Surprise! Household Cleaners from www.realsimple.com
SURPRISE! HOUSEHOLD CLEANERS
Clean Your Dishwasher with Lemonade Kool-Aid Original Purpose: Quenching your thirst.Aha! Use: Cleaning lime deposits and iron stains inside the dishwasher. Pour a packet of lemonade Kool-Aid (the only flavor that works) into the detergent cup and run the dishwasher while empty.Reward: The citric acid in the mix wipes out stains, so you don't have too.
Mesh Veggie Bag as Pot Scrubber
Original Purpose: Toting home potatoes, onions, and tomatoes on the vine.Aha! Use: Scrubbing up after dinner. Cut ends open, scrunch, add soap and water — and hand to husband.Reward: After a gooey mac-and-cheese cleanup, you can throw this freebie sponge away guilt-free.
Dust Lamp with Lint Roller
Original Purpose: Restoring your black turtleneck to its fuzz-free glory. Aha! Use: Dusting a lamp shade. Run the roller up and down the outside to get rid of what shouldn’t be there.Reward: No citations from Sergeant Clean Sweep, a.k.a. Mom.
Remove Food Stains with Lemon
Original Purpose: Cooking. Aha! Use: Removing tough food stains from light wood and plastic cutting boards. Slice a lemon in half, squeeze onto the soiled surface, rub, and let sit for 20 minutes before rinsing. Reward: A house that smells like a lemon grove.Other Use: Washing up after eating or cooking fish. Rub lemon on your hands and rinse.
Baking Soda as Silver Polisher
Original Use: Making cakes rise.Aha! Use: Wash items, then place on aluminum foil in the bottom of a pot. Add a baking-soda solution (1/4 cup soda, a few teaspoons salt, 1 quart boiling water) to cover for a few seconds.Reward: A chemical reaction that gets the black off the gravy boat.
Sop Up Spilled Egg with Salt
Original Purpose: Unlocking flavor. Aha! Use: Sopping up a spilled egg. Heap a handful of salt on the mess, leave for two minutes or so, then wipe up. Reward: The egg sticks to one paper towel instead of sliding off five or six.
Use Coasters to Catch Drips in Pantry
Original Purpose: Keeping wet glasses from making rings on Mom’s mahogany coffee table.Aha! Use: Catching escaping drips of sticky stuff from bottles and jars in cupboards.Reward: Shelves that don’t require a full wipe-down after every spoonful of honey, slather of jam, or glug of olive oil.
Deodorize Shoes with Dryer Sheets
Original Purpose: Softening clothes and reducing static cling. Aha! Use: Refreshing smelly shoes and sneakers. Put half a scented Bounce sheet in each shoe. Reward: Shoes that aren't banished to the garage over-night.
Remove Adhesive with Oil
Original Purpose: Frying. Aha! Use: Removing adhesive from glass. Apply cooking oil to the sticker using a paper towel or a soft cloth, rub firmly, then rinse with warm, soapy water. (If the adhesive is stubborn, use a dab of toothpaste along with the oil.) Reward: Goo Gone be gone — one less cleaning product to buy.
Car Wax as Fixture Polish
Original Purpose: Shining up the sedan. Aha! Use: Polishing faucets, sinks, tile, even shower doors. Turtle Wax leaves behind a protective barrier against water and soap buildup, so your hard-earned sparkle will last past the next tooth-brushing.Reward: A gleaming bathroom all week long.
Deodorize Food Containers with Newspaper
Original Purpose: Information source.Aha! Use: Food-container deodorizer. Stuff a balled-up piece of newspaper into a plastic container, seal it, and let sit overnight. By morning the paper will have absorbed lingering food smells.
Shine Leather Shoes with Vegetable Oil
Original Purpose: Frying up a tasty batter.Aha! Use: Shining leather shoes. Use a damp cloth to wipe away dirt, then apply a small drop of oil to a soft cloth and rub the surface to remove scuff marks.Reward: A polished look from heel to toe.
