Household tips and tricks! - Are you having trouble getting the wine stains out of your carpet? Do you clean your cookware with something extraordinary? Come share!

[Fields Of Rye]

Any tips for bugs? We have a person come and spray every few months, but with the warmer weather some spiders get in the basement (where my room is) and I know they're good and they're just house spiders, but I don't want them in my bed or something.

(Sorry for the PL please forgive)

Diatomaceous earth is one of the best internal tools for dealing with insects I've come across. Simply dust small amounts in dry areas and the problem tends to go away quite quickly. It's just a kind of crystal that gets lodged in the carapace or spiricles of insects and they tend to stay the hell away from it.

It's not a 100% solution by far, but it's always my first go to when dealing with insects I don't want to nuke off the face of the planet. Everyone should have some of this stuff.

 

[Accept Only Substitutes]

These cooling towels are the best thing since sliced bread. You wet them and wear them and let it cool you as the water evaporates. You could probably use any towels for this, but these are very lightweight microfiber. You dunk them, wring them out, and shake them hard a couple times. Gets the water out so you're not dripping but leaves enough to cool you down. Takes about an hour and a half at my current temperature to dry out.

We keep it pretty warm in my house because it's 105F/40C outside and we can't afford to let the AC run non-stop to get down to anything close to cool. Wearing one of these with a fan blowing on me and I'm a little on the chilly side. In Texas in July! I exercised in a room slightly warmer than this one and didn’t get drenched with sweat, though it was still warm.

These are going to be great for hot flashes too. Reviews say they are good for dogs too.

I cannot recommend them enough.

 

[CashMoney!]

I just bought a steam mop because I'm tired of slopping around with a bucket and squeegee mop, will update when I have had my life changed. I also use microfiber cloths when cleaning my windows so they're truly streak free. Highly recommend robot vacuums that clean while you're sleeping, and mine also comes with a water tank and mop pad for a quick spruce up in the kitchen.

 

[skjora]

What are some good fish scales remover?

A pressure washer actually works exceedingly well for removing scales from fish if you have one. Just start at some distance.

 

[CharcoalChkn]

Bathroom sink is becoming problematic in it's draining.

Usually I just throw some draino down there and it's good to go for a month or two, however the last dose hasn't seemed to have helped at all.

It's got one of those pop plugs in it, so I can shove anything down there to dislodge the grime which is what I am assuming is causing the issue, any tips ladies?

 

[Aunt Carol]

It's got one of those pop plugs in it, so I can shove anything down there to dislodge the grime which is what I am assuming is causing the issue, any tips ladies?

Yeah, in my experience they can get a really thick biofilm growing on the cross-shaped body of the pop-up plug. I'd check if you can remove the plug to clean it, first. Sometimes it's as simple as turning it.

If you can't remove it, boiling water to try to dislodge the biofilm, and poke at it with one of those baby sink snakes. (Flexisnake, drain weasel, drain millipede, those thin and cheap hair-removers.)

 

[CharcoalChkn]

Yeah, in my experience they can get a really thick biofilm growing on the cross-shaped body of the pop-up plug. I'd check if you can remove the plug to clean it, first. Sometimes it's as simple as turning it.

If you can't remove it, boiling water to try to dislodge the biofilm, and poke at it with one of those baby sink snakes. (Flexisnake, drain weasel, drain millipede, those thin and cheap hair-removers.)

THANK YOU !!

I was having a ton of trouble getting the cap off so I just assumed it couldn't be done, your post emboldened me so I went at it with a tea towel.

Equal parts fun and horrifying.

I do not think that drain has ever been cleaned as there was a mass of hair that was certainly not mine covered in about a golf ball of black sludge.

Pour one out for my butter knife who bravely fought the battle of dislodging the mass.

 

[Motherf*cker]

Rubbing alcohol. It at least stops mosquito bites from itching. Doesn't hurt either.

Vinegar might also work. The asetic acid in vinegar acts as a mild painkiller. It's amazing on sunburn. Much, much better than aloe.

Witch Hazel. Buy a bottle of Witch Hazel, find a small tupperware that will accommodate a small stack of single sheets of paper towel. Pour a good amount of witch hazel on the stack of single sheets of paper towels in the tupperware. Seal the tupperware and store it upside down so all the sheets are soaking and volia you have witch hazel wipes which are excellent for bites also good as an astringent.

Between full toliet cleanings and floor cleanings make sure to clean the floor directly around your toliet and the base of your toliet, I use a spray bottle with diluted bleach

 

[Just a boring name]

Does anyone have any advice on getting rid of flies, and discouraging them from arriving in the first place?

