# How to clean various surfaces ## Washing the dishes Dishwashing solutions: - Mix a cup of liquid castile soap, five drops of lemon oil, and a drop of tea tree oil in a bottle and shake well. Add 1/2 cup water to thin it out if it's too thick. - Mix a cup of washing soda, a cup of borax, 1/2 cup salt, and 1/2 cup of lemon juice in a bottle. - Wash with straight vinegar. - Mix baking soda and water in a cloth. Dirty sponge/dishcloth: - Microwave for two minutes to kill 99% of microorganisms. - Soak in water with a little lemon juice, then microwave for 1 minute. - Rub baking soda and water into it and let it sit. Blender: - Fill it with warm water and a drop of dish soap, run it, dump, and rinse. Bottles and liquid containers: - Wash out with baking soda and hot water to remove odors. - Fill with water, drop in four antacid or denture cleaning tablets, and let soak for 1-12 hours. Burnt pots and pans: - Rub with a dryer sheet to loosen it. - Baking soda and vinegar: - Mix a cup of water, two tablespoons of baking soda, and a cup of vinegar. - Scrub hard with vinegar. - Scrub with dry baking soda and a moist scouring pad. - Fill it with cold water and add an onion, cook until the onion becomes soft, then drain the pot and scrub it. - Sprinkle 1/4 tablespoon of dry Epsom salt on it, wait a few minutes, add warm water, and scrub well. - Soak it for really tough stains: - Fill the bottom with water and add a cup of vinegar, bring to a simmer, then take off heat and stir in two tablespoons of baking soda until dissolved, empty it and scrub lightly. - Add 1-2 drops of dish soap and enough water to fill the bottom, then bring to a boil on the stove. - Soak in a water and baking soda mixture for ten minutes before washing. - Soak with salt water, let the solution break down the food for a few minutes, and scrub clean. - Sprinkle baking soda on the bottom of the pan, add vinegar, let soak for fifteen minutes, then rinse with soap and water. - Sprinkle baking soda on the bottom of the pan, add enough water to moisten the soda, let sit overnight, and scrub clean. - For copper pots, rub with ketchup. Glass pans and coffee pots: - Wash with 3 tablespoons of baking soda for every quart of water. - Fill with water and place in a hot oven for about ten minutes, then rinse with warm water and soap. - Fill with water and drop in two antacid tablets. Heavily caked-on plates and silverware: - Soak in dishwasher soap. Cutting boards: - Wipe with vinegar. - Sprinkle a handful of Kosher salt and rub with half a lemon, then rinse and dry. Teapots: - Add water and baking soda and let the solution soak overnight. Wooden spoons: - Wash with cold water to avoid cooking food picked up by the spoon. - When odors are present, soak in a mixture of baking soda and lemon juice. Dishwasher: - Load the dishwasher so the dirtiest dishes are in the direct path of the jets. - Add lemon juice to a cycle with greasy dishes to clean them. - Disable the "Extra Dry" mode at the end to prevent extra heating (and therefore prolong the lifespan of your dishes). ## Laundry To avoid an uneven load in a top-down washing machine, place the heaviest items at the bottom of the basin or bundle them into a loose ball to avoid them wrapping around the center post. Throw a dry towel in with a wet load in the dryer to cut the drying time in half. Make your own laundry detergent: - Gel 1. Grate a castile soap bar and add it to a large saucepan of hot water, stir well until the soap dissolves. 2. Fill a ten-gallon pail with five gallons of warm water and add a mixture of borax, washing soda, and five drops of tea tree oil, then stir until completely dissolved. 3. Top up the pail with more water and keep stirring until it has an even consistency, then cover and wait for it to gel. 4. Use one cup per load. - Powder 1. Grate a bar of Ivory or Fels Naptha soap into a coffee can. 2. Add a cup each of washing soda and borax and mix well with a fork. - Optional: add 1/4 cup baking soda. 3. Use 1-2 tablespoons per load. - Liquid 1. Either pour 1 cup of Dawn dish soap or grate 1/3 of a bar of Ivory or Fels Naptha soap into a saucepan. 2. Add 6 cups of water and heat until the soap melts. 3. Add 1/2 cup washing soda and 1/2 cup borax and stir until dissolved. 4. Remove from heat and pour four cups of hot water into a two-gallon bucket. 5. Add soap mixture and stir, then stir in a gallon and six cups of water. 6. Optional: add up to 1 ounce of essential oil or fragrance oil for scent. 