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Tuesday, October 15, 2013

5 Useful Household Tips

As much as I love to stay in the kitchen to cook and bake, cleaning probably is on the bottom of my favorite-things-to-do list.  Raise your hands if you’re the same.  Today, I want to share with you 5 useful household tips that can save you time, money and headache while doing these household chores.  I know, as much as we dislike it, someone got to do it, right?  So here we go…

Tip #1:  Easy way to clean those hard water stains:

Easy way to clean those hard water stains

Sorry, I know this is not a pretty picture.  The only good thing about it is that I know my kids had been drinking a lot of water!  Unfortunately, they don’t wipe dry or clean up after using the water dispenser.  No fret!  I've got an easy and safe method for you to clean those hard water stains out!  And my secret weapon is: vinegar!  Just plain old white vinegar will do the trick.  Simply remove the tray from the water dispenser and soak it with white vinegar for 3 to 5 minutes before rinsing.  It also works on your coffee maker or tea kettle as well.  For the parts that you can not remove to soak, simply damp a kitchen towel with the vinegar and wipe those stains off.  See picture below after the cleaning.  Much better, right?   Phew….I’m glad that we've got this taken care of.

Easy way to clean those hard water stains



Tip #2: How to clean those stubborn tea/coffee stains:


How to clean those stubborn tea/coffee stains:

I drink coffee every morning and hot tea throughout the day.  So, it’s not a surprise that my mugs are easily stained with coffee/tea.  My tips and trick for easy cleaning?  A toothbrush and some toothpaste are the answers!

How to clean those stubborn tea/coffee stains:

Gently brush the toothpaste on the stains in your mugs and it works like magic.  It will leave your mugs and cups sparkly clean in no time.  Plus, the long handle of the tooth brush is perfect for reaching the bottom of the tall mugs, making it a lot easier to clean than a kitchen sponge.  I always keep a toothbrush around the sink for this job.   I love too see that my favorite mug is as good as new again!

How to clean those stubborn tea/coffee stains:


Tip #3: Organizing and storing the baking supplies

You all know I love to bake for my kids.  I buy and collect all kinds of cupcake liners, but not necessarily using them all at once.  If they are not store properly, they won’t hold their shapes too well when you are ready for baking.  These “recycled” coffee jars really come in handy in storing my cupcake liners and other baking supplies.  So, next time before you throw away a container, see if you can recycle it for storage use.

Organizing the cupboard and storage


Tip #4: How to Remove odor from the refrigerator and the sink:

My fridge is always filled with different kinds of food and ingredients for cooking.  Besides my trusted Sriracha hot sauce, I love keeping an open box of baking soda in my fridge.  This is one simple way to keep funky odors out of my fridge and my food.  Just remember to write down the date that it needs to be changed out.  The box recommended 30 days,  but I sometimes keep it longer in there.  How long before you need to change a new box really depends on how full and what kind of food you keep in the fridge.  So, I would say, changing a new box every 30 to 45 days works out well for me.

How to Remove odor from the refrigerator and the sink

When it’s time to change a new box of baking soda for your fridge, don’t just throw away the old box.  Simply pour it into your sink while running warm tap water down the drain will eliminate the odor in your sink as well!  See, nothing goes to waste.  And you’re very welcome!

How to Remove odor from the refrigerator and the sink


Tip #5: Safe and easy way to clean Stainless Steel appliances/sink:

I don’t like using commercial cleaners or heavy chemical stuffs around the house.  Here, I have this homemade stainless steel cleanser that you’re going to love.  Not only it’s easy to make, it also saves you money and it works really well.


 Safe and easy way to clean Stainless Steel appliances/sink

I got this spray bottle for just 79 cents, add 1 tablespoons of baking soda, 2 tablespoons of white vinegar, and 1 cup warm water.  If you don’t like the smell of the vinegar, you can add 1 drop or 2 of lemon essential oil (such as this one) into the mix.  Put the cap on and spray on stainless steel surface, then wipe clean & dry with lint-free cloth.   See how pretty my oven door is after cleaning?

 Safe and easy way to clean Stainless Steel appliances/sink

It' also works on your other stainless steel appliances such as microwave oven or your fridge surface, and even your sink.  Anything stainless steel would love this spray, and so do I. 

 Safe and easy way to clean Stainless Steel appliances/sink


I hope you enjoy today’s post with these helpful household tips!  Happy cleaning.

