Blood Stains

Put a paste of water and cornstarch, cornmeal or talcum powder on fresh spots. Let dry and brush off.

Cover fresh or dried stains with meat tenderizer and add cool water. After 15 to 30 minutes, sponge off with cool water.

Fresh blood on leather? Dab on a little hydrogen peroxide. After it bubbles, wipe it off.

If you get blood on fabric, quickly wet a long piece of white cotton thread with saliva and place it across the spot. The thread will absorb the blood.

Removing Crayon Marks

Remove crayon marks from painted walls by scrubbing with toothpaste or an ammonia-soaked cloth. Rinse and dry.

Removing Heel Marks

Take pencil eraser and rub them off.

Quick fix for shiny wood floors.

Put a piece of waxed paper under your dust mop. Dirt will stick to the mop and the wax will shine your floors.

Cleaning Windows

If necessary, dust off the window and sill with a clean paintbrush. Excess dust and water can cause mud.

Use a professional-type squeegee available for about $20 at a janitorial supply store. Forget the cheap brands you find at the grocery store. They are not as effective, and you have to replace the whole thing once you get a nick in the blade.

Don’t clean windows while they are in direct sunlight. Your cleaning solution will dry too fast.

Dip a 100% cotton cleaning cloth in your solution. Wring out the excess and then wipe the window to loosen dirt.

Grab your squeegee. Start each squeegee stroke in a dry spot. Wipe a strip with a cleaning cloth to get started.

Squeegee in a pattern from top to bottom, or side to side. If you clean the outside and the inside, Work top to bottom on the inside and side to side on the outside. By doing this, you’ll be able to identify which side any streaks left behind are on.

Keep the squeegee blade dry by wiping it with a cleaning cloth after each stroke.

Replace the blade when necessary. Even the smallest nick can cause streaking.

Don’t have a squeegee? Use newspaper for drying freshly washed windows. It’s cheaper and leaves no lint behind.

More Window Washing Hints

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Cleaning Window Sills

To remove spots rub the surface with rubbing alcohol.

Removing Tar Spots

Use paste wax to remove tar from floors. This works on shoes too.

Candle Wax

For spilled wax on carpets and upholstery, put a brown paper bag over the dried wax and run a hot iron over it. The bag will absorb the hot wax.

Dried wax on wood floors can be removed by softening the wax with a hair dryer, then removing with paper towels. Wash spot down with a combination of vinegar and water.

Cleaning Soiled Shirt Collars

Take a small paintbrush and brush hair shampoo into soiled shirt collars before laundering. Shampoo is made to dissolve body oils.

Cleaning Combs and Brushes

Use a combination of baking soda and hot water to clean hair brushes and combs.

Removing Deodorant Stains from Washables

Sponge area with white vinegar. If stain remains, soak with denatured alcohol. Wash with detergent in hottest water safe for fabric.

Cleaning Glass Table Tops

Clean by rubbing with a little lemon juice, dry with paper towels and polish with newspaper for a sparkling table.

Toothpaste will remove small scratches from glass.

Cleaning Marble

To remove stains, sprinkle salt on a fresh cut lemon. Rub very lightly over stain. Do not rub hard or you will ruin the polished surface. Wash off with soap and water.

Polishing Furniture

Carved furniture- dip old toothbrush into furniture polish and brush lightly.

To remove polish build-up mix one cup water and one cup vinegar. Dip soft cloth in the mixture and wring out before wiping furniture. Dry immediately with another soft, dry cloth.

Cleaning Acoustical Tiles

Clean with the dust-brush attachment of your vacuum cleaner.

Remove stains and dirt with mild soap and water. Don’t let the tiles get too wet.

Cleaning Wallpaper

To dust papered walls, tie a dustcloth over your broom and work from the top down.

To remove pencil marks and other non-greasy spots from non-washable papers, use an art-gum eraser or a slice of fresh rye bread.

To remove greasy spots, crayon marks and food stains, apply a paste of cleaning fluid and fuller’s earth, cornstarch or whiting. Let dry and brush off. Repeat the treatment until the spot is gone.

Wipe off fingerprints with a damp cloth, then sprinkle the moist area with fuller’s earth. Let it dry and then brush it off.

To prevent splash marks when you’re washing baseboards or other woodwork, mask wallpaper with a wide ruler, venetian blind-slat or a piece of rigid plastic.

When you save scraps of wallpaper for patching, tack them to a wall in the attic or closet. When you use them for repairs, they won’t look so brand new.