HELPFUL HOUSEHOLD HINTS AND CLEANING RECIPES

BATHTUB GRIME REMOVER
Use Easy Off Oven Cleaner without Fumes and spray it in the bathtub to cut the grime. Leave on a few minutes then wipe the grime off with a clean rag or paper towels. Rinse thoroughly with hot water. This works much easier and better than hours of scrubbing power does.

LIZARDS OR SNAKES, TO REPEL THEM
Keep lizards or snakes or most pests away from your doors or breezeways sprinkling pure clove oil all around. Also will stop ants from coming in your home. Pests do not like the smell of cloves. Peppermint oil will do the same thing. Works as long as you can smell the fragrance, then reapply. You can also buy clove pellets at Home Depot.

OVERFOAMING ACTION
If you put too much detergent in an appliance and it foams up way too much, you can get rid of the foaming action by using liquid fabric softener. This one tip can save a lot of money in having to replace an automatic dishwasher or washing machine. Just keep pouring liquid fabric softener into the appliance while it is running, and eventually the foaming action will stop. Let it swish awhile then check it again before adding more.

Vinegar is said to do the same thing as above.

BLACK MOLD AND MILDEW CLEANER
Mix 2 parts distilled white vinegar to 3 parts water in a spray bottle. Shake well. Spray the black mold areas. It will kill black mold and mildew, but it might take a few times to do it. Anytime you see black mold and mildew in or around your home, you need to nip it in the bud as soon as possible because it is very dangerous and can get out of control quickly.

Bleach and Dawn Dishwashing Original mixed in a pail of hot water scrubbed with a strong broom will kill mold and mildew. The worse the mold and mildew are, the more bleach you need to use to scrub the areas affected.

RINSING DISHES
Instead of purchasing those drying agents to put in automatic dishwashers, try filling that area with white vinegar. Does the same thing, and is a whole lot cheaper to use.

You can buy powdered citric acid and put 1 Tablespoonful in your dishwasher during the final rinse cycle to keep all your glassware and dishes spot-free and sparkling. It can also be used to clean the hard water scale off the interior of your dishwasher. Just keep cleaning it until all the scale has disappeared, then do it routinely to keep it away. Nuts.com sells it online.

CLEANING BUILT-UP SCALE AROUND THE FAUCETS AREA
When hard water causes scale to build up around your sink and faucets areas, use a toothbrush and Citric Acid Powder to clean it away. Dampen the toothbrush and dip it into the powder and scrub away until the scale is gone.

FOUL ODOR FRAGRANCE FOR THE BATHROOM
Make your own Poo-Pourri Spray for the commode to use BEFORE anyone has a bowel movement to keep fecal foul odors out of your house. Use an empty spray bottle and mix 1 Tablespoon any Fragrance Oil you prefer and fill the remainder of the bottle with water. Shake it well each time you use it. Spray the inside of the commode over the water area. When anyone defecates, the feces will drop below the oil sprayed on top of the water and the foul odors will be held underneath the water so they can't foul up the air.

REMOVING SUPER GLUE
Use vinegar to remove Super Glue.

CELLPHONES
When you get a new cellphone, do not set up your voice mail account for awhile. Your phone number belonged to others before you, so you may be receiving a lot of wrong numbers. You still have to pay for wrong numbers in voice mail who leave messages that have to be checked before they can be deleted. Telemarketers and bill collectors are especially bad about this. Besides, you can always check your Received Calls list in your phone's directory to see who has called you, and return calls to the ones you recognize, even without setting up your voice mail account. This tip is especially helpful for prepaid cellphones.

NAPKINS
To save money, use cloth napkins that can be laundered instead of paper napkins.

HAND TOWELS
Buy some cheap white hand towels for your kitchen. This tip will save you a lot of money regarding buying white paper towels. Keep the hand towels in a handy and accessible area to use to dry your hands. Save those white paper towels to use for draining fried food products. Dollar Stores and Walmart sells hand towels in a generic brand for around a dollar each.

BIBS
Babies are not the only humans who need to wear bibs to keep their clothes clean while eating meals. Purchase some adult bibs and use them at mealtimes to save on laundry products and utilities. You can buy them at www.drleonards.com

GROCERY LIST
Make a list of groceries you need to buy and stick to the list once you get to the supermarket. NEVER go to the grocery store hungry. Being full helps you stay away from junk foods aisles, too.

FOOD MARKDOWNS
Ask your supermarket manager when his store marks down produce, meats, or other items. Then plan your weekly shopping trip according to that information so you can find more bargains.

SUPER GLUE REMOVER
Use acetone nail polish remover on a cotton ball and let it saturate the super glue to remove it.

REVIVE OLD MARKER PENS
Acetone nail polish remover will revive an old marker pen when it gets dried up. Just dip the tip part in the acetone. Recap. Can use it again to write, draw, or color with in a couple hours.

MAKE YOUR OWN ADHESIVES
Mix 3 pkgs. unflavored gelatin with 1 Tbsp. cold water and 3 Tbsp. boiling water. Stir until dissolved. Add 1/2 tsp. peppermint oil. Store it in a small covered tub. It will congeal so to use it, microwave for 10 seconds on high.

