Many items in your home are some of the best things to use to clean areas of your house.  You could spend a lot of money on particular chemicals, when most of the cleaning agents are already right there.  Two popular cleaning substances you can use are Baking Soda and Listerine mouthwash.  Both of these have ingredients in them to make them efficient for making your home look nice and fresh.

Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) is a naturally occurring compound.  As a base, baking soda neutralizes acidic products.  Stirring a teaspoon into a glass of water makes it a great antacid.  It also works as a teeth whitener, by adding a bit into your toothpaste occasionally.  Throw some baking soda into your laundry detergent to balance out the pH level while washing clothes, and even use some under your arms like you would with baby powder, as it blocks odors from your body.  You can also use it as a soft scrubbing cleanser.  Baking soda is a great deodorizer and has many uses around your house.

Listerine is a common product people keep in their bathrooms to use after brushing their teeth.  If Listerine mouthwash can kill most of the germs in your mouth, it can kill most of them outside your mouth as well.  Since it’s in your bathroom already, pour some in your toilet and sweep the brush around to freshen it up.  You can also use it around your sink and shower too as it it is a cleaner for mold and mildew.  Use a cotton ball to rub some on your feet or under your arms if they are creating odors.  While it may sting some, the alcohol in Listerine helps to clean out cuts you may have.  Pour some over a paper towel or two and stick it in the bottom of your trash can to help cover up some of the smell it may have.  It won’t be as bad opening the lid to throw stuff away either.

Baking soda and Listerine mouthwash are just two of many items in your home that can help freshen and clean up your home.  Many of these pro-tips can make a huge difference, and do not take longer than just a few minutes to do.  Rarely would you even need to spend additional money because these items are so common in households for their main purpose.  Baking soda and Listerine are just two of the many items sitting around in your home have fantastic alternative uses.

Cast iron skillets are a staple in many household kitchens, often passed down for generations.  They are great for cooking with, but need special care to maintain their quality.  Many issues people have with cast iron skillet is rusting.  While it may look damaged and unrepairable, it is quite easy to get rid of the rust.  Start by scrubbing the rusted areas with steel wool.  After getting some of it up, put a coating of oil on the surface of the pan, then put it in the oven around 450 degrees for 30-60 minutes.  After repeating as needed, your pan will be pitch black and ready to use again.

A cast iron skillet should never be placed in the dishwasher or left to soak in water.  Doing this will cause it to rust, and you will have to get rid of the rust.  The pan will also lose much of its seasoning.  To clean cast iron, you just need hot water and a little bit of dish soap.  Popular to contrary belief, a little bit of dish soap is not harmful to your seasoned pan as soaps are much softer now than they used to be.  After washing it, wipe it down and put it over low heat to dry it.  After the pan is dry, rub a paper towel dipped in oil all over the inside of the pan, and keep it over the low heat for a minute or two.  This will help keep the seasoning in the pan.  Store your cast iron skillet in a dry place.

Cats iron is common in many peoples kitchens, especially those who enjoy cooking.  These pans will last many years if they are properly taken care of.  Just like cleaning cast iron skillets, there are many household cleaning tips that can make parts of your home better than ever in just a few minutes.  There are many tricks and pro-tips that will help you get these done.  Check out our previous tips on how to clean stove grates, dish sponges, and even stainless steel!

Source: http://thesecretyumiverse.wonderhowto.com/how-to/use-properly-maintain-your-precious-cast-iron-skillet-0148816/

A clean home can make the biggest difference, with your house looking and smelling fresh and clean, as well as eliminating germs that can get people sick.  Periodically cleaning the floors, countertops, mirrors, and bathrooms, is vital to keeping your home clean and fresh, there are many pro tips you can do in just a couple minutes to keep it even healthier.  In our blog series last week, we talked about how to clean dish sponges and irons, as both of these can contain a great amount of germs that could make people sick.

Most kitchen sinks have a garbage disposal.  These machines are great for disposing of the little bit of food waste from dirty dishes and cooking.  The problem is that the blades eventually become dull, and bad odors can be created from food becoming lodged under the blades.  There are some tricks you can do to help mask the odors, but it can come back relatively quick.  The best homemade solution for your garbage disposal is ice, vinegar, and lemons.  Freezing an ice tray with water, vinegar, and lemon rinds, you can then put it in the disposal.  The ice will sharpen blades and help remove food stuck around them, the vinegar will clean the surfaces, and the lemon will create a fresh scent.

Bathroom towels begin to generate a mildew stink over time.  They can also have that smell if you left them in the washer too long before moving them to the dryer.  Luckily there is a quick and easy way to fix this gross smell.  Simply put them in the washer with no detergent at all, and wash them on the hot cycle with one cup of white vinegar.  If your towels are really bad, wash them a second time before putting them in the dryer, but instead of vinegar, use half a cup of baking soda.  This technique can be done with any clothing that retained a mildew smell as well and can easily bring back that pleasant fresh smell.

There are tons of simple house cleaning tips that many people do not know about.  Maintaining the cleanliness of your home is beyond the obvious things that need to be cleaned.  Luckily, many of these pro tips can be done in an extremely short time.  Especially in the winter time when germs and viruses are spreading, it’s important to keep your home as clean as you can.

When cleaning your home, typically you will get all the floors, counter tops and tables, toilets, showers, and sinks.  You will use chemicals such as bleach, wood polisher, and glass cleaner.  While these are all things that need to be cleaned and disinfected periodically to ensure your home looks nice and you do not get sick, there are also other things you can do that many people do not think of.  We are going to start a series of a wide variety of quick and easy things to do around your home to keep it healthy.

Dish sponges are a central hub for bacteria. Don’t throw your sponges away, you can kill the bacteria in just a couple minutes!

Dish sponges are one of the most germ central items in your home.  The sponges come in contact with dishes, silverware, and your sink.  They are left near the sink and remain moist until they are dry.  They collect germs, can grow mold, and even be a host for the eggs of fruit flies.  Instead of throwing your it away, simply put the wet sponge in the microwave for about a couple minutes on high.  The bacteria will sizzle away, and your sponge will be germ free.

Do you iron a lot of your clothes?  Has your iron just been sitting int he closet for a long time?  Over time your iron will get dirty, collecting dirt and grime.  Cleaning an iron is not something everyone thinks about, but it is actually very easy.  Simply place a cotton towel on the ironing board, and sprinkle coarse salt onto the towel.  Turn the steam setting off and the temperature on high.  Gently iron the surface by pressing it onto the salt.  After going over it a few times, the dirt will be sticking to the salt, leaving your iron sparkling clean.

These are just two simple, quick, and easy household cleaning tips.  These kinds of things can be done in just a couple minutes, and can add to the cleanliness of your home.  You don’t want unnecessary germs sitting around that can give you a cold.  Take these simple steps into removing them.

Johnson’s Home Cleaning Service is based in Cherry Hill.  Our office is located at 383 North Kings Highway.  We provide weekly, bi-weekly or monthly cleaning in houses in Cherry Hill and all the surrounding towns in South Jersey.