Cleaning Tips

**sunshine** · 02-01-2006, 12:27 PM

Cleaning Tips

Ant Repellant: To keep ants out of the house, find
where the ants are entering the house and sprinkle a
"barrier" of cinnamon or any type of ground pepper to
block their way. The spices are too hot for the ants
to cross.

Bathroom Odors: Place a shallow dish of baking soda
behind the toilet to absorb bathroom odors.

Cloudy Drinking Glasses: Soak them for an hour or
longer in slightly warm (not boiled) white vinegar.
Then use a nylon-net or plastic scrubbie to remove
film. Still there? The damage must be etching (tiny
scratches that occur in the dishwasher) and is
permanent, sorry to say. To avoid this altogether,
hand-wash your best glasses.

Deodorize dishes, pans, cutting boards or utensils
with those same pungent odors, simply add 1/4 cup of
lemon juice to your dishwater.

Freshen a Garbage Disposal: Sprinkle baking soda in it
along with a few drops dish-washing liquid. Scrub with
a brush (a new toilet brush works great), getting
under the rubber gasket and all around the inside.
Then turn on water and the disposal and flush
thoroughly. For a fresh citrus scent, throw in a few
cut-up lemons or limes and run them through, too,
using lots of water.

Freshen Linen Closet: In the linen closet place cotton
balls that have been sprayed with your favorite scent.
Once they are dry place them in corners and on the
shelves.

Kitty Litter: To keep cat litter fresh smelling, mix
baby powder in with the litter.

Pet Urine on Carpet: First, blot up what you can with
paper towels. Mix one teaspoon mild dish-washing
detergent in one cup warm water, dip a clean towel in
the liquid and, working from outside in, dab at stain.
Do not overwet. Rinse with fresh water and blot dry.
Next, add on-third cup white vinegar with two-thirds
cup water and dab on stain. Rinse with water; blot
until dry. Once area is totally dry (after at least 24
hours), sprinkle entire carpet with baking soda or rug
deodorizer. Vacuum after a few hours.

Photos Stuck Together: With a hair dryer on low,
slowly melt them apart.

Sour Sponge: Soak the sponge in lemon juice and rinse
it out. This will remove the odor for good but keep in
mind that it is important to either dispose of,
microwave, or run your sponge through your dishwasher
regularly to keep bacteria from growing.

Trash Bag Idea: Save money on trash bags by reusing
plastic grocery bags. Use them in all your trash cans.
To keep them from slipping down, affix a plastic,
self-adhesive hook to both sides of the inside of the
trash can. Hang the shopping bag from the hooks.