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Baking Soda

Baking soda is natural and an effective deodorizer. It is abrasive and does a really good job scrubbing and eliminating odors. 

Cleaning Baked On Food from Pots and Pans

Baked on food can be tough to get off the bottom of a pan. I, and I’m sure many of you have used an SOS pad, but what if you don’t have any?

Use baking soda. In the bottom of the pan, sprinkle baking soda and add just a little water to make a paste (about the consistency of the kind you buy in the store). Use your cleaning sponge and scrub.

Baking soda can also be used to clean grease spills, and to deodorize a smelly dishwasher plus a whole lot more.

Soft Scrub Cleaner

Here’s a recipe for a homemade soft scrub cleaner. Simply add 1/2 cup baking soda with enough liquid detergent and mix well.

This can be used to clean sinks and bathrooms. Apply and use a sponge to clean and rinse well.

Vinegar

Vinegar is an acidic. It is made from apple juice, wine, or grain. Vinegar can cut through grease, help deodorize, and kill mold and mildew.

It is important to note because vinegar is acidic, you should not use it on marble or natural stone.

Cleaning Linoleum Floors with Vinegar

In a two-gallon bucket, fill about 2/3 of the way full with warm water. Add about two cups of distilled white vinegar.

Before mopping the floor, go over it with a vacuum or sweep it. When that’s done, dip your mop in the bucket then wring it out really good so there is not a lot of excess water dripping all over the place.

Mop the floor, changing water when necessary and dry when done.

All Purpose Window and Glass Cleaner

Mix the following ingredients in a spray bottle.

• 1/2 teaspoon liquid detergent

• 3 tablespoons vinegar

• 2 cups water

Use this product just as you would with a commercial glass cleaner.

Tips for Keeping Your Refrigerator Smelling Odor Free

These are probably no brainer tips but I’m going to list them anyway.

1. Clean up spills as soon as they happen and adopt a policy where whoever spills, cleans it up, no waiting until Mom gets home. Unless someone really needs your help say taking out a drawer or something.

2. Store your food in covered containers and be sure to put the lid on all the way. If you’re covering a plate of food, make sure the saran wrap covers the dish (which usually means using two pieces of saran wrap). I have also found some stretch to fit food covers that work very nicely (and can be washed).

3. Monitor your leftovers. Really only a couple of days should go by before you toss them out and if you’re just not the kind of family then don’t keep them. I know people that never eat leftovers but hate to waste, so the food gets stored and forgotten about.

4. Monitor the temperature. Most refrigerators are pretty good at keeping a consistent temperature but if yours is being opened and closed all day or if someone doesn’t close the door, it could change the temperature settings.

5. Keep an open box of baking soda in the back of the refrigerator to help keep it fresh.

Tile and Grout Cleaners

This is a great homemade tile and grout cleaner that is safe for frequent use. It also works well for removing soap scum and cleaning tile counters.

• 1/2 cup of baking soda
• 1/4 cup of white vinegar
• 7 cups of water

Combine all the ingredients in a spray bottle and shake well to mix. Do not use this in conjunction with chlorine bleach or where chlorine bleach has been used. Simply spray it on and then wipe with a damp sponge or cloth. No rinsing required.

Mold and Mildewed Grout

To clean mildewed grout in tub and shower enclosures:

Scrub with a solution of one part liquid chlorine bleach to five parts water. Use a bristle brush and agitate. Let sit for 5 minutes and rinse thoroughly.

Cleaning Grout Haze on Ceramic or Porcelain Tile

Grout used between tile is actually cement. Efflorescence (a whitish powder) can occur with any application of a Portland cement product.

Here's what the grout manufactures recommend to do if this happens. New applications of grout takes 3 full days to cure, so make sure the grout is fully cured first.

Go to a home improvement store in your area and pick up a sulfuric-acid cleaner, it can also be called a grout haze remover. When applied, the strong acid will break up the haze and you can wash it away. Follow manufacturer's instructions carefully. (This is a "gloves and safety glasses" job).

