General cleaning tips

To make your own all-purpose cleaner combine 1/4 cup baking soda, one cup household ammonia, 1/2 cup white vinegar and one gallon warm water. Mix in a large pail and use as needed. Store in clean Javex containers or other plastic jugs. Label with felt pens. Use at room temperature.

Put your liquid cleaner (Mr. Clean, etc.) in a spray bottle. It make wipe-ups quick and easy and saves on the amount of liquid you use.

When doing general household cleaning, use a small toothbrush to clean small cracks.

If your sponge mop is starting to shred, wrap a sock over it.

Clamp old socks into a holder to make a great dry mop.

Cut the best parts of worn-out towels into squares and use as dishcloths and dusters.

Use old socks, underwear, T-shirts, etc. for cleaning rags.

Make your own window and glass cleaner. Combine 1/2 cup household ammonia, two cups of 70 per cent isopropyl rubbing alcohol, one tsp. liquid dish detergent and add water to make one gallon. Store in an ice cream pail with lid and transfer to spray bottle as needed. (Note: poison, keep away from children).

One part vinegar and three parts water makes an excellent window cleaner.

For a perfect window washing solution, add 1/2 cup ammonia, 1/2 cup white vinegar and two tbsp. cornstarch to a bucket of warm water.

Make your own window and appliance cleaner by adding two tbsp. of vinegar, two to three drops of liquid dish detergent and the blue food colouring to two quarts of water.

Never wash windows on a sunny day. They will dry too fast and streak.

When washing windows during cool weather, wet your cloth with automobile windshield washer solution. Wipe windows and dry with paper towels.

And for another window cleaner -- dilute windshield washer fluid one-to five with water, add one tbsp. vinegar and pour into spray bottle.

For cleaning large windows and patio doors get a bottle of rubbing alcohol and add a tsp. or two of straight ammonia. Mix and put in an empty sprayer bottle. This mixture cuts dirt and will not streak.

Use a little starch in the water to wash mirrors. It removes soil and gives a polish to the glass.

To make woodwork, windows and mirrors sparkle, clean with cold tea.

Place the crystals from your chandelier in a pillow case, fasten case securely and place in rack in dishwasher. They come out sparkling.

To dry clear decanters, use a hair blower or put over a heat register.

Clean flower vases with a solution of one tbsp. salt and one cup vinegar. Soak overnight.

Clean narrow-necked bottles by using a vinegar and water solution. Add some dry rice to produce a scouring effect when bottle is shaken.

Use toilet bowl cleaner to remove mineral deposits on glass bottles.

Round typewriter erasers are excellent for removing paint spatters from window panes.

Scratches on glassware will disappear if polished with toothpaste.

Tiny chips can be taken out of the fine crystal by rubbing the chipped edge with a fine silicon carbide paper (No. 320 grit).

A small nick in the rim of a glass can be smoothed with an emery board.

To remove price-tag glue, rub with a paper towel and a dab of peanut butter. The oil in the peanut butter cleans the glue off glass or plastic and leaves no stain.

Use vegetable oil to remove sticky tags from glass, ornaments or brass. It leaves no trace of glue.

To remove fingerprints from photos, spray with hair spray and use soft cloth to buff.