Every summer my work premises gets crazy with flies. I use citronella oil daily, fly papers, and keep everywhere extremely clean.

We cannot use vinegars or fly sprays/aerosols due to my allergies and the type of business that we are, aerosols would have an effect on our customers breathing.

Thankyou.

 

[one_time_user]

do they only happen for a week or two/three? if so, they're cluster flies- not due to any uncleanness. they winter somewhere in the building, usually in the walls and come out when it gets warm. You have to find where they're wintering and seal it up.

 

[anliteralidiot]

Does anyone have any advice on getting rid of flies, and discouraging them from arriving in the first place?

Every summer my work premises gets crazy with flies. I use citronella oil daily, fly papers, and keep everywhere extremely clean.

We cannot use vinegars or fly sprays/aerosols due to my allergies and the type of business that we are, aerosols would have an effect on our customers breathing.

Thankyou.

This might help. I've used them around my chicken pens, and they work. There also also diy versions that use a soda bottle with honey or sugar water inside.

If you don't want people to see, maybe make a cute sleeve for it.

 

[Shig O'nella]

Make a cute sleeve, you'll be happy you spent the time to do so. They get incredibly gross within a day.

 

[Just a boring name]

do they only happen for a week or two/three? if so, they're cluster flies- not due to any uncleanness. they winter somewhere in the building, usually in the walls and come out when it gets warm. You have to find where they're wintering and seal it up.

This might help. I've used them around my chicken pens, and they work. There also also diy versions that use a soda bottle with honey or sugar water inside.

If you don't want people to see, maybe make a cute sleeve for it.

View attachment 3596911

Make a cute sleeve, you'll be happy you spent the time to do so. They get incredibly gross within a day.

Thankyou for replying. (I've never done multiquote before. I didn't want to double post a reply to all 3 of you. Apologies if this is the wrong way to go about it).

The flies are always during the summer months....last year was the worst, all the shops and many houses within about a 5k radius were having difficulty with them last year.

I will definitely try the link, the honey/sugarwater/bottle tip, AND make a sleeve! I'll try to put 4 in every room and see how that goes.

Thankyou again!

 

[Shig O'nella]

You'll think they're not working for a day or so, then suddenly you'll realise you haven't heard a fly in hours.

 

[𝕺𝖑' 𝕯𝖎𝖗𝖙𝖞 𝕱𝖆𝖙𝖘𝖔]

Steaming with an iron works better than any other thing I've tried for getting tough smells out of clothing/textiles. The heat kills any bacteria that cause smells and it doesn't chemically stress the fibers with harsh cleaning solutions. If it's not something you can iron directly, hold the iron a few inches away and press the steam button.

Edit: also use a press cloth whenever you iron anything that isn't sturdy cotton or linen to protect the fabric underneath - just a scrap of muslin or an old bedsheet works, as long as it's white or undyed to prevent any color bleeding. My iron on the silk setting is barely hot enough to produce steam or do fucking anything useful, presumably because it's calibrated to not destroy the fabric when used directly on it. I can turn mine up to medium-high without damaging 100% silk as long as I use a press cloth.

 

[Accept Only Substitutes]

Steaming with an iron works better than any other thing I've tried for getting tough smells out of clothing/textiles. The heat kills any bacteria that cause smells and it doesn't chemically stress the fibers with harsh cleaning solutions. If it's not something you can iron directly, hold the iron a few inches away and press the steam button.

Edit: also use a press cloth whenever you iron anything that isn't sturdy cotton or linen to protect the fabric underneath - just a scrap of muslin or an old bedsheet works, as long as it's white or undyed to prevent any color bleeding. My iron on the silk setting is barely hot enough to produce steam or do fucking anything useful, presumably because it's calibrated to not destroy the fabric when used directly on it. I can turn mine up to medium-high without damaging 100% silk as long as I use a press cloth.

You can also use steam to clean/whiten grout and defrost freezers.

 

[TrainWreckSpotter]

I was cleaning the hell out of the inside of my car today. How do you get to that narrow space between the seat and the console when no vacuum attachment will fit?

 

[one_time_user]

canned air first before you clean the r3st of the car

 

[CashMoney!]

Update on the steam mop. I bought this one that's also handheld and comes with a shitload of attachments. I've tried it successfully in the kitchen just now and I'm pleased with it although it's a bit finnicky with angles to keep the water flowing. Floor looks great without needing to use the detergent dispenser, and I used it on my gas oven/stove to blast away some grime in tight crevices. This is my new favourite thing. I press de button, de dirt disappear, de forehead no sweat.

 

[anliteralidiot]

This is awkward to ask, but how do I manage cleaning up long human hair?

I don't want to PL, but I've got a health problem going on.