REMOVAL OF ADHESIVE STICKERS
For stickers on glass use vegetable oil. Soak the item in oil for a couple minutes to remove the sticker easily.

For plastic use WD-40 and let it soak on the item for a couple minutes to remove easily.

For metal use nail polish remover on a cotton ball and let soak in for a couple minutes to remove sticker easily.

For wood use vegetable oil and let it soak in for thirty minutes. Scrape off sticker with a Teflon scraper.

ALL PURPOSE CLEANERS
WARNING: NEVER ADD BLEACH TO AMMONIA AS THERE WILL BE HARMFUL (POSSIBLY DEADLY) FUMES!

Place in a quart spray bottle 1/2 cup ammonia, 1 cup baking soda, and 2 cups water. Mix and use to clean.

In a quart spray bottle place l quart water. Add 2 Tbsp. lemon juice and 2 tsp. powdered Boraxo. Mix and use to do general cleaning.

In a quart spray bottle mix l quart warm water, 1/8 cup white vinegar and 1/4 cup white ammonia and use to clean.

ANT DETERRANT
If you have a problem with ants coming in your door take a piece of white chalk and draw a line. The ants will not cross the line!

ANT KILLER
Buy a 5 or 10 lb. pkg. of unflavored instant grits and sprinkle them lightly around wherever the ants have built their colonies. They will flock to the grits immediately, eat them, and the grits will make the ants implode and destroy them.

Ants don't like cayenne pepper sprinkled around their anthills, or dried cucumber peelings.

AUTOMATIC DRIP COFFEE POT CLEANER
Add 1 cup white distilled vinegar to your automatic drip coffee pot to clean it out. Rinse well with a pot of cold, clean water.

AUTOMOBILE FRAGRANCE
Put a sheet of fabric softener underneath each seat in the car to make it smell nice.

For bad odors in cars, put some new ground up coffee beans in the area where the odor is. Leave for a couple days if possible then vacuum it up. The odor should be gone or at least better smelling.

MAKE YOUR OWN BACKSCRUBBER
Cut the legs off of a pair of pantyhose. Insert a bar of soap into one of the legs, centering the soap so it is in the middle of the leg. Secure it there by tying a knot on both sides of the soap. You can use this to wash your back with or your body as nylon acts as a mild abrasive to the skin.

BANANA HANGER
Buy a long utility hook and screw it underneath one of your kitchen cabinets. Just make sure it will go through a stud instead of one of your cabinets. Hang your bananas on it.

BATHROOM CLEANING MADE EASIER
Mix equal parts epsom salts and liquid dish detergent and scrub down the bath tub, sink, or shower area with it.

Use equal parts cream of tartar and hydrogen peroxide mixed together to clean rust stains.

Pour a can of soft drink in your toilet bowl and let it sit overnight. Brush and flush for a clean toilet bowl.

Old pantyhose makes a great scrubber for the bathtub and sink.

To keep rust spots from forming on the bottom of aluminum cans coat their bottoms with clear nail polish.

STAINLESS STEEL COOKWARE
Invest in a set of quality stainless steel cookware. It will last for many decades. Even badly burned on foods can be soaked with some Dawn liquid and hot water, then scrubbed off with a steel wool pad.

SLUGGISH DRAIN
Keep your drains running free by pouring some Dawn dishwashing liquid down them each week, followed by hot water.

BLACKENED POTS NEED CLEANING
If you have pots that have blackened because you boiled water in them, soak the pots with a pot of water in them to which you add 2 denture tablets. Let them soak overnight. The pot should be clean in the morning. Wash before using.

BOTTLE CLEANER
To clean bottles or Thermos bottles put 2 tsp. baking soda and some hot water in it. Cap and shake. Let sit overnight to clean. Rinse well next morning.

BRASS CLEANER OR COPPER CLEANER
Make a paste out of white cornmeal and white vinegar. Coat the tarnished brass with this paste and leave on for five minutes. Wipe off with a soft, clean cloth and tarnish will be gone. Buff with a soft clean cloth.

Slice a lemon in half and sprinkle some table salt on it generously. Rub your brass pot with this to clean it. Wipe off with a clean, dry cloth. This will work on copper items just as well.

MICROFIBER CLOTHS
Instead of buying expensive Swiffer refills, buy several microfiber cloths, and use them on the Swiffer mop. The cloths are great for all types of cleaning, and you only have to use water as no cleaning products are necessary. They don't leave streaks either. You can buy these for a dollar each at dollar stores.

COLOR CODES
Use different colors of microfiber cloths for different cleaning jobs.

BUG KILLER
Mix 1 tsp. sugar with 1 cup baking soda and spread it around where bugs might crawl. The sugar will attract them to eat, but the baking soda will kill them as they cannot digest it.

This recipe is not harmful to humans or animals.

Mix 1 part boric acid powder to 1 part sugar and sprinkle around area where bugs or ants crawl to get rid of them.

Use a product spray by Ortho called Home Defense Max. It works for a full year, and is not supposed to harm people or pets. It is the best on the market. There is no shame in finding a pest in a home, but never let them get started in your home because they carry a lot of germs and diseases that can be spread. Bugs can multiply very quickly, so do this at the first sight of any, or to protect your apartment or house from others who might have them. This product can be sprayed inside and outside all around your home and yard, and it is easy to use. The sprayer's hose is located inside the sprayer that is included on the purchased gallon or half gallon containers. Just pull it straight down for the cord to come out, then connect it to the spout. Pump the sprayer a few times to get it started. Most Home and Garden Department stores carry this product.

