Spilling coffee on a freshly dry-cleaned shirt during the morning rush is unfortunately such a recurring mishap for many of us that it's almost a cliché. Seriously — how many Kate Hudson/JLo/Sandra Bullock romantic comedies can you think of where it's a pivotal scene to the plot? If these chick-flick chicks had just had a little advice from yours truly (well, actually
from Do It Yourself), they'd have won the guy, the ring, and popped out a first born well before the popcorn intermission.
Got streaks? Use horizontal strokes when cleaning your windows inside, and vertical strokes outside. That way, if you wind up with streaks on your windows, you'll know automatically which side of the window they're coming from.
In her book
Green Housekeeping, Ellen Sandbeck notes that one simple way to avoid using chemical products when you clean is to use steam vapor instead, which loosens dirt, grease and grime quite easily, so they can then just be wiped off with a clean cloth.
Here are some of her tips for the technique,
according to the Housekeeping Channel:
- "To steam clean a wood, vinyl or tile kitchen floor, attach a clean terrycloth towel to the floor brush, then put the floor brush on the end of the steamer's extension tube. Use a mopping motion to steam the floor clean, moving quickly to prevent heat damage.
Since I openly oppose gum chewing in the first place (smack smack), I find it quite frustrating when gum makes its way to my clothing, the soles of my shoes, or other fabrics in my house. My sister once wound up chopping off a chunk of her locks to rid herself of the goo — let's just say it wasn't a pretty sight, but she did her best to make it glam. Sticky and stubborn, gum is nearly impossible to remove by washing as usual.That's why I was so happy to learn a quick tip for removing it!
When getting our homes
so fresh and so clean, don't overlook your silverware. If you've
assembled your home cleaning kit you'll have most of the ingredients for this
Recipe For Clean. Use it to make your silverware shine like the top of the Chrysler building.
Hey! Drop the sponge and move away from the sink. That's right: it's time to stop washing dishes by hand.
If you've been
known to down a french fry or 100, you may have encountered a bummer of a grease stain on your Sunday best. Don't worry, this fashion crisis isn't unmanageable; it's actually fairly simple to repair. All you have to do to rid yourself of evidence of that munchie meal is sprinkle some baby powder or corn starch onto the stain, and let it sit for a few minutes.
If you don't have time to mix up my
bath and tile recipe for clean, good news: There's another project that will get the job done. In a recent comparison study on environmental site Grist, writer and assistant editor Sarah van Schagen tested eight different green cleaners to see which one scrubbed the tub with the least amount of elbow grease and the most shine. And out of the fancy— and expensive — brands she tested, she ultimately found that a very simple product got the job done the best.
As you may know, deodorant stains are a big ole pain in the butt. But getting them out of that favorite top of yours is actually fairly elementary. All you have to do to get rid of those troubled stains is soak or sponge the fabric (if it's washable; i.e.
When getting our homes
so fresh and so clean, don't forget your the bathroom! If you've
assembled your home cleaning kit you'll have most of the ingredients for this Recipe For Clean. Use it to get your tub and tiles squeaky clean.