If this does not do the trick, you could also purchase a pumice stone (available in a home improvement store) and use plenty of water and a very light touch for mechanical/abrasive removal of the grout haze. (Follow instructions with the pumice stone carefully, too - you don't want to scratch the ceramic or porcelain.)

Cleaning Dirty Grout

The only way we used to clean grout was to use bleach, which at best cleans mold and mildew. It lightens the grout stains, but the effect is only temporary. It is just a surface clean.

The best way to clean out grout that is already filled with dirt and gunk is to use a steam extraction method. This is steam cleaning with hot steam, detergents, water pressure and vacuum extraction. Steam extraction machines dislodge the dirt packed in the tiny grout holes and lifts them out once and for all

How To Clean Grout

The best way to clean it is to use liquid extraction to loosen the dirt from the grout and use a wet/dry vacuum to pull the dirt back up and out of the holes. The best way to minimize dirty grout is to lay the tile close together to have very thin and narrow grout lines. Seal the grout with a very good (and likely expensive) grout sealer. If you elect not to seal the grout, you will have a very nasty mess in a short amount of time - which will cause you to again go out and search the internet for this page. If you don't protect your grout with a sealer, it will become dirty and very difficult to maintain - period. Also use floor mats in your door ways to help keep the floors clean. And last but not least, it's a good idea to remove your shoes before entering your home.

1. Removing General Odors

Use your nose to determine where the pungent smell is coming from. Once you find the item that is causing the odor, clean it with hot soapy water, using an antibacterial cleaner or detergent like Dawn dish soap.

After cleaning, fill a bowl with 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup white vinegar and go over the surface you just cleaned to disinfect the area. Once the area is completely clean, open the windows to let the clean air in.

Note: Some surfaces should not be touched by vinegar such as marble and natural stone surfaces. Vinegar is acid and could etch and dull the surface.

You can follow all this up with a a nice homey smell like oranges and cinnamon. Take two tablespoons of cinnamon and some orange peels and simmer them gently in 4 cups of water. This fresh scent will permeate throughout your house.

2. Removing Smoke Odors

Smoke can be tough to get rid of depending on the buildup and frequency of exposure. There's a lot to be said about opening the window to let a some fresh air circulate through a room.

For general freshening:

Sprinkle baking soda over the carpets and let sit overnight, vacuum in the morning.

Fill a nylon stocking with cat liter to absorb odors. Place discretely behind the TV, furniture, etc.

Heavy Duty Cleaning with Ammonia and Water

If the buildup is heavy, a heavy duty cleaning of carpets, furniture and wall washing might be necessary. Tar and nicotine gets stuck on surfaces like walls.

To clean and deodorize walls and cupboards, use non-sudsing ammonia.

In a bucket add 1 gallon of warm water and 1 cup ammonia then stir to mix.

Lay down towels or old sheets (depending on the size of the area you're cleaning) to catch excess drips and keep the floor dry.

Ammonia can burn if you get it in your eyes so wear protective eyewear and gloves. Ammonia also has a strong odor, so open windows when you have a lot of cleaning to do.

You may also have to wash draperies, furniture and carpets.

For peace of mind - get your smoker to go outdoors!

3. Removing Pet Urine Odors

If you smell it but don't know where it's coming from, you’ll need to follow your nose or find the target area with a black light. Body fluids and certain vitamins contain phosphorus. Black lights emit an ultraviolet light that makes phosphorus glow.

Turn out the lights and close the curtains to block out as much overhead light as possible. Shine the black light over the carpet and any biological material will come to light, highlighting the area where your pet urinated.

Cleaning the Urine Stain

Blot with white paper towels until you've gotten as much liquid out as possible. Do not rub - you don't want to spread the stain.

Liberally apply (not too wet though) a 50/50 mixture of white vinegar and water. Let sit a few minutes then use clean towels or more paper towels to soak up the liquid.

Cover with a clean towel until dry to keep dirty feet, pets, and kids off the spot.

If there is any odor remaining after cleaning, generously sprinkle baking soda over the spot and work into the carpet with your fingers. Let sit several hours then vacuum.