BUG REPELLANTS
Add some tea tree oil to the shampoo your family uses and you shouldn't have any problems with lice coming home from school on your children's scalps, as lice do not like tea tree oil.

Lay pieces of Peppermint Icebreakers chewing gum still in wrappers inside your cabinets to repel bugs. Bugs, nor spiders, do not like peppermint fragrance at all.

Buy 4 ounces of 100% Pure Peppermint Oil from www.vitacost.com, and pour a capful of it into a clean spray bottle. Add water to fill. Shake well, and spray this all over your home to repel pests of any kind. Plus, it makes your whole house smell nice and clean. I spray this in all my cabinets, linen closets, drawers, around baseboards, around plumbing, around doorways, and all around the floors, and in the air in all rooms and closets. This needs to be repeated every few days. You can even spray your mattress sets with this to repel pests. It will repel pests from inside your car as well. Spray it on your porches to deter birds from building nests.

Stop up any holes in your home where pests might come inside. Use stainless steel wool pads like SOS or Brillo pads. Fill any cracks with caulk. This should be done in every home to keep other peoples' pests outside.

Spread mothballs around your doorways to repel lizards.

Spread cayenne pepper generously around your doorways to repel pests. This also works to repel pests between homes in subdivisions. Go completely around your entire yard and home sprinkling the cayenne pepper generously if you have neighbors who have pests and won't get rid of them. Those fifty cent bottles of cayenne pepper that is powdered work well. It takes a few dollars worth to do the job, but is well worth it, to keep pests away.

Flies hate the smell of basil. Grow this herb around doors or in pots around doors to repel them.

Bay leaves or wrapped peppermint gum will keep bugs out of your sugar and flour.

Pine needles or pine odors will keep bugs away from your pet's bed. Lavender works just as well. Bugs hate the smell. You can keep bugs off you with lavender rubbed on yourself. Every time you change your bed, spray your clean bed linens with lavender spray to help you get a good night's rest as the fragrance will relax most people. VitaCost.com sells Lavender Oil in which you can make your own spray if you can't find it in stores locally.

ELASTIC THREAD IN YOUR BUTTONS
Sew your buttons on with elastic thread and your blouses and pants won't pull or bunch anymore. This is a great tip if you have a large chest or are heavy around the middle. It also makes it easier for small children and senior citizens to button their clothing.

CALCIUM AND LIME DEPOSITS
Equal parts of vinegar and baking soda will cut calcium and lime deposits.

REMOVING CANDLEWAX
You can remove candlewax from candlesticks and clothing by freezing the items. The wax will flake off easily.

If candlewax gets on carpet, use a warm iron placed on double-thick paper towels and iron it off. The paper towels will absorb the melted wax. Keep repeating until the wax is gone.

CAR CLEANING TIPS
To clean upholstery in your car, use soapy water and a mild brush and vacuum up the water with a Wet-Vac.

Use Q-tips to clean the air vents and nooks in a car. You can also use makeup brushes and toothpicks to clean the small hard-to-reach areas.

Clean your dashboard and vinyl in the car with furniture polish and a soft cloth. Buy lint-free mechanics rags to use to dust with.

Use pet stain spray cleaner to remove nasty odors from your car's carpeting.

Spray room fragrance in your car after you clean it to make it smell nice, or make your own with peppermint oil mixed into water and spray it.

Got a scratch on your car. Cover it with a matching crayon. Find a crayon the same color as your car and rub the crayon over the scratched place. Buff off any wax residue with a soft cloth. This will even work on keyed scratches.

Pour a bottle of club soda on your windshield to cut grease and grime. Squeegee it off.

If your wiper blades are dull, you can sharpen both sides with an emery board.

In the winter time, spray your car's door gaskets with PAM to keep them from freezing shut.

Spray PAM on your car's grill and hood before going on a trip to keep bugs and stuff from sticking to your car. You can wash it off with shampoo and some warm water.

Use furniture polish to shine your car if you don't have any car wax. It won't hurt the outside of your car.

To clean hubcaps, use baking soda and a wet brush. Hose off with water.

To remove bumper stickers use a hot hair dryer to reactivate the adhesive, then just pull the sticker off.

To clean a chrome bumper, use a piece of balled up aluminum foil. Pour some soft drink on the bumper, and rub it clean with the foil.

Refresh your old air freshener in your car by dropping some of your favorite essential oil on it. Just a few drops.

Use a Wet-One or a Baby-Wipe disposable cloth to clean the dashboard.

Use a steel wool soap pad to clean wheels of road grime and hose off with water.

CAST IRON SKILLET CLEANER (RUST)
Sprinkle lemon juice and salt in the rusty iron skillet. Wipe out the rust. Reseason skillet with a lot of oil. Place in a 200 degree oven for one hour. Wash the skillet. Dry it thoroughly. Reseason it with more oil. Wipe off excess oil. Iron skillets should never be put in the dishwasher. Always wash and dry them by hand.

