General,How to Clean

Extraordinary Cleaning Uses for Eight Ordinary Items

Eight Ordinary Items

There’s probably a special piece of cleaning equipment for every cleaning task you can name. A quick trip to the internet shows you can find dozens of great tools. However, limited storage space coupled with a limited budget sometimes means you must improvise. There are items in your home that can double as cleaning tools at little or no cost.

Friendly Cotton Swabs

These make-up and hygiene aids can come to the rescue with dozens of intricate cleaning tasks. They can get the dust out of tight corners – computer keypads, car dashboard, and the area where the faucet meets the sink. When you need to apply something with precision, a cotton swab is an ideal instrument.

Taking Aim with Sports Sticks

Tie a microfiber cloth to the end of a hockey stick or a golf club and you’ll be able to reach cobwebs and dust high areas easily.

Stuck on Tape

A double-sided tape is a double blessing. It not only cleans by lifting hair and dirt off the upholstery, but it also acts as a repair kit for hems and seams. The trick to working with sticky tape is to pull it up quickly, so lay the tape on the dirty or hair-covered area and lift fast as if you were pulling a band-aid off a boo-boo.

The Versatility of Pantyhose

The mesh fabric of pantyhose makes the perfect filters. Use them whenever you suspect loose change or an earring may be hidden under the bed or on the sofa. Simply cover the suction hose of a vacuum with the foot of an old pair of hose and get cleaning. Dust and dirt go through the mesh, but valuables stick to the hose.

New Use for Old Sheets

Although nothing beats cleaning with microfiber cloths, something can be said for reusing old bedsheets if you run out of your cleaning standbys. Old bedsheets are lint-free, smooth, and not subject to fraying. Handy size is one foot by one foot.

Rulers Have the Perfect Edge

The flat, straight edge of a ruler makes it great at getting solid or sticky spills up off the carpet. If there’s too much to pick up with a spoon or a knife, hold the ruler at a 45-degree angle to the carpet at the edge of the accident and push down to get under the spill. Scoop as much as you can onto the ruler.

For More Than Just Painting

The soft, uniform bristles of a paintbrush are good for more than spreading the paint. Buy a soft paintbrush and dedicate it solely to brush the dust from fabric lampshades and delicate knickknacks, in addition to getting crumbs out of the toaster. Paint brushes are easily washed with soap and water and dry quickly.

Brushing Up on Toothbrushes

Retire your old toothbrushes to your cleaning caddy. Most popularly used for scrubbing the grout between tiles, you can use them for anything that requires an intricate cleaning tool.

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