Cheaper, Better, Faster (4 page)

Crayon—
on floors and walls

Get rid of crayon marks from a linoleum floor by rubbing lightly with a dab of silver
polish. To remove your child's crayon marks from painted walls, dip a damp cloth into baking soda and rub the spots gently.

Crayon—on slate

To remove crayon marks on a slate fireplace hearth: Use an art-gum eraser available at an art supply or stationery store. Just knead the eraser until it's pliable, then press it against the crayon marks and “pull” them off. Continue kneading and pressing until all the marks are removed.

Crystal

To clean crystal vases, glasses, chandelier crystals, or any kind of bottle that's been clouded by a calcium coating, fill a large container with soapy water and add a good shot of white vinegar. Allow items to sit in the solution for 2 to 3 hours.

Curling iron

To clean the buildup of scorched hair spray and other products on a curling iron, scrub the cool iron with a soft cloth soaked with rubbing alcohol.

Cutting board—cleaning

Lemon juice cleans, deodorizes, and bleaches out stains on wooden cutting boards and wooden utensils.

Cutting board—seasoning

After scrubbing and disinfecting your wooden cutting board, season it by rubbing on a coat of mineral oil. Do not use vegetable oil because it may turn rancid.

Dishes: clean or dirty?

Never sure whether the dishes in the dishwasher are clean or dirty? Place an uncapped spice bottle upright in a front corner of the top rack. When dishes are clean, it will be full of water. Empty the bottle when you unload.

Dishwasher—as drain board

If you only occasionally hand wash dishes such as delicate
crystal, china, or a messy pot, don't waste money purchasing a drain board. Place just-washed items on the top rack of your empty dishwasher and they'll drain and air-dry.

Dishwasher—detergent only!

Don't be tempted to use soap meant for dishes or laundry when you run out of automatic dishwasher detergent or you'll wind up with a mountain of bubbles. If someone else makes the mistake, here's how to get rid of the mess: Open the dishwasher, slide out the bottom rack, and sprinkle salt on the suds, which will immediately reduce their volume. Pour 2 gallons of cold water into the bottom of the dishwasher and advance the cycle until you hear the machine begin to drain. Repeat until only a few suds remain. As a last step, run an entire cycle without any detergent.

Dishwasher—double duty

Use the dishwasher to clean brushes, dustpans, and even the dish drainer.

Dishwasher—flatware organization

Save time by presorting forks, knives, and spoons as you load them into your dishwasher's utensil compartment.

Dishwasher—rusty stains

If your dishwasher interior has rusty stains, try running a cycle with no dishes, and instead of automatic dishwasher detergent, fill the cups with Tang instant breakfast drink. The citric acid works miracles.

Dishwasher
spotting—vinegar

To ensure your dishes come out sparkling clear with no soap or hard-water residue, pour a cup of white vinegar into the dishwasher during the final rinse.

Dishwasher spotting—vinegar, lemon juice

No matter the brand of automatic dishwasher detergent, glasses often come out of the dishwasher with spots. Solution: Mix equal parts water,
vinegar, and lemon juice in a spray bottle and spray the glasses before putting them in the washer.

Doorknobs and switch plates

Moisten a cloth with rubbing alcohol and wipe away the grime from doorknobs and switch plates.

Drains—hair removal

Remove hair from a drain with a bottle brush.

Drains—mesh bag
debris catcher

Stuff a mesh produce bag into a drain to catch food particles, hair, and other debris. Be sure to wash it in hot water or in the dishwasher to get rid of bacteria.

Drains—odors and grease

To eliminate odors and keep grease from building up in your kitchen plumbing, regularly pour a strong saltwater solution down the drain.

Drapery sheers

If your sheer draperies are looking a little limp and tired, wash them and then dip them into a sink filled with warm water into which you've dissolved a cup of Epsom salt. Do not rinse. Hang to dry.

Dry-erase boards

To add luster and restore the surface of a dry-erase board, polish it with a dryer sheet.

