Five tips to help you clean more effectively

There are some things we use every day that get dirty very quickly, and we never really know how to clean them in an effective and healthy way. Here are five cleaning hacks that will make your life much easier. The best thing is, you only need ingredients that you probably already have at home...

1. White shoes 

The soles of our white shoes get dirty very easily but constant washing doesn't seem to help. You can scrub them forever, but they'll never go back to their original white color. But there is a solution: take an old toothbrush, some toothpaste and scrub. The result is really unbelievable.

 

Your soles will look absolutely radiant!

2. The sofa

If the party gets a bit out of hand and you find a wine stain on your couch the next day, don't panic. Here's how you can get rid of it...

Take a sponge and a clean, white brush — this will prevent any risk of color transfer.

First, try a mix of baking soda and water. Put it on the stain, rub strongly and then vacuum it off.

 

 

If the stain is still there, try this method...

Pour on some dishwashing liquid, rub it in and dry it with a hair dryer.

And if that doesn't work, try this...

Fill a bowl with half ammonia and half water. Then, put on some gloves to protect your hands and scrub the stained area gently with a brush.

 

Keep in mind that this method is only recommended for white sofas because the ammonia can discolor the fabric.

3. The microwave

Here's a simple and environmentally-friendly trick: Place half a lemon in a bowl filled with water with the sliced side facing up. Now put the bowl in the microwave and run it for 10 minutes.

 

When it's done, you'll notice that the lemon is a bit brown and the walls of your microwave are damp. All you need to do now is wipe it with a cloth and it will shine like new.

4. Underwear

All women are familiar with the problem of blood stains on their underwear when they have their period. These kinds of stains can be very difficult to get out, but there is a simple way to deal with them.

For colored underwear: Mix salt with cold water into a paste, apply it to the stain and scrub it with a toothbrush. Be sure to use only cold water. Warm water actually makes the stain set even more and that's why it doesn't come out in the washing machine.

 

For white underwear: Mix a bit of hydrogen peroxide in some water. The peroxide works as a bleach, that's why you can only use it on white cloth. Dip a cloth in this mixture and use it to scrub the stain. Clean with cold water and repeat the process as many times as necessary.

5. The toilet

As explained in the video below, you can make your own toilet cleaner "bombs" with some simple household ingredients. Mix some baking soda, citric acid (you can use lemon juice), some water and a few drops of lavender essentials oil in a bowl. The oil will leave your toilet smelling great.

Youtube/Rachel Talbott

Make sure your mix isn't too wet. It should actually have slightly chalky consistency. Fill an ice cube tray with the mixture and put it in the freezer for at least an hour.

Youtube/Rachel Talbott

You can watch how its done in this video. When she takes the ice cube tray out of the freezer, the "bombs" are ready to go. Simply drop one in the toilet bowl and watch what happens. It dissolves in the water, disinfecting and deodorizing as it fizzles away.

Youtube/Rachel Talbott

It's much more environmentally-friendly than any store-bought cleaner!

This video is full of helpful household tips...

 As you can see, baking soda and toothpaste can do a lot more than we think, so it's always good to have a good supply at home. Making your own household cleaning products can save you money and help the environment at the same time. And most importantly, they work like a charm — goodbye stains!

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