Housekeeping — spick and span housecleaning tips and tricks « Housekeeping

How To: 5 Simple Ways to Keep Your Bathroom Mirror from Fogging Up

Getting hot and steamy can be awesome, as illustrated in the 1997 smash hit Titanic. But having the bathroom mirrors fog up during a nice hot shower can be very annoying. Getting ready in the morning can already be rush, and having to wipe down your mirrors after your shower is time wasted. Since most people like to shave or clean up after a shower, the need for a clear mirror is prime.

How To: Separate two glasses that are stuck together

Learn how to separate two glasses that are stuck together with this Howcast video tutorial. You nested two glasses when you put them away – and now they’re stuck! Gently pry them apart with this system.

How To: Remove Almost Any Stain Using Alcohol

There are countless methods and cleaners aimed at eliminating stubborn stains from everything to clothing, carpet, and furniture. But completely removing every last trace of a stain doesn't require an arsenal of chemical cleaners and repeated cycles in the washing machine. Most stains can disappear in a matter of minutes with a dose of alcohol.

How To: Use Dryer Sheets to Clean Soap Scum Off Shower Doors

How often do you fight with your shower doors? Maybe not literally (although my elbow has smacked the hard glass many times), but when it's time to clean the bathroom, getting a few weeks' worth of soap scum and grime off the shiny, clear surface becomes an insurmountable task. Whether you use a special cleaner and squeegee or a carefully selected wipe, chances are you still battle the streaks and grit left behind. Although it might not make sense to steal cleaning supplies from the laundry r...

How To: Remove A Very Tight Lid

How to... Remove A Very Tight Lid? Use Items You Have Around The House! Step 1Want to remove a very tight lid? Do you have a weak grip or arthritic pain in your hands? Have you already tried tapping the lid with a spoon? Thumping the bottom of the jar with the palm of your hand, and it still won‘t come off? An easy, quick way to remove a very tight lid is to put on rubber gloves! Yes. Ordinary household rubber gloves. Hold the jar in one hand, then use the other hand to twist the lid off. Thi...

How To: Clean a pair of white Nike Air Force Ones

Those genuine Nike Air Force Ones might look stylish in white, but once they get dirty, they start looking less than fresh. Fear not, there is a way to keep them looking brand new. You will need bottled water, a bleach pen, and a toothbrush. Watch this video housekeeping tutorial and learn how to clean a pair of white Nike Air Force Ones.

How To: The Secret to Washing Your "Dry Clean" Clothes—Without Going to the Dry Cleaner

Unless your work clothes require dry cleaning, you probably only go to the cleaner a few times a year. And for those few items in your closet for which you do, you have to then find the time and extra budget to make a trip all the way to the cleaners and back again. In the end, it can be quite the hassle.

The Duvet Burrito: How to Put a Duvet Cover on Your Comforter the Easy Way

Making the bed is a challenging task, but trying to put a duvet cover over top your comforter is a challenge on a whole different level.

How To: 10 Ways to Whiten Clothes Without Using Any Bleach

Whites are the hardest color to keep looking bright and new after just a few months' time. Your sweat and oils quickly become stains, and colors from other clothes will eventually bleed into the fabric, discoloring your bright whites into something merely whitish. But before you reach for the bleach, the ultimate chemical cleaner, try some a few of these safer, less-toxic DIY solutions out instead.

How To: Make a Homemade Cat Repellent - Home Remedies for Repelling Cats

Are you searching for a homemade cat repellent solution? This article will cover natural indoor and outdoor deterrents for every scenario where cats are causing trouble. The first part will cover home remedies for training cats to stay away from furniture and other restricted areas inside your house. The second part will cover outdoor repellents for keeping cats away from your garden, plants and yard. Step 1: Indoor Repellents for Training Cats

How To: Repair Nasty Carpet Burns for a New Carpet Look

In this tutorial, we learn how to repair carpet burns. First, take some tongues and ruff up the surface to break up the burnt pieces that are inside the carpet. Next, take some Resolve and spray it onto the spot, then brush it with a handheld brush. After this, blot the area with a towel until it's nice and dry. Next, cut out a small piece of spare carpeting and then open up the area that was burnt. Cut it out with scissors, then replace this with the new carpet.

