EASY and BRILLIANT Ideas for Working Smarter, Not Harder!
Right off the bat I want to thank the folks at TikTok for broadcasting these very clever ideas. (TikTok is a short-form, video-sharing application that allows users to create and share 15-second videos on any topic.) A friend sent this information to me, knowing I might think it’s important enough to pass on to you.
She was right…I do! Whether it’s getting ready for holiday entertaining, just wanting easier and quicker ways to clean our homes, or trying to streamline processes so there’s more time for cooking and baking, these tips are timely and should be shared. For instance:
Did you know you can clean grout with toilet bowl cleaner? Specifically the gel-type cleaners that are wonder workers. Just apply the gel to dirty grout, let sit for about 5 minutes, and then scrub with an old toothbrush or a scrub brush. It doesn’t take much scrubbing to get sparkling results.
And were you aware that ARMOR ALL® is a shower’s best friend? Once the grout is clean and shiny, give your shower walls a couple coats of this favorite car wax. Allow each coat to dry well then buff. You’ll find this treatment does the same for your shower that it does for your car—no scum or hard-water-spot buildup whatsoever!
How about using shaving cream to prevent mirrors from fogging? It may sound counterintuitive, but a small dab of shaving cream rubbed across your bathroom mirror can help prevent it from fogging up after a hot shower. You don’t need to use very much, and be sure to buff the cream until it is no longer visible.
And did you know sink nozzles are easy to keep clean with hot water and vinegar? This is part of the faucet that can be easy to overlook when it comes to kitchen cleaning. But because it’s prone to calcium and other mineral buildup, it needs to be cleaned on a regular basis (including the screen behind the nozzle that aerates the water). To keep mineral-free, every 6 months is the ideal schedule for attending to your sink nozzle, its screen and your sink sprayer.
An easy way to do this is to carefully remove the nozzle from the sprayer, soak the parts in hot water and vinegar for a few minutes, then give them a good scrub to dislodge all the crusty mineral gunk. Afterward, just put the pieces back where you found them and replace the nozzle.
Or besides diluted vinegar, did you know you can use diluted fabric softener to clean walls, baseboards, and doors? Fill a spray bottle with water and a splash of fabric softener. It’s quite gentle on painted surfaces, flat finishes included.
And how about that Bar Keeper’s Friend to erase marks from nonstick (ceramic coated) pans? This type of cookware is especially prone to black marks or burnt residue clinging to pan bottoms. To combat, just combine Bar Keeper’s Friend with a splash of dish soap and scrub away. But if you don’t have any Bar Keeper’s around, I’ve found hefty sprinkles of baking soda work just as well.
Life gets busy and the holidays add to this challenge, so let’s keep looking for ways to work smarter, and not harder. And if you have any tips, we’d love it if you would pass them on!
She was right…I do! Whether it’s getting ready for holiday entertaining, just wanting easier and quicker ways to clean our homes, or trying to streamline processes so there’s more time for cooking and baking, these tips are timely and should be shared. For instance:
Did you know you can clean grout with toilet bowl cleaner? Specifically the gel-type cleaners that are wonder workers. Just apply the gel to dirty grout, let sit for about 5 minutes, and then scrub with an old toothbrush or a scrub brush. It doesn’t take much scrubbing to get sparkling results.
And were you aware that ARMOR ALL® is a shower’s best friend? Once the grout is clean and shiny, give your shower walls a couple coats of this favorite car wax. Allow each coat to dry well then buff. You’ll find this treatment does the same for your shower that it does for your car—no scum or hard-water-spot buildup whatsoever!
How about using shaving cream to prevent mirrors from fogging? It may sound counterintuitive, but a small dab of shaving cream rubbed across your bathroom mirror can help prevent it from fogging up after a hot shower. You don’t need to use very much, and be sure to buff the cream until it is no longer visible.
And did you know sink nozzles are easy to keep clean with hot water and vinegar? This is part of the faucet that can be easy to overlook when it comes to kitchen cleaning. But because it’s prone to calcium and other mineral buildup, it needs to be cleaned on a regular basis (including the screen behind the nozzle that aerates the water). To keep mineral-free, every 6 months is the ideal schedule for attending to your sink nozzle, its screen and your sink sprayer.
An easy way to do this is to carefully remove the nozzle from the sprayer, soak the parts in hot water and vinegar for a few minutes, then give them a good scrub to dislodge all the crusty mineral gunk. Afterward, just put the pieces back where you found them and replace the nozzle.
Or besides diluted vinegar, did you know you can use diluted fabric softener to clean walls, baseboards, and doors? Fill a spray bottle with water and a splash of fabric softener. It’s quite gentle on painted surfaces, flat finishes included.
And how about that Bar Keeper’s Friend to erase marks from nonstick (ceramic coated) pans? This type of cookware is especially prone to black marks or burnt residue clinging to pan bottoms. To combat, just combine Bar Keeper’s Friend with a splash of dish soap and scrub away. But if you don’t have any Bar Keeper’s around, I’ve found hefty sprinkles of baking soda work just as well.
Life gets busy and the holidays add to this challenge, so let’s keep looking for ways to work smarter, and not harder. And if you have any tips, we’d love it if you would pass them on!
Sources:
www.lsureveille.com
www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com
Alice Osborne
Weekly Newsletter Contributor since 2006
Email the author! alice@dvo.com
