http://www.smokinnews.com/ The Hottest News Community on the Web Mon, 28 Dec 2009 09:37:56 CST http://www.smokinnews.com/index.php?xnewsaction=fullnews&newsarch=122009&newsid=2 Mon, 28 Dec 2009 09:35:57 CST
Homemade glass cleaner: Rinse out an emtpy glass cleaner spray bottle (24 or 32 ounce) and fill it nearly full with water. Add about 1 tablespoon of concentrated lemon juice (available from any grocery store). You may wish to add the lemon juice prior to the water, this is helpful because the water mixes it as you add it. Twist your sprayer cap back on and you are ready to go.

The acidity of the lemon juice makes an excellent glass cleaner, its 100% natural and contains no amonia or harsh chemicals that will harm your health or the environment. It also gives your glass an excellent shine and leaves no residue (unless you put too much lemon juice, be sure you only use 1 tablespoon to a 24 or 32 ounce bottle).

You could also use white vinegar in the same amount (1 tablespoon) mixed with water, however I feel that the lemon juice has a fresher smell.

To remove lint from the paper towels used in cleaning you can either avoid the paper towels entirely by using a squeegie, or after cleaning with the paper towels you can go over the glass with a coffee filter, this will pick up the lint and leave no streaks behind.

]]> http://www.smokinnews.com/index.php?xnewsaction=fullnews&newsarch=122009&newsid=2 http://www.smokinnews.com/index.php?xnewsaction=fullnews&newsarch=122009&newsid=1 Sat, 12 Dec 2009 09:39:40 CST Cleaning the microwave... YUCK! What a chore! Well it doesn't have to be as difficult as you think. There is a simple and inexpensive way to loosen up the burnt on food splatter that inevitably builds up inside our microwaves.

Get a microwave safe bowl and put about one cup of water and one tablespoon of lemon juice in it. Microwave on high for three to five mintues (the water should be boiling). The steam released from the boiling water will also contain some of the acid from the lemon juice. The combination of steam and acid will loosen that burnt on food splatter and it will wipe out easily.

Be sure to wear oven mitts when removing the bowl from the microwave, it will be hot. And you should also wear a rubber glove on the hand you use to wipe the interior of the oven as it may be pretty hot as well (steam is hot!!).

]]> http://www.smokinnews.com/index.php?xnewsaction=fullnews&newsarch=122009&newsid=1 http://www.smokinnews.com/index.php?xnewsaction=fullnews&newsarch=112009&newsid=5 Mon, 30 Nov 2009 06:48:12 CST Before you get confused by the title, no I am not suggesting to mix OxyClean into your shaving cream. These are two multi-use items you can get at any grocery store or place that sells supplies for the home.

Sure you've seen on TV that OxyClean gets stains out (be sure to test fabrics and carpets for color fastness in a small area before using), but this is just my personal testemonial of how great OxyClean really is. I have used to to get a dried nail polish stain out of white carpet. I cleaned the nail polish with nail polish remover, this removed the enamel paint but left much of the hot pink color in the carpet. I thought it was hopeless, but as a last ditch effort I made up a small amount of oxyclean and water (about a tbsp of oxyclean in a cup of water) and poored small amounts on the stain and dabbed, it came out slowly but without a lot of effort and is barely noticeable now, a pale pinkish tone in the white carpet as opposed to the glaring bright hot pink it was before. We have also used it to pressure wash our concrete with brilliant results, and to clean up a number of other stains on apholstery and floors. It works great as a laundry additive but don't think of it as only for laundry!

The only problem with OxyClean is the price, at $12 for the large tub its fairly expensive, especially when you consider you are going to use 1/4 to 1/2 cup at a time and you can't save the liquid once its mixed (use it at once). So while it is an awesome product that does exactly what it claims and then some, its a punch in the wallet if you are on a budget.

So this is where shaving cream comes in, if you have a fresh stain on your carpet or apholstery you can use a dab of shaving cream to get it out (make sure its regular shaving cream those gels don't work well for this purpose). Same deal as with the oxyclean, make sure your fabric is colorfast, test a small hidden area first. I have had limited success with shaving cream on older stains, but on the fresher ones (less than a week old) it has worked very well.

So if you can't afford the Oxyclean, don't forget your shaving cream!

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