From: www.realsimple.com February 20, 2008
Clean Your Dishwasher with Lemonade Kool-Aid Original Purpose: Quenching your thirst.Aha! Use: Cleaning lime deposits and iron stains inside the dishwasher. Pour a packet of lemonade Kool-Aid (the only flavor that works) into the detergent cup and run the dishwasher while empty.Reward: The citric acid in the mix wipes out stains, so you don't have too.
Mesh Veggie Bag as Pot Scrubber
Original Purpose: Toting home potatoes, onions, and tomatoes on the vine.Aha! Use: Scrubbing up after dinner. Cut ends open, scrunch, add soap and water — and hand to husband.Reward: After a gooey mac-and-cheese cleanup, you can throw this freebie sponge away guilt-free.
Dust Lamp with Lint Roller
Original Purpose: Restoring your black turtleneck to its fuzz-free glory. Aha! Use: Dusting a lamp shade. Run the roller up and down the outside to get rid of what shouldn’t be there.Reward: No citations from Sergeant Clean Sweep, a.k.a. Mom.
Remove Food Stains with Lemon
Original Purpose: Cooking. Aha! Use: Removing tough food stains from light wood and plastic cutting boards. Slice a lemon in half, squeeze onto the soiled surface, rub, and let sit for 20 minutes before rinsing. Reward: A house that smells like a lemon grove.Other Use: Washing up after eating or cooking fish. Rub lemon on your hands and rinse.
Baking Soda as Silver Polisher
Original Use: Making cakes rise.Aha! Use: Wash items, then place on aluminum foil in the bottom of a pot. Add a baking-soda solution (1/4 cup soda, a few teaspoons salt, 1 quart boiling water) to cover for a few seconds.Reward: A chemical reaction that gets the black off the gravy boat.
Sop Up Spilled Egg with Salt
Original Purpose: Unlocking flavor. Aha! Use: Sopping up a spilled egg. Heap a handful of salt on the mess, leave for two minutes or so, then wipe up. Reward: The egg sticks to one paper towel instead of sliding off five or six.
Use Coasters to Catch Drips in Pantry
Original Purpose: Keeping wet glasses from making rings on Mom’s mahogany coffee table.Aha! Use: Catching escaping drips of sticky stuff from bottles and jars in cupboards.Reward: Shelves that don’t require a full wipe-down after every spoonful of honey, slather of jam, or glug of olive oil.
Deodorize Shoes with Dryer Sheets
Original Purpose: Softening clothes and reducing static cling. Aha! Use: Refreshing smelly shoes and sneakers. Put half a scented Bounce sheet in each shoe. Reward: Shoes that aren't banished to the garage over-night.
Remove Adhesive with Oil
Original Purpose: Frying. Aha! Use: Removing adhesive from glass. Apply cooking oil to the sticker using a paper towel or a soft cloth, rub firmly, then rinse with warm, soapy water. (If the adhesive is stubborn, use a dab of toothpaste along with the oil.) Reward: Goo Gone be gone — one less cleaning product to buy.
Car Wax as Fixture Polish
Original Purpose: Shining up the sedan. Aha! Use: Polishing faucets, sinks, tile, even shower doors. Turtle Wax leaves behind a protective barrier against water and soap buildup, so your hard-earned sparkle will last past the next tooth-brushing.Reward: A gleaming bathroom all week long.
Deodorize Food Containers with Newspaper
Original Purpose: Information source.Aha! Use: Food-container deodorizer. Stuff a balled-up piece of newspaper into a plastic container, seal it, and let sit overnight. By morning the paper will have absorbed lingering food smells.
Shine Leather Shoes with Vegetable Oil
Original Purpose: Frying up a tasty batter.Aha! Use: Shining leather shoes. Use a damp cloth to wipe away dirt, then apply a small drop of oil to a soft cloth and rub the surface to remove scuff marks.Reward: A polished look from heel to toe.
From: www.realsimple.com February 20, 2008
