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You are here: Home / Family life / Savvy Living / Cleaning Tips You Might Not Expect

Cleaning Tips You Might Not Expect

Monday, January 24, 2011 by Lolli 15 Comments

Good_housekeeping_1908When 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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About Lolli

Lolli has written 3740 post in this blog.

I became a mom in 1996, and in 2005 I had my fifth. Yes, 5 kids. In 2007, this blog was born (my 6th baby that will never grow up) and I've been sharing recipes, photography tricks, parenting tips, and everything in between. (Formerly Better in Bulk)

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Filed Under: Savvy Living Tagged With: cleaning, tips

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Comments

  1. Mrs.Mayhem says

    Tuesday, January 25, 2011 at 4:57 pm

    I’m going to try the newspaper in the stinky shoes with my sons’ sneakers. It’s a daunting task.

  2. MommyLisa says

    Tuesday, January 25, 2011 at 4:53 pm

    I totally do the baking soda as a scrubber on my stovetop, etc. and in the laundry for smelly boy clothes.

  3. Jenny says

    Tuesday, January 25, 2011 at 4:52 pm

    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 ;)

  4. Erin Lane says

    Tuesday, January 25, 2011 at 3:48 pm

    Who knew? I am absolutely going to have to try some of these.

  5. Lolli says

    Monday, January 24, 2011 at 9:40 pm

    That is disturbing. I mean….what are we putting into our bodies?! :)

  6. Lolli says

    Monday, January 24, 2011 at 9:39 pm

    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!

  7. Lolli says

    Monday, January 24, 2011 at 9:38 pm

    Hopefully you don’t have to use that trick TOO often. :)

  8. Lolli says

    Monday, January 24, 2011 at 9:38 pm

    Well, next time you break some glass, you can think of me and grab some bread to clean it up. :)

  9. Lolli says

    Monday, January 24, 2011 at 9:37 pm

    And your computer will smell great, too! :)

  10. Lisa says

    Monday, January 24, 2011 at 9:34 pm

    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!!

  11. Rebecca Talley says

    Monday, January 24, 2011 at 8:44 pm

    Interesting tips. I love to find more natural cleaners–maybe I’ll try the baking soda. Thanks!

  12. Michelle Saunderson says

    Monday, January 24, 2011 at 7:14 pm

    Use hydrogen peroxide to clean blood off clothes.

  13. Life with Kaishon says

    Monday, January 24, 2011 at 6:43 pm

    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 : )

  14. Ginger says

    Monday, January 24, 2011 at 5:49 pm

    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.

Trackbacks

  1. Natural Home: Spring Cleaning Time « Natural Mom, Healthy Child says:
    Monday, April 18, 2011 at 12:49 pm

    […] CLICK HERE for more information about these ingredients and Laundry Tips. Also, I love his post from Better in Bulk on “Cleaning Tips You Might Not Expect.” […]

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