NEVER let a cast iron skillet air dry or it will rust!

CD CLEANER
Do not rub around the CD, rub across it to clean it of dust and fingerprints. Use a soft, clean cloth and rubbing alcohol to clean them.

Scratches can be cleaned on CD's by using Pepsodent toothpaste and tepid water and a soft clean cloth. Make straight motions, not circles, over the area where the scratch is on the CD. Rinse and pat dry with a dust-free soft cloth.

Old CD's that are no good anymore can be used as coasters to set drinks on and keep waterspots off your furniture.

NEED TO TOUCH UP YOUR CEILING
To touch up popcorn ceilings, use a textured, pre-mixed paint. Dab onto your ceiling with a small paint brush.

DUSTING TIPS
To keep ceiling fans' blades from collecting dust, use furniture polish on them and polish with a soft, clean cloth.

Dust your lamp shades with a new paint brush.

To dust your window or door screens use a piece of carpeting on them.

CERAMIC TILE CLEANERS
Pour equal amounts of epsom salts and liquid dish detergent to form a paste to clean ceramic tiles.

In a spray bottle put 1 qt. warm water. Add 1/4 cup baking soda, 1/4 cup white ammonia, and 1/8 cup white vinegar. Vinegar and baking soda mixed causes a chemical foaming reaction so mix this over a sink as it can be very messy.

If your white grout isn't so white anymore you can paint it with Wite-Out white correction fluid for typing errors. Just paint it on the grout to cover up the stains.

CHROME CLEANERS
Polish any chrome with rubbing alcohol and a soft cloth.

Mix equal parts rubbing alcohol and white ammonia in a spray bottle to clean chrome. Can also use this to clean mirrors and windows.

CIGARETTE ODORS
If you have people smoking in your home, light some candles to absorb those nasty odors. Never leave candles that are burning unattended as fires can be started way too easily.

A match can be struck after going to the bathroom to stop any foul odors. Just be sure the flame is completely out before you discard it. It's best to douse it with some water to make sure.

Soak a small towel in vinegar. Wring it out and whirl it over your head all around the house to get rid of odors.

HOUSEHOLD CLEANERS
Mix 1 tsp. Boraxo , 1/2 tsp. washing soda, 2 Tbsp. white vinegar, 1/2 tsp. Murphy's Oil Soap, and 2 cups water in a spray bottle and use as a general cleaner.

Mix 1/2 cup baking soda with enough liquid detergent to make a creamy paste and use this to clean sinks and tubs. Rinse well.

To make a scrubbing type cleaner, mix 1 Tbsp. each of Boraxo, sea salt, and baking soda. Makes a good scouring powder.

You can mix 1/4 cup baking soda and enough Murphy's Oil Soap to form a paste to make a product that will clean your bath tub and sink as good as any cleanser but without the gritty residue.

CLOTHES FRESHENER
When your clothes are not dirty but have some kind of odors on them, simply put them in the dryer with a couple sheets of fabric softener and toss for a few minutes on the air only cycle.

COMPUTER OR TV SCREENS
Use a sheet of Bounce fabric softener to clean the dust off your computer or television screens.

ARE YOUR CUPS STAINED?
If your cups are stained from tea or coffee, rub baking soda into the cup with a cloth and water to remove the stains. Rinse with water.

COFFEE FILTERS USES
Use coffee filters for a really large muffin cup.

Strain foods through a coffee filter.

Make your own herbal teabags with coffee filters. Put your loose tea in the middle and bring up sides and secure with a small rubber band at the top.

Use coffee filters to clean small areas with like you would a paper towel.

Clean or polish your shoes with coffee filters.

Use to absorb condensation when you are drinking a cold drink.

Make your own herbal bath bags by filling the coffee filter with your favorite herbs and stapling or taping it closed. Drop into a bath tub full of warm water and relax in the tub for about 15 minutes. Lavender is especially nice to use to relax.

COOKING ODORS
Add 1 Tbsp. lemon juice to vegetables that stink when you are cooking them. Also works when frying fish. Just add the lemon juice to the pan or pot. I use this helpful hint and love it. My house never smells bad from cooking odors. I use 2 Tbsp. lemon juice when frying salmon patties and the smell is gone as soon as I am done frying. I just mix it in with my oil in the skillet.

COOLER ODORS
If your ice chest or picnic cooler has a nasty smell to it, but it is clean, just wipe it out and place a bowl of vinegar in it. Close the lid and let it stand overnight. Next day, the odor should be gone.

CORD HOLDERS
Use empty paper towel tubes to hold your electric cords or Christmas tree lights. Use one tube per cord or strand. On the outside of the paper tube write the size of the cord or what kind of lights are inside it. Store in a drawer so you can find them easily when you need them and no more tangled up tree lights next year.

CRACKED FLOWER VASE?
If you have a vase that has a crack in it but it is still pretty to look at, you can seal the inside of the vase by pouring some melted wax inside the vase and swishing it around the cracked area a few times until it is sealed. You can now use it again for fresh flowers as the water will not leak out.

REMOVING CRUSTY, BURNED ON FOODS
Pour in some dishwasher detergent . Add some very hot water to the dish. Let it soak for an hour or so. Wash as usual.

