Tricks of the trade

[Nightshade]

Ok bit of an odd thread but since I stood a a rickety chair for an hour yesterday scrubbing the thing that hangs over the stove that has a fan in it with a tooth brush and a mixture of viniger and bicarbonate of soda I was wondering if anyone has any cleaning tips.

Or maybe tips on how to stop my room evolving into a bomb site whenever I have school work??

Also just a thread to share any ingenius cleaning tips you have... like using milk or hair spray to get ink stains out. Or Coke to clean burnt pans.


:D

[thuraiya]

i have no idea ..:(
you are like me:lol: :lol:
but you are trying 2 solve your problem but i am waiting our servant 2 solve it 2 me..:(
am i lazy or what ??:sick:

[Schokokeks]

Interesting thread :D.
What always annoys me is that my area only offers very limy water which never fails to leave ugly stains on the basin, in the shower, in the sink,...just everywhere ! To remove them, vinegar is it :D. But I guess that was more of an ordinary tip...:D.


Or maybe tips on how to stop my room evolving into a bomb site whenever I have school work??
Oh, I know exactly what that looks like :D. Since I have a very small room for studying, I basically organise my stuff on the floor. When I start to work on, e.g. an essay, I clean my desk completely, meaning I put everything on it onto the floor. But not just anywhere, but ordered in "heaps" according to the different classes I have: one heap for Linguistics stuff, one for the Modern Lit course, one for Greek,...
Once I'm finished with my essay writing session, I put all the things on the desk again, but leaving them together in heaps.
You could also organise the heaps in a shelf, of course, if you can afford the space :D.

So far, it has worked out fine for me. But on the other hand, I don't think there's a 100% successful method of keeping order. It actually boils down to just pulling your messy self together in the strife against disorganisation :p.

[Shalot]

Nightshade I don't know if this is what you had in mind when you started the thread, but I do have a few household cleaning/chores that I could use some help with:

1) Some of the clothes that I have washed retain the BO smell after they have been washed and dried. I have been using a type of detergent that has no fragrance or dyes but it doesn't get the odors out apparently. So I switched to Wisk detergent, which does have fragrance, and I started adding baking soda to the washer. Now I have a rash. So, any ideas on how I can clean the clothes, get the odors out, and not break myself out from the fragrances.... also, I am a tight wad --- maybe I should spend the big bucks and just use Tide. Or, I guess I could experiment and find the right laundry detergent....

2) I put a bottle of body spray on the nightstand and the cat knocked the bottle on its side. The bottle leaked and ruined the finish on the nightstand... what do I do?

3) anyone got any tips for staining an old china cabinet that is an antique (or piece of junk -- take your pick) and has been sitting a porch exposed to the rain. I have polished it with liquid gold and old english, but I really need to stain it....

[papayahed]

1) Some of the clothes that I have washed retain the BO smell after they have been washed and dried. I have been using a type of detergent that has no fragrance or dyes but it doesn't get the odors out apparently. So I switched to Wisk detergent, which does have fragrance, and I started adding baking soda to the washer. Now I have a rash. So, any ideas on how I can clean the clothes, get the odors out, and not break myself out from the fragrances.... also, I am a tight wad --- maybe I should spend the big bucks and just use Tide. Or, I guess I could experiment and find the right laundry detergent....

I used to buy the fragrance / dye free detergents as well, but then there was a sale on Wisk and it just smells so darn good!

You might try a detergent booster like Borax or something like Oxyclean. I haven't had the BO problem though so I'm not so sure how either will work (borax is pretty cheap though - I use it to make my own silly putty).

[Niamh]

a handy trick i robbed from the telly. if you want your house to smell fresh during winter intead of cold and damp get some tumble dryer sheets and put them on your radiators and it gives off a clean fresh scent in your rooms.

