keyboards and simply "blow" the dust to one side of the shelf and make a quick wipe on that side.
6. Emergency Clean Up - The drop-by visit is another reason to use the trusted laundry basket. Simply walk through the house and put anything that's out of place in the basket and sit it in the laundry room or the floor of a closet until after the guests leave and then pull it out and put things away.
7. Quick and Easy Floor Cleaning - We all have those high volume traffic areas across our kitchen linoleum that always looks dingier than the rest of the floor. I always keep a clean sponge and a bottle of Mean Green under the sink. When I start seeing that dingy area on the kitchen floor, I simply get the sponge wet, spray some Mean Green on the dirt spot and wipe it clean with the sponge. Instant shine and no more grime.
8. Laundry Spot Remover - We have tried them all....Spray & Wash, Shout, etc. But I recently found a new one that said "Stains Gone Guarantee" and "Triple Enzyme Remover". It is called Zout and it is exactly what it says "Stains Gone." I have never had a stain remover that works as well as this one. I even got a chocolate stain out of a shirt that had been laundered and tried 2-3 times with Shout to no avail. I love Zout and will never be without it.
9. Tarnished Copper and Brass Pans - Anyone with copper pans knows how hard they are to keep clean. Here is a simple inexpensive way to clean them....Ketchup. Squeeze ketchup onto a cloth and rub it on your pots and pans. They should go back to their coppery color in minutes. Rinse with warm water and dry with a towel.
10. Splatters in Microwave - We have all been there. We are heating up some spaghetti and the phone rings and next thing you know, it has splattered all over the microwave. This tip is more of a prevention than a clean up tip. For years, we have used napkins to cover bowls of items that might splatter. The motion of the microwave causes the napkins to blow off or drop into the bowl. My hubby found the perfect solution. Coffee filters. We simply put one down inside the bowl so that it covers the food we are heating and the sides cover the top inside of the bowl. When it is heated, we simply dispose of the coffee filter and we still have a nice clean microwave.
Today, I'm linking to.......
Home Stories A2Z
Tuesday Train
3. Ball caps - People of both genders and all ages love their baseball caps. Whether for work or play, they have a tendency to lose their shape when you wash them. For years, I have washed hubby's hats with Arm and Hammer detergent (it is good for removing sweat stains and odor). I then turn a sauce pan upside down and place the hat on it and sit it out in the sun to dry. They look brand new when it's done.
4. Laundry Baskets - I am a big fan of a laundry basket for easy clean up around the house. I start at the front of the house and walk through every room and collect items that are not where they are supposed to be (magazines, shoes, socks, etc.). After making a sweep through the whole house, I start back at the beginning and as I clean a room, I pull out items from the basket that belong in that room and put them back up. When I'm done, the basket is empty and things are where they should be.
6. Emergency Clean Up - The drop-by visit is another reason to use the trusted laundry basket. Simply walk through the house and put anything that's out of place in the basket and sit it in the laundry room or the floor of a closet until after the guests leave and then pull it out and put things away.
8. Laundry Spot Remover - We have tried them all....Spray & Wash, Shout, etc. But I recently found a new one that said "Stains Gone Guarantee" and "Triple Enzyme Remover". It is called Zout and it is exactly what it says "Stains Gone." I have never had a stain remover that works as well as this one. I even got a chocolate stain out of a shirt that had been laundered and tried 2-3 times with Shout to no avail. I love Zout and will never be without it.
9. Tarnished Copper and Brass Pans - Anyone with copper pans knows how hard they are to keep clean. Here is a simple inexpensive way to clean them....Ketchup. Squeeze ketchup onto a cloth and rub it on your pots and pans. They should go back to their coppery color in minutes. Rinse with warm water and dry with a towel.
10. Splatters in Microwave - We have all been there. We are heating up some spaghetti and the phone rings and next thing you know, it has splattered all over the microwave. This tip is more of a prevention than a clean up tip. For years, we have used napkins to cover bowls of items that might splatter. The motion of the microwave causes the napkins to blow off or drop into the bowl. My hubby found the perfect solution. Coffee filters. We simply put one down inside the bowl so that it covers the food we are heating and the sides cover the top inside of the bowl. When it is heated, we simply dispose of the coffee filter and we still have a nice clean microwave.
Today, I'm linking to.......
Home Stories A2Z
