Washing utensils is more of a routine for me than an activity which I like doing, and I know it gets really boring after a while to do all the cooking and cleaning on your own. This is the reason I have hired a domestic help for the weekends when I party often!

If you wish to spend less on dishwashing liquid and still get clean and shining utensils, ask the maid to make use of aluminum foil or the metal covers from used strips of tablets/capsules for scouring sticky vessels. You don’t need to buy them and they last long too!

I have a brass vase in my living room. The only fact that bothers me is no matter which dishwashing liquid I use, I cannot get the original shine of these copper and brass vessels. One friend told me this helpful tip.

Take a lemon slice and dip it in some common salt. Rub this slice over the copper or brass pot and you will discover that it gets back its original shine even as you are still cleaning it! The lemon is acidic and works wonders for copper and brass items. Don’t forget to wash off with water finally!

After a lavish dinner party, all of us suffer from the side effects of leftovers and greasy utensils! Now if you are too tired to do the dishes after the party is over (which all of us are!) you end up washing them the next day.

To make things easier the day after, soak the utensils in a tub of water to which a little bleaching powder is added before going to bed. When you wake up the next morning, all stains will be gone and washing these utensils with a dishwashing liquid is the only action needed for shining utensils!

All the time I am talking about vinegar and baking soda. But today I will tell you the manifold uses of citric acid.

A pet will be a pet. Even though it is potty trained, you might end up having goo on your floors! I know it is yucky but you cannot let it remain like that, isn’t it? Simply soak the affected area with citric acid for a minute. The area will clean up nicely. Citric acid is also useful for removing stains from the carpets easily.

I am sure by now you all must have squeaking clean homes that welcome guests!

You have recently bought a new carpet and don’t know whether its color is affected by a wet cleaning solution. What you can do is, test the cleaning agent on a corner of the carpet. Don’t fill up the carpet area with a solution.

For a dry cleaning job for carpets, spread some cornstarch on dry carpets and blankets. This will absorb the dirt and grease from the carpet surface. You can vacuum all over the area after some time, about ten minutes.

In case you spill something on the carpet, clean it by applying soda water on a damp sponge immediately.

To have a clean home, we all vacuum clean it regularly. Those who have a domestic help also have the experience that sometimes it is better to do the scrubbing on our own.

While vacuuming the carpet, we tend to forget the floor below the carpet. If you have carpets that are not attached completely to the floor surface, vacuum clean the carpet from below as well as the floor.

Remove the cushions from the couch and vacuum all the sides at least twice in one round. This is necessary for getting rid of cat hairs that cause allergy and asthma.

I love my pet and I am sure you do too. But who likes the unsightly pet hairs that lie around the home? It can be a health problem if you have little kids. To avoid this you can invest in a cat/dog hair remover. It is nothing but a roller having sticky paper wrapped around it with the sticky side facing outside.

An economical option is to simply wrap a sticky tape around your hand with the sticky side out and push down on the area that has hairs stuck on to it. This is simple and money-saving, isn’t it?

Use a standard lead pencil and run it over the grooves in the key and slowly inside the key hole too. Do this carefully or else the pencil tip might break. The pencil actually contains graphite that is helpful for lubricating the brass or iron without the risk of corroding it.

After the key is done, put the key inside and out of the lock for a few times, and nimbly try to work upon the lock and key together. After a while, the key will smoothly operate in the lock and you can use it again.

Good idea, isn’t it?

A chimney needs cleaning at least once a year. This is applicable for wood-burning fireplaces. A gas fireplace does not produce smoke and also does not form soot on the chimney. If your home is filled up with smoke, the chimney probably needs urgent cleaning.

For this, you will need chimney rod and brushes, a stiff scrubbing brush and a flashlight. Always wear worn out or old clothes while cleaning and use a facemask, gloves and goggles too. You will also require a broom, a metal bucket for collecting soot particles and a ladder. Keep some drop cloths handy for cleaning the inside of a chimney.

During spring cleaning or Christmas time I find much more space in my home. How do I do this?

I choose a room and remove ALL the items kept in the cupboards and closets on the floor. Next is the all important task of sorting out these things according to their purpose and level of use for me. This helps me greatly in organizing the room and I can classify everything neatly.

Lastly, I do the ritual of letting go of those things that I don’t need anymore. I usually donate such things for a deserving cause and derive satisfaction out of it!