Dust mop

To clean a dust mop indoors, pull an oversized plastic bag over the head of the mop, tie the top of the bag, and shake the mop vigorously so the dust falls into the bag.

Duster with reach—broom

Slip a pillowcase over a broom's bristles, tie it on with a twine tie or piece of string, spray lightly with furniture polish or water, and you'll be able to easily dust high spots and ceilings.

Duster with reach—fishing pole

Stick a fluffy feather duster into the hollow end of a cane fishing pole, sold at import stores for about $1. Now you have an extension handle that will allow you to remove cobwebs that form on your high-vaulted ceilings and ceiling fans.

Dusting—delicate items

New paintbrushes are terrific for dusting delicate items that need a light touch, such as a lamp shade or silk flowers.

Dusting—in tight places

Wear cotton gloves sprayed with furniture polish to dust hard-to-reach places.

Dusting—under beds

Wrap an old cotton T-shirt around the bristle end of a broom for cleaning under beds.

Dusting—with glycerin

Dampen vacuum brushes with a solution of several drops of glycerin to
½
cup water. It attracts dust and hair like a magnet. You can find glycerin in the drugstore.

Dustpan

Spray your dustpan with furniture polish and the dust will slip right off.

Dusty curtains

Don't dry-clean curtains that are simply dusty. Toss them into the dryer with a couple of dryer sheets on “air dry.” This will fluff them up and loosen and release the dust.

Dusty curtains, pillows, slipcovers

Put dusty pillows, curtains, and slipcovers into the dryer. Set it on cool, and toss in a fabric softener sheet for fragrance.

Enamel cookware

If your enamel cookware has unsightly stains, fill it with a mixture of equal parts household bleach and water and
allow to sit overnight. Then thoroughly rinse.

Eyeglasses

Mix
⅓
cup rubbing alcohol with 1 cup water. Put in spray bottle and use to clean eyeglass lenses. This mixture is safe to use on all ophthalmic eyeglass lenses, even those made from plastic material, as those materials are hardened and impervious to isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol.

Fan
blades

There's nothing like static electricity to turn a fan blade into a dust magnet. But that's no match for a dryer sheet. Just take one of those gems and wipe down the blade to release dust—and pet hair and cobwebs too.

Faucets—lime deposits

Lime deposits around faucets can be softened for easy removal by covering the deposits with vinegar-soaked paper towels. Leave paper towels on for about 1 hour before cleaning. The vinegar leaves chrome clean and shiny.

Faucets—soap scum

Remove soap scum from a faucet with an old toothbrush dipped into a 50/50 ammonia and water solution.

Fiberglass—shower walls and tiles

For a brilliant shine and easy cleanups, give freshly cleaned tile and fiberglass shower walls a coat of car polish. Do not wax the shower floor or bathtub as it will become dangerously slick.

Fiberglass—showers and bathtubs

Clean fiberglass showers and tubs with baking soda sprinkled on a damp sponge. Scrub clean and wipe dry.

Floors—ceramic tile

Mop ceramic tile floors with a solution of 1 gallon hot water and 1 cup vinegar—no soap. The floor will shine and
sparkle like new. No rinsing is required. While hot water might work to remove dirt, it will have a dulling effect because of the minerals left behind in the water. Vinegar cuts and removes those minerals, getting rid of that cloudy film.

Floors—hair spray removal

To remove hair spray from a no-wax floor, mix
¼
cup ammonia with a gallon of warm water. If you are not sure about the durability of the floor's finish, test this mixture on an inconspicuous part of the floor.

Floors—no-wax linoleum

To clean a no-wax linoleum floor quickly, mist with a foaming bathroom spray and let stand 5 minutes. Damp-mop the floor to remove the cleaner.

Floors—scratches on resilient flooring

Get rid of light scratches in resilient flooring by rubbing with a soft cloth moistened with a small amount of paste floor wax.

Floors—
wax remover, homemade

Mix 3 parts rubbing alcohol to 1 part water for an excellent floor wax remover.

