Cleaning Household Items

Tip: Soot Removal from Silver
To remove soot from silver, try using a mild cleaner with a slightly acid pH, such as Bio-OX Citrus Concentrate. Use a dilution of 1 part Bio-OX to 10 parts water. If this is not agressive enough, add more of the Bio-OX Concentrate. Spray onto the soiled trumpet and allow it to sit for a few minutes. Wipe clean with a soft white cotton cloth. Afterwards, you can try using a non-abrasive silver cleaner if the surface is not as bright as you would like it.

Tip: Window Air Conditioner Cleaning
To clean your window air conditioner, remove the filter and wash it in lukewarm, soapy water. To keep it working as it should, this should be done about once a month or so, depending on how much you use it. The inside of your air conditioner should be vacuumed while the filter is off to remove any loose dust or hair. The outside can be washed down with soap and water

Tip: Jewelry Cleaning
To clean fine gold and silver jewelry, use a little ammonia or dishwashing detergent and warm water with an old toothbrush. If the jewelry is particularly dirty, soak the items in the mixture overnight to dislodge any dirt. Things to avoid: Don´t use anything abrasive, such as scouring powders or toothpaste. You´ll just scratch up the gold. And stay away from bleach or chlorine containing products. They can sometimes tarnish or damage some gold alloys (Especially white golds). Alka Seltzer in water is often recommended for cleaning both fine and costume jewelry. Drop two Alka-Seltzer tablets into a glass of water and immerse the jewelry for two minutes. The effervescent action of the tablets works to loosen dirt from the jewelry, but will not remove tarnish from silver. Use caution when cleaning costume jewelry, since costume jewelry can be damaged by water.

Tip: Chest Cooler Cleaning
The best way to clean chest coolers is to use baking soda and water. This disinfects them, and leaves them smelling fresh. Scrub and rinse well. Leave open until completely dry. If there are any lingering odors, set a dish of baking soda inside overnight.

Tip: Vase Cleaning
If you have a vase that is hard to clean at the bottom this will solve your problem. Fill your vase and drop in two Alka Seltzers let it sit about 5 minutes, swish the water around and rinse.

Tip: Wax Removal from Felt Billiard Table
To remove wax from felt, first chip off as much of the surface wax as possible, using a butterknife or credit card. Then, place several layers of paper towel over remaining wax, and apply a warm iron to draw wax into the paper towels. Replace the paper towels if they become saturated. You could also try using an acetone-based nail polish remover, or a spot dry-cleaning solution with acetone, but remember to always test in an inconspicuos spot first.

Tip: Price Tag Glue Removal
To dissolve price tag glue, you can try either WD-40, vegetable oil or Avon Skin-So-Soft. Cover the sticky area with the cleaner, let it sit a minute, then rinse. You may have to push the price tag off with your fingernail or a dull knife, but it should come off easily.

You can also try cleaning the sticky residue left behind from the tag with talcum powder. Sprinkle a little on the sticky area and then rub it away with a dry cloth.

Tip: Bakelite / Bakolite Cleaning
The finish on Bakelite is very thin and can be dissolved with alkali and ammoniated cleaners. It can also be rubbed away with polishing, so be careful to preserve the finish. Once the finish is gone, it cannot be restored to it´s original gloss.

First clean Bakelite with a non-alkaline, non-ammoniated dishwashing liquid or you can use a dilution of Bio-OX Citrus Concentrate.

You may be able to get rid of any deep scratches in Bakelite by polishing them out with brass cleaner. Clean off any residue of the brass cleaner with lighter fluid. Any residue wax can also come off the Bakelite with lighter fluid. Do not use alcohol!

After it is cleaned, polish the Bakelite with Magnolia Glayzit or Armor All. Always use an extra soft cloth to polish the item.

Tip: Iron Care and Cleaning
Always unplug your iron and let it cool before you clean it. If your iron is not non-stick, clean the base with non-gel toothpaste, applied on a soft cloth. Rub persistent marks that can´t be removed with the toothpaste gently with fine-grade steel wool.

