10. Glass and Mirrors
Forget ammonia-based window cleaners! The windows in your home can be effectively cleaned with 4 tablespoons lemon juice mixed with a half gallon of water. Other effective cleaners for glass and mirrors are rubbing alcohol and witch hazel.
Another tip that old-fashioned household hint books often mention is that you can wipe windows clean with newspapers. While this may sound like a totally green idea -- after all, you'd be reusing newspapers and saving on paper towels -- the reality is that doing so is a messy and big waste of time.
9. Cleaning Vinyl Items
Dipping a cloth in straight lemon juice and rubbing it onto the stained area can remove stains on vinyl items such as recliners or tile flooring.
8. Furniture Polishing
Furniture polish remains high on our list of the Terrible Ten (including drain cleaners, over cleaners, toilet cleaners, spot removers, silver and other metal polishes, cleaners and powered cleaners, window cleaners, bleach, liquid cleaners) because polish is usually made of petroleum distillates and solvents, both of which are hazardous and, well, smelly. At the very least, they're both poisonous, so why keep them around when there are plenty of earth-friendly ways to polish your wood items?
One very effective wood polish sounds like it would be a good salad dressing as well: Just mix 2 parts olive oil with 1 part lemon juice and apply it to your furniture using a soft cloth. The combination gives your wood furniture a nice smell and a sparkling shine.
When a hot serving dish or glass of water has marred the surface of a wood table, you can quickly get rid of the mark by making a thin paste of salad oil or lemon oil and salt. Wipe the paste on, then lightly buff the area as you wipe it off with a soft cloth.
7. Paint Odors
Whenever you have an indoor painting project, you can help control the smell of the paint by keeping small dishes of vinegar scattered about in the room. The vinegar will absorb the paint odor while you work. Leave the dishes out for a few days after finishing the project to keep the paint smell at bay. Remember to change the vinegar each day.
6. Dishwashers
Remove the spindles and drawers, clean under them and under the gaskets to get rid of odors. Fill one dispenser with Tang instant drink mix and the other with automatic dish soap and run the dishwasher empty through just the wash cycle. This combination cleans and deodorizes the inside. I'm not sure how the Tang works, it just does.
5. Microwaves
To clean that baked-on mess in your microwave, place a coffee cup half filled with water inside and cook on high for two minutes. The water steams the inside, loosening the hardened splatters. Spray with your Ivory soap cleaner and wipe dry.
4. Corion
Use only mild cleansers like Ivory for Corion. Harsh detergents will damage the surface. Remove tough stains with Cameo or baking soda or a 50/50 solution of hydrogen peroxide and water. Corion can be sanded lightly using number 800 sandpaper. This sandpaper is gray and called wet or dry sandpaper. Rub very gently keeping the paper wet.
3. Marble
Do not use anything other than Ivory liquid dish soap on marble. Harsher cleansers will damage the surface. Always dry marble to prevent water spots from leaving their signature mark. Marble stains easily so wipe spills immediately. Do not use vinegar or orange based cleaners to clean marble. The acid in them will damage the surface. Peroxide is safe for stain removal.
2. Cleaning Stainless Steel
The best way to clean stainless steel and get it sparkaling every time is to use a bit of baby oil when you wipe it down. This will get rid of finger prints and also make you appliance shine for days.
1. Cleaning Bare Floors
Your basic vinegar and water solution is really the perfect choice for cleaning most types of bare floors in your home. Mix up 1 cup vinegar with 1 gallon warm water (be sure it's warm!) and mop it onto a ceramic tile, linoleum, vinyl, or wood floor. There is no need to rinse afterward -- saving both time and water. If your vinyl or linoleum floor looks a little dull after cleaning, you can give it a shine by mopping it over again with straight club soda. Try not to saturate wood floors with the vinegar and water solution. Use a light touch; the mixture will make your floor shiny and remove any greasy buildup.
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