Household tips and tricks! - Are you having trouble getting the wine stains out of your carpet? Do you clean your cookware with something extraordinary? Come share!

  • Want to keep track of this thread?
    Accounts can bookmark posts, watch threads for updates, and jump back to where you stopped reading.
    Create account
garbage cake said:
Someone here on the Farms shared this video about a handheld steam cleaner for hard surfaces:
https://youtube.com/watch?v=r3ctIqwEBncand it was worth every penny, five stars would buy again. Just needs tap water to work, and works well in conjunction with your other favorite cleaning products. My glass shower doors look brand sparkling new thanks to the squeegee attachment. Great for steaming fabrics. Endless uses in the bath/kitchen, grout, window tracks, sticky floor spots. Thank you random farmer and YouTube lady!
Click to expand...
Hey! I have that exact same steamer, except it's molded in burgundy and black plastic and the branding is Scunci. (What steam cleaning has to do with hair accessories, I'm not certain.)

Definitely agree it's great. Hits the sweet spot of price, size and usefulness.

The metal brush tips get gross easily, and the plastic ones wear out quickly. I ordered some refills once, but now I just use the fine nozzle tip to spray and then immediately scrub with a separate brush. Works just as well.
 
Aunt Carol said:
The metal brush tips get gross easily, and the plastic ones wear out quickly. I ordered some refills once, but now I just use the fine nozzle tip to spray and then immediately scrub with a separate brush. Works just as well.
Click to expand...
Yes, never got much out of the tips but the steam does such a good job, I do the same thing and just use a different brush. Mine came with a terry cloth fabric cover for the steamer attachment- another thing that you don’t need a replacement for- an old single sock will work.
Worth every penny!
 
Jesus Quintana said:
Anyone in this thread knows how to get rid of cat pee stains? A few days ago I found out that some fucker cat peed on the cushion of my armchair. I cleaned the stain with vinegar and soap, but it's the smell that won't go away.
Click to expand...
~seethes in hydrogen peroxide~

Nah really soak it in peroxide then deal with the wetness by sopping it up with towels and blowing a fan on it.
 
I have a weird way of remembering to clean my bathroom mirror, I floss every day so I do the bathroom mirror every other day after I floss.
 
Those small stainless steel balls for cleaning wine decanters are perfect for drinking bottles.
Just fill up 1/4 to 1/2 with hot water and dish shoap then pour in the balls and swirl vigorously.

For bottles with wide openings those expensive bottle cleaning sponges are great.
I don't know who wants to use these shitty brushes designed for bottles, they might be alright if they had thrice as many bristles...

Sir Bartleby Montclair said:
When I moved into my current place, I had issues with the dishes in the dishwasher smelling like wet dog forever. Almost everything the internet told me to do failed except using white vinegar in place of rinse aid. You should also avoid putting anything that had egg on it in there if you can, but if I have to hand wash the dishes I’ll die, so in the vinegar goes.
Click to expand...
I can highly recommend running dish washer cleaner once or twice a year through the machine on the cleaning program (usually incredibly hot).
That will do the trick for most smells. Sometimes there is grime caked into the guide rails, to clean them properly you need to take them including the baskets out of the machine right after the cleaning cycle, when all the grime is still mushy and rinse that shit out.
(In my machine it finds its way in there, but won't get flushed out during the rinsing cycle..)

yoshikage said:
In the same vein as using cold water, if you are at home when you realize you have blood on your clothes, I find the easiest and best way to ensure no staining is to (if possible) throw the clothes straight into your shower and start flushing them with water until most blood is removed then scrubbing and continuing to flush them with water.
Click to expand...
Also in the same vein:
If you have water soluble glue stains on your clothes it's best to immediately soak in water, because once the glue dries its almost impossible to get out completely.
Same for oil based varnishes, but you have to be even quicker. (In this case you don't want oxygen to reach the stain)
It will have already started drying (polymerizing) often enough and will leave a yellow stain that will darken over time (after washing). But if you are quick it won't. Definitely don't use detergent with a bleaching component though, oxidation = polymerization with drying oils.
 