Framed art

When you wash the glass that covers framed art, spray the cleaner on your cloth, not the glass. Otherwise the liquid may work its way inside the glass, damaging the mat or the artwork itself.

Freezer

If your refrigerator isn't frost-free, use a hair dryer to quickly defrost it. Or rotate two pans of boiling water: one goes into the freezer compartment while the other goes back on the stove for reheating. When you've completed defrosting the freezer, spray a few coats of cooking spray on the top and sides of the freezer. The next time you defrost, the ice will fall right off.

Furniture polish, homemade

Mix 3 parts olive oil with 1 part lemon juice or vinegar in blender. Blend on high to emulsify, and apply with a clean, soft cloth.

Garbage disposal—ice cubes,
citrus, baking soda

Mix 1 cup chopped lemon, orange, or grapefruit (rind and all); 1 cup baking soda; and 1
½
cups water. Pour into an ice cube tray and freeze until solid. Remove cubes, place them in a resealable plastic bag if you don't intend to use them immediately, and label them. To use, turn on your disposal unit, dump in 6 to 10 cubes, and let the machine grind them up. Rinse with cold water.

Garbage disposal—
ice cubes, vinegar

To clean the garbage disposal, dump in a tray of ice cubes made from white vinegar and water. Turn on the water and operate the disposal as usual. Or dump in a tray of regular ice cubes and a handful of lemon rinds and operate the disposal as usual.

George Foreman grill

You love your George Foreman grill. If only it was self-cleaning! Here's the next best thing: Throw a soaking wet folded paper towel on the grill after you unplug it, but while it's still hot. Close the lid. It will steam clean itself. When cooled, just wipe off the residue.

Glass—coffeepot

Coffee burned on the bottom of your glass coffeepot? Try this old restaurant trick: Fill it with a handful of ice cubes, add 2 teaspoons of salt, and swirl the pot around for a few minutes to remove the coffee stains.

Glass—
decanter

Rub a glass decanter with a lemon or lemon juice to renew its shine. Dry with a lint-free cloth.

Glass—fireplace doors

To clean those dirty glass fireplace doors, mix some wood ashes with a little water. Apply this paste with a sponge in a circular motion and rinse off.

Glass—light globes

Clean the glass globes of your light fixtures in the dishwasher.

Glass—shower doors

Mineral oil will remove stubborn scum from the inside of glass shower doors. Give the tiles, faucets, and outside of the shower door a final once-over with glass cleaner to make them really shine.

Glass—thermos

To clean the inside of a glass thermos bottle, place a denture-cleaning tablet in it, fill with warm water, and allow it to sit overnight before rinsing thoroughly.

Glass cleaner,
homemade

Add 2 tablespoons cornstarch and
½
cup white vinegar to 1 gallon of warm water.

Glass-top tables

Glass-top tables will repel lint if you wash them with a solution of 1 quart warm water and 1 capful liquid fabric softener.

Grater

An old toothbrush is perfect for quickly cleaning the holes in cheese and vegetable graters.

Grout—soak
it

Use lengths of cotton stripping (the kind you'd use to protect your hairline during a dye job) that have been soaked in undiluted bleach. Push the wet cotton against the grout and leave it there. After half an hour, pull away the cotton. The same method works well to clean mildew that forms along the caulking between a wall and a bathtub.

Grout—toothbrush, denture cleaner

Scrub grout using an old toothbrush with denture-cleaning paste or cleanser.

Grout—toothbrush, dishwasher detergent

Make a paste of automatic dishwasher detergent and water. Apply to grout using an old toothbrush. When it's dry, rub it off with a terry washcloth.

Grout—whiten with baking soda, hydrogen peroxide

Mix a paste of baking soda and hydrogen peroxide. Using an old toothbrush, apply the paste to the grout and give a little scrub. Leave on for a few minutes; rinse. For stained grout between floor tiles, try rubbing the area lightly with folded sandpaper.

Grout—whiten with bleach

Whiten grout between tiles with bleach dabbed on a cotton swab.