[Nightshade]

What are tumble dryer sheets??

humm mabe vinger rather tan baking soda they do the same job, then again I know several people my mum incvluded who break into a rash when they use smelly cleaners.
Oh and another way of lessening the bo is not to screw the clothes up when you taken them off, let them 'breathe' it takes off some of the smell and then when you have washed them again let them breathe and then store them in a draw or cupboard with smelly soap or potporrrie or just take an orange stick a pencil through it and hang it in your cupboard. maybe a little jar of diluted baking soda in there tpo to draw out the smell. course then you would get rid of the smelel of the soap...:nod:

[*Classic*Charm*]

You might try a detergent booster like Borax or something like Oxyclean. I haven't had the BO problem though so I'm not so sure how either will work (borax is pretty cheap though - I use it to make my own silly putty).


Borax is awesome stuff! I used it for a chem lab last semester to experiment with concentration. We all ended up maing sily putty as well haha.

[Niamh]

What are tumble dryer sheets??

humm mabe vinger rather tan baking soda they do the same job, then again I know several people my mum incvluded who break into a rash when they use smelly cleaners.
Oh and another way of lessening the bo is not to screw the clothes up when you taken them off, let them 'breathe' it takes off some of the smell and then when you have washed them again let them breathe and then store them in a draw or cupboard with smelly soap or potporrrie or just take an orange stick a pencil through it and hang it in your cupboard. maybe a little jar of diluted baking soda in there tpo to draw out the smell. course then you would get rid of the smelel of the soap...:nod:

you know how you can get colour catchers for you wash well you can get sented sheets to put in your tumble dryer when you are drying you clothes. they make you clothes smell nice. think the product is called bounce. should be able to get it in tesco of sainsburys. got the idea off the tv programme 'hoe clean is your house'.

[kathycf]

1) Some of the clothes that I have washed retain the BO smell after they have been washed and dried. I have been using a type of detergent that has no fragrance or dyes but it doesn't get the odors out apparently. So I switched to Wisk detergent, which does have fragrance, and I started adding baking soda to the washer. Now I have a rash. So, any ideas on how I can clean the clothes, get the odors out, and not break myself out from the fragrances.... also, I am a tight wad --- maybe I should spend the big bucks and just use Tide. Or, I guess I could experiment and find the right laundry detergent....

2) I put a bottle of body spray on the nightstand and the cat knocked the bottle on its side. The bottle leaked and ruined the finish on the nightstand... what do I do?

3) anyone got any tips for staining an old china cabinet that is an antique (or piece of junk -- take your pick) and has been sitting a porch exposed to the rain. I have polished it with liquid gold and old english, but I really need to stain it....

I think papaya mentions borax, that should help. You can also try adding one cup of white (not cider) vinegar in addition to the borax. White vinegar is a very good multi-purpose thing actually. The vinegar smell dissapates pretty quickly and it is very useful for freshening away odors. I also mix equal amounts white vinegar and baking soda to pour down drains, it helps keeps the drains running smooth.

About the furniture...(yes, oddly enough I worked as a furniture re-finisher years ago...for about a week). :lol:

Alcohol in perfume and body spray damages the finish so you can try a spot cleaning and or repair. Try reading here (http://home.howstuffworks.com/how-to-remove-stains-and-discoloration-from-wooden-furniture.htm) for some info and tips.

For the other piece you are talking about, you probably need to remove the old finish. Just putting polish and stain on top of the old gunk is simply going to make it gunkier. If there is a Home Depot or Lowe's (or a good hardware store) near you can ask them there about some common furniture stripping agents. (heh, that looks sorta provocative, but isn't).

The chemicals are pretty harsh, but I imagine they are much gentler than they were back when was 19 and had my short lived stint doing that. At any rate, you will need some good gloves and a dry area either outside or with excellent ventilation.

[Schokokeks]

then store them in a draw or cupboard with smelly soap or potporrrie or just take an orange stick a pencil through it and hang it in your cupboard. maybe a little jar of diluted baking soda in there tpo to draw out the smell. course then you would get rid of the smelel of the soap...:nod:
I've been trying the soap strategy for a while, but it's not working that well :(. Maybe it's not smelly enough...I'll try the orange thing then, though it struck me as rather violent (like sticking a piece of wood through a vampire's heart :D).

[Nightshade]

I've been trying the soap strategy for a while, but it's not working that well :(. Maybe it's not smelly enough...I'll try the orange thing then, though it struck me as rather violent (like sticking a piece of wood through a vampire's heart :D).

:lol: my mum told me about that one from when they were in boarding school.
Umm well the soap thing isnt working for me at the moment either maybe it only works in wooden draws??? since I moved to plastic the smeel has just gone:(.

[Schokokeks]

Umm well the soap thing isnt working for me at the moment either maybe it only works in wooden draws??? since I moved to plastic the smeel has just gone:(.
That could be it, since I'm also using plastic (who would want to haul a wooden closet up to the fourth floor ?).
That's sad, though, I would like my clothes to smell like that delicious soap :D.

[Niamh]

That could be it, since I'm also using plastic (who would want to haul a wooden closet up to the fourth floor ?).
That's sad, though, I would like my clothes to smell like that delicious soap :D.

Put some nice smelling pot poperi(i know spelt it wrong!) in instead! but make sure its in some mess fabric.

[Schokokeks]

Put some nice smelling pot poperi(i know spelt it wrong!) in instead! but make sure its in some mess fabric.
Er, do you mean potpourri ? :

http://www.honestycosmetics.co.uk/images/pot%20purri.jpg

That is a very nice idea, I think I should be able to get it at the supermarket...Thanks :nod:.

[Niamh]

Er, do you mean potpourri ? :

http://www.honestycosmetics.co.uk/images/pot%20purri.jpg

That is a very nice idea, I think I should be able to get it at the supermarket...Thanks :nod:.

yep, thats what i ment!

[papayahed]

Does anybody know how to get out a water stain? I put a wet towel down on a chair and forgot about it, now I have what looks like a pee stain on my chair.

[Nightshade]

Hummm let me ask my consultunts.... err no shes on the phone

whats the chair made of?

[Schokokeks]

Does anybody know how to get out a water stain? I put a wet towel down on a chair and forgot about it, now I have what looks like a pee stain on my chair.
Maybe water the whole chair ? :D
No, seriously, if the stain is on some kind of cloth-like bolster, maybe you could remove the cover and put it into the washing-machine ?
But I fear it's more complicated...

[papayahed]

It's a cloth chair, light Yellow. Kinda like this but all yellow and cuter:

http://www.kidsquartersinc.com/fun%20furnishings%20new/child%20chair%20yellow%20check.jpg

[Schokokeks]

Hmmm...can't you remove the cloth cover, some kind of zipper somewhere ?

[papayahed]

Nope.

[Niamh]

do you have Vanish upholstry products in America? Its a cleaning agent that gets rid of stains. it might be in moose form and you just rub it in until the stain rubs off or something like that.

[Nightshade]

do you have Vanish upholstry products in America? Its a cleaning agent that gets rid of stains. it might be in moose form and you just rub it in until the stain rubs off or something like that.

would that work with water stains though? I thought they were wher ethe dye has leaked out?

[Scheherazade]

Vanish usually works with most stains (I go around the house with the Vanish can in hand on at least one day of the week). It is worth a try.

[Schokokeks]

And in case it doesn't work or even turns the stain into a worse one (hopefully not !), you could still put a nice blanket over the chair to cover the spot.

[Shalot]

I've been trying to CLEAN my home. I have steamed my rugs and my upholstory, and I have organized a lot of clutter and dusted in high and low places. I am becoming sort of a clean freak I guess. So, I was wondering if anyone had any house cleaning tips they wanted to share.

For example, does anyone know how to dust a lamp shade? I have some white lamp shades and they're a little dusty. I read that if you got a dry toothbrush and swiped at the shade with that, you could remove the dust. I tried it, and I wasn't too satisfied with the results.

