Look how happy this lady is as she cleans her kitchen floor in her high heels. That's because she's drunk. For the rest of us cleaning is a chore, but these cleaning tips will help make it less hateful.
Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Karen. And I bought a sucky robot. Not a bad robot, but rather one that crawls around on the floor sucking things up.
A robot sucky thing. There are various brands but I bought the least expensive, most highly reviewed one.
I liked it so much I bought a second one for my second floor. I call it Lipo because it sucks away all evidence of potato chips.
One of the first "handy" things I ever did in my house actually was to install a central vacuum. I still love it but ... not as much as I love the garbage eating robot on wheels.
Had someone invented a Woomba I may have even given birth.
The magical vacuum aside, most house cleaning still has to be done by hand and no matter how special we think we are, deep down, we're all the same.
Common cleaning wenches.
It's a sad existence but you can at least be smart about your stupid, awful cleaning tasks.
Table of Contents
Cleaning Tips
Seriously. As far as I'm concerned Magic Erasers are one of the best inventions in cleaning supplies history. You have to be a bit careful with them, they'll scratch very delicate surfaces like lacquer, but for almost anything else they're literally erase any stain.
A Magic Eraser will even erase sperm shaped Sharpie marks on walls. Yes it will, I proved it a few years ago in this video:
I first tested this DIY mixture out many years ago with low expectations. But it worked GREAT. Just put a towel under your light, spray it on your chandelier and watch the grunge drip right off.
I'm not sure why it took me so long to figure out that buying black facecloths was the way to prevent staining all my white ones with mascara. I'm just glad I eventually figured it out.
I had a cat with renal disease. That means a cat that pees a lot and not always where they're supposed to.
It's a simple solution made with run of the mill household products and it actually works to get rid of the smell and some staining.
5. Oxiclean!
When I first got my front load washer I kept looking for the spot to put bleach.
There is no spot to put bleach.
Which is probably good because over time bleach actually yellows whites. Oxiclean on the other hand doesn't do that, is extremely gentle and WORKS. Read about the great pillow case experiment if you aren't convinced.
The pocket of my jeans was stuck together for months. I now have a hack for that.
In an INSTANT. This technique hasn't met a sticker it can't unstick.
Plus it's enormously satisfying.
Stainless steel looks great twice in its life. When it's BRAND new and ... actually that's it. Other than that, stainless is smudgy and smeary.
THE TRICK TO CLEANING STAINLESS? Using microfibre cloths, each getting progressively finer.
Corporations are sneaky. They - like you - want to make as much money as they can.
Which is why you can't easily refill a Swiffer Wetjet bottle with your own preferred cleaning solution.
Until now.
10. Clean Your Car Headlights
AND NO. It isn't toothpaste. This is a genuine step-by-step tutorial on how to get your cloudy headlights looking close to new again. Believe it or not this incredible result (on my own ancient Volvo) is the result of using SANDPAPER.
Clean Your Headlights like a Pro
They just work WAY better than I ever thought they would.
The Eufy is the way to go if you're looking for both affordability and performance.
Here's my (unpaid) review and a look at how robot vacuums work.
As you cook on it your cast iron stovetop is going to season itself.
The result will be a kind of sloppy, patchy looking grate where parts are seasoned from splattered oil and other parts aren't.
You can season your entire stovetop at once with this technique.
Now if you'll excuse me I have some exercises classes I'd like to organize where students had to avoid the path of a Roomba. I will call the class Roomba Zoomba of course.
Led by your instructor ... Lipo.
→Follow me on Instagram where I often make a fool of myself←
Randy P
Great tips. Thanks for sharing the info. It almost makes me want to jump up from my leather power recliner watching a DVR'd TV program and clean something. It's most likely I'll just wait for that urge to pass, but I will be using some of these ideas soon. I always save your timely e-mails for future reference.
Colleen K
Karen, I came across this in my Internet travels and wondered if it was the real deal,
https://wewellson.com/products/wood2? The Canadian Exchange Rate being what it is, I was unwilling to give it a try without your blessing.
