Spring Cleaning Tips to Save Time and Money

Oh how we all hate the spring cleaning ritual, but it is so nice when it's all done. The first way to eliminate time is to enlist your family to help with some of the duties. If you happen to be single, trade out cleaning with a friend or family member. They help you clean your house, you help them clean theirs and everyone has more fun and less work.

My favorite cleaning solutions are Toothpaste, Rubbing Alcohol, White Vinegar, Baking Soda, dryer sheets and microfiber cloths. Microfiber cloths are available at local stores like wal-mart or online for about $3-$5.00 each. Use them wet or dry depending on what you are cleaning.

Cleaning Tips with common household products: Rubbing Alcohol will clean Window Sills, remove haze from windows and mirrors, remove spots from bathroom fixtures, remove hard water spots on stainless steel sinks, will clean and disinfect door knobs, switch plates and telephones. White Vinegar will clean Shower doors, spots on stainless steel, Carpet spots, Windows, and Glass table tops.

Toothpaste will cleans crayon off of walls, polish silver and remove small scratches from glass. Baking Soda cleans Stainless Steel sinks, Kitchen counter tops, Stove top surfaces, Food stains on walls, Polish silver or brass and just about anything that needs a light abrasive cleaner.

Dryer Sheets: Use used dryer sheets to dust electronics, TVs and such to remove dust and prevent new dust for settling as quickly. Used sheets also work great for removing soap scum from shower doors. New Sheets are a great way to freshen your home, pets and environment. Brush a sheet over your pet to remove loose hair and to freshen his scent. Place in the bottoms of trash cans, in drawers, hang in closets, in empty luggage before storing, in your towel and linen storage areas, under your car seats and in your shoes, to add a pleasant freshness all around.

For more stubborn, tricky stains, here are a few more cleaning solution tips: Rusty stains on tile - remove with kerosene, then rinse thoroughly. Rusty spots on stainless steel use lighter fluid and then rinse thoroughly. Stains in porcelain sinks and tubs use lighter fluid and then rinse thoroughly. Blood stains can be removed with hydrogen peroxide. Black scuff marks can be removed with a pencil eraser from most floor surfaces

Now for a few helpful tricks to make light of your work: Use a skateboard for cleaning baseboards. Sit on the board and roll around your room easily. To remove pet hair, don a rubber dish washing glove that is wet and rub it over the surfaces covered in hair. It will pick it right up. Dust lamp shades with a lint roller if your vacuum doesn't have the proper attachments. Place old socks on your hands and as you walk through the house use your socked hand to clean chair rails, molding, and doors.

Clean windows on a cloudy day, sun causes streaking. Place a mug full of water in your microwave and heat on high for 5 minutes before cleaning the microwave. The steam will loosen all the food splatters and you can then just wipe it clean. Electric toothbrushes - you know the battery operated kind that cost $3-$5.00. They are great for scrubbing grout, corners, small nooks and crannies.

Don't dust your knick knacks. Wash them. Many can go in the dishwasher and others can be washed in a mild solution of dish liquid or vinegar and water. This is faster, cleans all the knick knacks at once and removes grime that collects dust as well as the dust.

Dust walls with a broom, drape a damp dish towel over it to pick up dust and reach to the top of the wall.

A can of compressed spray air, works great for cleaning small tight details in furniture, wood work, ac vents and your computer keyboard.

Take a shower, to clean the shower. Clean the shower with baking soda, your favorite cleaner, shampoo or vinegar. Use a poof scrubber to go over the walls and floor and when you get out, the shower is clean and you are refreshed instead of having a two day backache from stretching and bending.

Sources: www.realsimple.com, www.allaboutthehome.com, www.debra4homes.com