Home Making Hints

 

"She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness."
Proverbs 31:27

 

Laundry Hints

Egg whites for gum in clothes...really works! Just rub the egg white into the gum and it will "bead" up and come off.
-S Tinsley

* hydrogen peroxide to take out blood (I just pour it right on the spot before washing)
-Stephanie

alcohol to take out ink marks (I keep a bottle on the washer and pour it right on the ink before washing)
-Stephanie

this is a stain treatment that I use for any tough stains -- things tougher than spray n wash can handle -- I have always had great luck with this even with old, set in stains
1 part Clorox 2
1 part dishwasher detergent
Mix with as hot of water as will come out of your faucet and soak over night -- then wash as normal
-Stephanie

I have a grey pullover shirt that I really like. I was cooking hamburgers and while flipping one over I splashed hamburger grease all up onto the front of my shirt. I washed it in several different kinds of washing liquid and dried it in the dryer several times (which is supposed to set in stains) and nothing took the grease out. I had bought some of the new Dawn Dissolve product for removing grease from your stovetop and cooking utinsils and it worked very well for that, It just melts the grease and it rinses right off in hot water. I tried it on the shirt. I sprayed it right on the grease stains. Every single grease stain came out, the shirt looks like new. It didn't eat holes in it or bleach out the color. This is a medium dark, grey shirt, I don't know what it would do to bright red or another color. I thought I would pass this along.
-Cindy

Cleaning Hints

Mom taught me one for cleaning the microwave that I use all of the time now. To clean your microwave, all you do is boil some water in the microwave. When the water boils, take it out, and then wipe down the inside of the microwave. Everything comes off -- even the cooked-on old food .
-Stephanie Thomas

I have been a penny pincher for years and learned a lot of "good as" cleansers. Try adding plain ammonia to water (glass cleaner), vinegar (floor cleaner), Clorox mixed with water for you counter tops and fels-naptha yellow soap(instead of spray and wash). Watch your grocery bill go down. They work just as well and are less toxic that most cleansers.
-Pat Andrews

Housekeeping/cleaning tips: My specialty!!! The best tip for speed and acuracy is this little technique: Start in the left hand corner as you enter the room. Work from the top to the bottom, clockwise around the room. Wipe/sweep or feather every item as you come to it. Wear an apron with pockets so you can stash trash/misplaced items to deal with AFTER this current room is completed. The last surface to clean is the floor with a broom or vac. Stay on task. Let the answering machine pick up your calls until this room is finished. One 'well lived in room' should take about 20 to 45 minutes. A completed task is soooooo rewarding and edifying!!!
Happy cleaning.
Ellen

My housecleaning hint for the week is, put your sink drainers in the dishwasher every time you run it. No more dried on grungies and no more broken nails trying to clean them! You can also put those metal or plastic pot cleaners, (not Brillo), in the top shelf of the dishwasher. Another tip: if your dishcloth or sponge is smelling sour, just wet it with water and dishsoap, put it in the microwave for a minute or two or until very hot. The heat kills the germs and mold or bacteria growing in there, and it comes out smelling fresh.
-Mary Atwood

 

Clutter Control

My way of staying organized is that on a rainy day I take a closet, room, drawer, etc. and clean out everything in it that I haven't used in over a year. There will be some exceptions but most often you will find that you have room for the things that you do use without clutter.
-Gloria