Karen
Hi Colleen! I'm not sure what to say. It looks like the real deal, but it says the ingredients are "beeswax". I'm not sure how it can be without having some sort of carrier oil (like mineral oil). For the price you can give it a shot. Have you tried to make my Beeswax board butter? You can buy a whole pound bag of beeswax pellets on Amazon.ca for around the same price. (and you're getting 3x as much beeswax) ~ karen!
Catherine Gibson
Three words...All white linens. Good solid cotton that you can bleach the heck out of, or peroxide if there is blood, or vomit or dog ick or cat ick or pretty much anything ick. If you have different sizes, make sure you mark the sheets and cases somehow with the sizes. Otherwise, you'll be playing sheet roulette.
Gayle
I have all white linen, but found I'd have to unfold the sheets to find the marking on the fitted sheet. (For health and sanity reasons, I sleep in the guest room—double bed vs queen in the master bedroom.) Easy fix to figure the size of the set I'm opening up: where the pillow cases are located in the bundle. Told hubby (who ♥️♥️♥️ changes his own sheets) if he finds the pillow cases in full view upon opening the bundle, those are his sheets. If the cases are inside between the fitted and the flat sheet, the set is mine. To reinforce, I told him to just remember, “ his (male) stuff is in full view on the outside, and mine (female) stuff on he inside.” Lol Did the trick.
charlotte Tataryn
and yes, it's a day late, and no longer the 'topic', but I felt bad I hadn't shared, even if you, lovely lady, are the only one who reads it. Try it. You too ill be amazed, and your list will grow by one.
As to OXYclean, god bless that god. I am trying to be as chemical free as I can but I am never giving this one up. I once washed a yellow (indian dye) placemat with Gramma's hand crocheted and linen table cloth. I boiled it in oxyclean, and it sat in that stuff for a week, on a wood stove, cooking. End of the week, I washed it and you'll remember the Colgate commercial "You'll wonder where the yellow went..."! I wouldn't infer my little spot remover, increase as volume is required, could do that, but I haven't tried. Nice, as always to hear from you Karen. Ta dah!
Charlotte
charlotte Tataryn
The Most Amazing Cleaner, and you don't have to wash it out. I used it on a freshly laundered, and pressed, beautiful cotton shirt I had no desire to rewash, or iron. We went out for dinner in a different shirt, and when we got home, spot, and spot remover GONE!
Step 1. Combine water, vinegar, rubbing alcohol, and dish soap
•Add ¼ cup of white vinegar to 1 cup of warm water in a spray bottle.
•Pour 2 tablespoons of rubbing alcohol.
•Add 1 or 2 drops of Dawn dish soap.
I keep a small container under my sink. It has not, not worked, on anything thus far, and who doesn't love that you don't have to wash the spot remover away.
Karen
Thanks Charlotte! I'll give it a try on something. ~ karen
Cath
You’re a witch! I witch , I tell you. First you have me ordering an Upper Eastside coat and now you’ve got me cleaning my stainless with micro cloths . You have possessed my mind!
Karen
True story. My friend called me a witch just 2 days ago, lol. ~ karen!
Dana N
Karen, you have SAVED MY LIFE!!! I've been dreading cleaning the crystal monstrosity that is original to my 70yo old home. I'm just going to mix up some of your magical spray and be done with it! I won't have to worry about trying to figure out what goes where. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!! I owe you big time!
Marna
Great ideas! I do a couple of them already, but am going to do the one to get rid of cat pee smell. One of the abandoned kitties I care for (the outside cats don't like my dogs), has a leakage issue. I have enclosed beds for them outside, use self warming pads when it's cold and have been washing them several times because even if I can't smell it, they can, and won't use it. I will try it tomorrow! Thanks :)
Caron
I love this .... more than the cat one!
