Super Cleaning Tips - Household

With one look, nobody can tell that I had been down the road of a active career-woman, raising two kids and tending to house chores for more than 15 years as well as obtaining a MOE Diploma during that period to being a full time housewife for more than three years. Bear in mind that we have a old dog, three cats and four kittens around the house to feed and clean up after.

Anyone might easily assume that I am a super cleaning woman by now.

However I can sincerely declare that daily cleaning & maintaining within the household is not only tedious but also mind cracking. That's why nowadays, I would rather close the front door so that no passerby will accidentally peeps in, saw what they saw and fainted on the spot.

So I came up with a list of items which are readily available and definitely common household items so that any woman can pick up and use one.

I listed them in alphabetical orders for easy reference:

Lemon, halved (sprinkle some salt on its cut-face):
scrub pots, pans, cups, glasses to remove stains.

Shaving Cream:
Shake and dispense a small knob of shaving cream onto your palm, spread some onto your old couch, massage chair, ... spread evenly, let the cream stand for a few minutes. Use a wet tissue to wipe over the cream and picks up any dirt along. Wipe off any residue with a kitchen towel, restaurant disposable napkin or just a piece of tissue. This will clean up any stain and leave the couch or chair with a refreshing morning-smell for a long time. Older stain may needs for than just one wipe. That's okay for now and you can get back to it for a second cleaning the next week. As slight cleaning is better than none and you can give yourself a pat on your own back.

Toothpaste (with an old tooth brush or a rag):
Squeeze some toothpaste from a left over tube or any toothpaste that is out of flavour onto an old toothbrush (or you can use it on a rag but that is not as effective as a toothbrush). Run the dirtied shoes or snickers under the tap for a quick rinse. Brush the toothpaste onto the shoes and scrub well into the dirt. Rinse off and brush again if necessary. Drip dry before hanging out to dry. I use this for my sandals too.

Vinegar:
Pour some vinegar (about a capful) into :-
1. Your washing machine. Add your regular detergent and wash the clothing, socks or towels as usual. It kills germs and odours well.

2. Your pail of floor cleaning detergent, mop as usual.

Place a bowl filled 1/2 with vinegar into :-
3. Microwave oven and heat for 2 minutes. Open the cover and clean the inner wall of the oven and the inner side of its door with a damp cloth. Let the hot vinegar to cool off before removing it from the microwave oven. It kills germs and odours well.

4. Microwave oven, heat for 2 minutes and carefully remove it and place it in a appropriate place (where children and pets won't be able to reach) and let it 'steam' up the room until it cools off. Heard it helps to kill virus such as SARS and flu, but personally I have not research on that yet.

Wet tissue, baby's:
5. Place one piece onto the spot where your baby or pet had accidents (urinated) and let it soaks up for a while before removing the wet tissue and cleans up the place with newspaper or any old cloths. The fresh smell of the wet tissue will still linger on after removing it and leave the bad odour no way to detect.

6. Use one to wipe clean any dirt off school shoes or expensive boots, let them dry before keeping them into their storage bag or cupboard.

This list is still expanding and it will definitely grow longer. So feel free to come back here every now and then for other cleaning tips.

You may want to email me about your super cleaning ideas that you wanted to share with other women.

With Love,
Monica