As we talked about in Removing Smoke Odors above, ammonia is good for some odors but do not use it to clean urine stains. Your pets urine breaks down into the same components as ammonia. If you clean with ammonia, your pet will come back to pee there over and over again!

4. Removing Carpet Odors

Why can your carpet smell?

If you have pets they may have had an accident on your carpet as we discussed above. Your pets can also bring in wetness, dirt and other debris when coming in from outside.

Other causes of carpet odors may be from spilled food or beverages that may not have been cleaned or not cleaned thoroughly.

It's possible your carpet is old and is causing a musty odor.

Carpets or carpet fibers seem to hold on to odors and linger for days. One of the first things you can do (and yes, I've mentioned this before) is to open some windows to air out the room and give it a good vacuuming. All little fresh air never hurt anyone and it's great for battling odors.

Vacuuming on a regular basis can do wonders too. Don't forget to change your vacuum cleaner bag, a full dirty bag can cause dusty, musty odors. If you have a bagless vacuum, clean the dirt chamber often.

What other options are there to battle carpet odors?

Baking soda. With baking soda you won't have any residue or lingering scent. Baking soda is clean, safe, deodorizes, and is quite effective at removing odors. Sprinkle baking soda liberally over the carpet then take a broom or carpet rake (or something similar) and gently work the baking soda down into the carpet.

White vinegar and water. Plain white vinegar and water is another way to remove odors from smaller sections of your carpeting. Follow steps 2 through 4 as outlined under Cleaning Urine Stains.

If the carpet has not been vacuumed regularly and stains have been allowed to sit, it may be time to hire a professional or replace the carpets.

5. Removing Refrigerator Odors

For odors in your refrigerator, it may be as simple as going through the contents and removing old and smelly foods. That being said - if the old or expired food items or spills haven't been cleaned up and have been in the fridge for a long period of time - you may need to take everything out and give it a good cleaning.

Cleaning Solution

Mix together 1/4 cup baking soda to 4 cups of warm water.

After throwing out the old items, remove the rest of the remaining items and clean the sides, shelves, and drawers. Wipe down when finished. Reload the refrigerator and leave an open box of baking soda in your clean refrigerator. By doing this, you’ll ensure that your refrigerator stays fresh-smelling.

Keeping Odors from Coming Back

Here are some things you can do to keep odors from coming back.

Clean up spills as they happen.

Seal leftovers tightly and throw them out after a few days.

Make sure the temperature is accurate to keep foods from spoiling.

6. Fixing a Stinky Sink

The sinks in our homes get used many times throughout the day. It's not a wonder you might occasionally catch a whiff of something stinky now and then. With body oils, hair, toothpaste, soaps, etc. going down the drain - yeah, it can stink. Here are a couple of things that can cause odors and how you can clean them.

Removing Hair from the Sink Drain

Take out the drain plug and use a hair-clog removal tool (I use the Drain Weasel) or use a metal coat hanger that has been straightened out with a hook at the end.

Cleaning the P-Trap

The p-trap can accumulate grease, soap scum and other debris that can cause odors. To clean it, turn the water off and clear everything out from under the sink then:

Put a towel or bucket under the p-trap.

Get a pair of pliers and remove the nuts on either end of the trap.

Clean the inside of the trap by running a wash cloth through it until it's clean.

Screw trap back on.

7. Stinky Garbage Disposal

It's a disposal for food waste. Of course it can get a little stinky! But it's easy to fix. One of the first things you should know is don't run hot water while using the disposal. Hot water only causes grease to liquefy, accumulate, and cause your drain to get clogged. Always run cold water while running the disposal.

To remedy a stinky garbage disposal:

Keep it clean. Most of us rinse/wash our dishes off before putting them in the dishwasher, so when I'm done removing food and ready to use the disposal, I squirt a little dish soap in the disposal and let it run an extra minute or so.

Use cold running water continuously while using the disposal.

Don't pour grease down the drain.

Putting citrus peels down the disposal can keep the drain smelling fresh and clean.

Instead of using plain ice cubes, freeze white vinegar in an ice cube tray and run them through the disposal. This will help keep bacteria at bay and help to dislodge stuck on pieces of food.

