If you have a plastic shower curtain liner behind your cloth curtain in your bathroom, take the time this weekend to run it through the wash. Both curtains can go through your washing machine (barring a dry clean only tag on your cloth curtain). When washing the plastic liner, use warm water and add a few small soft items in […]
more about: cleaning
How a Credit Card Can Help You Clean Your Cupboards
No, I’m not talking about hiring a cleaning lady (though that is one option!). Instead, next time you get one of those dummy credit cards in the mail or you have an expired gift card, you can use it to clean up sticky spills like honey, molasses, or maple syrup that might have congealed on your pantry shelves. Simply scrape […]
Upholstery Cleaning Labels, Decoded
If you or a guest spilled something on your sofa this weekend, here’s how to decode the cleaning labels on your upholstery before you tackle that stain: W = can be treated with water-based cleaners S = can only be treated with solvents WS = can be treated with water-based cleaners or solvents X = should only be vacuumed, no detergents […]
The Easiest Way to Store Your Vacuum
What’s worse than dragging my bulky, bothersome vacuum cleaner all over my apartment? Wrangling it out of the tiny, overstuffed closet we store it in! (Not sure if you can tell, but I really, really hate to vacuum.) Happily, I’ve just uncovered a classic Real Simple storage trick that should make accessing this appliance less tiresome. Instead of just shoving […]
Use a Dish Wand to Clean the Tub
I hate cleaning the tub. It could be partially because of the way the bathroom in my rental apartment is set up—very narrow and with shower doors on three sides, but I think it’s also just that I hate cleaning the tub. In order to make it easier, I’m going to try this tip from Joyful Homemaking. They recommend using a […]
How to Prevent Stains on a Wooden Cutting Board
A particularly messy knife task (like peeling and slicing beets) can permanently mar a beautiful wooden cutting board. How to eliminate that possibility? Do a deep cleaning. When you’re done cutting, sprinkle the board with coarse salt (such as kosher), and massage the salt into the board with the cut side of half a lemon. The acid in the juice […]
The Office Item You Should Be Cleaning
When you’re using your computer day in and day out (in fact, you’re probably using it to read this right now!), it’s no surprise that your keyboard and mouse can be a hot spot for food residue, dirt, and germs. With all the tiny crevices, your keyboard is particularly susceptible to trapping unwanted grime. Here’s how to give it a quick clean:
To Keep Scissors Sharp Make Them a Single Purpose Tool
I’ve had the same pair of scissors in my sewing kit since 1997. In those 16 years, they have never (to my knowledge) been used to cut anything other than fabric or thread. Why? Because cutting paper would actually dull them. And I want to be sure when cutting fabric for a sewing project that my scissors don’t cause snags. […]