7. Use 1/2 cup per load. - Note: This soap doesn't make bubbles. Shrinking clothes: - Wash the clothes in warm water instead of hot to avoid shrinking. - Unshrink them by soaking them in water and hair conditioner for five minutes. - For sweaters, soak them in baby shampoo. Woolens: - Immerse the clothes in a mixture of 3/4 cup ammonia, six tablespoons of baking soda, and two cups warm water to keep them from shrinking. Odors: - Soak in a mix of water and baking soda. - Add 2-3 tablespoons of vinegar to the detergent. - Add a cup of vinegar to a hot rinse cycle. - Add dryer sheets to the dryer. - Add 1/2 cup of baking soda to the load. Use fabric conditioner or softener when rinsing or drying: - Add 1/2 cup vinegar to a load while washing. - Mix two cups of vinegar, 30 drops of rose water, and two tablespoons of baking soda in a bottle. - Add 1/4 cup Epsom salt to a load. - Add a dash of essential oil for a scent. Turn jeans inside-out to allow the pockets and interior linings to dry faster. Denim can be worn again without washing if placed in the freezer overnight, but thaw it before ironing: - Alternately, run a sponge dipped in vodka along the length of the pants. - Place them in the freezer for a week to freshen up the colors. Static cling: - Secure a safety pin to the clothes. - Rub with a dryer sheet. - Press a dryer sheet into a hairbrush. - Make two tin-foil balls and throw them in the dryer with the clothes. Wrinkled clothes: - Fold clothing inside out while washing to decrease wrinkles. - Hang the clothes in the bathroom while showering to remove most of the creases. - Throw it in the dryer for 30 minutes with a wet sock. - Throw it in the dryer for five minutes with a few ice cubes. Pilling on clothes: - Turn shirts and jackets inside-out before washing. - Immerse in icy water with some sea salt dissolved in it. - Use a razor blade to consolidate all of it so you can easily grab it. Delicate designs: - Wash the clothing inside out to keep the designs from cracking. - Avoid using a dryer, since the heat will deteriorate the fabric. Flattened pillows: - Put them in the sun for 30 minutes. Hardened towels: - Soak in a mix of water and vinegar. Excess lint: - To decrease lint on clothes, add 1/2 cup vinegar to the rinse cycle. - Press a large piece of tape over the whole clothing item. New, brightly colored garments that might bleed: - Wash with a tablespoon of salt and warm water to set the dye. - Soak them in ice water with some salt and vinegar added until the fabric stops bleeding. - Add a cup of vinegar to a gallon of water and soak the clothes in it until the fabric stops bleeding. - Soak them in undiluted vinegar until the fabric stops bleeding. - Add from a teaspoon to a 1/2 cup of salt to a laundry load. Older, brightly colored clothes: - Add 1/2 cup vinegar to the rinse cycle to make them brighter. Wax marks on clothing: - Put a paper towel over the wax and iron it, but be careful with polyester or nylon fiber surfaces. ## Shoes Dry shoes in the dryer by hanging them with bungee cords. Odors: - Sprinkle baking soda or put dryer sheets in them to freshen them up. Boots: - Clean dirty boots with a nail file, then wipe them with body lotion or glass polish to shine them. - If the boots squeak, drive several thumbtacks down the center of the bottom of the shoe. - If the boots squeak, place the bottom of the shoe in a dish containing oil with the heel propped up until the shoe soaks up the oil. Heels: - Use a pastry brush or paintbrush to dust off the dirt, then use a sponge dipped in a mixture of water and dishwashing liquid. Canvas shoes: - Mix baking soda and vinegar as a paste, then apply it to the bottom of the shoes. Leather shoes: - Rub all over with half a lemon, let dry, polish, repeat as necessary. - If you have water stains on it, rub two parts baked baking soda mixed with one part hot milk into it, then polish like normal. Shoe scuffs: - Scrub with nail polish polish remover, hydrogen peroxide, or wax polish. Salt stains on brown shoes: 1. Dissolve a piece of washing soda about the size of a chestnut into two tablespoons of hot milk. 2. Wash the affected area. 3. Polish like normal after they've dried. ## Dusting Window blinds: - Put your hand in an old sock wet with half water and half vinegar, then wipe in between the blinds. - Wipe with dryer sheets. Ceiling fan blades: - Wrap a pillowcase around the blade to capture all the dust in it. Lampshades: - Clean with a lint roller or strips of duct tape. Small cracks: - Use Q-Tips and cotton balls to get into small cracks that need dusting. - To clean air vents, wrap a butter knife around a wet hand towel. Baseboards: - Run a used dryer sheet along the baseboards, which will also repel future dust from the static. Broken glass: - Use a soft, damp cloth, preferably an old disposable rag. - Wipe with white bread. - Wipe with cotton balls, and wet them slightly for more effect. Cabinets and cupboards: - Put a layer of wax paper on it to keep anything from settling, and switch it out every few months. Computer keyboards and peripherals: - Use pieces of paper or sticky notes to clean