The Best Solutions for the Most Common Household Cleaning Problems
There are a multitude of tips to be found on the web, but sometimes the search can be daunting if you are unsure what to enter into the search query box, and who wants to wade through a tidal wave of results that yield no reliable information?
While this list of helpful tips and solutions is by no means comprehensive of every problem you may face, it does encompass some of the most common, and each solution presented here has been found to be the most reliable method.
• Removing Pet Urine and Odor from Carpeting
Blot gently with paper towels until most of it is absorbed. Continue blotting until dry. Rinse with water and blot again till dry. Add a little vinegar to some water and rinse and blot again. After the area has dried completely, sprinkle baking soda on the carpet and vacuum.
• Removing Lingering Odors
Before vacuuming, sprinkling baking soda over the carpet will help freshen the floor and remove lingering odors. It is also handy if placed near kitty litter.
• Removing Heel or Shoe Marks
If you wear heels, you may often find that your shoes leave marks on the hardwood or tile floor. These can often simply be rubbed off with your finger, but for stronger marks, a pencil eraser should eliminate them.
• Removing Candle Wax from Carpeting or Fabric
Many brands of inexpensive candles have a tendency to melt at varying angles, often causing the hot liquid wax to seep through the walls of the candle or directly over it, and thus, splashing over your carpet in a large mass before you can staunch the flow. Such a problem can seem daunting at first, particularly if your carpet is made up of long fibers. But there is an easy solution.
You will need a brown paper bag to cover the entire spot, and shopping bag from he grocery store is perfect. If the amount of wax encompasses an area larger than that, you can work in sections. Run a hot iron over the bag. The wax will be subsequently heated and paper bag will lift and absorb it from the carpet.
• Removing Pet Hair
Pet stores sell particular items geared to this that work in varying degrees of success, but a tested method that works to my satisfaction is to simply wear a rubber glove, run your hand under water, then run your hair along the furniture. The hair will clump and adhere to the glove. Use paper towels to wipe of the glove and wet again for continued use.
• Remove Crayon from Walls
Those cute children. They wanted to surprise you with a hastily constructed portrait. Unfortunately they applied their work of art to your walls. Well, it will take a little bit of elbow crease, but simply grab yourself a can of WD-40 and spray it over th crayon markings. Scrub in a circular motion until the marks are noticeable almost gone, then remove the remainder with a soap and water.
• Remove Microwave Residue
Splatters that remain on the walls of your microwave continue to cook each time the device is used, and eventually will be near impossible to clean off. To facilitate cleaning, place a sponge soaked in water in the microwave and cook for about 2 minutes. Then leave it sit for five minutes before removing. The dirt and food splatters should then be easily wiped off.
• Removing Bloodstains
Children sometimes like to play rough, and accidents do occur. And sometimes it is easy to misjudge how close that knife was to your finger when you were slicing vegetables. Regardless of the reason, bloodstains are more common than you might think, and certainly unsightly.
To remove bloodstains, it is best to tackle the stain as quickly as possible, of course. Usually applying meat tenderizer to the entire stain and adding cool water, then applying a wet sponge to the stain after approximately 20 minutes will remove the stain successfully.
You may never have to worry about tackling such frightening cleaning tasks, but if you do, these hopefully these tips will work successfully for you.
