Posts Tagged Simple Tips

Summer Lemons

Summer is here and so are the lemons. Lemons can be used for so many great things other than lemonade and cooking.  There are several ways lemons can be used in our households for cleaning purposes.

  • Nasty odors coming from the sink? Cut a lemon in quarters and place down the drain with a handful of baking soda. While cold water is running, turn on the garbage disposal to start the cleaning process. This will leave your sink smelling fresh and clean. More
  • Is the microwave dirty? Take one cup of water and 4 tablespoons of lemon juice, place in a bowl and heat in the microwave for 5 minutes. The steam will make the microwave wipe clean. More
  • Ink spots on clothing? Squeeze a  large amount of lemon juice to the stain as soon as possible and wash with cold water. More
  • Humidifier doesn’t smell fresh? Add 3-4 tablespoons of lemon juice to the water to freshen. More
  • Hardwood furniture need polishing? Mix equal parts of lemon juice and olive oil, apply to a cloth and polish away. More
  • Cutting board smell? Cut a lemon in half and rub on the cutting board to eliminate the smells of garlic and onion. More
  • Berry stains? To remove berry stains from your skin rinse with lemon juice. More
  • Whites need brightening? Instead of using bleach on white clothing, add 1/2 cup of lemon juice to a normal load for a freshened look. More

Use those lemons!

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Simple tips for cleaning a stove top

In most households the stove top gets used at least a few times a week. Food stains are quit difficult to completely get off of a stove top, however I have discovered a great product that always gets my stove top looking brand new. Bar Keepers Friend works fantastic and is fairly inexpensive for the amount of the product you get. I like using the Bar Keepers Friend powder. For tough stains, pour the powder on a wet cloth or sponge, form into a thick past and rub on the stove top. After scrubbing the stove top, wash out the cloth and wipe off the rest of the paste using the rinsed cloth. I have a black stove top and find that drying with a paper towel eliminates most streaks.

Bar Keepers friend has cleaned up all of my stove top messes. I have over boiled gravy and made a huge mess on my stove, but Bar Keepers took it right off. When this happens, use a sponge or cloth to get off the bulk of the food before it burns. Then just let the burner cool. After the burner is cool use Bar Keepers friend to remove the rest of the stain.

Bar Keepers friend can also be used for many other household items such as porcelain, stainless steel, grout, ceramic tile, plastic, and  chrome.

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Simple tips for dusting a room

When dusting a room always start from top to bottom and  left to right. Start by dusting the ceiling fans and blinds, dust will be stirred up and will fall to the items below. After all of the higher items and objects are dusted, move to the lower items, such as desks, dressers, and bed frames. Remember to start on the left side of the room and work your way around in a clockwise direction. By working in a circular pattern you will be less likely to miss an item.  After dusting the entire room vacuuming is recommended to remove any dust that may have fallen to the carpet or tile.

A cleaning product that works well for dusting is the Swiffer Duster. This duster has many soft fibers that make it easy to collect dust. There are several different types of handles, however they are all very similar. If you are thinking of buying one, I would suggest the Swiffer Duster with the extendable handle. This will make it easy to dust ceiling fans and blinds.  Another easy way to dust a room is to use a soft cloth and some Endust, or a similar dusting spray. These sprays smell great and pick up dust very easily. The cloth method works well for cup rings and other gunk that may have formed on surfaces.

The key to dusting is to do it frequently. A thin layer of dust is much easier to clean up than a large build up. Spending 5-10 minutes, once a week  dusting will help you prevent spending hours trying to get rid of a dusty mess.

Happy dusting!

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