Hacks and Tips for a Cleaner House!
We make a lot of noise about spring cleaning, but there are hacks and cleaning tips best followed in the fall when we take a closer look at accessories that have become dust-collectors all summer long. Scan these tips and tricks from the house-cleaning pros about how to prepare for more time indoors with the onset of lower temperatures!
Cleaning the Kitchen
We have found the bubbling blend of baking soda and distilled white or cleaning vinegar (cleaning vinegar is one percent more acidic) does wonders for a smelly garbage disposal. After using products designed specifically for the disposal (we won’t name names), vinegar works better and lasts longer – even longer than brush-scrubbing with bleach! Some experts recommend using distilled white vinegar so you have it on hand for cooking, too.
Hard water spots can collect on glasses, dishes, around faucets and sinks, even around the refrigerator water dispenser. How do you get rid of those hard-water scales? At the risk of being repetitious, distilled white vinegar will do it, but if the smell is just too much for you (it does dissipate, by the way) try a lemon. Just slice it in half and rub the fruit over metal faucets, tub spouts and spigots to wipe off the white residue and shine up the surfaces.
You’d think the dishwasher in your new Crystal Valley home is the one appliance that would be totally self-cleaning! But even the best dishwasher has parts that don’t quite get clean without a little intervention. And it’s super easy to accomplish. Just add a packet of unsweetened lemonade-flavored Kool-Aid to the detergent compartment and run the dishwasher. The drink crystals will polish the inside of your appliance in one cycle!
Forget the spray-on oven cleaners that require open windows, fans and practically a face mask to use! A wet pumice stone – yes, the same kind you use on your feet – will clean a dirty oven faster than the chemicals concocted to melt off the mess!
Clean Up the Bath
If you have a shower curtain liner that has never seen the inside of a washing machine, now’s the time. They can be a breeding ground for mold and you can always buy a new one, but you don’t have to. Just toss it in the washer with a small amount of detergent and one-half cup of bleach or vinegar (there it is again!) and a few towels to make sure the appliance runs smoothly. Let it air dry and you’re back in the bath (or shower) business!
To clean glass and mirrors some pros recommend using newspapers but we don’t seem to have many of those around anymore so the next best thing? Coffee filters. They work better than paper towels and leave no streaks or lint and they’re cheap.
A collection of 21 Quick Hacks from NBC News reports that coffee filters also make great dust busters for electronics, TV screens, computer monitors and the like.
Whole-House Hacks
Drip a few drops of vanilla extract or your favorite essential oil on your furnace filter and your whole house will smell good when the furnace runs.
If you’ve ever spilled red wine on a rug or carpet you know what a challenge it can be to get out. Rubbing alcohol, clear vodka (which incidentally has a lot of cleaning benefits!) and even white wine can be used for this cleaning hack. The pros say to blot the stain first (if you don’t find it till the next day – skip this step!) then pour clear alcohol on the stain and blot. It works better than any over-the-counter product you can buy!
The dishwasher is a great place to clean rubber flip-flops, canvas sneakers and baseball caps, make-up brushes, mouth guards, plastic and metal garden tools, refrigerator shelves, plastic and rubber (non-meltable) kids’ toys, and shower heads. Talk about a multi-purpose appliance!
And for 100 more essential cleaning hacks check out the ingenious tools, techniques and tricks from the Family Handyman!
Clean Up in Crystal Valley
With so many choices from so many leading builders in the master-planned community of Crystal Valley, you can clean up here with a brand-new home! Tour the nine models from D.R. Horton, Kauffman Homes and Richmond American Homes in one of the top five fastest-growing residential communities in the state! New homes here are priced from the $300s and available in ranch and two-story models.
