Posts tagged: cleaning
How To: Cool Ways to Organize Your Drill Bits and Taps.
By ChrisjobTraditional twist bits usually come in a set, with a perfectly organized case or box with the dimensions clearly marked, so that you can find what you need easily. Most even close and stay stowed.
Then, there's all those other bits you eventually amass: all sorts of driving bits, spade bits, countersink bits, combo bits, bits, bits, bits, bits. Here's a few options to keep them off your bench and shelves and out of trays and drawers.
Ten Alternative Uses for Tennis Balls.
By Chrisjob
They're green. They're fuzzy. And there's at least ten other ways to use 'em beyond bouncing on the court. Volley on over to This Old House. and check 'em out.
1. Erase scuff marks.
2. Protect a padlock.
3. Remove a broken lightbulb.
4. Cushion the blow.
5. Install a parking guide.
6. Open a jar.
7. Make a hitch cover.
8. Collect change for tolls.
9. Keep a door open.
10. Get a better grip.
Ten Alternative Uses for Used Tea Bags.
By Chrisjob
Once you've given your tea bag a dunk, you could head right to the compost bin. OR, you can give it a second chance with one these alternative options for steeped tea bags.
- Soothe Tired or Injured Eyes
- Flavor Your Meat
- Make “Less Sinful” Drinks
- Around-The-House Cleaner
- Remove Warts
8 Ways to Get Organized in 5 Minutes.
By ChrisjobYou know all those little things that you see need done, but whiz by simply don't have the time to accomplish them?
Unfortunately, they actually make your life slower and less productive, which is something for which we definately don't have time. Dumb Little Man states, "If we don’t know what we’ve got, where it is, and how to find it, we run into serious problems, lowered productivity and raised stress levels." So, check out their eight tips to » READ MORE
How to Clean Your Slipcovers
By ModHomeEcTeacher
Photo image: Ellen Kennon
If you're lucky enough to have a good looking set of custom slipcovers, or merely a slipcovered chair, be sure you know whether it can be washed, spot cleaned or » READ MORE
Six Extraordinary Uses for Shampoo.
By ChrisjobStuck zipper? Crunchy cuticles? Out of shaving cream? Just reach into the shower...
Shampoo, in all it's sodium lauryl sulfate goodness, can do a whole heap of tasks, soap-y and otherwise.
How to Rid Your Home of Lingering Food Smells.
By ChrisjobCurbly has certainly featured its share of techniques to add pleasant scents to your home and person (here, here, here, here, and here), but there are those time when your home is ALREADY aroma-ed, and you'd actually rather give it the old neutralize rather than cover it up.
To that end, Apartment Therapy offers these solutions and others:
- Simmer a pot of half vinegar and half water
- Simmer a pot of water with lemon and orange peels
- Leave » READ MORE
Nine Alternative Uses for Ketchup.
By ChrisjobKetchup. Catsup. Catchup. Some folks in my family even choose to say 'tomato ketchup'...you know, to distinguish it from eggplant or fava bean ketchup. Or perhaps to convince themselves that it shouldn't rather be called "corn syrup ketchup."
Regardless, it's sticky sweet and acidic make-up provide from some interesting uses other than dressing your tater tots. Here's nine from the Daily Green.
1. Shine Your Copper
2. Get Those Auto Parts Glea » READ MORE
13 Things You Haven't Cleaned in 6 Months
By DIY Maven
Many if not all of these 13 things on Barbi's list are easily forgotten on cleaning day. Embarrassing to admit but true!
- The top of your refrigerator.
- Under the bathroom and kitchen sink. » READ MORE
Tips on Cleaning Green
By MarvinWindowsCheck out this statistic from the Chicago Tribune: "If each household in Chicago switched to cleaning products that contain low levels of volatile organic compounds, it would remove as many hydrocarbons as taking 28,793 cars off the road." 
Wow. It's the type of stat that makes you want to start using these type of cleaning products, isn't it? Lucky for us, the same story, written by Julie Deardorff, provides some natural household cleaning tips. » READ MORE
Housecleaning Tips From a Pro
By DIY Maven
Straight from the pros, these cleaning tips will make house-cleaning day less of a chore.