https://youtu.be/2D0Apozc3d8
Janet Goddard
Whaaaaat??? Black face cloths? That's brilliant. I didn't even know they came in that colour! Such a great plan. Maybe it will also work for the mechanics in my house who can't be bothered grabbing a cloth from the huge rag bag - they just grab the closest cloth they can - doesn't matter if it is a hand towel, dish cloth or cashmere scarf. They say it was a rag/already stained.... I've got a rebellion planned. Black EVERYWHERE!!!!! (thanks also for the other great ideas - I've got a huge chandelier that requires scaffolding to get to to clean. I might need painting tarps and a fire hose, but maybe the firemen won't mind helping ;)
Jill
My husband bought me a Debot (Roomba-but made by a different company). It is literally the best gift I have ever received. My home has never been cleaner. The way my dog sheds, I needed to vacuum everyday, but I couldn't, which meant that my floors were always gross. Now, maybe once or twice a month, I have to follow up with a hand held vacuum to get a few hard to get corners. But, that's it. And I never have to be embarrassed by my floors again. I have it programmed to do it's thing once a day on the main floor, and I carry it upstairs once a week, were the shedding doesn't accumulate as much. Love it and couldn't recommend it more!!
Patti H
Will the Cat Pee Potion work on "old" smelling wood furniture? I inherited a nice (almost-100-years-old) but not valuable dresser, small buffet, armoire, and two dry sinks and have tried baking soda, vinegar, coffee grounds, balled up newspapers and fresh air and sunlight but the pieces still have that old smell.
I've got scented candles in the drawers now but that just masks the problem.
Any help will be appreciated.
Marna
I'm going to try this on an old piece I found for nothing at a second hand store, and didn't notice the smell til I got it home.
https://salvagedinspirations.com/how-to-remove-musty-mothy-moldy-smells-from-wood-furniture/
Patti H
Thank you, Marna!
Jane m Jacobsen
Sorry about that. I would have loved to attend.
Lauren from Winnipeg
I see your black face cloth and raise you a black tea towel. Best things ever if you are a tea and coffee drinker, not to mention all the other stuff that notoriously stains tea towels. As an added plus, the black will complement any colour you use in your kitchen decor.
Joyce
Best household cleaner for hardwood floors and bathrooms. Buy large dollar store plastic spray bottle. Fill with water and add 30 drops of lavender essential oil. I spray my hardwood floors and wipe them up with a floor mop with microfibre head (Home Hardware). So easy and quick! This mix also helps keeps spiders away! Bugs don’t like the light lavender scent. And works great on bathroom sinks and counters. No residue!
Jane m Jacobsen
At the beginning of the article on cleaning cat pee the first paragraph contains a description of your new training program on The Art of Doing Things Now. I'm very interested in knowing what you have to say. But the two links in that paragraph don't work for me. Maybe the problem is in my tablet--I have a lot of trouble with it
Karen
I see! That's a course I was running but it was from 3 years ago I'm afraid so it's no longer valid. ~ karen!
Airwreck
Having an Airedale the Roomba became a Doomba the moment it left the docking station.. He just figured it was 21st century vermin and kilt it with one bite.. That's what Airedales do..GRIN
Jane m Jacobsen
Hi, Karen, I just tried to follow the link to your new series. Neither link works. I just got the message: 404 No such page exists..
PPS. Any idea why so many female Siamese cats are named Cleo? Is it a tribute to the royal Cleopatra? I also had a Cleo and do at least five of my friends.
Karen
Hi Jane! I'm not sure which links you're talking about. I've just gone through all the links in this post and they're working. Let me know. Also, I didn't name Cleo. :) She was named when I got her as a kitten. Not sure why the popularity. ~ karen!
Heather Sykora
I just read through your cat pee cleaner post!!! So excited that you did all the work to find something that works and does not cost a fortune!! Thank you!!!
In the spirit of sharing:
I’ve discovered that baking soda dissolved in water and some detergent when sprayed on underarm fabric removes build up and smell for those individuals that sweat more! I tried everything on Pinterest and nothing worked as well- the baking soda helps with the waxy build up! This is a maintenance treatment. If the build up is ancient a long soak in oxi is required! 😃
Suzanne
The best washcloths I’ve ever bought, I got in Bracebridge, red, Canadian company. After 4 years they’re looking tired. And my face cleaner doesn’t bleach them! Why are our US towels etc. so woosie? What brand are your black cloths?
Karen
Oh brother, I have no idea, lol. They're very old and still look plush and new though. I'll have to see if I can find a label on them. ~ karen!