A non-stick surface can be cleaned using a mild dish detergent and a soft cloth. Do not use abrasive cleaners.

Brown liquid coming from your iron is likely mineral and rust deposits from water that has been left in your iron from previous uses. To clean the inside of your iron, put white vinegar in the iron and let it steam for about five minutes. Then unplug it and let it cool. Empty the vinegar out and rinse the iron thoroughly by filling it with water and pouring it back out. To prevent this from happening in the future, be sure to thoroughly empty your iron after each use, and routinely clean it with the vinegar.

Note that if you use tap water in your steam iron, it will corrode the insides of your iron. Always use distilled water instead.

Tip: Rubber Smell Removal
Unfortunately, the “new” smell of rubber is just the nature of the product. Exposing the rubber to a fresh breeze may help though.

Tip: Leather Purse Mold and Mildew Removal
To remove mold and mildew from a leather purse, the newest technology uses peroxide and detergents to penetrate the soiled area to remove the stain and deactivate the odor. Simply spray a product such as Bio-OX Citrus Concentrate on the soiled area, and then allow it to penetrate for approximately five minutes. Using a clean white absorbent cloth, blot the area, pressing down firmly (do not rub) for 30 seconds. Repeat this blotting process until the area is dry. If the odor persists, repeat the process. Bleach is the product of choice for mold and mildew removal as it also kills the spores which cause them, but due to the color removing properties of bleach, it is not always a practical solution. If all else fails, you could try spraying a very dilute bleach and water solution on the purse, but it may cause irreparable damage. Another less damaging odor removal technique is to fill the purse with ground coffee, baking soda or cat litter and leaving it in for several days. Whichever method you try, continue to air out the purse in a shady spot on a breezy day.

Tip: Cedar Chest Odor Removal
The interior of a cedar chest is usually unfinished and thus very porous, making it very difficult to remove odors that have penetrated into the wood; however, you can certainly try.

To remove odors in a cedar chest, you will first need to air out the chest thoroughly. If possible, set the chest outside with the lid open, allowing air to circulate through the chest for as long as necessary.

You can also try wiping the chest down with a mild detergent and water, without getting the wood too wet which could cause damage to the wood.

If the odor remains, you can try sanding the inside with a fine grit sandpaper to remove the outer surface of the wood and release cedar oil.

You can also place cedar balls into the chest to try to refresh the cedar smell.

Tip: White Elements in Gas Heater Cleaning
To restore your white elements back to white, I would recommend using a smoker´s toothpaste to clean them. Scrub with the toothpaste, don´t rinse, just wipe off the excess with a damp rag. Or, you could try using whitewall cleaner (for tires), and rubbing with newspaper.

Tip: Motorcycle Helmet Cleaning
You have a few options for cleaning the inside of a motorcycle helmet. Many people use shampoo - just fill the helmet with water, shampoo the pads and scrub. Rinse well, and allow to dry in the sun - won´t harm the helmet, but it will take quite a while to get thoroughly dry. Or, you can use a light mixture of Woolite on a wet rag then a clean wet rag to rinse and a clean dry rag to dry it a little. Let it dry a couple of days. Or, you can try one of the commercial helmet cleaners. They´re widely available, and you should be able to find something at your local bike shops.

Tip: Stuffed Animal Cleaning
The most effective and easiest way to clean stuffed animals is in the washing machine. Most can be washed on a regular cycle in cold water, and dried in the dryer on a cool setting. If washing in the machine is not recommended, you can clean the surface of a stuffed animal using a very sudsy solution with your favorite detergent and warm water. Use only the suds and brush them onto the spot, first vertically, then horizontally. Be careful not to overwet the fabric. If the animals have electrical wires inside, ribbons, appliques or special painting, they may require dry cleaning. Check the label first, to be sure.

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