Creative Cleaning

I've got a beautiful 107 year old antique upright piano. My Grandpa traded a horse for it back before I was born. After the kids were all gone from his house, he sold it to my mother for $125, because that's how much the horse was worth when he made the trade! I grew up with it in my home and was fortunate to have it handed down to me. Now my sons play amazing music on it and it is a treasure in our home. The front has a panel of intricately carved design with many little grooves and crevices. Over the many years of dusting, those little crevices filled up with packed dust. Every now and then I'd try to pick some of it out with a toothpick, but it just didn't do the job. Brushing my teeth one night, it dawned on me that my toothbrush was the perfect answer!

Toothbrush magic - A soft bristled toothbrush very gently pulls every bit of dust out of every little crack. I started keeping a few used toothbrushes on hand and they are my favorite cleaning tool! I use them for anything with grooves and ridges, like the panels on my cupboard doors, window trim and baseboards, decorative picture frames, the nooks and cranies in my rattan furniture, the hot tub jets, tile grouting, and dozens of other places. I also keep a couple in my laundry room to scrub out spots on clothing.

Dishwasher tricks - Washing those baseball caps has always been a pain in the neck. I used to scrub them by hand with, of course, a toothbrush. I've talked to a couple of friends who use one of those plastic hat holders. You know, they're shaped like a hat and snap over it to keep the bill from getting mangled in the wash machine. Well, there's an easier way - just put your hats in the dishwasher. They won't loose their shape because they aren't being agitated around. It's slick and easy.

Pantyhose scrubbers - Keep your snagged pantyhose to gently scrub fine porcelain or other things that will scratch easily. Braid a few together and then tie them into a big knot. If you need a little more abrasion, scrub with a little baking soda.



















Sock dusters - Dusting goes faster with both hands! Put a couple of old fuzzy socks on your hands and just go at it. It's the fastest way to dust I know of! If you aren't that ambidextrous, just one sock works great, too.

Reaching under the Fridge and Stove - At least once a year I try to pull out my fridge and kitchen stove and do a thorough cleaning under them. But let's face it, if that's all you do, there's probably going to be some pretty deep and scary stuff under there. I don't like pulling them out very often, because besides the fact they are heavy and awkward to move, they can damage or mark up your vinyl or wood floors. So I put an old sock over the end of my yardstick and swipe it under-neath. It reaches every corner and does a great dusting job as it goes.

Not a penny spent! I love it when the very best solutions are also the easiest, quickest and cheapest.