Spic and Span: Simple Home remedies for cleaning anything

It was Sunday. My father and I decided to go for a picnic to spend some quality time together. If you think this blog is about the quality time we spent you are completely wrong. You have no idea what happened.

I was so looking forward for the day that I couldn’t wait to tell it to my mom and what did I think? She said “It’s Sunday and the only day for me to clean the place”. I looked at her jaw dropped. For god sake its weekend and the only time you get to spend with your family. I was speechless.

It then struck me. One of the most sought after things of a home maker is home cleaning. All the day and all the week she thinks about maintaining the place spic and span. And how exactly can we all be of help to our moms, wives, sisters at home? Read on.

For the walls:

Crayon marks on walls? This worked wonderfully! A damp rag dipped in baking soda. Comes off with little effort.

Clean those dirty, dusty, mini-blinds in your house in a snap! Fill the bathtub with warm, soapy water and let the blinds soak. If they are white blinds add a little bleach to get rid of any stains. If none of them works, sorry you have to call the dealer.

Want to remove scuff marks, pen, and pencil from walls? Use a dry cloth and rubbing alcohol.

You can catch Cobweb by putting an old stocking over a broom. Use it to reach those pesky spider webs. Webs cling to the stocking and won't let go.

For the Bathroom:

Borax removes stains on toilet bowls. Lemons remove greasy fingerprints on windows.

For wiping out stains, you can use a solution of 2 parts water one part ammonia in a spray bottle. Spray stain and wipe.

Mix in spray bottle, 1 part ammonia to 3 parts water. Or try diluted bleach solution in a spray bottle. It will remove stains and disinfect.

Mix 2 tablespoons borax or washing soda with three cups of water for sparkling windows and mirrors. 

To get hard water deposits off of your fixtures try some diluted muriatic acid (available at pool stores or hardware stores), but don't store it near chlorine- they can combine and become explosive!

For the floor:

If you have stains on Rug then rub borax into dampened area, let dry, then vacuum. Or repeatedly blot stain with a mixture of vinegar and soapy water.

Regular rubbing alcohol works wonders for a ceramic floor. Just pour straight on and rub around with mop until it dries. Make sure children are not in the area during this process and have good ventilation in room.

To remove pet odors, sprinkle carpet with baking soda and let sit for one hour, then vacuum.

For the others:

Clean combs by dipping them for a while in a solution of washing soda and warm water and run an old toothbrush between teeth.

Children's stickers can be removed from wood by applying white vinegar to the sticker, letting it soak and then scraping off.

For a good smelling house squeeze a few drops of fresh lemon juice into the dust bag of your vacuum cleaner before you start it up.

Remove spilled nail polish from wood furniture: Don't wipe it up! The solvents in nail polish soften most finishes, and wiping may take off the finish. Instead, let the polish dry completely; then gently scrape it off with a credit card. Wax the surface, using superfine steel wool.