- Make a house cleaning check list.
- Evaluate the space and i.d. trouble spots; plan accordingly by buy the right supplies for the job.
- Get help. If you don't live alone, other people are adding to the mess; the least they can do is help clean it up!
Before and After: Removing Rust from Chrome
By ModHomeEcTeacher
With thrifting and garage sale season upon us, no doubt we'll find a 'can't pass up' piece of 60's or 70's chrome furniture with some nasty rust spots. If you research the best techniques for removing rust from chrome, you'll find up to nine different techniques people swear by to clean up their bike frames, chrome wheels, chrome furniture and more. See Before and After results on rusted bicycle chrome using Ted Carl's 'Old School' Oxalic Acid soak (from VintageBMX.com's Forum) » READ MORE
Wash Away Poison Ivy with Fels Naptha Soap
By ModHomeEcTeacher
With pesky weed and vine removal comes the likely possibility of rubbing up against some poison ivy, sumac or poison oak. If you're sensitve to these weeds, the coming weeks could be miserble. A quick anecdote is to » READ MORE
Allergen-free as can be
By MarvinWindows
With more Americans than ever suffering from allergies, the Healthy House Institute offers some simple steps you can take to keep your family as allergen-free as possible -- without giving up fine decorating.
- Window treatments should be simple, writes the institute’s Lynn Marie Bower. Metal or wood blinds will hold the least dust, while 100 percent cotton blinds or linen curtains are the easiest to wash regularly.
- All soft furniture items c » READ MORE
How to Clean Everything You Own
By DIY Maven
From our paper shredders (I'm supposed to clean that??) to books to fake plants and just about everything in between, howtocleanstuff.net tells you all you need to know to clean everything you own. HOWEVER, if you can't find it in this catch-all Things You Own list, check out the site's other catagories, which include:
Get the Spa Smell in Your Home: Eucalyptus Cleaning Recipes
By ModHomeEcTeacher
Photo by Allen Hart
Don't you wish your house had that fresh spa smell when walked in the door? There used to be a candle that replicated that wonderful aroma, but like all good things, it was discontinued. Not to worry, over on TipNut there are nine simple recipes involving eucalyptus that you can whip up to use as household cleaners.
Here are two to get you started and a link to the entire collec » READ MORE
Storing in Style: A Guide to Decorative Organization.
By ChrisjobThough (at least before October) it doesn't seem quite true that "modern living spaces are getting smaller and smaller with each passing day," there's absolutely nothing wrong with attractive and appealing means of stocking your goods.
"Modern designing is becoming an art that finds the fine balance between style, aesthetic joy and utility. And the most important factor that will save you space, is making sure that you get rid of the clutter » READ MORE
Ten Ways to Use Herbs to Freshen Your Home.
By Chrisjob
In most areas of the country, it's almost time to go ahead and plant your produce-producing annuals. But unlike your fresh fruits and veggies, you can actually use your herb seedlings as soon as you get them in the ground. Here's ten ways from TipNut to use fresh herbs in your spring cleaning and home maitenance.
- Homemade Herbal Carpet Freshener Recipe
- Herbal Mattress Freshener
- Homemade Herbal Lavender Dryer Bags
- Bugs-Be-Gone Bags
- Homemade Her » READ MORE
Clear Out Your Kitchen!
By DIY Maven
Cleaning your kitchen and clearing it out are two different things entirely. Cleaning it involves soap and water and such. » READ MORE
How to Declutter an Entire Room in a Single Sweep.
By ChrisjobAccording to Zen Habits, the trick to successfully decluttering a room is finding a large area to serve as a working and organizing space. Then, you can:
"2. Start on one side of the room and work to the other.
3. Do one drawer or shelf or spot on the floor at a time.
4. Pull everything out of the drawer or shelf (or section of floor or what have you), and pile it in the working space. Clean out the drawer or shelf."
For the full approach, » READ MORE
