Category Archives: Cleaning

Unclog your drain

I used a $6.99 bottle of gel drain cleaner and still had a clogged sink. I went online and found a solution with items most people have in their home.

You take 1/4 cup of baking soda and pour down your drain. Mine didn’t want to go down since the edge of the drain was wet. I added a small amount of water to flush it down. Then I added a cup of vinegar. Boy, did it bubble!!!!! I used the plunger, too.

I did it a couple of times since it was really clogged up.

It worked better than the expensive drain cleaner.

Coffee grounds removes carpet odors

My brother, Jerry is in the carpet business and he and his wife are full of information about cleaning carpets. They live in Tennessee which is a good distance from Florida, needless to say. I wish they lived closer because they are both so fun to be around but also because I could get some good deals on carpet for my place. lol

Teenie, his wife is the one who told me how great Windex works to take stains out of carpet. Just spray it on and then dab the stain out.

Jerry and Teenie rented a house and the previous renters had a pet. The house had an odor when the house was closed up all day. Teenie sprinkled fresh coffee grounds (not used) on her carpet before she went to bed and then vacuumed it up the following morning. It absorbs the odor like baking soda does. Now I wouldn’t suggest you do this to a light colored carpet. Just make sure no one tracks across the floor with wet shoes or anything. You don’t want to stain your carpet with coffee stains. Her carpet was a darker color and again, she put it down during the night (or you could sprinkle it down right before you left out for your work day).

I would much rather smell coffee than a lot of other odors. In downtown Jacksonville, Florida there is a Maxwell House factory. When I go downtown with my husband, we often smell the aroma of the beans being roasted (I guess). MMMMMM…

Clean burnt pots

In my family, we love grilled onions. I occasionally let the pans burn a little….along with the onions. Also, tonight I was steaming some vegetables and let the water boil out of the bottom pan. What a black mess in the bottom of my Salad Master Pans.

I added a little bit of Dawn dishwashing detergent in the bottom of burnt pan with enough water to cover the burnt area. Then I put the pan on the stove top and heated it until the water boiled. I have a gas stove so it was very quick.

I then pour the water out, sit the pan in the bottom of my empty sink, and scrub with a green scrubbie. I didn’t even have to use any cleaners other than the Dawn.

It is cheap and just took a little muscle power. Not much though. I guess you could just use a Brillo pad but I like to keep all the cleansers off my pots and pans and dishes, if possible. It isn’t always possible. Sometime the outside of my pots get dirty and I use some Barkeepers friend.

Fall Cleaning OR Spring Cleaning

I have always heard of “Spring cleaning” but for me “Fall cleaning” makes more sense. Afterall, when Spring comes, I want to get outside and work in the yard. Colder weather makes me glad to be inside the house, especially in the morning.

I set a goal of one room a day, cleaning from top to bottom . For me, starting with the least used room helps. You can get it cleaned faster and it is encouraging to have one finished. If I don’t have a lot of time one day, that’s when I do one of the bathrooms.

Also, it is amazing how many things I find and say “oh, that’s where that was” or “I didn’t realize I still had that.”

I also like to take a clothes basket with me as I clean. I take anything out of the room that needs to go to another room and put it in the basket at the doorway. It saves me time. I especially found this helpful when I had a two-story house (running up and down the stairs) and when my kids were young. It is amazing what you find in your small children’s bedrooms. Often car keys and the television clicker end up in your child’s toybox. lol

Fall is also the perfect time to “spring clean” because you find all kinds of things to take to Goodwill or Salvation Army and get a receipt for your taxes which will be filed in a couple months.

Another good thing about “Fall cleaning” is a lot of people have company during the holidays. Your house will be ready for those overnight guests.

It is also a great time to clean out your spices in your kitchen cabinet. Afterall, the holidays are coming and you will be spending a lot of extra time in the kitchen cooking those holiday meals. Spices that have expired…not good. I find it helpful to date the spices as I purchase them.

So, get a start on your “spring cleaning” by doing it this Fall. Have fun.

Fogless bathroom mirrors

I have recently heard this in a number of places but I wanted to share it anyway….in case you didn’t hear it.

Take a small amount of shaving cream and rub onto your bathroom mirror and keep rubbing until it is clean and shiny.

Then when you shower, no foggy mirrors. I really appreciate this because I use to dry my mirror with my hair dryer so I could see.

When your mirror starts to fog again, which I think took a month or so, just re-apply a small amount of shaving cream again.

Quick cleaning for dress shoes

I showed my husband my quick way to clean shoes and he loves it. Much faster than shoe polish and cheaper.

First, wipe any loose dirt or debris from your shoes. Then dip a paper towel into petroleum jelly and get a “small” dab. Rub it onto your shoes. After shining your shoes with the petroleum jelly, use a clean paper towel to give it a quick wipe down to remove any excess petroleum jelly. Use the Vaseline sparingly because you don’t want sticky shoes.

My husband keeps a small jar of Vaseline in his desk. If he forgets to clean his shoes or there is an important meeting that day, he gives his shoes a quick wipe. He can do it at his desk without even removing his shoes.

My favorite cleaning agents

After almost 40 years of cleaning…I have my favorites.

Windex (window cleaner)…mirrors, counters, linoleum floors, carpet stains…love it, love it, love it.

Tide (clothes detergent)…I have used them all or almost. I always go back to Tide. My clothes looked cleaner and more stains are removed

Dawn (dishwashing detergent)… really cuts the grease.

Barkeeper’s Friend…instead of Comet or Ajax. It has the added benefit that it takes out that orange color on your tub or sink. If you have well water, you know what I mean.

Works Toilet Bowl Cleaner…I just like this one because it is so cheap. I just paid $l.07 for a bottle. They all seem to work pretty good.

Scrubbing Bubbles for the shower. I spray down the shower and let it sit while I clean the mirrow and sink and when I go back to the shower, I just wipe it down. Less elbow grease than a lot of the cleaners out there. Be sure and spray the cleaned area with water.

Pinesol … love that clean smell. I actually clean my lineoleum floors on my hands and knees. I put about l/4 cup of Pinesol in a bucket of maybe a half gallon of water. I use a rough scrubber … like those green retangular pads…and then I use paper towels to dry the area off. I don’t like the thought of using a mop and swishing dirty water around and letting it dry. Sometimes I squirt Windex on the floor when I have a dirty spot and throw a paper down on top of it, and scrub it with my foot. Easier on the back.

I also use a bleach spray cleaner for white counter tops in the kitchen. I am still trying various ones to find out my favorite but so far, they all seem to work well.

I love bleach, too. I spray the sides of my home with it when I see that green color on the one side. I use a string mop to do some extra cleaning on the side of the house. It pretty much disappears without scrubbing though and then I just spray water on it after I let it sit for l0 minutes or so.

Windex as a carpet cleaner

While working with my sister-in-law at a motel they were managing, I realized Teenie was cleaning the stains on the carpet with Windex. You just spray it on and then paper towel the stain off. I have tried it with other window cleaners with less success. Windex kicks butt.