How To: Tie a slip knot in a plastic grocery bag

Have you ever wondered how to tie a slip knot on your grocery bags? When we go to the grocery store, the clerks always tie the bags in a carrying knot. With this easy to follow video, tying these knots is made easy. Knots always seem perplexing, but now they are easy to do. This is a must watch video for anyone who goes shopping.

How To: Unlock A Privacy Door Handle

When owning a home one type of lever set you may have in your home is a privacy lever. In a privacy lever set, the main feature is that the door can only be locked from the inside. Sometimes a kid might get locked in or someone may accidentally lock the door behind them. It's really easy to unlock it in an emergency.

How To: 10 Reasons Why Your Freezer Is Perfect for Doing Laundry

Your freezer is no one-trick pony. While it does excel at keeping your food fresh for as long as possible, it has a few secret talents it doesn't want you to know about. Like making soda slushies and pyro-friendly smoke mix, as well as reviving dead hard drives. Even better—it can help you do laundry.

How To: Build a fire with a Duraflame firestarter

Build a fire with a Duraflame firestarter. This video is going to show you how to do this. Crystal Whole from Duraflame is demonstrating the process in this video. First get your chimney cleaned and inspected. Keep all inflammable material at least 3 feet away from the hearth. Use dry wood that has been seasoned for at least six months. Or you can use stax logs in lieu of wood. Three stax logs are sufficient to keep the fire burning all evening. Open the flue of the chimney, put two stax logs...

How To: Fold sweatpants

In this how to video, the Beverly Hills Organizer, Linda Koopersmith demonstrates how to fold a pair of sweatpants for neat and compact storage. The way you store your clothes makes a huge difference in the appearance and longevity of your garments. Watch this organizing tutorial and you will be properly folding and storing your sweats in no time.

How To: Clean a Butcher Block Table

A butcher block table (or counter) is a solid, wooden table. Originating in butcher shops (hence the name), this has become a popular household item. Butcher block tables and counters are durable and attractive looking. The downside of butcher block is that the wood is so porous it can stain easily. Butcher block can be sanded and refinished to get rid of stains, but that drastic step isn't always necessary.

How To: Keep Denim Jeans Clean & Smell-Free Without Ever Washing Them at All

Even if you decode the laundry symbols on the tags of your clothes and follow them perfectly, using the washing machine tends to change their shape and fade colors over time. And whether you spent $20 or $200 on them, there's nothing worse than having your favorite pair of jeans ruined.

How To: Make brass taps look as good as new

We'll show you how to make your brass taps look as good as new. Make brass taps look as good as new.

How To: Get grease stains out of fabric

Don’t panic if you spill grease on your clothes or the couch. Start tackling it instead. Learn how to get grease stains out of fabric with this how to video.

How To: Fold panties

In this how to video, the Beverly Hills Organizer, Linda Koopersmith demonstrates how to fold panities for compact storage. The storage of your clothes and underwear makes a huge difference in the appearance and longevity of your garments. Watch this organizing tutorial and you will be properly folding and storing your panties in no time.

How To: Reheat food correctly

Turn your leftovers into another tasty meal by reheating them the right way. You Will Need

How To: Easily clean your coins with clr

How to easily clean your coins with CLR

How To: Remove stains from wood furniture

Learn how to remove stains from wood furniture. Make your wood furniture look like new again by getting out rings and spots.

How To: Remove a red wine stain from a dry clean only item

Did you spill red wine on a dry clean only item? Spilling red wine on a dry-clean-only item of clothing doesn't have to mean the end of your favorite dress or jacket. Here's how to get a head start on dissolving the stain, before dropping the item at the dry cleaner. Learn how to remove a red wine stain with the folks from Martha Stewart's REAL SIMPLE.