Fill the dish with hot water and add some vinegar to it. Let it soak overnight and it will come clean easily in the morning. Use baking soda and hot water to soak dishes or pots or pans to clean burned on foods.

DAMP, MUSTY ODORS
Fill a knee high hose with some activated charcoal (the kind that goes in an aquarium), and hang it wherever there is a musty smell.

You can hang a kneehigh full of mothballs underneath your house to keep it from smelling musty. It also keeps mice and bugs away. Mice hate the smell of peppermint, so you can use some cotton balls soaked in peppermint oil in the kneehigh if you hate the smell of mothballs as I do. I have tried this and the peppermint really does work!

Peppermint oil, cayenne pepper, or mothballs placed all around the doorways will deter lizards or any kind of crawling creatures from coming inside your home.

You can mix an air freshener using a capful of pure peppermint oil and filling a spray bottle with water. Shake it well. Spray it all over your home to keep out flying insects, or neighbor's bugs. Spray it all around your doors and thresholds. Spiders hate the smell of peppermint, so it's a good way to repel them from your home. This makes a wonderful fragrance for your home as well.

Keep some chalk in the area where it is damp or musty to absorb the odors.

You can keep a low voltage light on if the smell is in a closet to dry out the dampness. Just make sure nothing is touching the light bulb.

Toast a pan of regular long grain rice and put it inside a file cabinet or confined area that has any odor to remove odor.

Freshly ground coffee will absorb odors if left in an area for a day or so.

Musty suitcases can be freshened by balling up some newspapers and placing inside the suitcase for a few days or until you use it again. After you remove the newspaper, put some fabric softener sheets inside the suitcase to keep it smelling nice.

One tsp. mustard will take any odors out of jars. Fill jar with water and add the mustard. Cap. Shake up. Let sit for 30 minutes. Rinse well. The smell should be gone.

Musty hampers will smell better if you sprinkle some baking soda over the bottom of the hamper to absorb the odors. Or you can keep an open box of baking soda setting in the bottom of the hamper.

Keep an open box of baking soda inside your refrigerator and your freezer to absorb any odors. Replace the baking soda every 3 months.

Toilets can get some nasty odors. Pour in some bleach and swish the bowl with your toilet brush to keep it odor free once or twice a week.

Sprinkle baking soda on your carpet and let it stand overnight. Next day just vacuum it up and it will smell fresher.

In stinky shoes like sneakers place in each shoe a fabric softener sheet that has baking soda in it to absorb the odors.

DEGREASER
To clean greasy, grimy hands pour some olive oil over them and rub oil into hands. Take some paper towels and wipe off the gook. If they aren't clean yet, simply repeat the process until are. Then to remove the olive oil run some very warm water over your hands and dry hands with a paper towel.

Coco-cola will degrease your laundry. Add 1 can to a load of greasy laundry and launder as you normally would.

To cut grease simply add white distilled vinegar to any cheap liquid dish detergent.

Make a hand cleaning paste by mixing corn meal and apple cider vinegar.

CLOTHES DETERGENT BOOSTER
Get your clothes white without bleach by using 1/2 cup plain powdered dishwasher detergent and 1/2 cup baking soda to 1 cup laundry detergent per load of clothes.

DRAIN CLEANERS
All you need to clean every drain in your house is baking soda and white vinegar. Run hot water down the drain and pour in some baking soda, then some vinegar. It will bubble up. When it has stopped bubbing up, rinse with some more hot water. You won't have any clogs if you do this once every week. Use 1/2 cup each.

Use 1/2 cup Dawn liquid dish detergent poured down your kitchen drain once a week or month depending upon how much grease you have and flush with very hot water.

If you have a clog pour the Dawn in and let it sit for half an hour then flush with very hot water.

This is a plumber's tip: squirt some liquid dish detergent down your drain. Let sit for half an hour. Flush with hot water. This will keep your drains clog-free. He said this would cut plumbing bills in half if people would just do this once a week.

Pour 2 cups boiling water down a clogged drain. Mix 1/8 cup of salt, 1/2 cup of baking soda, and 1/2 cup vinegar and pour down the clogged drain. Finish by pouring 2 more cups boiling water down the drain. Your clog should be gone.

LEMON OIL FURNITURE POLISH
Mix 10 drops lemon oil, 2 Tbsp. lemon juice, and 1/4 cup olive oil. Keep in a capped bottle and use to dust with. Use a soft clean cloth.

Mix 1 tsp. lemon oil to 1/2 cup mineral oil and keep in a capped bottle. Mix well before using and use a soft cloth.

Use 1 part fresh lemon juice to 3 parts olive oil to make a good furniture polish. Will keep in an airtight container for 6 months.

Mix 3/4 cup olive oil, 20 drops lemon oil, (or lime oil or orange oil) and 1/2 cup vinegar. Store in a capped bottle and use as needed to polish your furniture or your cabinets.

GLASS OR WINDOW CLEANER
The best glass cleaner is a microfiber cleaning cloth dampened with water. It will clean the glass without leaving streaks.

To a 1 qt. spray bottle add 2 Tbsp. distilled vinegar, 1 cup water, 1 tsp. rubbing alcohol. Shake to mix and use to clean any glass.

