Are you struggling to get rid of stains and grease in your home and car? Do you have problems with bathroom mildew, kitchen grime and so on? Well, we've got some solutions to make your life easier. We have compiled some handy and affordable household tips that can help you deal with everyday difficulties.

Cleaning your washing sponge: Wash in your dishwasher.  Those of us who are not lucky enough to own a dishwasher can soak the sponge overnight in salt water or in a solution of bicarbonate of soda added to water.

Cleaning the oven: Immediately after a spill, sprinkle with salt. Brush off burnt food when the oven is cool. Clean the glass oven window with a cloth dipped in bicarbonate of soda.

Clogged drain: To a grease-clogged drain, pour a cup of salt and bicarbonate of soda.  Follow this with a kettle of boiling water. This will usually open the drain.

Chewing gum. If you have gum on a shirt try putting it in the freezer and scrape it off or cover the gum with ice, then crack and scrape off.

Aluminium pans: Boil water and some white vinegar in aluminium pans which have dark stains inside them.

Collar stains: For an oily stain, try hair shampoo; rub into the garment before washing it.

Rust stains: Lemon juice and salt rubbed into a paste, will remove rust stains from clothing.

Cleaning the kettle: Fill the kettle with equal parts of water and vinegar, bring to a boil, and let it stand overnight to remove deposits of lime.

Bathroom tips

• Loosen dirt before cleaning the bathroom by filling the tub with the hottest water possible. The steam will loosen the dirt faster.
• If your medicine cabinet has two sliding mirrors, slide one side open before taking a hot bath or shower. After the bath, you'll have one clean mirror instead of two that are steamed and foggy.
• If you run about an inch of cold water before adding hot water in the bath, there will be absolutely no steam in your bathroom.
• Rub ordinary car wax into your ceramic bathroom tiling to clean and refinish. Let it stand 10 minutes and buff or polish.
• Before hanging shower curtains, soak them in a salt water solution to prevent mildew.
• Rub glass shower doors with a white vinegar dampened sponge to remove soap residue.
• Insert a sponge into the leg of an old nylon stocking and knot the end. Use it to scrub sinks, bathtub, tile, etc.

For more information like this, follow this link: Householdtips

For more interesting tips, try this websites: www. householdtips.org

For More Handy Tips, read the following.

• Household hints
• Tipking
• Mamamusing

Last Update: 04 April 2011

by Zanele Matshotyana