[novelsryou]

Never mix ammonia and bleach!

Use the brush attachment on your vacuum for lamp shades.

Always dust before vacuuming.

[Bakiryu]

Get your spouse (or assorted family members) to do it! :p

[Sweets America]

I've heard that rubbing banana peel against sofas made with leather can erase stains. Just in case. :)

[Madhuri]

What material is the lamp shade made of? Can it be sent to drycleaners? I think white lampshades will become yellowish, and may need an expert hand, even if the dust is removed. Just a suggestion. :)

[pussnboots]

I have 2 wall lamps in my bedroom and the shades are white. I kept the plastic on them so it is much easier to clean. Can't say the same for the ones in my living room though.

[motherhubbard]

I mostly clean with stuff from the kitchen. When it's something like a lampshade I use a baking soda water solution and figure if it ruins it then it's no worse off than if it were just dirty. I would try to clean the dust off with maybe a dry cloth, the vacuum, and/or one of those lent rollers before I got it wet with the baking soda solution and then I would sit it in the sun to dry. Good luck with it and let us know what you did and how it worked.

[Shalot]

I have 2 wall lamps in my bedroom and the shades are white. I kept the plastic on them so it is much easier to clean. Can't say the same for the ones in my living room though.


I removed the plastic from mine for some reason. Some thought about a fire hazard was running through my mind, but mainly, my cats like to chew plastic wrap.

And yeah, my lamp shades are white.

[Nightshade]

For example, does anyone know how to dust a lamp shade? I have some white lamp shades and they're a little dusty. I read that if you got a dry toothbrush and swiped at the shade with that, you could remove the dust. I tried it, and I wasn't too satisfied with the results.

Have you tried a microfibre cloth? but make sure its incredibly clean and brush in only one direction -usually they say against the dust fall so upwards...
well actually that would really only work if you had a hard-ish ( if you get what I mean) lamp shade if you have one that is covered in material that is materialish then how about trying a fluff brush? the kind you have for clothes?



Never mix ammonia and bleach!
.
Never mix ANY 2 cleaning products.


I've been trying to CLEAN my home. I have steamed my rugs and my upholstory, and I have organized a lot of clutter and dusted in high and low places. I am becoming sort of a clean freak I guess. So, I was wondering if anyone had any house cleaning tips they wanted to share.


I mostly clean with stuff from the kitchen
Kitchen stuff IS great. white Vinegar is a great anti bacteria and good for polishing glass ( diluted obviously) also a bowl in the microwave for minute will lift the stains off the microwave. Lemon juice is good for polishing brass and mixed with the vinegar it helps stave off the overwhelming vinegary smell. Used tea bags are great for polishing real wooden floors - depending on the finish on them though because some finishes dont like any sort of damp. newspaper is good for polishing the glass dry after you wash it with a mixture of water lemon and vinegar. obviously bicarbonate of soda is great for clearing drains ( pour vingier down the drain after the bicarb) and getting rid of smells and if you mix it in with water great for cleaning the fridge or freezer. hairspray ( and my Oma uses sour milk for this job too- but I havent and doubt I will use that method) is great for getting ink stains out of shirts ( aslong as you havent already attempted to was it because then it doesnt leave as easily). Coke- but the best is coca cola is great substitute for bleach - I actually used some in my university toilet because it had horrible yellow stains when I moved in and the bleach wasn't really working and it came up clean quite quickly. coke is also good for cleaning burnt pans when you cant shift the black marks.
Ive never heard of using bannana peel .... if anyone has ever tried it Id like to hear about that one because Ive always known banana to be one of the Great Evil Stainers.

:D

[Shalot]

Get your spouse (or assorted family members) to do it! :p

ha ha. actually, my husband is pretty good about keeping the floors clean. The only problem is that he do the floors first, which means that when you go to dust the table, all the dust goes into the floor you just swiffered.

Swiffers are a godsend.

