35 nearly forgotten house cleaning tips from the past

Grandma knows all the best cleaning tips and tricks to save you time, money and effort. You’ll want to stock up on vinegar and lemon juice.

Summer’s heat can sometimes cause garbage bins to give off an unpleasant odour. Reader Michael Sienkowski says, “If you grow mint, cut a fresh sprig and place it in the garbage bin every day. It keeps the can smelling fresh all season long.”

Keep moths away from your clothes with a natural solution. Reader T. Peterson says, “Make your own mothballs by mixing oil of cloves and oil of cinnamon, then soaking cotton balls in this mixture. Place the cotton balls in muslin bags and hang them in your closets.”

Air vent covers are a hidden dirty spot in your home. Marge Grandy says, “I run all my metal heat and air conditioning vent covers through the dishwasher every spring and autumn. It saves lots of time and does a better job than doing it by hand.”

Here are other surprising things you didn’t know you could wash in your dishwasher.

If you use a wood-burning fireplace, you can make your own humidifier. Therese DeVlieger of Davis Junction, Illinois, says, “Fill an old coffee can two-thirds full of water. Add cinnamon sticks, cloves, and orange peel and place it on the stove. When the water gets hot, it gives off a pleasant scent and gives the home extra moisture.”

Tired of splattering and spilling ingredients all over your cookbooks? Rosa Graber says, “Once you’ve turned to the page you want, slip the book inside a large plastic food storage bag to protect the pages.”

Learn what your housecleaner secretly wants you to know. 

Mildred Zuercher says this homemade solution cleans windows, glass and mirrors. “Mix 60ml rubbing alcohol, 60ml of ammonia and 350ml of water. Add a drop of blue food colouring and mark it clearly to distinguish it from other cleaners. Pour into a spray bottle and use as you would a store-bought cleaner.”

Tired of scraping stickers off of your new stuff? Herman Ensey says, “Remove sticky price tags from glass by spraying with WD-40. It works well.”

Banish the tarnish with this simple solution from reader Lois Kreider. “Place silver in an aluminium pan or in your kitchen sink lined with aluminium foil. Sprinkle with 3 tablespoons of baking soda and cover with boiling water. Let stand for 10 to 12 minutes.

To remove hard water build-up on your showerhead, reader Jennie Krell says, “Pour some white distilled vinegar in a plastic bag and place it around the showerhead so the head is completely submerged. Tie the bag around the pipe and leave it overnight. You’ll find the showerhead will spray like new again in the morning.”

This is the best way to clean the bathroom.