Barbasol regular shaving cream will defog mirrors for up to a week. Wipe it on with a cloth and then wipe it off with a lint-free cloth.

In a 2 qt. spray bottle put 1 qt. club soda and 1/2 cup Parson's clear ammonia, non-sudsing type. Mix and apply to windows and squeegee off. Club soda alone with clean glass.

Mix 2 parts white vinegar to 1 part water to clean windows.

GNAT OR FRUITFLY KILLER
Fill a small jar with 1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar and some water. Let it sit on the countertop, and they will go for it and drown.

JAR OPENER
Put on rubber gloves and it is easy to open jars.

Put a wide rubber band around the lid of the jar and you can open it easily. You can cut off the wrist area of a rubber glove and use it for a wide rubber band.

JEWELRY POLISH
Use white toothpaste to polish silver jewelry. Use a soft brush. Rinse and dry.

Put a denture tablet in a small container of water and soak your jewelry in it to clean it.

Vinegar and salt will clean off the green patina that gets on jewelry.

In a baking pan cover the bottom of it with aluminum foil. Sprinkle in 2 Tbsp. baking soda and pour boiling water over this. Mix. Lay your silver in the pan and it cleans almost magically right before your eyes.

CLEANING MICROWAVE OVEN
Put a damp hand towel in the microwave oven and let it run on high for 2 minutes. It will create enough hot steam to wipe down the oven. The towel will be very hot so be careful if you use it to clean with. Wear oven mitts so you don't get burned.

HOW TO RID OF ODORS FROM HANDS & BREATH
If you handle garlic or onions to remove the odors wash hands with soap and water. Then take some cheesecloth and fill it with coffee beans and tie it with a rubber band. Rub this bag of coffee beans over your hands. This will last for 6 months and then you should discard it and make a new one.

For garlic or onion breath you can chew on a coffee bean. Or eat some fresh parsley sprigs.

Wash hands with baking soda to remove odors, or rub hands with a freshly sliced lemon half. Squirt some of the lemon juice on the hands and rub it in, then wash hands as you normally would to remove odors.

Wash odors off hands by holding any piece of stainless steel in your hands at same time as you wash hands underneath running water. Works every time!

PRE-STAIN TREATMENT
Make your own pre-stain treatment a whole lot cheaper than what you can buy by pouring some liquid detergent in a heavy duty spray bottle. Use it to spot treat your clothes. Dawn liquid detergent is a good grease cutter.

ROACH REPELLANT
Cayenne pepper sprinkled around will repel roaches.

Catnip repels roachbugs as effectively as DEET, the ingredient in most bug sprays. It is more environmentally friendly, too. Catnip will not kill roaches; it only repels them.

NEED A SCRAPER OR A SCRUBBER
Use old plastic credit cards as a scraper for removing burned on foods or to get stuck things off.

Use empty onion bags as scrubbers for Teflon pots and pans.

SCUFF MARKS
Mayonnaise will remove scuff marks.

WD-40 will remove scuff marks.

Erasers can be used to erase scuff marks on floors.

Mr. Clean Magic Erasers will clean scuff marks and permanent markers.

Turpentine will remove scuff marks.

SHOE CLEANER & DEODORIZER
Mix 5 drops tea tree oil and 5 drops lavender oil with 1 Tbsp. cornstarch or baking soda. Sprinkle some in shoes to deodorize them.

Use a baby wipe or a Wet-One to clean off dirty shoes.

Use a coffee filter and some Vaseline petroleum jelly or furniture polish to shine your shoes in a hurry.

Shoes can be shined with a banana peel. You have to clean off the mess with a cloth.

Choose a Scuff cover shoe polish to give you better coverage when buying a polish for shoes. It also shines better.

To remove shoe polish on white shoes just use plain rubbing alcohol. On colored areas mix 1 part rubbing alcohol to 2 parts water and put in a spray bottle.

EGG & CHEESE SLICERS
Use a cheese slicer on vegetables.

Use an egg slicer to slice softer fruits like strawberries, bananas, kiwifruit, or mushrooms.

WORK OR PAINT SMOCK
Use a large garbage bag as strong as you can find. Cut out a place in the middle for your head and one place on each side for your arms to go through. Slip it on and you have a smock to paint in or work in without messing up your clothes.

BAR SOAP PIECES
When your bar of soap gets down to that last small piece, save it in a plastic heavy duty zip bag. When you get enough small pieces saved, microwave it for a couple minutes to make the soap pliable. Mash it together inside the bag to form one bar of soap. When cool remove and use.

Save your little pieces of bar soap in a liquid hand soap bottle with some water in it. Shake it up and use it as liquid hand soap. I make my own hand soap by diluting Joy liquid Antibacterial soap with water in a pump bottle.

Wax cartons make good soap molds if you like to make your own soap. You can melt bar soap and add your own essential oil to create your own fragrances. Pour the hot soap in the wax cartons and let harden. Remove and use.

To make a good pumice soap mix some sugar and liquid soap such as Dawn to cut greasy grime, then wash hands as you would normally.

SOAP SCUM
Use your used dryer sheets to wipe soap scum off your shower doors.