between the cracks. - Use an old makeup brush to clean the keys. - If you have an air compressor, blast inside the keyboard. - Run the keyboard through the dishwasher by placing it on the top rack, but without detergent and skipping the dry cycle. - Put a ketchup squeeze bottle top at the end of a vacuum hose to clean tiny areas. Floors: - Vacuum thoroughly by working from left to right and covering all areas. - Use a paper towel roll or gift wrap tube as a disposable vacuum extension. - Wipe up sawdust with dryer sheets. ## Tile and ceramic surfaces Baking soda/vinegar: - Apply undiluted vinegar. - Mix a cup of vinegar into a gallon of water. - Mix 1/3 cup baking soda in warm water. - Sprinkle baking soda onto a surface, then sprinkle with vinegar and let sit for an hour, then scrub with a brush and wipe with cleansing detergent. - Mix one part vinegar, one part baking soda, and 1-2 tablespoons of natural vegetable oil. - Mix baking soda and water, add vinegar for tough stains. - Mix a cup of Epsom salts, a cup of liquid castile soap, and 1/2 cup baking soda, then let sit for fifteen minutes, scrub off with a clockwise motion, and thoroughly rinse. Put mouthwash on a rag. Cut a grapefruit, pour salt over the cut part, and scrub the tile with it. Squeeze 1/2 lemon into 1/2 cup of borax and spray. Heavy tile cleaning: - Mix 1/2 cup lemon juice, 1/2 cup water, and fifteen drops of lemon oil in a spray bottle. - Mix one part hydrogen peroxide and two parts water, then let it sit for an hour. - Mix two parts baking soda, one part salt, and one part borax powder. - Scour with a paste made from baking soda and water. Marble surfaces: - Clean with mineral water, pat dry, then dab one part ethyl alcohol and two parts water with a cotton swab. - Mix 3 tablespoons of baking soda in a quart of warm water, wash the surface, wait a while, then rinse off. Wood floors: - Mix 1/2 cup olive oil, 1/2 cup vinegar, and two cups warm water, apply with a soft cloth, and dry with a clean cloth. ## Windows, mirrors, and computer screens Mix half vinegar and half water in a spray bottle, then wipe clean with either newspapers or a cloth. Wipe with vinegar for a more thorough cleaning. Keep them from fogging by applying shaving cream or rubbing soapy water on them. ## Other house cleaning Bird poop on a car: - Scrub Canada Dry into it. - Tape a toy snake to the top of your car. Car windshield: - Place silica bags on the dashboard as a fog remover. - Wipe off the fog with a chalkboard eraser. - Rainproof the windshield by wiping with lots of baking soda on a damp cloth. Coffee maker: - Mix vinegar or baking soda with water and run a few cycles, then rinse with a water cycle. Dirty car headlights: - Scrub toothpaste into the light covers. Dirty cleaning tools: - Run any cleaning tools like brushes or mop heads through the dishwasher. - Sterilize tools by baking them in the oven. Dishwasher: - Pour a cup of distilled vinegar into the dishwasher and run two empty cycles at max heat. - Sprinkle baking soda at the bottom and run an empty cycle with baking soda in the soap reservoir. - Sprinkle baking soda on the bottom, put a cup of vinegar on the top shelf, set it to the highest temperature, and turn it on. Drain cleaning: - Drop a cup of baking soda down the drain, add 2 cups boiling water, wait and pour another cup baking soda, add a cup of white vinegar, rinse with two more cups boiling water. - Weekly, put four tablespoons of baking soda down the drain, then flush with hot water. - Plunge, then apply a half vinegar and half baking soda solution to the drain, rinse for a few minutes with hot water. - When plunging a double sink, put a stopper over the other sink. - If you need a plunger, cut the top off of a 2-liter bottle and squeeze it over the sink. - Drop three antacid tablets down the drain and then a cup of vinegar. Run with hot water after a few minutes. - Once a week, pour a cup down the drain and let it stand for 30 minutes before flushing with cold water. Dishwasher cleaning: - Pour a cup of distilled vinegar into the dishwasher and run two empty cycles at max heat. - Sprinkle baking soda at the bottom and run an empty cycle with baking soda in the soap reservoir. - Sprinkle baking soda on the bottom, put a cup of vinegar on the top shelf, set it to the highest temperature, and turn it on. Iron cleaning: - Rub scorch marks with a mixture of vinegar and salt. - Put equal amounts of vinegar and water into the water holder, put on the steam setting for five minutes, cool, and drain. Microwave cleaning: - Microwave a bowl with one of the following for 2-5 minutes before cleaning: - Water - Equal parts water and lemon juice - A cup of water and 1/2 cup vinegar - Cut a lemon in half and cook for 30 seconds. Septic tank cleaning: - Flush yeast down the toilet.