When was the last time you had a glass of Coke or a piece of bread? Most likely, it hasn’t been very long. Have you recycled a newspaper this week, or tossed a used dryer sheet into the trash? I know I have. Did you brush your teeth today? Hope so. You might be surprised to learn that each of these common household products (and even foods!) are also great cleaning tools.
Hidden cleaning gems:
Used dryer sheets: Don’t toss them after you’ve used them in the dryer. Because they’re made to reduce static, they’re perfect for removing dust from TVs, computer screens, and fan blades.
Coca Cola: Yes, I love to drink Diet Coke. But did you know that the acid in a can of cola is great for removing toilet bowl stains?
Baking soda: Basking soda regulates Ph balance (it keeps things from being to acidic or too alkaline). That’s why it’s great for neutralizing smells in the fridge. But beacuse it’s also a mild abrasive, it’s perfect as a replacement for harsher scouring powders, too.
Toothpaste: The stuff we use to clean our teeth is also good for polishing chrome and dull-looking jewelry, and to remove stains on walls, carpets, and grout.
Sliced bread: Yep, bread. It’s great for picking up small pieces of broken glass and for removing oily smudges on walls and carpet. Just don’t eat it afterwards…
Newspaper: I remember using crumpled up newspaper to clean windows to a streak-free shine. But did you also know that stuffing newspaper in stinky shoes will absorb the odor?
Do you have any hidden house cleaning tricks? Did your Grandma pass down any funny tips?
PS – on Tuesday morning (11am EST), I’ll be leading another LIVE chat in the CoffeeTalk Community. We’ll be chatting about making time for YOU. Hope to see you there!
Photo from WikiMedia Commons
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I’m going to try the newspaper in the stinky shoes with my sons’ sneakers. It’s a daunting task.
I totally do the baking soda as a scrubber on my stovetop, etc. and in the laundry for smelly boy clothes.
Awesome, I am glad I ran across this. I was just looking for a better way to clean the toilet stains without using harsh chemicals. I don’t want to use anything strong since my kitten likes play in the toilet now… She is a handful we have to keep the door to the bathroom closed now because she also like to play with the toilet paper ;)
Who knew? I am absolutely going to have to try some of these.
That is disturbing. I mean….what are we putting into our bodies?! :)
Definitely! My grandma used baking soda, vinegar and garlic for so many things. My mom didn’t even know you could use white vinegar for cooking until I told her a few years ago. LOL!
Hopefully you don’t have to use that trick TOO often. :)
Well, next time you break some glass, you can think of me and grab some bread to clean it up. :)
And your computer will smell great, too! :)
Did you know you can use Tang to clean your toilets as well? That’s right, the drink made for astronauts keeps us from scrubbing!!
Interesting tips. I love to find more natural cleaners–maybe I’ll try the baking soda. Thanks!
Use hydrogen peroxide to clean blood off clothes.
Oh wow! LOVE that bread trip! We just had that happen the other week and I couldn’t see all the glass splinters. I wish I would have thought about that. Brilliant : )
I didn’t know any of those! Not surprisingly, since cleaning isn’t my strong point. :) Definitely trying the dryer sheet thing on my monitors.