- Wipe scuffs off wooden floors
Look no further than your bathroom to find the right tools for removing scuff marks. First, try squeezing a little toothpaste (the non-gel, non-whitening kind) onto an old toothbrush, scrub the marks gently, then wipe up the paste with a damp cloth. If that doesn’t work, dabs a little baby oil or petroleum jelly onto a dry cloth and rub the mark, then remove any residue with a cotton rag or paper towel.
- Protect floors when rearranging furniture
If you have to move heavy furniture out of the way to clean or are rearranging the living room for a big party, protect wooden floors — and save yourself the trouble of dealing with scratches later — by pulling heavy socks over furniture legs and securing them with masking tape. This trick will also make it easier to push heavy furniture around. For everyday floor protection, consider putting bandaids or soft patches on the bottom of furniture legs. If you have a rocking chair, fix a long strip of masking tape to the bottom of each rocker to help to keep wooden floors unspoiled.
- Get rid of waxy build-up
If you wax a vinyl or linoleum floor, you’ll know how wax builds up over time. Here are two easy ways to remove it:
- Soda water for vinyl Working in sections, pour a small amount of soda water onto the vinyl floor and scrub it with the abrasive side of a kitchen sponge. Let the soda water sit on the floor for 5 minutes, then wipe up the loosened wax with a wad of cheesecloth or a pair of pantihose.
- Surgical spirit for linoleum Mop a lino floor with a solution of 3 cups (750ml) water to 1 cup (250ml) surgical spirit. Use a sponge mop to scrub it in well, and then rinse thoroughly.
- Liquidate heel marks on vinyl
Vinyl floors are highly susceptible to heel marks, especially from rubber heels. An easy way to remove the marks is to spray them with WD-40, let it sit for 5-6 minutes and then rub the marks off with a soft cloth.
- Vinegar for tiles and linoleum
These materials are practical choices for flooring in kitchens, bathrooms and family rooms — all of which receive some of the most punishing wear in the house. Make cleaning these areas a simple job by mopping with a solution of 1/2 cup (125ml) white vinegar in 4 litres warm water.
- A clean sweep with tea
Rural Japanese housekeepers traditionally strewed still-damp tea leaves over the floor before sweeping — and some no doubt still do. Dust and dirt cling to leaves and are easier to push into a dust pan. You can then throw the contents into a garden bed or compost heap. (Talk about an eco-friendly cleanser!) Just don’t use tea leaves on unbleached wood or carpet, as the tea may stain.
- Erasing crayon marks from walls
Your child may be a budding Rembrandt, but even so, you probably don’t want him defacing your walls with crayons. Try these techniques to clean up surprise murals:
- Lightly rub the area with a clean, dry fabric softener sheet.
- Rub vigorously with a clean artist’s eraser — or ask your young artist do it for you.
- Squirt shaving cream onto the markings and scrub gently with a toothbrush or a scrubbing brush.
- Soften the markings with a hair dryer and wipe them off with a cloth moistened with a little baby oil.
- Cleaning wood-panelled walls
Most wood panelling needs only a good dusting every once in a while, but you can give it a more thorough cleaning with a simple home-made solution — one best applied with a pair of pantihose — the texture is perfect for abrasive yet gentle scrubbing. Combine 2 cups (500ml) water, 1 cup (250ml) white vinegar and 1/4 cup (60ml) lemon juice in a bucket and mix well. Dip a handful of wadded-up pantihose into the solution and wipe the panelling, working from the bottom of the wall upwards to avoid drips.
- How to wash up wallpaper
How can you restore the lustre to dingy washable wallpaper? First fill a bucket with 1 litre water and mix in 1/2 teaspoon washing-up liquid. Then dip a soft cloth in the liquid and wring it out until no excess water remains. Gently rub the wallpaper with the cloth and blot it dry with a lint-free towel.
If the wallpaper has become soiled with a greasy stain, try one of these remedies:
- Brush talcum powder onto the stain, let it sit for at least half an hour and then brush it off. Repeat as necessary.
- Fold a brown paper bag and hold it over the stain. Press a warm iron to the spot so that the grease is drawn into the paper. Repeat as necessary until the spot has gone, repositioning the bag each time.
Credit : Reader’s Digest
Picture Credit: Google