GENERAL

1...Potatoes will take food stains off your fingers. Just slice and rub raw potato on the stains and rinse with water.
2...Use air-freshener to clean mirrors: It does a good job and better, leaves a lovely smell to the shine.
3...To remove a stain from the bottom of a glass vase or cruet, fill with water and drop in two Alka-Seltzer tablets. (The citric acid and effervescent action cleans vitreous china, and vases)
4...To polish jewelry, drop two Alka-Seltzer tablets into a glass of water and immerse the jewelry for two minutes.
5...To clean a thermos bottle - fill the bottle with water, drop in four Alka-Seltzer tablets, and let soak for an hour (or longer, if necessary).
6...To unclog a drain - clear the sink drain by dropping three Alka-Seltzer tablets down the drain followed by a cup of Heinz White Vinegar. Wait a few minutes, then run the hot water.

CLEANING AND KIDS

1...While straightening up, give your kids a large basket and ask them to go from room to room collecting anything they see that is out of place. When they are finished, send them to drop the things off in the room they belong in.

WALLS AND FLOORS

1...For stubborn stains on kitchen linoleum floors, soak a cotton ball with alcohol, wipe cotton ball over stain. No more stain.

2...Rubbing alcohol takes fingernail polish out of any carpet. Just pour a dab on stain and rub gently with a rag. The stain will disappear and the carpet will be fine.

3...To remove stickers from glass or hard surfaces, just use rubbing alcohol and a cloth.

4...Using baking powder and a dry rag will remove crayon on walls. It is like a crayon eraser.

5...Baking soda is great for removing crayon marks on painted surfaces--and even on plastic surfaces. Just sprinkle a small amount on a damp sponge or wash cloth and wipe the area.

6...Children use crayons on painted walls??? - Use toothpaste to clean it. Put a little toothpaste on a soft toothbrush, wet and lightly scrub. Wipe down the wall with a damp rag.

7...To remove permanent marker from surfaces, apply breath spray on the marker, wait a few seconds, and wipe it away.

8...To remove fruit juice stains, pour boiling water over the stain until it disappears. This will not set the stain - It will remove it.

MONEY SAVERS

1...Make your own baby wipes: Cut a roll of paper towels in half. Remove the inside cardboard and place the rolled towels in a 10-cup, cylindrical Rubbermaid container. In a seperate bowl, mix 2-3 cups of water with one tablespoon liquid baby bath and one tablespoon baby oil. Pour the mixture over the half roll of paper towels, then pull up a wipe from the center of the roll to get them started. If there's too much liquid, simply pour off the excess.
Leave out the baby oil and you can use the wipes for cleaning surfaces around the house, especially in the bathroom! You can also change the ingredients for other uses, such as adding Pine-Sol for a quick floor or toilet wipe.

2...Alternative Cleaning Solutions:
***To cut the grime from glass, use club soda and wipe with a crumpled newspaper.
***Baking soda is a wonderful scrubbing cleaner.
***Clean drains periodically with baking soda and distilled vinegar and rinse with very hot water. This recipe also helps some clogged drains and toilets.

BATHROOM

1...Cleaning fiberglass tubs: Make a paste out of vinegar and baking soda, saturate tub in this paste, and use a sponge to wipe clean.
2...To unclog a drain - clear the sink drain by dropping three Alka-Seltzer tablets down the drain followed by a cup of Heinz White Vinegar. Wait a few minutes, then run the hot water.
3...Use air-freshener to clean mirrors: It does a good job and better still, leaves a lovely smell to the shine.
4...To clean a toilet - drop in two Alka-Seltzer tablets, wait twenty minutes, brush, and flush.

PET TIPS

1...Animal smells and other nasty aromas can be lifted from carpets easily and without toxic side effects using Borax. sprinkle evenly over affected area, let sit for 12 hours, then vacuum.