Kathy’s Home & Garden Tips – More Cleaning Hacks

With many of us using our small coffee grinders for whole spices, cleaning them between uses is a bit difficult. Getting rid of the smell can be even more so! Grind a large handful of uncooked white rice until it’s completely powdered. It removes all smells and particles.

Leather furniture gets scratches and worn spots. Rub with a little like-colored shoe polish. Make sure to rub well and wipe off all excess. Microfiber furniture can be easily cleaned with a little rubbing alcohol. Put some in a spray bottle and spray the stain. Rub lightly with a clean sponge and blot with a clean cotton towel. When dry, brush lightly to bring up the nap.

Citrus and salt are both great cleaning agents and can disinfect and deodorize too. Sprinkle kosher salt on your cutting board. Scrub with the cut end of a lemon while squeezing out the juice. Let sit for a few minutes then rinse. Bathtub rings will be gone in a flash with cut grapefruit halves sprinkled with kosher salt. 

Baking soda and vinegar are great for burned on messes. Pour ½ cup vinegar in the bottom of the oven. Sprinkle with baking soda, let fizzle for several minutes. Wipe clean with a sponge and green scrubber. For a pan with burned on food, heat two cups vinegar to boiling. Take off heat and add two tablespoons baking soda. Let sit a while, then wipe clean.

Baking soda also works with bleach. Wet dirty tile and grout with straight bleach. Sprinkle with baking soda. Scrub with a stiff brush and let sit till clean. You can clean it off by letting it dry, then vacuuming up the residue. Clean completely with a damp cotton cloth.

Crumpled foil works as a great scrubber. Clean your iron with foil and salt. Do you have a curling iron full of product residue? Use foil to clean. Or, use a foil ball and a little dish soap to clean glass dishes and casseroles.

Wet shoes? Fill with crumpled newspapers to dry quickly and keep their shape. Use toothpaste to clean jewelry! Be sure to use sparingly and scrub gently with an old toothbrush. Use another old, clean toothbrush to clean keyboards. Use shampoo to clean your hair brushes.

Pick up broken glass shards with a piece of white bread. Clean dog hair from the carpet with a squeegee. Sprinkle baking soda on greasy carpet stains. Brush in, let set then vacuum. Use coffee filters to dust all your device screens. To clean the microwave, heat ½ cup water with a few drops dish liquid. Then, wipe clean for a sparkling microwave with no vinegar smell!

KATHLEEN WEAVER-ZECH & DEAN’S TEAM CHICAGO