Last edited:
If your wooden windows and doors stick, color the offending surface hard with a cheap crayon, then try again. One, the wax will ease the friction. Two, where the wax is scraped off is where you need to sand.
 
For anyone looking for a new multi-surface cleaner:
002160174.png
I know it says "bathroom cleaner" (and it definitely works on tubs and toilets), but this shit will kill mold and bacterial mats and whatever else you might feel like killing on a given day.
This stuff is also in the category of "good at the thing it's meant for, but also other things":
1650925519081.png
Very good for glasses (it even cleans that stuff on the nose pads) but quite helpful for any vertical glass as well (so think framed photos, small weird-shaped windows, etc.) because it's a gel and sticks to whatever you spray it on.

Bees said:
~seethes in hydrogen peroxide~

Nah really soak it in peroxide then deal with the wetness by sopping it up with towels and blowing a fan on it.
Click to expand...
Ol Dirty Fatso said:
Peroxide also gets dark spots from cat pee off wood floors like a champ.
Click to expand...
It's also helpful for dealing with root rot on plants. A couple tablespoons into a bowl of water and putting the plant in to soak while you prepare a new pot with clean dirt can perk them right up.
 
If you're bad at organizing, I suggest being really spontaneous about it and it won't stress you out as much. Pick one small thing and get some momentum going and soon your place will be much more tolerable. Like, if your closet is a mess, just walk over and grab the first piece of clothing that you see, then pull out any other items that fit in the same category and do what you need to do with those things, then move onto another category. Trying to figure out what you need to do beforehand is where things tend to get overwhelming. Don't make checklists or plans or do any of that crap that organization blogs suggest.

Accept Only Substitutes said:
Dollar stores also have scissors. Dollar Tree again has them for $1.25, the long blade ones. Not as sturdy as Fiskars, but still sharp enough to cut fabric well. I use one in my kitchen, one lasted at least six years of decently heavy daily use.
Click to expand...

I'm highly anal about cutting tools tbh, especially when it comes to sewing and similar. Cheap scissors that don't cut very well are the bane of my existence. Save up for a good pair of ginghers and you won't regret it. Those things cut like a dream and I've met people who've been using their pair for decades.
 
Accept Only Substitutes said:
Bamboo is an underrated plant. It grows incredibly easily under all kinds of weather conditions and has a ton of uses.

It's supposedly very hard to get rid of, so be aware of that if you plant it in your yard.
Click to expand...
Freshly Baked Socks said:
Also: Bamboo underwear. itfeelsgoodman.
Click to expand...
glass_houses said:
It does indeed, my dude. 🩲
Click to expand...
Not sure if the stuff from bamboo is different, but they make this from all kinds of plants.
I would guess this bamboo cloth is also rayon but made of cellulose from bamboo.
Softest shirts I ever wore :)
 
Generic Retard said:
Those small stainless steel balls for cleaning wine decanters are perfect for drinking bottles.
Just fill up 1/4 to 1/2 with hot water and dish shoap then pour in the balls and swirl vigorously.

For bottles with wide openings those expensive bottle cleaning sponges are great.
I don't know who wants to use these shitty brushes designed for bottles, they might be alright if they had thrice as many bristles...


I can highly recommend running dish washer cleaner once or twice a year through the machine on the cleaning program (usually incredibly hot).
That will do the trick for most smells. Sometimes there is grime caked into the guide rails, to clean them properly you need to take them including the baskets out of the machine right after the cleaning cycle, when all the grime is still mushy and rinse that shit out.
(In my machine it finds its way in there, but won't get flushed out during the rinsing cycle..)


