In the second part of this series, we looked at ironing your pants in a jiffy with a tennis ball, repurposing newspapers as dusters, cleaning vases with gravel, removing coffee stains from your favourite mug with a salted lemon peel, cleaning your BBQ grill with a little baking soda and of course, cleaning your garbage disposal with, what else, lemon.
So if you thought the ideas were finished, think again. There are plenty more ideas and we love to share them. Here are a few more tips to keep you going with your spring cleaning.
1. Is there anything more frustrating then trying to remove sticky price tags from anything at all? There are a few ways to remove them, like putting oil or mayonnaise and letting it soak through the price tag. But that can take time and can get a little greasy to say the least. The best suggestion is to use a pencil erase and rub off the sticker. For best results try removing the price tags with water and soap first. Then be sure to dry before trying the eraser.
2. If you have wood furniture, try this neat little trick instead of using Pledge. Flat beer can help bring the shine back to your favourite wood pieces. We don’t recommend purposely leaving beer out to become flat, however if you’re having a party and there are a few unfinished bottles, don’t just chuck them, put them to good use. Simply put the stale beer on a soft cloth and wipe down the surface of your furniture. Dry the area with a different, clean rag and your furniture is sure to shine.
3. Who hasn’t seen The Karate Kid? “Wax on, wax off.” Here’s a trick to clean your car’s headlights that’ll make you feel like you can take on any Karate Kid. Use toothpaste to give those headlights a little extra brightness. Put a dab on and rub it into the headlights. Once completely covered, use a clean cloth to wipe away the residue. The result will leave you seeing nothing but bright lights everywhere you drive.
4. Lemons, lemons and more lemons. Seriously it’s the miracle clean-it for everything in your household. The natural citric acid found in lemons helps not only disinfect things, but also makes everything smell lemony fresh. So if your microwave is a mess, or it smells like popcorn, or anything else you’ve cooked in there, try using lemons to get the smell out.
Cut a slice of lemon and put it in a microwave-safe bowl filled with hot water. Cook on high for one minute. The heat will act as a humidifier and loosen anything that’s caked on in the microwave, while the antibacterial properties of the lemon will kill the bacteria that may be growing in there. Once the minute is up, simply wipe the microwave’s surfaces with a damp cloth.
Do you have any favourite tricks you like to use? Share them with us by leaving a comment below.