85 comments:

  1. Thanks for sharing these terrific tips! I really am excited to use the stainless steel cleaner.

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    1. Thank you. Oh yeah, please give them a try. They really work wonders. ;) Have a beautiful week.

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  2. Thanks for sharing these terrific tips! I really am excited to use the stainless steel cleaner.

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  3. I need the tips but I have to do the cleaning. I have part time cleaners who come over to clean so I shall share with you about the tips. The only thing which I will do myself is to keep the fridge clean and odor free.

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    1. hehe...how lucky that you've got part time helpers for the cleanings. I remember those good old days when I have helpers in Hong Kong. :) Yes, keeping the fridge clean and smelling good is easy with the baking soda. Have a wonderful week.

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  4. Oh Amy, excellent post!!
    Thank you for sharing....
    Have a nice week.

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    1. Thank you, Laurel. Glad you like the tips. ;)

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  5. Enjoy reading this post. Thanks for sharing!

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    1. Thank you so much, Vivian. Glad you enjoy the post. ;) Have a wonderful week.

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  6. love to read this post..useful tips and tricks Amy...I too clean the sink with baking soda..

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    1. Thank you, Gayathri. Isn't baking soda the best to clean the sink. I love how it made cleaning so easy! ;) take care and have a wonderful week.

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  7. Thank you for these amazing tips. I have never seen a water dispenser in a house (probably typical US thing) but the toothpaste tip is extraordinary! Some mugs and cups are thoroughly washed in the dishwasher, but some are really stubborn... I will be testing the toothbrush method next weekend.

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    1. Hehe...The water dispenser is from the refrigerator, yes, very popular in the States as it is convenience to have around the house. Glad you love these little household tips.

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  8. Great tips, Amy. I particularly need the one for hard water stains and the fridge. I've used baking soda/vinegar with good effect at unclogging drains so I'm sure it will be great. You have the cleanest sink I have ever seen. I hope you never inspect mine! ; )

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    1. Thank you, Monica. Glad you like the tips. Oh...didn't know baking soda and vinegar is also good for unclogging drains, thanks for sharing the tip. :) Well, my sink looks so clean just because I just clean it! I wish it looks this nice all the time! hahahaha...

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  9. I'm definitely going to try this for my stainless steel appliances! I always have a hard time getting them to look clean and shiny.

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    1. Thank you, Ashley. Please let me know how it goes after you try. I personally love it and use it all the time. ;)

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  10. vinegar is amazing eh? I swear it can take care of everything!

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    1. hehe....I know, Davida. So amazing I've gotta share. Glad you like it too.

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  11. Thank you for the great tips! I have to get white vinegar right away.

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    1. Thank you. Glad you like the tips. Yes, please give them a try, I'm sure you're going to love it too. Have a wonderful week.

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  12. Thx for sharing this tips my friend...
    btw, i like to put absorbent active carbon to remove the nasty odor from the fridge.....
    btw, the baking soda and vinegar can remove the stain in the bottom of the tea cup too...

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    1. Thanks for sharing your tips too. I think the baking soda and vinegar is simply amazing. Guess it can clean more things than I know. :)

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  13. Love all the cleaning tips. I'm going to get the vinegar and baking soda mixture started right away! And I also love the idea of using empty containers!

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    1. Thank you, Ruby. Glad you like these tips too. I use the baking soda and vinegar cleanser all the time. So convenience. :)

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  14. Great tips, Amy! I am looking forward to trying out several of these. :) Hugs, T. http://tickledpinkwoman.blogspot.com

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    1. Thanks, Tina. I'm glad you like these tips. :) Hope they'll make your life easier.

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  15. Thank you Amy for your great tips post here. Tips no. 5 really do an amazing jobs for us, isnt it?

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    1. Thank you, Mel. Yeah, I use all of them but I always love a super clean and shinny sink. ;) Have a wonderful weekend.

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  16. Love this post! Going to test out the coffee mug one soon and wow your sink looks squeaky clean! Thanks for sharing these great cleaning tips Amy :)

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    1. You're welcome and thanks you, Kelly. I'm glad you like these tips and found them useful. Have a beautiful weekend.

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  17. Great tips. I would have never thought to use toothpaste on my coffee mugs.

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    1. Thank you, Vicki. Glad you like these tips. Oh yeah, the toothpaste works wonders on my coffee mugs. Hope you'll give it a try too.

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  18. Great tips for the day. I especially like your new idea of using toothbrush and tooth paste to clean the tea stains out of mugs. Happy cleaning!