Also in the same vein:
If you have water soluble glue stains on your clothes it's best to immediately soak in water, because once the glue dries its almost impossible to get out completely.
Same for oil based varnishes, but you have to be even quicker. (In this case you don't want oxygen to reach the stain)
It will have already started drying (polymerizing) often enough and will leave a yellow stain that will darken over time (after washing). But if you are quick it won't. Definitely don't use detergent with a bleaching component though, oxidation = polymerization with drying oils.
Click to expand...
Oil based stains can come out more easily if you dab them with Gamsol or another mild odorless mineral spirit and use rags or paper towels to soak up the excess, then hand wash with soap and water to get anything still left out. This is how you get dirty paintbrushes clean and it works on most clothing if you're gentle and quick enough.

Eta: if it's actual paint though, it might not always work because some paint pigments are inherently staining.
 
Last edited:
Speaking of windows, I have an old house with a TON of windows that have divided lights AND storms. What's the best way to clean the outsides of them (especially the second floor). Do any of those hose-end sprayer concoctions work?
 
astr0h said:

Remove animal hair with this and a lint roller
Click to expand...
I swear to god brushing down my furniture (couches, bed linen, even the carpet) with my shitty 2 dollar store dust pan brush with plastic bristles has been an amazing discovery, it picks up my cats fine hair like you wouldn't believe.

Normally I have to spend 10+ minutes on any hair covered item with the rubber glove and lint roller but this gets everything with ease and I'm done in about 2 minutes.
 
This is literally the only Pinterest pin that has ever helped me.

Got some fruit flies in your house? (I always seem to get some during the early summer when I open a window because I like bananas.) Put a squirt of dish soap and a splash of vinegar (apple cider vinegar preferred, but white works too) together in a ramekin or similar dish. Mix that shit up. Wait a few hours/overnight and you should have little to no more fruit flies.
 
toilet_rainbow said:
Got some fruit flies in your house? (I always seem to get some during the early summer when I open a window because I like bananas.) Put a squirt of dish soap and a splash of vinegar (apple cider vinegar preferred, but white works too) together in a ramekin or similar dish. Mix that shit up. Wait a few hours/overnight and you should have little to no more fruit flies.
Click to expand...
You can use wine if you have it. I use white wine because it's easier to see the little corpses.

I also recommend one of these little glass traps, because they're pretty and you can hang them up off the counter.
s-l1000[1].jpg
There's a hole in the underside of the bottle. A raised lip around that hole holds the bait/soap mixture in a moat of death.
 
Product review of something a household member brought home after encountering a salesperson in Walmart one day.

The Amazing Whip-It cleaner.



It is not bad. At first it smells like a lemon cough drop, but when it says it dries without leaving a smell? It actually does. I soaked a cloth in the stuff and left it to dry, and there really was NO smell.

If it's diluted to the 'everyday cleaner' strength, it costs about the same as other all-purpose spray cleaners and works just as well. If used undiluted it needs to be rinsed.

I still prefer vinegar and a little scrubbing for really bad hard water deposits or cleaning the oven, but for everything else, Amazing Whip It will work.
 
StrawberryDouche said:
Pour about a cup of dish soap in the bowl and flush. Wait a few hours or overnight, then, pour a gallon of boiling water in and flush. You may need to repeat this a few times, but it will work. The water *has* to be boiling.
Click to expand...
D'you reckon this would work on a hair clog in a bathtub drain?

Despite trying a variety of hair catcher things and combing out my butt-length hair before getting in the shower, my poor bathtub drain cannot deal.

Also, if a bloodstain is small and you are in a pinch, try spitting on it and letting it sit. The amylase in your saliva will digest the proteins. Interestingly, it must be your own saliva.
 
Last edited:
Thomas Eugene Paris said:
D'you reckon this would work on a hair clog in a bathtub drain?

Despite trying a variety of hair catcher things and combing out my butt-length hair before getting in the shower, my poor bathtub drain cannot deal.
Click to expand...
It *might* if you let it sit a while and use a plunger. I have a similar hair length and have had this issue. I used some sort of Draino shit specifically for hair clogs which did work. After that, I got a hair catcher cover for the shower, which dramatically decreased the problem. I got the little basket insert type for the tub and sinks.

I also use these periodically. You can lash two of them together to make a very long one.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom