Household Tips For Everybody.(Updated) (Hints and Tips for Household Cleaning)

Member Name: cindy1

Product:	Hints and Tips for Household Cleaning
Date:	02/04/01 (9198 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Lots of FREE tips

Disadvantages: None

UPDATE
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I've added a new section called Household Money Saving Tips, hopefully these will be of use to you. I've also added a star tip, which is a tip thats so great everybody should know about it.
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This opinion features a mammoth collection of general household hints and tips. You may well wonder how a young lady like myself knows so many tips. The reason why is that most of these tips have been handed down to me, by my large family. A lot of these tips were used in the olden days when fancy cleaners weren't available, in those days people had to work with what they had. That's why many of the tips involve baking soda, vinegar and plants, especially in the case of pests.

There should be something for everyone in here, so enjoy.

BUGS.
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COCKROACHES: I have heard that catnip repels them, also once my grandma had cockroaches. She was discussing the problem with a gypsy friend, who told her to place Bay leaves in corners and any place that is dark. Apparently the cockroaches died and never came back.

ANTS: There are quite a few ways to get rid of ants, firstly if you place Peppermint near door entrances or place crushed mint leaves near doorways, it repels them, and stops them from entering your house. Ants hate Peppermint so they will avoid any place that smells of it.
You can destroy ants by pouring ammonia into ant holes.
You can also stop ants entering your home by sealing up cracks and crevices with sealant.

FLIES: To repel flies plant Basil near doorways and on patios, for added benefit plant a pot of Basil in your kitchen.

WASPS: To get rid of nuisance wasps place a bowl of vinegar near the nest.

SILVER FISH: Boric acid can be used to control Silver fish, spray or dust windows, crevices, cracks and openings. However, remember th
at Boric acid is a dangerous substance, and should be kept away from children and pets.

MOTHS: Make sure that clothes are washed before storing and seal them in airtight containers. To repel moths hang lavender in your wardrobe.

LIVING ROOM.
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ASHTRAYS: Place half an inch of Baking Soda in the bottom of the ashtray, this will eliminate stale tobacco odours. Replace the Soda when you empty the ashtray.

CARPETS: To remove indentations just run and ice cube on the indentation and it will pop back up.
To remove a stain from your carpet squirt white shaving foam on the stain, rub in with a wet toothbrush, and then dab the spot with a clean damp cloth to remove the shaving foam.
If your new puppy does piddles on the carpet, wipe up what you can, dose the spot with Listerine mouthwash rub in and let it set. You will find all traces of stain and smell gone in a few hours.
Instead of using Shake and Vac, use Baking Soda, it does the job just as well.

DUSTING: If your pleated lampshades are dusty, use a paintbrush to dust each pleat. Sometimes plain old water does the job just as well.

FURNITURE: Hide a scratch on walnut furniture, by using a walnut, break it and use the nutmeat on the scratch.
If you have watermarks on wood, run in mayonnaise and allow it to sit for twenty minutes.

SILVER: If you have soured milk in the fridge, you can use it to polish silver.
Plain white toothpaste is great for cleaning silver, rub it on with your finger, and let it sit for a few minutes, and then rub dry with a clean cloth.

WINDOWS: If you mix a quarter cup of vinegar with 4 cups of water, it makes a cheap effective window cleaner.
To clean blinds place a towel in your bathtub. Fill the bath with hot water and dishwasher detergent then lay the blinds in the tub. Leave to soak for ten minutes. Remove rinse and towel dry.

BAT
HROOMS.
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BATHS: To remove decals, cover them with a cloth soaked in vinegar.
Did you know that using bubble bath prevents tide marks around the bath?
Dishwashing gel can be used to remove hard water stains.

HARD WATER REMOVAL: Cover the stains with paper towels soaked in white vinegar. Leave for an hour, then scrub with baking powder.

MOULD/MILDEW: Vinegar can be used; in addition, it kills bacteria.
Use a toothbrush with baking soda, if that doesn't work use bleach. To prevent Mildew, dry the bath or shower thoroughly after use.

SINKS AND TOILETS: Keep a small container of baby wipes near the toilet, they can be used by the whole family to freshen up, and men can use them to clean up the mess they make when they wee over the bowl.
Pour in white vinegar, let it stand for twenty minutes, this gets rid of all stains even build up lime deposits.
If you have a stainless steel sink, use orange juice to clean it, it removed stains and rust.

SOAP: When your soap gets to small to use, slit a hole in your sponge, insert the piece of soap, this creates a nice lather.

TILES: If your tiles are mouldy, mix baking soda with bleach to form a paste. Apply with a toothbrush, leave until dry, then rinse off using the toothbrush.

TOOTHBRUSHES: Don't throw old toothbrushes away, they can be used for lots of cleaning jobs, as you will notice throughout this piece.

KITCHEN.
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BAKING: If you place your rolling pin in the freezer before using, it stopped pastry sticking to it.

CABINETS: Line your drawers with wallpaper, this keeps your drawers clean.

PANS: If your pan is burnt and you can't get it clean, put fabric softener in it, leave overnight and it will cleanup easily the next morning.

WORKTOPS: If you worktops are stains with coffee or soft drinks, rub a little dish washe
r soap into the stain, let it sit for a few minutes, then wipe thoroughly with a damp cloth.

CUPS: To remove tea and coffee stains from cups, add half a teaspoon of salt and a little water, before scrubbing with a sponge.

FLOORS: To remove black scuff-marks from floors, rub the mark with an eraser.

JAR LIDS: To remove a tight jar lid, simply put a rubber band around the lid to get a good grip, alternatively tap the lid a few times, this normally works for me.

SINKS: Coca-Cola will remove rust from sinks, when used with silver foil.

STICKY LABELS: To remove sticky labels simply rub with turpentine.

REMOVING STAINS FROM CLOTHES.
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BALLPOINT PEN STAINS: Rub alcohol on the stain this normally lifts the stain right out, or use hairspray, which works in the same way.

BLOOD: If the stain is fresh, soak in cold water and the stain will come out.

SWEAT: Place the item in a bucket of warm water, add a cup of vinegar, leave to soak for a few hours then launder.

MUD: Cut a potato in half, rub it into the affected area. Soak in cool water then launder.

TAR: This is one of the hardest stains to remove, rub the affected area with kerosene. Remember your clothes must be colour fast for this to work.

HOUSEHOLD MONEY SAVING TIPS.
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There are many ways that you can save money around the house; most of these tips are so simple you'll wonder why you never thought of them before.

ENERGY, GAS AND ELECTRICITY.
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In summer you can save a fortune on gas and electricity, there is no need to use you're tumble dryer, when you can dry clothes naturally outside, and what's more they smell fresher when dried outside.

What's the point of having lights on in the morning and evening, it's summe
r and it doesn't get dark until late. People needlessly have lights on, for the sake of it.

Don't put the fire on unless you feel cold, once again people actually have the fire on in summer for the sake of it. By following these simple procedures, you can save a fortune on your bills, and thus when you really need the heat you can afford it.

If you use your tumble dryer to dry jeans, place a towel in with the jeans, I find the towel soaks up the moisture from the jeans, which cuts down on drying time, and hence saves you money.

In winter conserve heat, by keeping doors and windows shut, it might be worth while considering double-glazing and loft insulation, however if could be some time before you reap the benefits.

Do your kids forget to turn lights off? If so, impose a penalty on them for leaving the lights on, you will be surprised how quickly they will learn then.

If batteries are almost knackered, rub the ends with sandpaper, this should give you a bit more usage out of them. I got this tip from my granddad, and it really does work, you get at least another hour out of them.

RECYCLING.
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Most household waste can be recycled, and used for different reasons than what it was intended for.
When you've finished with your rubber gloves, get a pair of scissors and cut the wrist part into large strips, these can be used as large, strong rubber bands.

Don't throw away pill bottles, these make handy storage jars, use them for storing buttons, screws, nails or whatever takes you're fancy.

Don’t throw away carrier bags, use them as bin liners, the great thing is they don’t cost you a penny.

Use egg cartons boxes to sow seeds, these are actually better than shop bought devices.

STAR TIP.
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This is my favourite tip of all time; I learnt this one
from a friend. Do you find nail polish wasteful? I do, no sooner have you bought it that it's almost gone. To combat this problem I have made a simple device that removes nail polish. First get an empty film container, then get a foam hair-roller, which has been cut in half. Put the roller in the film canister, then fill with nail polish remover. This device removes polish in seconds and lasts for ages.


That's about it for now, I do know many more tips, however I will put them on the opinion bit by bit so there is not to much to swallow. I hope you have found something that will be of use to you.
Best of all most of these tips are free, they can be performed using items you keep around the house.

Remember next time you get out of a taxi, ask the driver if he wants a tip, when he replies yes, give him one of my tips.

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