I'm so ashamed to admit it

[mesue]

My house is a mess and I have never ever been a good housekeeper, I am the queen of clutter and dust bunnies love me, so my question is could all you nice people come by and clean, nah just kidding but I figure maybe we could all help by posting some cleaning tips, I have a few but need more, lots more, heres mine

Keep drains unclogged by pouring baking soda in and pouring vinegar in drain over the baking soda, this will definitely cause a chemical reaction let sit and then rinse this also kills odors

Vinegar will kill mold and mildew, clean area and let dry and wash in vinegar and let dry

If your bathroom sink and tub is white and has a yellowish tint to it clean it with straight rubbing alcohol, I've never read this one anywheres but it works for me, make sure the room is well ventilated

Oh if you do have a few extra minutes to spare to help out come on by I'll make some coffee and maybe even a cake but you gotta do the dishes afterwards.

[~MK~]

I'm off of my depression meds so I'm the same way. I have got to clean my house!! But by the time I'm done with all the dogs and kids at night I have no energy left.:(

I need to figure out how to get all of that baked on black gunk off of my gas stove, without buying a new stove.

[mrs.john]

I've been letting my house go because of schoolwork. I just pick up things as I go thru a room and throw them in the next room. Eventually they'll end up close to where they belong :rolleyes:

Just come over to my house for cake--I had to bake a birthday cake this morning, but you'll have to frost it!

[chort1313]

I do the vinegar and baking soda thing for drains. I also hate cleaning! I'm such a slob. I come home from work and dump my stuff on the kitchen table, the dumping ground! ugh! i have started to re-organize my cabinets though!

[ahippiechic]

MK, the cleaning staff here at our apts. uses Mr. muscle oven cleaner to get that black gunk off the stoves. It's safe to use on stove tops also. They say it works great. One lady will only use mean green, tho. she uses it on everything.

I clean in 15 minute time periods. set a timer & start cleaning. after the time is up, take a break, then do 15 more minutes. That doesn't sound like long, but you can get quite alot done. also, i spend 15 minutes in my kitchen before bed. That way I don't wake up to a mess in the morning.

You can try www.flylady.net for lots more tips & email reminders.
(you get a LOT of reminders, but just seeing the subjects usually works for me, so I don't usually read them all.)

[chort1313]

i tried flylady! Needless to say, I couldn't keep up. I'm too lazy!

[erniemarie]

ok, I dont have a lot of tips, I use Clorox Wipes for all the counters in my kitchen, Clorox ready mop on bathroom and Kitchen floors, clean all my hardwoos floors with vinegar and water, but I could use a couple hints, my bathroom is a completly internal room with no ventilation - no fan or window, so steam builds up in there and its a breeding ground for mold and mildew, I have tried everything I can find commercially and bleach and vinegar but cant seem to get rid of it any suggestions???? Also does anyone know of any oven cleaners that work fast and easy but don't give off many fumes???

I'll come and help ya clean mesue, but I'll just take coffee afterward, no cake for me, since I found out about a week ago I lost that 22 pounds since July I am NOT putting it back on and I am now motivated to lose some more, hey come to think of it cleaning is good exercise hmmmmmm I'm on my way LOL

[mesue]

A friend of mine told me something really weird she accidentally discovered that cleans ovens she said its non toxic and all that, its something she made or bought and spelled in the oven will call her later and find out.

[erniemarie]

I really appreciate it, I cant use the commercial stuff that has fumes cause it sets off my asthma, last time I cleaned my oven I ended up in the emergency room getting breating treatments, it was not fun, haven't cleaned the oven since and it really needs it

[TheOzzyFan]

don't mean to butt in your post but any ideas on getting PERMANENT BLACK MARKER OFF OF NICE NEW SHINY WHITE WALLS? Kids gggrrrrrrrrr leave them alone for 5 minutes to take quick shower and this happens. LOL Can't complain though at least they were writing the alphabet. LMAO :rolleyes:

[jaybird]

According to the Queen of Clean (Linda Cobb) and her book "Talking Dirty with the Queen of Clean (my bible):

For ink and marker marks:
To remove ink or marker, use hair spray (the cheaper the better), rubbing alcohol or for really tough spotsx, denatured alcohol from the hardware store. Always spot carefully, trying to do JUST the spot.

The book doesn't specific anything about painted walls, but if it's a good latex flat or semi-gloss paint, I'd try that.

I found out by accident, that cheap shampoo is TERRIFIC for cleaning bathtub and shower walls of scum.

