General Cleaning Tips

Moving has two terrible parts: packing, and cleaning. Here's a few all-purpose cleaning tips to make your moving easier.

Make an easy, all-purpose cleaner with this recipe that will make nearly every kitchen surface shine! Add 4 tablespoons of baking soda to 1 quart warm water, and use it with a sponge to wipe messes away. Baking soda is actually a Swiss army knife cleaner! Here are a few more things you can do with it:

1. Baking soda to get rid of sneaker and gym bag smells
2. Baking soda is good for doodles on paint
3. Remove pet smells by sprinkling surfaces with baking soda, and then vacuuming it up after 15 minutes.
4. Clear drains with 1/2 cup baking soda followed by 1/2 cup vinegar. Cover with a wet cloth and flush after 5 minutes.
5. Clean stains from cutting boards by sprinkling it with baking soda or salt, and then rubbing it with a fresh cut lemon.
6. Keep baking soda in your linen closet and other cloth storage areas to keep the smells out! 
7. Beat tough oven stains by spritzing with ammonia, and then sprinkling baking soda and a few drops of vinegar. After it's bubbled up a good bit, wipe it off with a sponge.

Toothpaste is good to get rid of marker stains on woods. Brush the wood like you brush your teeth! Also, you can use toothpaste for:

1. Shining silver: Rub damp silver with toothpaste, rinse, and dry with a clean cloth.
2. Toothpaste can also clear grime and soap scum off of your chrome faucets!
3. OR remove coffee stains from mugs!
4. Scrub tennis shoes with toothpaste to bring out the shine!

De-stink the garbage disposal Run a few lemon rinds through the garbage disposal and follow with cold water to dispel any sour odors.

Use a lint roller on stuffed animals or use that lint roller in the car after you're done with the stuffed furries!


De-funk hairbrushes and combs by soaking them in a dish soap solution. Also, you can use dish soap to:

1. Combat build-up from hair products with a sudsy solution of a few drops of dish soap mixed with warm water.
2. Add a squirt of dish soap to a bowl of warm water, and use it to clean the outdoor furniture. Then, rinse clean with the garden hose.
3. Remove greasy stains from clothing by gently rubbing dish soap into the grease spot and rinsing it with water. It's even gentle enough for fabrics like wool!
4. Remove grease stains on cabinets with a warm water solution of dish soap. Rinse with a cloth and allow to dry.
5. Remove carpet stains by soaking a clean white cloth in a solution of one tablespoon dish soap and 2 cups of warm water. Ring out the cloth, and blot the stain until it all comes out. Then sponge dry with cold water and blot with another cloth until dry.

Make your toilet, bath or kitchen nicer by storing toiletries and other sundries in jars or baskets in the bathroom


Use baby powder and a pin to help untangle a knotted necklace.

Soften fuzzy towels - if you've got hard water, mineral buildup could be the cause of your scratchy towels. "To lift deposits, wash the towels in the hottest water possible, and add 1 cup of ammonia and nothing else," says Good Housekeepinghomecare expert Heloise.


Is that wet towel you left in your gym bag speckled? First, take it outside, brush off the spores, and sun-dry the item for about three hours. Then, pre-soak with a bleach and water solution (check the care tag to be sure its safe), and machine wash.


Use white vinegar to brighten your windows. Mix 2 tablespoons of white vinegar with a gallon of water, and dispense into a used spray bottle. Squirt on and wipe away with a clean microfiber cloth (not paper towels, which can cause streaking).

Make vinegar based cleaners smell better by infusing them with good smelling herbs, like sage or orange peels for a citrus scent!

Remove sweat stains from clothing by rubbing the affected area with a full strength enzyme liquid detergent and letting it sit for 15 minutes. Then, wash with a full dose of bleach alternative fabric soap in hot water.


Shine up your copper pots with ketchup!

Remove scratches and scuffs on wood furniture by rubbing them with the meat of a walnut!

Shine up your porcelain with vodka on a clean cloth. (It's for cleaning, honey, honest!)

Clean the inside of your microwave easily by heating water and lemon on high until your microwave steams up. Let sit for about 15 minutes, and then wipe away the grease and grime with little effort!

Damp rubber gloves are like pet hair magnets!


You can put almost anything in a dishwasher, not just your dishes!


Fix squeaky wooden floors by sweeping baby powder into the cracks to silence the creak.

Use table salt as a gentler version of sandpaper to clean wood or cast iron pans without ruining either one.



Use coffee filters to help shine up mirrors since they're lint free and won't cause scratches!


Hope these tips are helpful for your daily life, not only your relocation life!