Cleaning

There’s a simple way to get rid of bugs you can’t reach that doesn’t involve spraying them and getting bug spray everywhere.

Tips on how to prevent sweat stains on clothing, which is much easier than trying to clean them after the fact. Includes tips on choosing antiperspirants and how you do your laundry.

Years ago, laundry detergents needed hot water to work. But that’s not true anymore. Cold water is just as effective – even more so in some cases. And when you use cold water for laundry, it saves on your gas or electricity bill.

If you think you need to wash your clothes every time you wear them, you’re wasting water, energy and money, and shortening the life of your clothes. You can almost always wear clothes more than once without being “dirty.”

There are quite a few things you can wash in a dishwasher besides dishes and kitchen ware. Just put theese items in with your dishes, and everything gets clean in one go.

Stinky carpets and rugs are pretty nasty to live with. A deep professional cleaning is a good long-term answer, but if you can’t afford those as often as needed, there’s quite a bit you can do yourself to fix the problem.

Wooden bowls are gorgeous, but you need to know how to clean them if you want them to last in the kitchen. Wood is porous, so it needs different care from the non-porous materials that make up most dinner ware. The first and most important rule in caring for wooden bowls: never let them soak …

Very few candles burn so cleanly that they don’t leave any wax gunk behind in your candle holders. Sometimes it’s easy enough to scrape off, but other times – especially if you make your own candles out of old ones – it’s gross. And even when it’s not gross, even the cleanest burning candle tends …

Copper pots and pans are wonderful for cooking, but over time they can develop tarnish. While tarnish doesn’t affect their performance, it’s not pretty. It’s worth mentioning that the tarnish patina actually protects the copper from corrosion. If you can live with the look of the tarnish, you may want to just leave it alone …

Vinegar is amazing. I’m finding it’s just about the only ingredient I need for cleaning. It’s safe, inexpensive, green and less obnoxious than scented cleaners or harsh chemicals like ammonia. In these tips, “vinegar” means distilled white vinegar unless it says otherwise. Garbage disposal seals and trash cans can retain odors. Wipe them down with …