4 Cleaning Hacks using every day items in your home

Cleaning with ketchup, corn starch, vodka, and tennis balls? Yes it is possible and effective too

There are a lot of great cleaning products out there but we do not always have them when we need them.   And some are too expensive to buy for a one time use and it takes up too much space to buy every product you think you may need some day.  However professional cleaners have some cleaning hacks to use every day products you probably already have in the house to correct some special cleaning problems.

Vodka to get rid of a Red Wine stain

Accidents happen but red stains are some of the hardest to get out of a carpet once they set in.  However there is a quick fix for one of the most common red stains.  If red wine is spilled on your carpet blot up as much as you can with terry cloth towel or even paper towels.  Do not rub the carpet as it can damage the fibers an even melt the carpet if you rub fast enough.  Just press down as hard as you can to pull the excess wine into the towel.   Once you have blotted as much as you can, pour a clear alcohol on the drink.  Vodka works best but you can even use white wine.  Blot up the alcohol you poured onto the stain until it is finally gone.   You may want to rinse the spot later or clean it with carpet spotter to avoid dirt being attracted to the residue left by the clear alcohol.  The purer the alcohol like vodka the less residue and the less likely the spot will attract soil again quickly.

Tennis Balls will remove scuff marks from almost any hard floor

Clack scuff marks on a hard surface floor can be very hard to remove.  However janitors across the country have had a secret for years to remove these stains, tennis balls.  The material on a tennis ball will gently remove scuff marks without damaging the surface.   If you want to make it even easier to use you can cut a slit in the tennis ball and put it over the end of broom stick so you do not need to bend over.

Corn Starch to remove oily spills

We already talked about red wine but another hard to remove stain is oils like cooking oil.  Trying to remove the oil with water almost never works because oil is hydrophilic (water hating) and will actually push deeper into the carpet and pad to get away from the water.   Next time try putting some corn starch on the spill and gently press it into the carpet.  It will take some time but eventually the spot will dry and the oil will be absorbed into the corn starch.  Once it is completely dry you can just vacuum up the powder and all traces of the oil will be gone.

Ketchup to clean tarnished metals.

Copper, brash, and even silver tends to tarnish over time as these metals are exposed to air and the oils in your skin.  Ketchup can be a quick and easy way to clean tarnished metals.  Ketchup contains acid from the vinegar and tomato paste and salt all of which make it effective to remove tarnish.   Put ketchup on the metal you want to be cleaned.   Let it sit for a few minutes to give it time to work then rinse it off with warm water and try it with a cloth and it will look as good as new with no tarnish at all.