Now who wants to come help clean Sarah's apartment? We won't even go into my house that needs a thorough douche job! :eek:

[TheOzzyFan]

I used hairspray to get it off the entertainment center, coffee table and tv. But for some reason it is just not workin on the walls. :confused:

[kelblend]

I'm telling ya babywipes clean a TON of stuff. For marker on the walls, I had to use comet and took off some of the paint. My dot when she was little was forever doing it. I couldn't do anything, but lose some paint. I also love barkeepers friend for cleaning rust stains out of tubs and sinks (porcelain), it really shines afterward. It costs just a little more than comet.

[2manykids]

TheOzzyFan, you might try wd 40 I tried it and it works for me.It seems to take off crayon marker etc...:p You can get the cheaper version, pretty much all works the same:)

[Tigerseye0420]

I use Awsome on alot of things you can usually get it at dollar tree...i never dilute it like it says...it isnt toxic smelling or anything it kinda smells like fantastic or window cleaner...it works GREAT!! Good for carpets, walls, dishes, sinks, bathroom, kitchen, almost ANYTHING!! (has on bottle what to use it for..the list is endless)

I use Comet in the bathtub and toilet the most it works really well! I go through alot of it~!

I also use the clorox wipes in the bathroom and kitchen...

I like to use bleach alot as well but being preggo i havent been using it lately...been using alot more comet and awsome!

If you go to big lots or dollar stores the carpet powder is great! It makes your rooms smell nice for days!

FOr kitty litter box get....Arm and Hammer cat litter deoderizer..I SWEAR by this stuff! Never worry about littler smell again (so long as you clean it once in a while LOL :p )

Get little crates/containers like plastic baskets from dollar store to help with organization! I love these i have all kinds of them....i use them for lotions, hairspray, cleaning supplies, papers, cds, nail stuff...just about anything! The crates work best then they can be stacked to save more room!

Toothpaste and old toothbrush is great for cleaning jewelry

use newspaper instead of paper towels to clean windows and mirrors for a streak free shine!

Hairspray for ink stains on clothing works GREAT!

Coke for grease stains on clothing works well

i cant think of anything else at the moment i am going brain dead LOL but when i do i will post more! Hope some of this helps a little bit!

[Jolie Rouge]

erniemarie : my bathroom is a completly internal room with no ventilation - no fan or window, so steam builds up in there and its a breeding ground for mold and mildew, I have tried everything I can find commercially and bleach and vinegar but cant seem to get rid of it any suggestions????
I have the same set-up - go to WalMart/KMart/Target and look for a product called "DAMP-RID". It comes in a tub and absorbs all the moisture out of the air. No moisture - no mold & mildew - no scrubbing. You can also purchase it in refills for the tub (tub has a basket to collect the water) and cakes for the closet.

[mesue]

Erniemarie the stuff my friend used to clean her oven was the homemade laundry detergent recipe that someone on here posted, if memeory serves me right and it doesn't always heres how you make it, 1 bar of any soap, sliced up in tiny bit, boil on stove and stir until it is liquid , 1 cup of washing soda and 1 cup of borax, pour into 5 gallon of container of water and stir let sit overnight, sometmes this will gel, my friend said she only used 2.5 gal of water to make hers with which made it stonger and this is what she used to clean her oven with, she said she smeared it in her oven and let sit for a couple of hours then wiped and rinsed clean. Let me know if you try it and it works, if it doesn't its my friends fault.
Thanks to everyone who answered my thread I got some great tips and have signed up for flylady, thanks chort1313, I'm only going to do the minimum of what she says, right now I guess I am going to clean my sink, I am not to concerned about it shining just seeing the bottom of it will be good enogh for me and I absolutely refuse to wear shoes but the clothes idea is good.LOL thanks everyone

[moocher]

I have found that 409 and 409 degreaser both clean walls great! Even the ones in apartmenets-where they use the cheap paint-it takes all the scuff marks off.

For carpet stains, Castro makes cleaner that you can buy in the autoparts section at walmart-it's not very expensive. If I ever remember the complete name, I'll let you know.

I try to clean things the easy way-I scrub the bath tub and shower while I'm in the shower, I throw a load in the washer or dryer on my way out the door, I have one of those sponge things for dishes that holds the soap in it, so when someone uses a dish-they wash right then. The way I see it-if you can't wash your own dishes-don't use them!! LOL I hate dirty dishes!!

When it comes to dusting-I walk all through the house with the windex and clean everything that gets cleaned with that-then I do it with the pledge, ect. ect.!!