[kratsayra]

I am obsessed with Fantastik. I use it for cleaning everything - that way I don't have to worry about mixing cleansers if I'm always only using one. And my grandmother swears that Fantastik is great for getting stains out of clothing or other fabrics. :p

[mickitaz]

ha.. just the topic for discussion. i took a vacation day tomorrow to relax and clean. Last week or so I have been sooo busy, I haven't vaccumed or did laundry. For lamp shades, I use a very lightly sprayed paper towel with Pledge.

My favorite cleaning agent is bleach water.. I use it for the bathroom, kitchen, and most of my floors. I am a firm believer in Resolve for shampooing carpets and cleaning upholestery. Since I have three cats and one dog... it works excellent. That and Febreeze... although I am careful when using it around the cats.

[Shalot]

I still haven't tried these suggestions out on my lamp shade problem, but here are some of my own cleaning techniques:

To Remove Hair from the bathtub or bathroom sink before disinfecting:
take dry toilet paper or a dry paper towel and wipe the hair up (works best if the tub and sink are dry as well). The tp picks the hair right up and you are free to scour and disinfect without getting pesky hairs on your sponge and rag and pushing them round and round the sink or tub as you try to scrub)

To remove persistant BO smells from fabrics: Treat the fabric with a combination of baking soda and a dab of liquid soap or laundry detergent and apply it to the offending fabric using a scrub brush to mix. The combination of the liquid soap and baking soda creates a paste. Let the paste mixture penetrate the fabric for at least an hour. Before laundering, scrub the paste into the fabric again thoroughly. After scrubbing, fill the washer with the warmest water the fabric can withstand without fading, laundry detergent and baking soda and soak for 30 minutes to an hour. Wash and dry. If you remove the article of clothing from the hot dryer and still smell BO, repeat the process using longer soak times. If this still doesn't take care of the problem, throw the shirt away and tell your husband you don't know where his shirt is when he asks for it.

To Keep Home Neat and Clutter Free: Use the "10 Per Day" System. This idea came from my grandmother. Each day, pick up 10 stray items and put them in their proper storage place. Do this every day, and eventually all the items in your home will wind up in the place they were meant to be. Continue to do this each day and you will never feel as though you're being overrun by the junkie little items we all accumulate over time. And if it's broken beyond all repair, throw it away. If you can't part with it or think you can salvage the parts for something else, set aside an area for such things (for example, buy a big rubbermaid storage box for all those items and put them in there. Later, when you still haven't figured out what to do with that thingie that came off your whatchamacallit, you can have a rummage sale and then be disapointed when no one buys it. After that, you should be able to throw it away. If you find that you still can't throw it away after all that, get a therapist).


What material is the lamp shade made of? Can it be sent to drycleaners? I think white lampshades will become yellowish, and may need an expert hand, even if the dust is removed. Just a suggestion. :)

The lampshades are fabric. I never thought of the dry cleaners. I might look into that.

[Zee.]

I thought this thread would be a good place to share handy hints/tips and tricks you've learnt from people.

I'll start to give you an idea on the kinds of things to share :idea:


If you have a pair of shoes that need a bit of stretching in the toe or at the back, fill a little ziplock bag up with water (amount will vary depending on how much stretching your shoes need), place it in the toe of your shoe or any part that needs a bit of stretching, and place your shoes in the the freezer over night. The water will turn to ice and stretch the shoe for you. Putting your shoes in the freezer wont harm them and you wont have to painfully break the shoes in or take them to some overly expensive shoe stretcher man/woman.
:thumbs_up

[1n50mn14]

For a nice facial steam, pour boiling water out of the kettle over a handful of lemon balm leaves, mint leaves, and some lavenders stems/flowers in a large bowl. Place your face over the bowl, and drape a towel over the entire ensemble. Steam 5-10 minutes. You'll clear out your sinuses, pores, smell nice, and get a bit of aromatherapy.

---

For old, dry, cracked leather, clean well, then work olive oil into the leather with a sponge/soft cloth. Do not apply too often, as constant application will rot out the stitching.