Pour baking soda down the drain, let sit for a few hours before pouring water down the drain.

For very stinky odors, pour 4 tablespoons Borax down the drain and let this sit for an hour. Rinse with hot water.

When cleaning the kitchen sink, don't forget to clean the rubber stopper. The underside can get a little slimy. I use a baby bottle brush for this so I don't have to stick my hands in the drain.

8. Cleaning Stinky Sponges

To remove odors from sponges, you can run them through the washing machine or the dishwasher on the top rack. You could also soak them in one gallon of water and 2/3 cup of household bleach. Not only will this get rid of odors smell but it will also help to get rid of germs. Kitchen sponges should be changed often.

9. Removing Dishwasher Odors

You might think by using your dishwasher on a daily or almost daily basis, it cleans itself. Not so. They should be cleaned just like anything else around the house. Here's a few things you can do to prevent dishwasher odors.

Be sure to scrape all food off plates and silverware. If you don't rinse the food away before putting dishes in the dishwasher, bits of food can get trapped.

Occasionally clean around the seals on the inside of the door. Use a drop or two of liquid dish soap mixed with warm water.

Clean the trap from the dishwasher.

Fill a coffee cup with plain white vinegar and place it in the top rack. Run a hot water cycle.

Sprinkle baking soda around the bottom of the dishwasher and run a hot water cycle.

10. Removing Toilet Odors

If you want to eliminate toilet bowl odors, first and foremost - clean on a regular basis. When you clean, make sure you not only give the toilet bowl a good cleaning but clean around the outer sides, around and under the tank, and the floor around the toilet.

You can also add 1 cup bleach to the water in the bowl and let that sit while you clean the rest of the toilet, then clean the inside of the toilet.

Another place toilet odors may be coming from is the wax ring. It may have eroded and needs to be replaced. If this is something you are not comfortable with doing yourself, call a professional plumber.

How To Remove Tea Stains

We firmly believe that almost every staining agent can be either “removed entirely or lightened considerably by acting quickly.” Stains that are water-soluble in the first place, should react favorably to being immediately flushed with cold water.

Organic-based stains are often successfully removed by using organic or natural stain removers, i.e. lemon juice, salt, sunlight.

Removing Tea Stains From China Cups:

Your favorite China teacup may acquire a long history of tea stains that really discolors the inside. Don’t despair! Rinse the inside of the cup with water and while it is still wet, moisten a clean dishcloth with warm water and dip it in baking soda. Scrub the inside of the cup with the rag and baking soda. 

You may need to apply a little elbow grease as well, but this should effectively remove the tea stains. Be sure to wash the cup well as the baking soda will alter the next cup of brew if it is not thoroughly washed away.

Remove Tea Stains from Hard Surfaces with Salt

Removing Tea Stains on Cotton Fabric

Removing Tea Stains with Dishwasher Detergent

Tips On Cleaning And Polishing Your Marble Floors

In my opinion, marble is one of the most beautiful materials you can ever have incorporated into your home decor - with proper care and maintenance, it will maintain its pristine condition throughout the life of the home. It will always add value both in visual appeal and in financial worth.

In order to know the "how and why" that upkeep of marble is so important, you need to know a little about its origin. No. It's not decayed jungle flora a hundred-million years ago, changed by pressure and heat into some lovely expensive, light refracting gemstone!

Marble is rock that is actually formed by sea shell deposits billions of years ago. In the areas or regions where marble is now mined, the miners also find fossils of sea creatures along with chunks of limestone which is also a by-product of sea shells. More evidence that the oceans once covered the earth? I think so!

In early civilization, marble was sought after for it's durability and beauty, plus the added bonus that it was more amenable to carve into shapes for bricks and statues!

How To Clean Marble

Because marble basically is made of sea shells (calcium carbonate) cleaning compounds that contain acid will destroy it. The acid will find its way under the highly buffed polish or finish, get into the cracks the porous rock, and you'll eventually wind up with a big pile of white sand.