[mesue]

Originally posted by Jolie Rouge

I have the same set-up - go to WalMart/KMart/Target and look for a product called "DAMP-RID". It comes in a tub and absorbs all the moisture out of the air. No moisture - no mold & mildew - no scrubbing. You can also purchase it in refills for the tub (tub has a basket to collect the water) and cakes for the closet.


Thank you I have never heard of this product but this weekend I am going to Kmart just to shop for it, my house is a split level thats never going to be finished but thats a whole nother story but the mildew downstairs is bad and so this product is a real lifesaver.

[Kyla Kym]

If you have any doors in your house that are hard to open or close. Try spraying silicon on the edges. My front door swells up something awful when I wash the porch off and it is all we can do to get it open and shut for months afterwards. My dad kept telling me to spray it and I just ignored him. Finally after shoulder stain from open and closing it I tried it.....it just fly's open and shut now. LOL

If you have a water ring in your toilet that wont even come out with S.O.S. pads, then try vinegar. How you do it is stop up the hole in the bottom. I usually wad up a few garbage bags into a tight ball and shove down in the hole so the water will rise above the normal fill line. And I pore a bottle of cheap vinegar in there and let it set over night. The toughest ring will be gone the next day.

Do you hate that greasy nasty feeling that Armour all leaves in your car when you do the dash and side panels? Because I can't stand the inside of my car to feel greasy. But I love the shiny look. I guarantee you this will keep it shiny forever! clean it real good with ammonia, rinse and let dry, then go over it with a light coat of future floor wax. You won't never have to ever do anything again to make it shine. My trans am that I just sold, I had it for over 10 years and after I first got it, the inside was bad dull, so I use that and it still shined like new money on the inside when I sold it. only one set back with this, if rain hits it like if you have the door open and its raining if you don't wipe it off it will turn white where the water hits. But soon as it dries it is just like new again.

If you have worn out looking wood kitchen table that needs to be refinished in the worst way..but your to lazy to do it like me. Take that car wax they show that just about anything will role off your car. I can't remember the name of it now. But take that and apply a thin coat, let dry and go over it with a car buffer. My table still shines from doing that 6 years ago. When we moved into this house all the counters where dull like the shine had been stripped off of them. I did the future floor wax again and they are still very shiny after a decade. If you have a rock fireplace wall, and the rocks are just plain and dull you can do the same thing with them. Put it in a spray bottle and it takes allot of it before it stops soaking in. But once it does, it will really bring out the color of the rocks and add a warm glow from the fire.

[Sherrise]

Ok.. Ya'll are gonna laugh at me, but you already think I'm crazy, so what do I have to lose..

What I have is not a cleaning TIP per se... but it's for a cleaning "State of Mind" lol

To get myself into a cleaning 'mood'.. I pretend that someone who's never been to my house is coming to visit. It really motivates me to get moving. I clean places that I hate to clean normally. This really works for me! When people do drop in on me unexpectedly.. they always remark that my house is always neat and clean... (what they don't know is that I'm a psycho!!! LOL). Also.. I NEVER go to bed with the house in disorder.. like another poster said, take about 15 minutes to straighten up, run a load of dishes, etc. It makes you feel so much better in the morning, and not overwhelmed first thing in your day!
I always reward myself after a good bout of cleaning or laundry with 15 minutes of a good book, or a sit on the porch or something that I enjoy. I TRY not to make it food, lol..

Have fun!
Sherrise

[mesue]

Originally posted by Sherrise
Ok.. Ya'll are gonna laugh at me, but you already think I'm crazy, so what do I have to lose..

What I have is not a cleaning TIP per se... but it's for a cleaning "State of Mind" lol

To get myself into a cleaning 'mood'.. I pretend that someone who's never been to my house is coming to visit. It really motivates me to get moving. I clean places that I hate to clean normally. This really works for me! When people do drop in on me unexpectedly.. they always remark that my house is always neat and clean... (what they don't know is that I'm a psycho!!! LOL).
Have fun!
Sherrise

You should try the fly lady thing the link is posted in this thread by chort1313 I think, she has your philosophy on the subject, well not the pretend someones coming to visit thing, LOL Hey whatever works so I am going to try it. I've been accused of being a little on the psycho side myself. So who do you usually pretend is coming by, just curious if you say the Queen of England, I'll know you are psycho!

[Sherrise]

LOL.. no, not the queen of England...

BUT a mother in law is a good one.. or the pastor, the kid's teacher.. someone like that, that you'd like to make a good impression on.

I'm gonna check out that flylady link! Thanks!

(btw..I don't always go around PRETENDING someone's coming, lol... I just keep it in the back of my mind that you NEVER know who could show up at your door!!) :p ;) :D