Guru Spotlight
Christina Chan

Cleaning Tips

Read these 479 Cleaning Tips in 19 categories ranging from Answer User Questions to Window Cleaning. Each tip is approved by our Editors and created by expert writers so great we call them Gurus. LifeTips is the place to go when you need to know about Cleaning tips and hundreds of other topics.

How to Remove Stuck-on Food From a Microwave

Microwaves are great for convenience. Heat up your food in a flash without having to use the more time-consuming oven or stove. All microwave users know that they can get really dirty, really fast. Try these tricks to remove stuck-on food from yours:

* Fill a deep, microwave-safe bowl half-way with water
* Add ¼ cup of vinegar
* Add the juice from one lemon, or 1/8 cup prepackaged lemon juice
* Place a damp washcloth in the microwave
* Place the mixture in the microwave on top of the washcloth
* Heat until boiling (about two-three minutes)
* Let solution sit for an additional five minutes in the microwave (do not open)
* Open microwave, carefully remove bowl and washcloth
* Use washcloth to wipe down the softened, stuck-on foods

This method works great every time, and you should hardly have to scrub at all. The vinegar and lemon juice contain acid, which when mixed with water help to remove those really dirty spots.

   

Homemade fabric softener sheets

Make homemade fabric softener/dryer sheets by pouring a few cap fulls of fabric softener into a large bowl. Then, take a washcloth and swish it around in the solution. Ring out the access softener and throw it in the dryer with your wet clothes. It's simple and a lot less expensive!

   

Grass Stains

To remove those pesky grass stains from clothes pre-treat the stain with an enzyme detergent and blot. Rinse with water or mix one tablespoon of clear household ammonia with one-half cup of water and apply to the stain, then blot and rinse

   

Whitest Whites

To get white clothing whitest, always use the hottest water safe for the fabric. If you have to use hard water, add some softener along with the detergent to increase the detergent's efficiency.

   

Washing walls before painting

The easiest thing is to try a mild solution of baking soda and water. For large surfaces, mix 4 tablespoons of baking soda with 1 quart of warm water in a small bucket.