A good way to perk up a marble counter or coffee table is to start by washing it with a clean soft cloth dipped in a special solution. Use 3 tablespoons of baking soda to 1 quart of warm water. Dip the cloth into the solution, wet thoroughly, then wring out and wipe all over the marble. 

To give marble a quick shine, try crushing a child's stick of common white chalk into a fine powder. Dampen a clean white wash rag and dip it into the chalk powder. Rub it on the marble with smooth, overlapping back and forth strokes. Allow to dry for a moment, then rinse with fresh water on a damp rag, and dry thoroughly.

Spot Cleaning Marble Floors

Occasionally, there will be small stains either on your marble counter top or on your floor. You may not have the time to do a thorough cleaning or mopping but, if you use caution, you may make short work of stains before they are set in.

For sugar based stains, moisten a household sponge in warm water that has a few drops of liquid dish detergent added. Scrub the spot, rinse well with clean water, and dry with a paper towel.

For dropped on food stains (tomato sauces, sauces with oil) , get to it quickly with a household sponge dipped in warm, soapy water, with a little hydrogen peroxide added. Rub first, then flood the stain, and immediately wipe up excess water. Repeat.

As with all stains, we recommend quick action before the stain is absorbed and dries on your marble floor.

Remove Candle Wax

Once candle wax hardens, there is not much you can do about it, but I do have an easy solution for you.

Candle wax is a common problem, but no one really knows just how easy it is to solve.

Scrubbing, washing, scratching and scraping won't do it. Well, you'll be happy to know that if you've got a candle wax stain on your carpet, all you need is an iron and a couple of paper towels. It may seem a little strange, but this actually does work. Just give it a try. You'll be amazed by how fast and effective it is.

Heat your clothes iron, just as if you were going to iron a shirt. Once it's warmed up, place a few paper towels on top of the candle wax stain. Place a few sheets around the stain, which will prevent scorching other areas. Now this is really simple, just iron the sheets of paper that are on top of the candle wax. The wax will liquefy and be absorbed by the paper towels.

As you iron the paper towels, the wax is absorbed into the sheets of paper. This looks like little spots of water or grease on the paper towel. Once you've seen these spots, you know the wax is coming out of your carpet.

And be careful when you're doing this to your carpet. Never try to use a lighter or any other flammable item to take the stain out.

Removing Candle Wax Stains

These instructions are for removing candle wax or paraffin from a washable fabric. Before you begin, read the care label. Do not use any products or procedures prohibited by the care label.

Pretest each cleaning agent on an inconspicuous area before you start working on the stain. Use a dull knife to scrape excess wax from the fabric. Place stained fabric between white paper towels and press with a warm iron from the back of the fabric to remove the wax. Change the towel as it picks up stain.

Sponge stained area with a commercial fabric and upholstery cleaner. Rinse with water. Next, apply a detergent to the stain. Launder, using hot water and a bleach that's safe for the fabric. If dye stain remains, sponge area with a solution made from one part rubbing alcohol to two parts water. Rinse with water.

If the stain is stubborn, sponge the area repeatedly with a commercial cleaner. Blotting occasionally. Continue treatment as long as stain is being removed. Flush with clean water and allow to dry completely. Sponge with water. Apply diluted hand dishwashing detergent and a few drops of ammonia. Keep moist and blot occasionally.

Continue as long as a stain is being removed. Flush with water. Launder, using a bleach that's safe for the fabric.

Remove Candle Wax From Carpet

Using heat rather than cold remove more candle wax and is the best method for candle wax removal.

Place a clean cotton cloth over the wax stain on the carpet, place a warm iron on the cloth and the wax will melt and be absorbed into the towel.

Be careful and do not use a very hot iron. If your carpet has synthetic fibers, it could melt. Repeat this process if necessary using a new towel to keep pulling the melted candle wax from the carpet fibers

There is commercial product that works really well to remove a candle wax stain. It is called Un-Du Candle Wax Remover. Just a few drops of the candle wax remover will dissolve wax and you won't need to use an iron, scrape, or cut to remove wax. I have actually tried this product, and it works really well.

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