Sparkle & Smile

Blog for Cleaner and Healthier Homes

Green Cleaning Tips and Tricks

Quick Fixes to Summer Tasks

Here are some quick and easy tips to get you through your summer.

–When you head to the gas station to fill your lawn mower gas container, place this container inside a heavy-duty plastic bag then inside a plastic bucket. Secure it to prevent it from tipping during travel.

–A handy trick for cleaning hands outside: Cut off an old pair of panty hose just below the knee. Slide your soap slivers into the toe part. Tie the top end around an outdoor faucet.  It is a quick way to wash outside.

–Cut off the rest of the leg part just below the panty and place over your cotton dust mop for an inexpensive and reusable “Swiffer”. The panty part makes an excellent polishing cloth for shoes!

–For grass stains, pour liquid dish soap onto stains and allow to set overnight. Rinse and wash as normal. Be certain to rinse out the dish soap before laundering, otherwise it may cause too much foam in your washing machine. This also does a great job on soccer and baseball uniforms, and on extra dirty socks.

–Underarm stains on shirts seem to worsen when we sweat. Before washing, saturate the underarm area with a 50/50 solution of hydrogen peroxide to water. Allow to set 30 minutes, then wash as normal. If you have been using bleach to whiten clothes and they are now graying, switch to peroxide. The first time pour 1 to 2 cups peroxide in your washer as it fills along with your detergent. Add the clothes and soak for 30 minutes. After the initial cleaning 1 cup works fine.

–For dusting mini-blinds, put a clean old cotton tube sock over one hand. Spray with a bottle filled with a liquid soap and water mixture.  Turn the slats of the mini blind down and wipe over the slats turning the sock as it soils. Reverse the slats and walk around behind them and repeat. To clean the cords, grab a can of foaming shaving cream and gently dab on the cord. Wait 20 minutes then rinse.


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