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Brass: Polish with a paste of vinegar and salt. Rinse well with water and buff with soft cloth.
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Always use a curtain dry cleaner when having your curtains cleaned to avoid shrinkage problems due to over heating.
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Break something glass in the kitchen and nothing to pick it up with? Use a piece of bread to pick up the fragments.
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Brighten dull leather furniture by rubbing with half a lemon or stale beer. Polish with a dry cloth.
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Burns on carpet: For light burns on woollen carpets, rub over the affected area with a fine sandpaper to remove the brown singe marks. Wash the area with shampoo and warm water and a few drops of vinegar, then rinse away. Before attempting to remove marks from synthetic carpets, contact the manufacturer.
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Candle holders - if you have wax stuck to votive candle holders, place them in the freezer the wax will chip right off. To prevent it sticking in the first place by putting a little water in the holder before you put the candle in.
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Candle wax - to remove wax from carpeting or other fabric, first scrape away the excess then place a brown paper bag over the wax and run a warm iron over the bag, the wax will melt right into the bag. Continue moving the bag around as you pick up the wax so you are always using a clean section. If a little grease stain remains on carpet, sprinkle with baking soda and allow to sit overnight before vacuuming.
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Carpet stains - try baby wipes, they are miracle workers for anything from motor oil to blood.
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Carpet Stains: Shaving cream is a good all-purpose spot remover for carpets.
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Clean all filters in your air-conditioning unit annually for effective household environmental control as it can reduce or eliminate airborne particles.
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Clean gilt frames with a piece of stale bread to remove grime.
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Clean windows & mirrors easily with a piece of crumpled newspaper. The newspaper does not leave lint and minimises streaks.
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Cleaning canvas awnings, blinds & umbrellas. For general cleaning, salt water is excellent, scrub with a strong solution of salt and water. To remove mildew, spread a mixture of soft soap, starch, salt and lemon juice over the canvas and leave in the sun to dry.
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Cleaning glass in picture frames - never use liquid as moisture can seep through, instead use methylated spirits applied to a rag or piece of paper towel which evaporates quickly.
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Copper: Rub over with vinegar on a cloth, rinse off, then buff with a clean, soft cloth.
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Do not wet mop a timber floor or use water based cleaners as this can change the moisture balance in the wood and cause boards to ridge & warp.
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Dogs urine smell in carpet - to remove the smell of dog urine from carpet, sprinkle a 500g packet of bicarb soda over the spot. If a very large area use 2 packets and sprinkle thickly over area. Leave for 24 hrs before vacuuming up.
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Dusting artificial flowers - put into a large paper bag containing salt and give them a good shake.
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Eliminate Kitchen Cooking Smells by placing a few drops of your favourite essential oil on the grate of the exhaust fan and on the globes of your overhead lights. If you have a light over your stove place some on that too. The heat from the cooking and the globes will release the scent and reduce the cooking odours. It is safe to use of fluorescent lights also.
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Finger Marks: Remove dirty finger marks from walls using a pencil eraser.
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Freshen heavy curtains by adding them one at a time to a tumble dryer on delicate mode with a damp towel.
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Furniture dents in carpet - to make the carpet stand back up after moving a piece of furniture, place an ice cube on the spot. As it melts, the piles will go back up
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Glass kettles come up like new when you boil water and teaspoon of boracic acid.
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Grease and Oil: To remove these stains from furnishings, sprinkle talcum powder or cornstarch on the stain. Rub in well until the oil is absorbed. Vacuum off powder.
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Jewellery - make your gold and silver jewellery sparkle by cleaning with a small amount of toothpaste on a toothbrush, rinse under water.
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Kitchen tiles are easier to clean if you apply furniture polish after cleaning, makes it harder from grime to stick.
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Kitty Litter Odours - keep the kitty litter fresh smelling by sprinkling baby powder in the litter.
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Lift the pile in your carpet as a result of dents from heavy furniture by placing an ice cube on the spot and leave to melt.
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Mattresses - to clean musty mattresses, sponge with a solution of 5 drops of tea tree oil to one bucket of warm water. Take mattresses out into the sun to dry and air.
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Microwave Ovens - Place damp paper towels in your microwave and turn it on high for 10 seconds. This makes your microwave easy to clean.
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Pewter: Polish with the outer leaves of a cabbage and then buff with a soft cloth.
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Prevent smelly bins by sprinkling 1/4 cup each of borax (a natural mineral found in the laundry aisle) and bicarbonate of soda into the bottom of the empty bin.
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Red wine on carpet - pour some (cheap) white wine on the red wine stain. The proteins which cause the stain are the same and it will neutralise the red in the stain so you now have a white stain which you can clean up as normal.
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Remove ballpoint pen marks on wood or painted surfaces with distilled white vinegar. Simply dab with a clean rag soaked in vinegar until mark comes off.
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Remove sticky tape from varnished wood doors and furniture by spraying with window cleaner, leave for a while and tape will come off with no tell tale marks.
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Rust: To remove rust from a stainless steel sink, soak overnight in a paste of cream of tartar and water.
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Stainless Steel: Wipe over with a cloth dipped in vinegar. Don't leave on for long. Rinse off and dry.
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Sticky labels - use eucalyptus oil to help remove stubborn labels and label residue from your glassware. Simply rub on, leave for a short time and should then come off easily.
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Stitch a thread in the centre top of your sheets, blankets and bed spreads and line these up with the centre of the bed head for a perfectly neat bed every time.
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Tarnished Silverware - Line a baking tin with aluminium foil. Fill with water and add 1 tblspn. of baking soda per 2 cups of water. Heat to 150 degrees. Lay silverware in pan, touching aluminium foil. Watch the stains disappear!
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To hide scratches on furniture rub a wax crayon of the same colour on the furniture, you'll never see the scratch.
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Venetian blinds - clean aluminium and plastic Venetian blinds by hanging them up somewhere outside against a flat, vertical surface. Sponge with mild detergent and then gently hose them down. For timber blinds wipe the slats with household cleaner.
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Walnut furniture: Small scratches can be removed from walnut surfaces by rubbing over scratch with a raw walnut kernel broken in half.
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Washing Pillows - when cleaning mattresses and bedding, always check the manufacturer's care label first. In the case of pillows, chances are it can be thrown in the washing machine. Place two or three pillows in the machine, making sure to distribute evenly around the agitator. Use a gentle cycle and a mild detergent. To dry, place in the dryer along with a clean pair of sneakers to keep them from bunching up. To give them a fresh scent, use a couple of fabric softener sheets.
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White Heat Marks and Water Rings on Wood Furniture: If the wood has a good finish (don't try on bare wood), mix equal parts of baking soda and regular white, non-gel toothpaste. Lightly dampen corner of a clean, soft white cloth with water and dip into the paste. With circular motion gently buff the marks for a few minutes. Wipe area clean, and buff to a shine. Follow with furniture polish. (If rings remain after buffing five minutes or so, they may have penetrated the wood; you might have to refinish the piece). If that doesn't work, dip a cloth in vegetable oil, then in cigarette ashes, then rub it over the mark. Another method is to rub real mayonnaise onto the stain, allow to sit overnight, then wipe with a dry towel.
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