Do you have a great household tip? Then share it here!

[staci]

These are awesome guys, thanks!

 

[Charade]

The best household tip I've ever learned was from an old Martha Stewart show. She invited a "laundry expert" on and she asked what she used for detergent. She explained that the only thing soap does in laundry is to break the "skin" on the water, the membrane that allows things to float on it. Once the skin is broken, the water can go thru the fabric, which is what cleans it.

In other words you only need a tiny squirt of DISH detergent and that will clean your whole load. WHAT????? I said after years of buying Tide, SA8 and other overpriced detergents???? This CAN'T work!!!

But it DOES!!

I tried it about 14 years ago and must have saved THOUSANDS of dollars by not having to buy detergent! It took a bit but I talked my Mom and sisters into trying it and they, too, were amazed.

I'm so glad I found out because washing the clothes of a 13 yo boy could put me in the poor house if I didn't know this secret!

I have a hard time believing this. There is no way (IMO) that one squirt of DISH washing liquid in a washer is going to remove dirt and grease.

Water alone will not break down grease.

 

[mamacatnv]

Best cleaning tip:

Have my DH live in the garage!

MamaCatNV

 

[horseshowmom]

Hairspray (no matter how cheap) takes ink out of clothes. Just spray it good just before you wash the item and throw it in the machine. If it's a pretty bad place and isn't all gone, just do it again (but don't put it in the dryer until the stain is gone).

 

[wdwmom2]

I've got one!! White vinegar to clean hard water deposits. Works like a charm. My glass shower doors get bad looking from the deposits. Every spring I take the doors outside, lay them on the picnic table and put a small amount of vinegar on them. I let them set like that for maybe 10 minutes and the deposits wipe right off. Also use it to clean the stainless steel pet bowls, and use it in our Bunn coffee maker when the coffee starts coming out slow. You just let it in the coffee maker for 2-3 hours and then run 8 pots of water through it to get all the vinegar out. As a matter of fact, I'm doing it right now!!! Works better than any commercial cleaner.

 

[Robinrs]

So you use a detergent like Dawn, add a squirt to the wash and that's it? Sounds like soemthing I need to try!

I use any ultra detergent and just a squirt does it.

I'd like to add that I had a BEDWETTER for years and this was what I used with a squirt of ammonia and the stain AND the smell disappeared!!

I have a hard time believing this. There is no way (IMO) that one squirt of DISH washing liquid in a washer is going to remove dirt and grease.

Why so hard to believe? It breaks down dirt and grease on dishes and pots and pans, doesn't it?

I don't know about grease because I don't have any on my clothes but I do know that it works on dirt and grime like magic. I took care of my parents for years before they died and it worked on all kinds of stains.

Another tip I use to save ENERGY in your drier is to turn the water OFF during the spin cycle in the wash. Send it through TWICE. This gets rid of a lot of the water in your clothes and saves energy when it goes into the wash.

As for the housekeepers and maids, if we all could afford it we'd all have one. I know I would! This is like suggesting a restaurant when asking for recipes!

 

[golfgal]

I use baking soda/water in the microwave to clean it, cook it for a couple minutes, let it sit and wipe off. It doesn't smell like vinegar. I will have to try adding some lemon juice too.

For slow draining drains, put some baking soda down the drain, follow with some vinegar, volcano reaction takes place, not messy at all. An hour later dump a pan of boiling water down the drain and your pipes will be clean.

 

[Kitty 34]

This is probably an old one but I use Bounce or any dryer sheet to get scuff marks off the linoleum. No elbow grease needed!

 

[crazyme5kids]

Robinrs does your hint work on grass stains or do you need to pretreat those? I have a ton of laundy to do this weekend and am going to give this a try. How big of a squirt?

 

[crazyme5kids]

Oh one more question! How well does it work on whites? Should I still use bleach? My boys have those grimy, stiff can walk on their own dirty socks, if you know what I mean lol.

 

[just.me]

I use laundry detergent - but I have a bottle of Dawn next to the washer for grease and stains
I use dishwashing detergent in my whites with grass stains... especially those baseball pants
Mc Clean Erasers for EVERYTHING
Microfiber cloths for granite
bread crusts to scrub out grease on rugs

 

[msdznyduck]

After preparing onions/garlic, and your hands stink.....wet them and rub a stainless steel spoon over them. Or is you have a stainless steel sink, just rub your hands around the sink. Works like magic......some kind of chemical reaction. A few years ago, I saw in a catalog some enterprising soul made bars of stainless steel "soap" for the same purpose........boy I wish I thought of that!!

 

[L107ANGEL]

Nop tips, just subscribing.

 

[Nevergrow'nup]

I put shampoo on an old scrubbie and scrub the tub an area at a time when I am in the shower, no cleaners and it stays shiny all the time. I learned this from flylady! It is an awesome site for housekeeping tips and ideas!

 

[Tuffcookie]

I hate it when brillo pads rust after you've used them once and put down to use later. But I found you can place the brillo pad in a zip lock bag and throw in the freezer and it will not rust between uses. Also, you can double the amount of brillo pads you get in the box by cutting them in half with scissors. Not only are you getting twice as many brillo pads, you're sharpening your scissors at the same time!

TC

Amonia, mixed with water, makes a great carpet cleaner!

When you go to the restaurants and you get those sealed wet naps, throw those in your glove box of your car!

If you use a ready mop, instead of spending all that money for refills, buy a pkg of handy wipes. Instead of throwing refillables away, you can wah the handy wipes and use again.

Hydrogen peroxide & water (mix half & half) will get the stain out of almost anything.

Great thread!!!

 

[DawnCt1]

I agree with the houskeeper comment

When I go to Costco and buy meat, I bring it home and divvy it up into freezer bags or the food saver whatever I am in the mood for. I then add marinades or seasoning to the chicken, pork and beef. I flatten out the packages and then freeze. Every morning before I leave for work I pull a bag out of the freezer, set it on the washer and by the time I get home it is usually defrosted and dinner is ready for whoever gets home first to throw into the oven or onto the BBQ. Add veggie and bread and we are good to go.

This has really cut back on eating out

MamaCatNV

That's an awesome idea. I love it. Even if you don't work out of the home. It sure saves a two step process later.

 

[Robinrs]

Oh one more question! How well does it work on whites? Should I still use bleach? My boys have those grimy, stiff can walk on their own dirty socks, if you know what I mean lol.

Hey you, I just got home!

I've used it on all stains, but I DO pre wash on bad stains, using the same detergent. And Yes, I do still use bleach on whites, diluted though!

 

[Poohbear123]

Hey you, I just got home!

I've used it on all stains, but I DO pre wash on bad stains, using the same detergent. And Yes, I do still use bleach on whites, diluted though!

Hey Robin, I am going to try and do a small load now with Dawn. Will let you ALL know how it comes out!

 

[kikakeko]

We have used tide in my carpet shampoo machine of course diluted... when we moved into our old house the carpets were AWFUL -thought we were going to have to rip them up and replace them but my mom did this and WOW it worked out great- no more smell and they were super clean. I have used up extra shampoo to do laundry with worked out just fine. Use dryer sheets to keep spiders out of your house. I also use my swiffer to wax our hard wood floors.

 

[MoniqueU]

Not sure if it has been said but I organize my kitchet longaberger baskets and cabinets and drawers while I am waiting for stuff to microwave or finish cooking. It helps a little.