Sorry dear readers: I don’t even know who sent this to me. However, I have used these ideas on a number of occasions and found them to be easy, and more importantly, so very cost effective! Now with all of the money this is going to save you, treat yourself to something lovely!
Eliminate Odors With Coffee Grounds
Try coffee grounds to keep your refrigerator smelling nice and fresh, just as you do with an open box of baking soda. Place them, new or used, in a bowl and remember to replace them every month or two.
Ice for Your Disposal
Use ice to cleanse the blades in your garbage disposal and break up the grease that collects on the rotors. Every few weeks, toss in a handful of cubes, turn on the disposal and run cold water. Add some orange, lemon or lime peels to ward off odors.
Dryer Sheets to Soften Grease
Get baked-on foods off pots and pans with a dryer sheet. Just place one in a pot, fill with water and let sit overnight, then sponge off the next morning. The antistatic agent weakens the bond between the stuck-on food and the surface of the pan, while the fabric softener works its loosening magic.
Use Your Newspaper to Absorb Grime
Cover the bottom of your trash can with old newspapers. It's an easy way to keep clean and soaks up leaks and odors.
Play-Doh for Broken Glass
Pick up tiny slivers of broken glass—the ones you don’t notice until you’ve stepped on them—by gently pressing a slice of bread or a piece of Play-Doh on the area. Be sure to wrap the glass up carefully before throwing it away—you don’t want an animal to eat it or a child to play with it.
Use Your Microwave to Kill Bacteria
To keep bacteria from taking up permanent residence in your kitchen sponges, rinse them with water at the end of each day, squeeze, then put in the microwave for three minutes. (Note: I don’t squeeze out all of the water, but put my sponges in the microwave pretty wet!) Let cool before touching. Do the same with your cutting boards, if they are microwaveable.
Use Lemons to Clean your Microwave
Harness the power of citrus to clean your microwave: Cut a lemon in half, squeeze juice into a small bowl of water, add both lemon halves and place in the microwave for five minutes. The fresh scent eliminates cooking odors, and condensation from the steam loosens random splatters that have hardened. Wipe with a damp cloth.
Use a Mouthwash for Your Floor Cleaner
Try mouthwash you’re out of floor cleaner. Add a capful to a gallon of water and mop vinyl or tile—but not wood—floors with the mixture. The same product that kills bad-breath germs also zaps the gunk beneath your feet.
Disinfecting Wipes for Your Bathroom
Grab a few disinfecting wipes to give faucets, sinks, tubs, toilet seats—you name it—an easy daily touch-up. Great for cold and flu season! I use them on my door-knobs as well.
Scrubbing Bubbles for Your Toilet
Freshen the toilet bowl with effervescent tablets (denture or antacid) in between scouring. Drop two in the water, let soak for at least 20 minutes, then brush and flush. A can of cola dumped in for one hour also does the trick. The phosphoric acid in the beverage removes rust rings and other mineral deposits.
Go Green with Houseplants
Keep air pure with houseplants. Research from NASA and the Associated Landscape Contractors of America suggests that palms, English ivy, ferns, mums and similar plants remove up to 87 percent of indoor pollutants.
Rice to Clean Your Vases—Really!
To wash a narrow vase, pour in 2 tablespoons of dry rice and ½ cup warm water, cover with the palm of your hand, shake vigorously, then rinse.
