What's your favourite household tip?

[Jokin Jo]

Housewives and Handymen! Or Housepersons and Handypersons...I have some little tricks I use to make my cooking/cleaning/maintenance etc easier and sometimes I'd love to share them and see the whole world use my techniques! Do you?How do you save money? Save water? Fix things? Deal with kids? Make gardening easier? Clean efficiently?Please share - it could be an easy "best answer" for you!

 

[MailorderMaven]

MIcrofiber cleaning cloths are a huge improvement over conventional rags. I would hate to be without them. They grab onto dust and dirt instead of spreading them around.

 

[justanotherengine]

when the ketchup gets stuck on the bottom of the jar, I put the cap on real tight, and say "Pete Townsend, air guitar", and I jump up and wind mill the jar around and around hard on my flailing hand, when I stop, the ketchup is by the neck of the jar from centrifugal force, I just open the cap, and it's ALL there, my wife said I went to too many "WHO" concerts !

 

[Paula]

i got to the YMCA for working out and there I shave and shower thus I save on utilities bill and don't have to clean out the tub so much.I use lipstick to clean jewelery as its a good buffing cleaner and does not scratch the gold..but not to be used on glasses.I use Bon Ami on my stove top as this is non abrasive and also works on mirrors toaster etc etc..very gentle

 

[FromJLM]

Cleaning the inside of glass shower doors, by using Old English Oil not the dark the clear one. It also repells the water also. To get rid of the water stain and the oxidized water build up. It cleans the track so that it looks shiny and new. Also, use this trick for your stainless steel sinks so they look brand new.

 

[splaz57]

you know those plastic bags you bring your groceries home in ? well they fit those little bathroom and bedroom trash cans perfectly. i actually used to buy bags that i would fill with garbage just to throw away. now i save money and recycle at the same time. the handles up top make them easy to tie off also.

 

[njss]

I use paper towels to wipe up in the kitchen the more expensive less disintergrating type ; the used and damp bits I save for really dirty jobs ......save in an empty tissue box as they come in such nice designs ..use ....the towels to wipe fruit after washing....use towels to wipe face after washing just generally very useful and clean and as I reuse I do not mind the extra expense for the stronger type

 

[whiskeyflirt]

you know when your microwave gets a little bit messy like spaghetti splatters and such i take a damp rag and throw it in the microwave and let the steam do the work. (about 2 mins) then i just carefully remove the cloth and use another to wipe up the mess.or to defrost a fridge people have been using hair dryers and kettles and have a huge mess to deal with but i went and bought one of those steam sharks ( they work everywhere in your home) and i just unplug my stand up freezer and clear everything out then take the steam shark it takes me about a half an hour and the only mess you really have is one or 2 wet towels to clean.

 

[Steve]

I am in the cleaning business and here is our secret!We buy this cleaning cloth off the internet. You have to buy in packages of 5 but they are only like $3 bucks a piece. I have ordered them and use them on everything, especially cleaning windows and clean mirrors. They are made out of tiny fibers. They are guaranteed not to scratch and all you do is rinse the cloth under water, wring it out and wipe ANY surface with no streaks or scratch. Use em over and over. I have not thrown one away yet!I am sold on this ...I encourage you to try it out….hope this helps…Steve