Helpful Cleaning Tricks for everyone's house!

6/8/2016 (Permalink)

Cleaning Tricks!

We are not only the experts for helping you when disaster strikes, we also like to be the cleaning experts you can bounce ideas off of!  See some of the tips and tricks not everyone might know about!  As always...when disaster strikes, strike back by calling SERVPRO of St. Clair Shores at (586) 741-5050

* Non-Stick Grill Means Less Mess

This is more of a cleaning prevention rather than a tip, but that’s ok because there’s nothing fun about scraping charred chicken off of a grill. Who knew an onion could be so magical?!To make your grill non-stick all you need to do is cut an onion in half and rub the cut side on the heated grill grate.

* Cleaning Oil Stains On Your Driveway

This has always been my husband’s department (I’m pretty sure I’ve seen him dumping cat litter on the driveway). I guess he didn’t know about Pour-N-Restore, the oil stain remover that starts out as a liquid and dries into a powder! This way it’s easy to apply, and then once it’s dry you can just sweep it up. Very cool.

*  DIY Hydrogen Peroxide Spray Bottle

Turn your hydrogen peroxide into a spray bottle! Just replace the bottle cap with a spray bottle head. This stuff is good for cleaning all sorts of things like windows, tubs, and toilets.

* Garbage Disposal Cleaning Trick

You might already know that ice sharpens the blades in your garbage disposal, and that throwing a lemon in there freshens and cleans it up. Why not combine the cleaning solution with the blade sharpener? Genius! Just a couple of ingredients and an ice cube tray, and you’re set.  (The best solution is a homemade solution of ice, vinegar, and lemons. Buy an ice tray and write “Garbage Disposal” on the bottom. I don’t think anybody would like to have a vinegar ice cube in their drinking water.

Fill the tray with 8 parts water and 1 part vinegar. Then cut up a lemon and drop a small piece of the lemon rind into each slot to help with odor. Leave the solution to freeze.)

* Cleaning Your Pillows

Did you know that all of that yellowing that happens over time to your pillows is from sweat? I didn’t realize we sweat so much while sleeping. Yuck! Let me be perfectly honest here (don’t judge me), I’ve never washed a pillow before. I just replace them after a year or so. I guess I just assumed you couldn’t put them in the washing machine. Well, I was wrong. You can also make your own Miracle Laundry Whitening Solution. (HOT HOT HOT water

• 1 cup powdered dishwasher detergent
• 1 cup bleach
• 1/2 cup borax)

*Rubber Gloves To Remove Pet Hair

Dampen one of your rubber gloves a little, and then use it to remove pet hair from furniture. The damp rubber material is like a magnet to hair!

*Squeegee Hair Picker Upper

A new use for an old item! Turns out your squeegee has a brilliant use other than getting your windows squeaky clean. Use one as a quick and easy way to wipe pet hair off of your carpets and rugs.

* Use Salt To Clean Your Iron

Salt? Yep! Pour salt on your ironing board (Perhaps cover with a pillow case or something to make clean up easier), and then iron the salt with the steam option off. The dirt on your iron will stick to the salt, making for an easy clean!

*Removing Labels In A Flash

Why must ceramic manufacturers use the stickiest labels they can possibly find? WHY? I recently encountered this problem after I replaced all of my old dinnerware, and then spent 30 minutes trying (trying!) to remove the labels. Next time, I’ll remove them the easy way with Oxi-Clean! Wish I had know this years ago.

*Clean Fan Blades With A Pillow Case

If you’re anything like me, you have about a dozen extra pillow cases laying around in a spare closet. Wait, is that just me? Use one to slide onto the blades of your ceiling fans, and then wipe the blades off inside the case. No more dust in your face! So quick and easy, too.