Misc Cleaning Tips
These tips are just ones that don’t go anywhere else!!
STICKY LABELS
These are my pet hate! WHY do companies insist on super-gluing their company name on their dishes, cups, baking dishes etc etc. Then when they are ripped off, half the sticker and all of the glue remains. GRRR!!
Soak a cotton ball in eucalyptus oil and soak the sticker BEFORE you remove it. Then it comes off a great deal easier than without it.
Other products you can use are baby oil and White Spirits.
JAR LABELS: Soak the jars in boiling water for 20 minutes. Remove the paper that comes off the label, leaving behind the gluey gunk mess. Rub with eucayptus oil and allow to sit for 10 minutes. Rub with a wet cloth and it comes off straight away. Make sure you wash the jar well again, otherwise your preserves may taste like eucalyptus oil! Not a good flavour in strawberry jam!
DUSTING DRIED/FLOWERS
My Mum will love this tip, her house is filled with dried flowers. You can’t rub the flowers, since they are so delicate, they would snap right off. Take the arrangement outside, well away from any open doors and windows. You don’t want the dirt and dust floating right inside now. Get your hair-dryer and put the setting on cool. Then blast away that dust and fluff balls.
BABY SHAMPOO - A NEW USE!
You can use it as a floor cleaner! Put in a squirt with some hot water and vinegar and mop away. There is no sticky residue and the vinegar kills the germs. It cleans really well. I also loved the smell! It took me back to the days when I was bathing my baby boy. Good memories while mopping… that’s a plus!
You can also use regular shampoo to clean the floors, because it is designed to remove oils from the hair, it will lift dirt and grime off the floors. If you are concerned about germs, add some hospital grade disinfectant or some vinegar and BINGO! An el-cheapo floor cleaner.
VENETIAN BLINDS
How painful these are to clean!! But there is an easier way! Remove blinds from the windows and partially fill the bathtub with warm water and a squirt of dishwashing liquid. Carefully place the blinds in the warm water and allow to soak for 10 minutes. Pull the blind out and onto an old towel. Carefully wipe each slat with a damp cloth to remove any stubborn dirt. (Especially kitchen blinds) Stand the blind on one end and allow to drain for 15 minutes. Repeat for the other side.
To maintain them afterwards: Close your blinds so the slats face downwards and using a duster, remove all the dust and fluffies. This job needs to be done twice a week.
For fabric vertical blinds, the same method can be used. Place them in warm soapy water in the bath and allow to soak. If that doesn’t effectively clean them, then you may have to lay them down on an old sheet on the lawn and individually scrub them with a soft brush and warm soapy water.
STINKY DRAINS?
Sprinkle some bicarb soda down the drain, ensuring you try to get it on the sides of the pipe. Pour down some vinegar. This will cause a huge fizz, cleaning the drains and helping remove small blockages and killing bacteria. Leave the bicarb and vinegar to do it’s thing overnight. In the morning pour a few cups of boiling water down the drain to finish the job.
CURTAIN CLEANING
You cannot afford to neglect cleaning your curtains. They accumulate dirt and dust.
Take your curtains down - feel the fabric. If it feels brittle then it has been damaged by the sun and will need replacing. Throw them away and don’t even bother washing them. Check the label on them to check for washing instructions and follow them. Some curtains can be thrown in the washing machine, some can’t. If the curtains are too big for the machine, pop them in the bath and wash them in there. Walk barefooted up and down over the curtains in the bath, this helps squeeze the dust out.
If you vacuum your curtains regularly, it’s not necessary to wash them as often.
RUST SPOTS
It’s so annoying finding rust spots on the sink and shower floor. Pour a little lemon juice on top of the stain and allow it to sit for a while. In my case, the lemon juice lifted it after 10 minutes. I just scrubbed at it gently with a toothbrush. I was impressed!!
STICKY RESIDUE (GENERAL)
To remove sticky stuff left behind by glue and other adhesives, rub with eucalyptus oil well or white spirits.
For stubborn sticky spots, loosen up the glue by blasting it with hot air from the hair dryer, then proceed with the eucalyptus oil/white spirits.
LOUVERS ON HEATERS
To easily remove dirt and dust from louvers without smearing and annoying sticky dust: vacuume your louvers first to get excess dust off, then with a wet cloth, squirt a mixture of 1/2 cheap shampoo and 1/2 water onto the cloth and wipe. This will remove easily dirt and dust that has stuck on because of moisture. To prevent this sort of build up dust louvers more regularly
WOODEN BLINDS
Wooden blinds can’t be cleaned like ordinary venetians, because they can be ruined by water. Close the blinds and run the vacuum over it to remove any loose dust. Then use a non-waxy furniture polish to clean - or a furniture oil.
WAX (CANDLES) SPILLS
For stains made by colored wax: when wax has cooled and excess wax has been removed, wipe the stain with metho.
To remove wax spills off candle holders: if possible pour boiling water over the wax and allow it to melt, and wipe off immediately.
CLEAN PAINT BRUSHES AND ROLLERS
Squirt a small amount of clear cheap shampoo (not moisturising) and rub through the bristles. Then rinse thouroughly. I used shampoo on the rollers as well as the paintbrushes when we painted my son’s room. Cleaned them a treat!! (This was acrylic paint) This method would also be good for kids paint brushes.
