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CARPET CLEANING
WINDEX WONDER. When my husband and I were cleaning the grime from our vehicles, we came upon the best carpet cleaner: Windex! I decided to try to remove a stain that had been in my carpet forever, and voila!, it worked when everything else I tried 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 U., Minnesota [Editor's note: Always try new cleaning products in an inconspicuous place first to avoid any potential damage.]
Mary Hunt..Debt Proof Living
MICROWAVE
MICROWAVE MAKEOVER. I burned popcorn in my microwave, and the smell was terrible even after I cleaned it several times. I finally removed the odor by placing a 2-cup glass dish full of white vinegar in the microwave. Several times a day, I heated the vinegar, leaving the dish inside unless I was using the microwave to heat something else. Every other day, I changed the vinegar. After about a week, the burned popcorn smell was completely gone. Fran H., email
REMOVAL OF:
BLOOD STAIN REMOVER. Hydrogen peroxide will take blood stains out of everything! Once my daughter suddenly had a bloody nose and the drops of blood fell on several areas of her pink shirt before we could grab a tissue. I used hydrogen peroxide on the spots, and they came out within seconds. Dana S., Kansas
COFFEE STAINS. To remove coffee stains in a thermos, place a teaspoon of baking soda in the bottom of the thermos and fill with water. The stain will be removed and the thermos will remain clean and odor-free. L. P., email
INK
Getting Ink off a doll’s face: Acne cream with 10 percent benzoyl peroxide. Dab on and place the doll in the sunlight for several hours. Mary A., Georgia
A ballpoint pen explodes in your pocket. Put hair spray onto the pen marks, rub it in and let it dry. The next day wash it in washing machine in cold water. Voila! No more pen marks.
The best way to remove an ink stain from a busted pen on carpet:
Use rubbing alchohol. It will work better if it is 90 percent isopropyl alcohol, but you can try the regular drug store strength of 70 percent if that’s what you have handy. In either case, carpet ink stains will come out more easily if you catch them quickly.
Don’t pour the rubbing alcohol on your carpet. Apply it to a white cotton cloth and dab the stain carefully, so you don’t spread the ink. Suck it out after a few minutes using a wet dry shop-vacuum, or, if you use a cloth, blot carefully. Don’t rub! Repeat the process until you remove the stains from the carpet, or until you get no more transfer to the cloth. It may not be possible to remove the stain completely. Always rinse thoroughly with clear water and extract all moisture that you can afterwards, allowing the area to dry quickly.
FROM: Debt Proof Living
PEN OR MAGIC MARKER
MAGIC ERASER. Use toothpaste to remove pen or magic marker from a hard surface like stained wood, plastic, baby doll faces, walls or flooring. It works better than anything I've ever tried! Don't use whitening varieties on colored surfaces. Jennifer T., Kentucky
RESIDUE REMOVAL.
Have you ever pulled a sticker off of fabric only to find it has left residue or part of the sticker backing? Take a piece of a brown paper bag and place it over the area. Set your iron on low/medium and iron over the bag. The heat will melt the glue and the remnant of the sticker will adhere to the bag. Melissa M., Ohio
RUST
Pick up a can of Bar Keepers Friend Liquid Cleanser. You'll find this in your supermarket with cleaning supplies, or online at SoapsGoneBuy.com. This stuff is like magic. Use it on everything metal in the kitchen, including stainless steel and aluminum. It's better than bleach on a white sink and is non-abrasive. It will do wonders for your cookie sheets and pans. When you get them all cleaned up, make sure you dry them properly after every use.
SCRATCHES FROM WATCH FACE. I have tried many times to remove scratches from the plastic face of one of my watches. One day, I was cleaning the glass cook top of our electric range and I wondered if the cleaner could remove those scratches from my watch. I was using Weiman® Cook Top Glass Cleaner, which uses silica as one of its main ingredients. I tried it on the watch, and I was amazed. It removed the scratches and there was no residual damage.
Frank C., e-mail
STICKY SOLUTION.
What a mess if you ever get gum or crayons melted inside the dryer. Here's what to do: Get some old towels, pop them in the dryer and run on hot for a few minutes to soften the wax or gum. Then, make a paste of Cascade automatic dishwasher detergent and hot water. With a damp cloth, use this paste to scrub off the gum or wax. Go over the entire inside of the dryer, and make sure you rinse it off well. Run a load of old towels just to make sure it's all gone. Maggie S., Connecticut
SHOES
Spray a pair of new athletic shoes inside and outside the shoe with Scotchgard water repellent for outdoor fabrics. Your shoes stay cleaner longer and it repels both dirt as well as water. If you use sneaker cleaner the dirt will come off so much easier if the shoes have already been treated with the water repellent. Make sure you use the outdoor formula. Jean Millburg, IL
SHOWER DOORS
What cleaning solution or product should I use to clean soap scum off shower doors without getting myself soaked? J.C., e-mail
The best thing I know of for tough soap scum build up is original blue Dawn, the dishwashing liquid. Use it full strength on a sponge or damp rag, applying a thick coat to the entire door and all the trim as well. Allow it to set for a few minutes, or until the scum melts. Then, wipe off, rinse well and buff dry.
STUFFED ANIMALS
WASHING STUFFED ANIMALS. When washing stuffed animals, I used to place them in a pillowcase, knot the end, pin the knot down, and then throw it in the washing machine. I could just throw the pillowcase into the dryer as well. The animals came out smelling so fresh and looked great, but if they fell out during the process, their fur would be frizzed. One day I discovered zippered pillow protectors. They work even better because the animals never fall out. Pillow protectors are available in the same area of the store where you find sheets and pillowcases, and they are quite inexpensive. Shannon, North Carolina