Steam Clean The Microwave

To clean stubbornbaked-on food stains from the microwave you can steam them off with water and distilled vinegar. Mix 1/2 cup of each in a measuring cup or a microwave-safe bowl. Set the temperature to High for about five minutes or until it boils.

The heat and steam will loosen the baked-on food. Wipe the walls and ceiling of the microwave with a clean wet rag. Once the water and vinegar mixture cools down, dip the rag in the solution and wipe down the entire interior to eliminate any odors.

 

 

Shine On

Jewelry, costume and fine pieces too, can become trashed quickly. This $28 when-new bracelet that was horribly tarnished, was given to me by a friend. Gold-toned items can be restored with ketchup and Blue Dawn.

Cover your tarnished item on both sides with ketchup. Wait 5 minutes and rinse off.  You will see a marked improvement. Then put a few drops of Blue Dawn in a bowl filled with warm water. Dip your item in it. Wash off gently with your fingertips and dry.

Enjoy your good-as-new piece!

Hair Spray Be Gone

Hair spray leaves stubborn spots on my shower doors and trim. I save money and time by removing it using plain old rubbing alcohol on a cotton ball. It removes all traces of hairspray quickly, easily, and inexpensively.

I especially like the fact that rubbing alcohol can be used for other purposes, and that I don’t have to buy a special cleaning product.

 

 

Amazing, Super Inexpensive, and Easy Copper Bottom Pot Cleaner

My old copper bottom pots are great, and they take just a little bit of extra effort to keep the bottoms clean. All it takes is a minute and two simple household ingredients: vinegar and salt!

  • Vinegar: I purchase the largest bottle of vinegar at my favorite shopping club. It’s about $3 for a 1.3 gallon bottle.
  • Salt: I purchase the 4-pound box of salt at my favorite shopping club. The table salt is $1.59. Pickling and canning salt is pure salt, so I tend to use this so there are no additives. (Yes, there are additives to table salt!) I put the salt in a small canning jar with a spouted lid (reCAP) to make sprinkling easy and keep moisture out of the salt.
  • Spray bottle: I use vinegar for many other things, so I always have some in a large spray bottle. This costs $1-3 at Wal-Mart.

Method:

  1. Wash as normal.
  2. Spray the bottom of the pot lightly with vinegar.
  3. Sprinkle a small amount of salt (I use about 1 teaspoon) over the vinegar.
  4. Rub, dry, and admire the shine!

No more chemicals, no more powdery cleanser! If the spots have been on the bottom of the pot for a while you might want to consider using a copper cleanser first to remove the spots, and then use this vinegar/salt method thereafter to maintain the shine.

 

Windex Wonders

When my husband and I were cleaning the grime out of our vehicles, we came upon the best carpet cleaner- Windex! I decided to try to remove a stain that had been embedded in my carpet forever, and voila! It worked when everything else I tried had failed. Just spray the stain thoroughly with Windex, rub gently with a towel, and absorb as much of the residue as possible. Then, apply water liberally and absorb that from the carpet as well. Andrea 

NOTE: Always test new cleaning products in an inconspicuous place first to check results.

Leaky Logic

I used to clean up the messy leaks from meat I stored or thawed in the refrigerator. But now I put my thawing meats in a plastic shoe box-size container in the fridge to catch any spills. When leaks occur (they often do), I just run the box through the dishwasher and there’s no extra cleanup! Pam

 

Soleplate Solution

Here’s a great way to get that sticky brown residue from the soleplate of your iron. Mix baking soda and water into a paste. Dip a damp cloth into it and rub it gently on the surface. Clean it off with a dry cloth. Good as new! Kim

 

 

DIY Window and Glass Cleaner

Just another recipe for good glass and window cleaner! Use 45 percent water, 45 percent rubbing alcohol and 10 percent household ammonia (but exact measurements aren’t important).

Put it in a clearly labled marked spray bottle. This is as good as any product you’ll buy. Cheryl