Drown the Dirt Doldrums - Lick Limescale where it Lives

Dingy glassware, dull aluminum, scummy bathtubs... These things are homemaking nightmares that can depress even the most cheerful Suzy Sunshine. Banish their gloomy clouds of dirt and limescale with a simple solution made from common household ingredients!

I had a few things to clean up, so I put them all in plastic bin and filled it with a solution of hot tap water, half a bottle of white vinegar and a couple of tablespoons of cream of tarter. I let the bin sit until the water had cooled to room temperature, then pulled the items out and washed them with dish soap and a nylon scrubbie and all the offending detritus just rinsed away.

It's the perfect solution for aluminum, which can't be cleaned with ammonia because it pits. While it won't remove burnishing, it will eat through all that accumulated, dulling residue.

Crystal vases, when used regularly, can develop limescale and hard to remove bits of plant matter that cloud their clarity. This treatment will soak through all that unpleasantness and leave a crystal clear shine.

This method also works on bathtubs and other plumbing fixtures. Just fill the tub with hot water, pour in a bottle of white vinegar and some cream of tarter and let sit over night. The next morning all that hard to remove scunge will just wipe away! My friend Mike from California, who's more of a clean freak than I am suggested this to me. It's especially effective on fiberglass tubs which can't be scrubbed with abrasives. Give it a try!

#04 Why Didn't You Think of That?

Hello people! I'm still on hiatus from shooting, but we have some great tips for you on the show this week, regardless.

Do you dislike the smell of smoke at a party? Most people just don't allow smoking in their homes anymore, but for those of you that do just put small vessels of white vinegar around. The vinegar soaks up the smoke smell. If you leave it out over night your upholstery will smell fresh in the morning! 

Vinyl records are new collectors items, now that they're obsolete. Protect your investment from dust with a natural bristle paint brush. Just run the brush along the surface from the label to the edge while the disk is spinning. 

There are many more tips here on the site. Be sure and browse through them.