[Neighland]

When I posted on another thread it got me thinking what are your favorite tips and tricks.... Whether that is cooking, cleaning....

Some of my new favorites are

1. Using the tops of green onions and put the bottoms in a glass of water and in a week or so you'll have new tops!

2. Chives and green onions freeze great... They can be chopped and thrown in a bag and not stick!! So it's easy to grab a handful when cooking!!!

Baking soda and vinegar make a great drain o for drains.... I have a couple more but what are your favorites!?

[Miss T]

Good timing - hubby and I were just talking about this.
Best tip EVER: Head and Shoulders shampoo gets out blood stains, even if they have set. I did not believe this until I tried it.
Also, heat a dish of lemon juice in the microwave before cleaning. The dirt just wipes right off.

[JanM]

Taking fish or onion smell off hands-use lemon juice, and I keep a bottle in the fridge just for this purpose. Just pour a lot on your hands and rub them together, and rinse.

White vinegar 50/50 with water for cleaning anything including pee stains.

Apple Cider Vinegar for hair rinse.

[Bluey]

Medium/lighter colored tile floors.
Darker colors show every step as a dusty footprint, human and animal ones.

A friend built a house and had stained concrete floors, that turned a bit dark and always tells me it is impossible to have those look clean, even when they are, because of the foot prints.

I know, we used to have the old SW darker red tile floors, ugh!

[TheJenners]

One word: roomba.

[TheJenners]

Oh and those Clorox wipes. No paper towels, no spraying; pluck, wipe/scrub and toss!

[WindyIsles]

Magic Erasers are awesome!

[To the MAX]

Good timing - hubby and I were just talking about this.
Best tip EVER: Head and Shoulders shampoo gets out blood stains, even if they have set. I did not believe this until I tried it.
Also, heat a dish of lemon juice in the microwave before cleaning. The dirt just wipes right off.

WHAT! Tell me more... you just scrub Head and Shoulders on a blood stain and it disappears? Or do you use it like you would Shout? My dog has doggy acne and sometimes he accidentally bleeds on the couch or our sheets when he rests his chin on them.

[suz]

hydrogen peroxide works for blood also.
i've used it very successfully on white jeans after a huge unexpected visit from you know who.
we use a half cup of white vinegar in the laundry for it's disinfectant properties, and as an added bonus we no longer need fabric softeners.



i like to freeze all celery tops, onions, peppers, etc and toss them in a pot for when i need some broth or soup started.

leftover coffee goes into ice cube trays for coffee cubes in iced coffee.

all i can think of atm!

[FLeventer]

Oh and those Clorox wipes. No paper towels, no spraying; pluck, wipe/scrub and toss!

Love those! If you go to a wholesale club, the club brands are cheap and they work just as well. I use them in the truck, kitchen, bathroom, and have some in the trailer. They are the best.

Microfiber rags are great for wiping down dusty surfaces and you just toss in the wash when done.

Also agree with Windy, those magic erasers are super!

[TheJenners]

OK what's the trick with the Magic Eraser? I tried it once and a little black mark on the wall (perhaps it was soot? unknown) turned into a giant grey smear. Horrible. Been afraid to try them since.

[Bluey]

OK what's the trick with the Magic Eraser? I tried it once and a little black mark on the wall (perhaps it was soot? unknown) turned into a giant grey smear. Horrible. Been afraid to try them since.

I use those clorox wipes on walls also and work wonders.
We had a nightmare invasion of millers this year and they left their marks all over everything, including walls.

Clorox wipes were our salvation there.

[FrenchFrytheEqHorse]

Be careful with the magic erasers on matte latex-painted walls. If you don't rinse the surface extremely well, they will crumble the latex paint (ask me how I know).

Love them, though.

[Foxtrot's]

so - what is the best way to remove marks from stainless steel appliances,
whatever I use it seems to leave smears, even with microcloths, which are the best invention e.v.e.r.

Keep a towel for puling open the door hung over the handle of the s/s fridge to keep finger marks off.

A tip from an old friend of mine whose barn was cleaner than her house -
always have a large vase of fresh flowers in a prominent place. You just don't notice anything else.

[Miss T]

WHAT! Tell me more... you just scrub Head and Shoulders on a blood stain and it disappears? Or do you use it like you would Shout? My dog has doggy acne and sometimes he accidentally bleeds on the couch or our sheets when he rests his chin on them.

I didn't even really scrub. We had a kitchen chair that had a fabric covered seat. DH got blood on it during a mishap with a knife. It had been there for months - just poured a little H&S on it, wiped with a damp towel - it was a miracle!
The daughter of a co-worker got blood all over her new, down filled jacket (knocked down on the playground and had a bloody nose). She told me it worked beautifully - coat saved. Wash in cold water, of course.
There is this awesome woman called "The Stain Lady" - she's written books and I'm pretty sure there is a website. I heard her originally on CBC radio (I'm in Canada). She has ALL kinds of great advice re: stain removal.

[tazz001]

A quick bathtub soap scum remover..old bath scrubbie with a dab of cheap shampoo, scrub walls while in shower, rinse while finishing your own shower. A quick fix between "good" cleanings.

as for some other posted...very helpful! Thanks

[HalfArabian]

Problem with soap scum use carpet stain spray.

[Neighland]

Foxtrots Sprayway is the best stainless steel cleaner hands down!!! It's amazing and keeps them clean for a long time... Wash with a paper towel and water first to get the grime off then Sprayway and don't put too much on, its oily but AMAZING!!!!

[Fred]

A tip from an old friend of mine whose barn was cleaner than her house -
always have a large vase of fresh flowers in a prominent place. You just don't notice anything else.

I like to spray 'Pledge' around the opening of the door before visitors arrive - it makes people think I have cleaned.

[ReSomething]

Every two or so years rearrange your furniture. It'll change the wear on your floor coverings and sometimes the wall paint and you'll end up cleaning up the hard to get places from the last configuration, finding yummy surprises and getting them gone.