How To: Laundry Symbols Deciphered! Here's What the Care Labels on Your Clothes Really Say

Frankly, I never cared about the care labels on my clothing. They supposedly held some secret key to keeping clothes clean and bright, but who wants to look at little icons and a bunch of fine print for every single garment they wash?

How To: Clean laminate floors

In this video we are shown how to clean laminate floors using HG Laminate products. HG laminate powerful cleaner is used to remove grease, stubborn dirt as well as old layers of HG laminate gloss coating. To use, dilute it with water depending on how severe the staining is. Apply with a slightly damp cloth and work it in briefly. Make sure to mop up well afterwards. Another product, HG laminate wash and shine leaves tiny acrylic balls behind on surfaces that you've cleaned with it. These prot...

How To: Install a Roman shade bead chain clutch system

Watch this how to video as Jennifer Thoden takes you through every step of installing a bead chain system for your Roman shades or balloon shades. Gather your supplies and learn how to assemble the clutch and thread the unit. Keep your windows from looking bare with a Roman shade bead chain system.

How To: Remove crayon stains

Martha Stewart shows how to remove crayon stains from clothing. You will need mineral spirits (artist-grade and odorless), clear liquid dishwashing detergent, isopropyl alcohol, applicator bottle, cheesecloth or tamper, hairdryer, optional, plastic spoon or bone scraper and white towels. Remove crayon stains.

How To: Remove water spots from chrome

In this video, we learn how to remove water spots from chrome. This is one of the hardest surfaces to get water stains off of, but it can be done easily. First, grab an empty spray bottle, vinegar, water, a rag, and a paper towel. Now, mix two parts of vinegar to one part of water and spray it onto the chrome item. Use the rag to wipe off the mixture, then continue to spray on once more. Do this around five times total, then use a paper towel at the end for the finishing look! You can use thi...

How To: Make Your Own Febreze (And Save Up to 97% Per Bottle)

If you're a Febreze fanatic, you're well aware that the "odor eliminator" can be pretty pricey, and that's reason enough to stop buying it.

How To: Remove permanent marker from Legos

Lego owners sometimes decide to personalize their Lego pieces by drawing on them with permanent marker. If you've ever needed to remove permanent marker from your Lego pieces, here's a surprisingly easy way: You'll need a toothbrush, toothpaste, and a small bowl of water (only about an inch of water will be needed), and of course your marker-covered Lego piece. First apply toothpaste to the toothbrush. Next dunk the Lego piece in the water. Then place the Lego piece in your hand and lightly s...

How To: Clean a glass coffee pot with salt, ice and vinegar

Properly clean the glass coffee pot part of your coffee maker using environmentally friendly household ingredients. It is a housekeeping trick that everyone will love. Use salt, ice and vinegar as an eco-friendly safe way of cleaning a glass pot.

How To: Detect bed bugs with tape

Rick Steinow shows how to detect bedbugs using tape. Rick shows that obvious signs would be fecal matter and blood stains. If you're still unable to detect bed bugs, you can purchase a roll of double-sided carpet tape. You're also going to need a roll of painters tape. Apply a strip of the double-sided tape all the way around the mattress. Place another strip of tape around the head board. Make sure to add a strip of painters tape first when doing the headboard. You'll do this because the dou...

How To: Fix stretched sweater cuffs with REAL SIMPLE

Learn how to fix stretched sweater cuffs with the folks from Martha Stewart's REAL SIMPLE. Don't give up on that sweater with the loose, stretched-out cuffs?just follow these simple tricks to tighten the material, and you'll be ready to put that pullover back into rotation in a snap. These tips will help you fix those old, stretched out sweater cuffs.

How To: Make your own vacuum space bags for extra storage

Have you seen commercials on TV for vacuum sealed storage bags? They can be expensive, but you can replicate this space age technology in your own home! All you need is a water bottle, some trash bags, a box cutter... and a vacuum!

How To: Stop odors when a refrigerator is switched off

Fortunately, you do not have to face this horrible smell problem when you turn off the fridge. To easily stop it, simply put some crumbled-up newspaper inside before you have to turn off the fridge, or at least shortly afterward. Watch this video to learn more.