Holidays are full of party and fun. Here are some quick and free home cleaning tips.
Cleaning up a spill on the carpet
It is unavoidable. No matter how careful everyone tries to be, someone will spill some food or drink on your nice clean carpet. To prevent the spill from doing damage, try to clean it up as quickly as possible. Mix one tablespoon of mild liquid dishwashing detergent in 1/2 cup of warm water (note: you can also use 1/2 cup of white vinegar). Get two clean white towels. Use one to rub the stain with the solution and the other to alternately blot the area to absorb the spill.
Keep frost off windows
If you live in a cold climate area, it’s nice to be able to look outside and see the pretty winter snow and Christmas decorations. If the windows in your house fog up when it’s cold, there’s a solution. Clean windows with a solution of 1/2 cup isopropyl alcohol (or antifreeze) to 1 quart of water. Another tip is to moisten a cloth with glycerin and clean the inside of the windows.
Cleaning your precious knickknacks
If you have a large collection of trinkets that you love to display, but hate to clean, here’s some good news: there’s a quick and easy way to clean up your figurines. Just place your trinkets inside the kitchen sink and spray them with window cleaner. Transfer them to a paper towel to air dry. This works for glass, porcelain, and glazed figurines.
Cleaning up candle wax drips
Candlesticks: To clean hardened wax from candlesticks, place them in the freezer for an hour or more. Remove the candlesticks and the frozen wax should come off easily. Wash and dry the chandeliers. If you are short on time, run the candle holders under very hot water, cover your hand with a soft towel and gently remove the hot wax from the candle holder.
Tablecloth: To remove hot candle wax from a tablecloth, rub the wax with an ice cube to harden it, then scrape the wax off with a putty knife. Place a paper towel above and below the remaining wax. Press the wax area with a hot iron. Keep changing paper towels until all remaining wax is absorbed. Sponge any remaining residue with dry cleaning solvent. Scrub the area gently with heavy-duty liquid detergent. Put the tablecloth in the washing machine as soon as possible.
chimney cleaning
To prevent too much ash dust from being spread around the room when you clean the fireplace, first sprinkle wet tea leaves over the ash.
If you have a slate fireplace, you can turn it into a brilliant masterpiece by washing it every six weeks, letting it dry, and rubbing it with lemon oil.
Wash brass fireplace tools in warm soapy water.
Clean sticky fireplace tools with a cloth moistened with kerosene. Let the tools dry completely before using them again.
Quick removal of clothing stains
Don’t panic when you spill something on your clothes. For a glass of club soda. Dip a clean white cloth or tissue in the sparkling water and dab the stain with a sponge.
Cleaning up after a big party
Step 1 – Collect all the cups, bottles and glasses. Empty partially filled containers into the kitchen sink. Look around for spills and clean them up immediately.
Step 2: Fill the kitchen sink with soapy water and soak the dishes and utensils. If you have a dishwasher, run your first load of dishes.
Step 3 – Grab a large garbage bag and start picking up the party trash in the outer rooms, head towards the kitchen.
Step 4: Dust furniture and clean floors and rugs. Make your way to the kitchen.
Step 5: Clean Kitchen. Take out the garbage bags.