TURN A SOCK INTO A HEATING PAD
Here is a use for those single socks we all have around. Fill one with long grain rice or dried beans and tie a knot in the end of the sock or sew it up on end. Microwave for 2 min. whenever you need a heating pad for a sore neck, back, etc.

Use old socks to dust with as a mitten over your hand.

Insert your hand into one and use it to wash your dishes.

Make puppets out of old socks.

Use old socks to wash or wax cars.

Use old socks to scrub the bathroom.

SPRAY STARCH
In a spray bottle put 2 cups water and 4 Tbsp. cornstarch. Shake to mix. Use this to starch any item of clothing you normally would put starch on. You can use more cornstarch in the recipe if you like a heavier starch or less if you like it less starchy. Iron clothes at once after they have been spray starched.

BREAKING THE STATIC CHARGE IN A ROOM
If your floors have static electricity in them and you get a shock sometimes from touching other people or metal objects in the room, simply set a bowl of water some place on the carpet in that room and it will break the static charge.

DO YOUR CAR TIRES GET STUCK IN WINTER?
Fill a large coffee can with kitty litter and keep it in your car's trunk during winter months. If your car gets stuck in the mud or snow you can sprinkle it on the ground around your tires and get out of the rut.

TOILET BOWL CLEANER
Use a can of soft drink to clean your toilet bowl. Let stand for 20 min. Brush and flush.

Put 2 denture tablets in the bowl. Let stand 5 min. Brush and flush.

Put 2 Tbsp. Tang in toilet bowl. Let stand 20 min. Brush and flush.

Pour 2 cups white vinegar in toilet bowl and let it sit overnight to remove waterline marks.

UPHOLSTERY AND CARPET SPOT CLEANER
Never pay those high prices again for spot cleaners when Barbasol regular shaving cream can be squirted on the area and cleaned with a brush or sponge. Let it dry completely, then vacuum up any residue or wipe off with a clean, damp sponge.

WATERMARKS OR RINGS ON FURNITURE
Use butter or real mayonnaise or ashes from cigarettes to get rid of the watermarks on furniture. Rub with the grain using a soft cloth.

Use plain white toothpaste rubbed into the spot using a soft, clean cloth.

WINE STAINS
If you or someone else spills red wine on something, pour some white wine over it or else use club soda over it. Blot up the stain, NEVER rub it. Use a clean white cloth to blot up the stain until it is gone.

WOBBY LEGS ON FURNITURE
On the uneven leg hot glue a button that blends in to the color to make it even.

Put a thumb tack on the leg that is uneven to stop the wobbling.

BASIC WOOD CLEANER
Mix together 1/4 cup white distilled vinegar, 1/4 cup water, 1/2 tsp. liquid soap, a few drops of olive oil, and 5 drops of either lemon or orange essential oil. Use to clean wood.

Murphy's Oil Soap and Scott's Liquid Gold are products you can purchase to clean wood.

WRINKLE REMOVER FOR CLOTHES
Take a spray bottle full of water with a fine mist. Hang your clothes up as soon as the dryer stops. If your clothes are wrinkled, spritz them with the fine mist of water and let them hang on a hanger until dry. Wrinkles usually fall out when dry.

You can spritz on equal parts white vinegar and water if the wrinkles are very bad.

UNEXPECTED COMPANY COMING
Always keep a large laundry basket where you can pick up things laying around. Concentrate on the living room, kitchen, and bathroom. Rake all the things that appear to clutter these rooms in the basket and put the basket in a closet until company leaves. If you have dirty dishes either put them in your dishwaser or into your sink and cover sink with a large cutting board. Wipe off kitchen and bathroom countertops. Close door or curtain to the tub area. Close doors to other rooms in your home and don't worry about them for the time being.

Keep some hor d'oevres preparations always on hand in the pantry, such as, black olives, whole almonds, mushrooms, pesto sauce, sundried tomato pesto, a variety of cookies and crackers, cheese spread, devilled ham, etc. that you can fix quickly for unexpected guests.
Relax and enjoy your company!

FLIES, GNATS, OR BEES
Flies, gnats, or bees bothering you? Spray them with hairspray and they will take a quick dive.

Sealed envelope - Put in the freezer for a few hours, then slide a knife under the flap. The envelope can then be resealed.

Use empty toilet paper rolls to store appliance cords in. It keeps them neat and you can write on the roll what appliance it belongs to.

For icy door steps in freezing temperatures:
Get warm water and put Dawn dishwashing liquid in it. Pour it all over the steps. They won't refreeze.

Crayon marks on walls? This worked wonderfully! A damp rag, dipped in baking soda.

Permanent marker on appliances/counter tops (like store receipt BLUE!) Use rubbing alcohol on a paper towel.

Whenever you purchase a box of S.O.S. Pads, immediately take a pair of scissors and cut each pad into halves. After years of having to throw away rusted and unused and smelly pads, this is much more economical. And now a box of S.O.S. pads lasts a long time! In fact, notice that the scissors get sharpened this way!

Opening brand new jars can be a feat in itself. Here's a way to make it the easiest thing to do. Instead of banging a jar of jam, pickles, etc., with a knife until it loosens up, simply reach into the drawer and pull out the handy nutcracker. It adjusts to the size of the jar then simply give it a good twist and off pops the lid!

