How To Keep Toilets Clean

Hello HouseHold Tippers!

Today a nice, easy tip to help you keep your toilets clean!

I've been trying new cleaning tools
from time to time to share on this blog.  My latest, successful, discovery?
Vanish Drop-Ins (or the generic).

Simply put 1 of these in your toilet tank (drop it in- get it? :), wait 10 minutes before you flush your toilet, and that's it.  It will clean your toilet every time you flush!

My advice- you don't need these in every single toilet, put 1 of these in your toilet with the most traffic.  I put it in my half-bath right off the living room.  They are inexpensive, easy and add cleanliness to your bathroom... what's not to love?!

PooF!  That Was Easy!

How To Wash Stuffed Animals Safely!

There he is, Good Ol' Winnie the Pooh!

My son LOVES his Pooh, and has slept with
PoohBear every night since he could grasp a
stuffed animal with his hands.

There have been times, poor Pooh has been covered with food,
drink,
and... vomit.

I learned the hard way - HOW TO WASH STUFFED ANIMALS.

And I'm sharing today with you.

1.  Do not do what I did the 1st time and simply throw the stuffed animal in the washer, and then the dryer.  The stuffed animal will lose some 'fur' and after the dryer, will smell burnt and be singed (We had to throw that Pooh out and run to the store and get an exact replica, luckily, my son was too young to notice- at the time).

So, How do you clean/wash stuffed animals safely?

1.  Put the stuffed animal in a pillow case.

2.  Close the pillow case with a rubber band.

3.  Put it in in the washer, run it.

4.  Put it (still in the pillow case) in the dryer.

It will come out looking like new :)

I've done this, I know it works!

Sweet Dreams!

A Cleaning Tip For Shower Doors

Hello HouseHold Tippers!  This Week I'm sharing tips from
HouseHold Tips Blog Readers!

Back in February, I shared my excitement over Mr. Clean Magic Erasers to almost instantly clean painted surfaces- any smudge or mark on walls comes off!

HouseHold Tips Blog Reader Whitney shared that these Magic Erasers are great at cleaning glass shower doors too;  They "take away all the grime that builds up and is tough to clean."

So there you have it- HouseHold Tippers sharing HouseHold Tips!

"We got us a (HouseHold Tip) family here!"  - to (kinda) quote H.I. McDonnough 

From that classic 1987 movie, Raising Arizona.

* By the way- that movie is ranked #31 in the American Film Institute's 100 Years... 100 Laughs! *

Another Use for Toothbrushes-Clean Kitchen Floor Tiles

Since we've been talking about toothbrushes
as cleaning supplies lately,
I want to pass on another great tip!

Plain old dirt and stuff collects between kitchen tiles on the floor.
You probably don't even notice it until it gets pretty bad.
I notice it from time to time,
due to the fact I have 2 guys walking and running
around my house.

Here's the great 'quick tip'-

1st: spray your kitchen tiles with Clorox Clean-Up Cleaner Spray with Bleach.  

My mother-in-law recommended this, and it works great.

2nd: Use your old toothbrush that I told you to save and use as a cleaning tool

to scrub between the tiles.

This TOTALLY WORKS!

It sounds like a lot of work, but it's not.

It goes very quickly!

And if you do it from time to time,

it'll never take that long :)

PooF!

That was easy!

Cleaning 'Cleaning Supplies'

We're ending our week here at HouseHold Tips Blog,
with another great use for Hydrogen Peroxide.

Clean your Cleaning Supplies with it!

Go Ahead and Get Your Cleaning Bowl Out,

Mix Hydrogen Peroxide and dishwashing liquid,

Put all your cleaning brushes, scrubbers, in it.

Let them soak for a few minutes.

Now rinse well!

You're done.

Now all your cleaning supplies are ready!

Use a Toothbrush and Toothpaste to Clean Diamonds!

Hello HouseHold Tippers!
Yesterday I promised you 'a secret tip' about
toothbrushes...
Like my post yesterday said,
recycle your old toothbrushes into cleaning supplies!
Now,
put a little toothpaste on your 'cleaning toothbrush',
and gently scrub- your diamond engagement ring or diamond wedding ring,
or diamond earrings!