Blood stains on clothes? Not to worry! Just pour a little peroxide on a cloth and proceed to wipe off every drop of blood.

Use vertical strokes when washing windows outside and horizontal for inside windows. This way you can tell which side has the streaks. Straight vinegar will get outside windows really clean. Don't wash windows on a sunny day. They will dry too quickly and will probably streak.

Spray a bit of perfume on the light bulb in any room to create a lovely light scent in each room when the light is turned on.

Use either a pink or amber colored light bulb in your lamps to create a romantic ambience.

Place fabric softener sheets in dresser drawers and your clothes will smell freshly washed for weeks to come. You can also do this with towels and linens.

Candles will last a lot longer if placed in the freezer for at least 3 hours prior to burning.

To clean artificial flowers, pour some salt into a paper bag and add the flowers. Shake vigorously as the salt will absorb all the dust and dirt and leave your artificial flowers looking like new! Works like a charm!

Stuff a miniature marshmallow in the bottom of a sugar cone to prevent ice cream drips.

Use a meat baster to "squeeze" your pancake batter onto the hot griddle and you'll get perfectly shaped pancakes every time.

To keep potatoes from sprouting, place an apple in the bag with the potatoes.

To prevent egg shells from cracking, add a pinch of salt or a dash of vinegar to the water before hard-boiling.

Run your hands under cold water before pressing Rice Krispies treats in the pan and the marshmallow won't stick to your fingers.

To get the most juice out of fresh lemons, bring them to room temperature and roll them under your palm against the kitchen counter before squeezing. Or microwave lemons for one minute to get maximum juice out of them.

To easily remove burned-on food from your skillet, simply add a drop or two of dish soap and enough water to cover bottom of pan, and bring to a boil on stovetop. Or add vinegar to the pan and let it soak overnite then use a steel wool soap pad on it.

Spray your Tupperware with nonstick cooking spray before pouring in tomato based sauces and there won't be any stains.

When a cake recipe calls for flouring the baking pan, use a bit of the dry cake mix instead and there won't be any white mess on the outside of the cake.

If you accidentally over-salt a dish while it's still cooking, drop in a peeled potato and it will absorb the excess salt for an instant "fix me up."

Wrap celery in aluminum foil when putting in the refrigerator and it will keep for weeks.

Brush some beaten egg white over pie crust before baking to yield a beautiful glossy finish.

Place a slice of apple in hardened brown sugar to soften it.

When boiling corn on the cob or niblet corn, add a pinch of sugar to help bring out the corn's natural sweetness.

To determine whether an egg is fresh, immerse it in a pan of cool, salted water. If it sinks, it is fresh, but if it rises to the surface, throw it away.

HEADACHE REMEDY:

     2 aspirin
 
     1 Tbsp. vinegar
 
     1 lemon wedge

     2 oz. Club Soda

Drop both aspirin in a glass and stir in the vinegar until aspirins are dissolved. Add Club Soda and squeeze the wedge of lemon juice into it. Stir well, Drink it to relieve a headache

ANOTHER HEADACHE REMEDY:
Take a lime, cut it in half and rub it on your forehead. The throbbing will go away.

Don't throw out all that leftover wine: Freeze into ice cubes for future use in casseroles and sauces. Store in a plastic zipper bag once its frozen solid.

If you have a problem opening jars: Try using latex dishwashing gloves. They give a non-slip grip that makes opening jars easy.

Potatoes will take food stains off your fingers. Just slice and rub raw potato on the stains and rinse with water.

To get rid of itching from mosquito bites, try applying soap on the area and you will experience instant relief.

Ants, ants, ants crawling everywhere ... Well, they are said to never cross a white chalk line. So get your chalk out and draw a line on the floor where ants tend to march. See for yourself.

Use air-freshener spray to clean mirrors. It does a good job and better still, leaves a lovely smell to the shine.

When you get a splinter, reach for the scotch tape before resorting to tweezers or a needle. Simply put the scotch tape over the splinter, then pull it off. Scotch tape removes most splinters painlessly and easily.

Now look what you can do with Alka Seltzer. Clean a toilet. Drop in two Alka Seltzer tablets, wait twenty minutes, brush and flush.

Clean a vase. To remove a stain from the bottom of a glass vase or cruet, fill with water and drop in two Alka Seltzer tablets.

Polish jewelry. Drop two Alka Seltzer tablets into a glass of water and immerse the jewelry for two minutes.

Clean a thermos bottle. Fill the bottle with water, drop in four Alka Seltzer tablets, and let soak for an hour (or longer, if necessary.)

To keep the windshields and windows on your car from icing overnight, apply 3 parts apple cider vinegar to 1 part water to it.

Butter spray a measuring spoon or measuring cup before adding honey, oil, or anything heavy and sticky, so it will release quickly.

If you are barbequing outdoors, and run out of charcoal fluid, you can use extra virgin coconut oil as a subsitute.

Keep Original Dawn dishwashing liquid handy and pour some of it down the drain each week to keep grease from building up in the drain pipe. Run hot water after it to keep your drain flowing smoothly.

Unclog a drain. Clear the sink drain by dropping three Alka Seltzer tablets down the drain followed by a cup of Heinz White Vinegar. Let set for 5 min. and flush the drain with very hot water.