Now rinse!

That's right!  Just a little toothpaste makes diamonds sparkle even more!

So if you're going out and notice your wedding ring is looking lackluster,

can't find the jewelry cleaner,

or don't have time,

just a tiny dab of toothpaste 

will bring out the shine and sparkle of your diamond!

I got this tip from a college friend when I got engaged and actually owned my first diamond!

And I've been doing it ever since!

Happy Diamonds, Darling!

Recycle Your Toothbrushes into Cleaning Supplies!

Hello HouseHold Tippers!  We are talking about cleaning this week-
so let's get right down to it!
Here's a Great Quick HouseHold Tip-
When you change your toothbrush (every 4 to 6 months),
Don't throw your old one away,

Use it as what it is: a very small CLEANSING BRUSH!

Toothbrushes are great for scrubbing a set-in stain,
as well as a great cleaning tool for hard-to-reach corners.

And they are perfect for cleaning everyday build-up between kitchen tiles!

(more on that in a few days).

So, use what you already have on hand: your toothbrush!

This is a good reminder to CHANGE your toothbrush too!

And 1 more thing:  Have your cleaning toothbrushes WHERE YOU WILL USE THEM.

Keep 1 upstairs in your linen closet,

and 1 under your sink in the kitchen;

If you keep them in convenient places- YOU WILL USE THEM!

Happy Households!

Come back tomorrow for a 'secret cleaning tip' about toothbrushes!

Have a 'Cleaning Bowl'

This Tip is pretty straight-forward,
but it's amazing how 'little tips', like this one,
make life so much easier.
And that's really what we're about here at HouseHold Tips, after all!


Have a bowl, or a stack of different size bowls that are for NOTHING,
but cleaning.
No food is ever in these bowls.
Write 'CLEANING' on them (that's what I did).

Keep them under your sink, or somewhere else very accessible.

Whenever you get some kind of stain- Get Out The Bowl,

Mix Hydrogen Peroxide and dishwashing liquid,

And soak the article of clothing,

in the bowl.

POOF!

It comes out, even BLOOD.

One of my first posts on this site was about
Hydrogen Peroxide,

and how fantastic it is as a stain remover!

So, Tip of The Day:

Have a designated 'Cleaning Bowl'; if you have it right there- you'll use it!

Easy!

Use Baby Wipes For Clean Ups Too!

Baby Wipes are a necessity in a house with babies, obviously.
But they are a good helper for any household.

I keep Pampers Baby Wipes in the bathroom for removing make-up,

and generic baby wipes in the pantry of my kitchen.  Why generic in the kitchen?

Because when it comes to baby wipes- you get what you pay for... Generic wipes are a little tougher and thicker- hence: perfect for cleaning up a countertop or wiping up a quick spill!

I know this isn't the 'greenest' practice in the world, but you can put them in with your recycling!

One Last Tip for Today:  Keep wipes (and any cleaning product) where you use it.  If you don't have space for it- make space.  If it's right there, you will use it; If it's not, it becomes inconvenient and a chore.

A Great New Cleaning Tool

I found a great new cleaning tool
to get marks off of paint,
more specifically- painted walls!

I think everyone (especially those of us
with kids) has walked through a room and
thought,
'How did that mark get on the wall?'

My hallway was so marked up that I was
begrudgingly thinking of painting the whole thing again.

So I did something as simple as Googling 'cleaning painted walls',
and Mr. Clean Magic Erasers came up.  I think they are pretty new, I hadn't heard of them before, so I tried them...

* Mr. Clean didn't pay me or give me free Magic Erasers to try*

And...

They work Great!  They get marks off of paint easily!!  I'm so excited to find this new cleaning tool!

My hallway looks freshly painted, brand new!

My dining room looks great too- no chair marks on the walls!

To be fair to readers I went to CVS and found their generic brand of these 'Magic Erasers':

No Difference, the CVS generic brand works great too!

These erasers work on a lot of surfaces,

they are FANTASTIC on paint.

Enjoy!