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    1. Thank you, BAM. Yes, I dislike cleaning so much that any tips that can make cleaning faster/easier would help me a lot. Glad you like the tips too. Have a great weekend.

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  19. It's amazing what a bit of vinegar will do! Great tip for the coffee stains too.

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    1. Thank you, Caroline. Glad you like these tips. ;) Have a great weekend.

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  20. Thank you so much for sharing all those great tips!

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    1. You're welcome, Angie. Hope you find them helpful. :)

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  21. Thanks for this list of amazing tips! I'm obsessive when it comes to cleaning but like you, I hate using those chemical-y cleaning fluids. I've been trying to buy the "green" products but wow, I'd much rather use vinegar. I can't believe how effective it is!

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    1. Thank you. Glad you like my little cleaning tips. I've been using these for a while now and absolutely love how easy it is with amazing result. :)

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  22. Some great tips! Vinegar is amazing stuff, as is baking soda. So many uses. Really useful post - thanks so much.

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    1. Thank you, KR. Glad you like these cleansing tips. :) Have a beautiful weekend.

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  23. I.HATE.CLEANING. You'd know this if you took one look at my apartment. It's like my most dreaded of chores. I love that vinegar is a natural anti-bacterial- it's like the miracle liquid :) Great post, Amy!!!

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    1. Thank you, Amy. Glad you like the tips. I guess we have more in common than I know. I hate cleaning too. But hope these tips would make your life a little easier. ;) Have a wonderful weekend.

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  24. Thanks for all these helpful hints! I'm definitely going to try the toothpaste on my coffee & tea stained cups : ) Also going to mix up a batch of the vinegar/baking soda cleaner. Great ideas! ♥

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    1. Thank you, Danielle. Glad you love these cleaning tips. Hope you'll find cleaning a lot easy with these solutions. Have a beautiful weekend.

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  25. I think the box of baking soda in my fridge has been there like ten years! And I really need to clean the fridge. is this like fall cleaning, Amy? Just in time for when the troops come home!

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    1. haha...I guess this is Fall cleaning....since I skipped in the Spring. :P hehehe...I try to put the baking soda in the fridge's door so I see it whenever I open the fridge...otherwise, I guess it'll never get changed in my house. :P

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  26. Excellent tips Amy. Someone also once shared with me the tip on cleaning sneakers with a little bit of tooth paste and I am surprised to see your tips #2. Thanks again for sharing!

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    1. hehe....I think I tried the tooth paste trick with the sneakers before. It worked well. ;) Glad you like these tips. Have a great weekend.

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  27. OMG! I l really enjoyed learning your tricks! I do keep the baking soda in the fridge (and use for baking) but never used for cleaning! You know who's cleaning tomorrow in the kitchen. ;)

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    1. hehe....glad you love these tips. I dislike cleaning, so any trick to make the process easier is important to me. :) Wish you a lovely weekend.

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  28. good tips! today I learned a lot.

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  29. I adore household tips & posted quite a few too previously. Vinegar & baking soda are a must in the kitchen. Love the tips, Amy!

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    1. Thank you, Shirley. Glad you like these tips too. I agree, I love tips that an make my life easier. ;) Will go check out yours in a minute.

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  30. I'd better start investing more in white vinegar companies! Very much admire your commitment to non-commercial goods. And I'll have to try the toothbrush and toothpaste to my tea cups. Thank you, Amy, for the tips =)

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    1. Thank you. Glad you like my little cleaning tips. :)

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  31. These are awesome! I hate cleaning...but these would definitely make the ordeal less painful!

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    1. hehe....i hate cleaning too. But these solution is making the process must easier. That's why I gotta share with you all. ;)

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  32. Great tips! Shall try to use the toothpaste for removing a stain on my mug..

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    1. Thank you. Glad you like these cleaning tips too. ;)

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  33. Oh sweetie you are not alone..cleaning is like on the bottom of the bottom haha...good think is that hubby likes to organize...I think he have a problem LOL! Anyhow, those are fantastic tips, I do use baking soda+vinegar for cleaning, and plain vinegar will clean the glass too. I love two new things that I learned, baking lines storage and toothpaste cleaning! Thanks for sharing, Amy!!!!!

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    1. Oh...how lucky your hubby likes to organize. I think my hubby does too, but he's always too busy for that. :P

      Glad you like the tips and found them useful. :)

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  34. Thank you Amy for these cleaning tips! I really dread cleaning time.

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    1. hehe....yeah, you're definitely not alone. Guess many of us dislike cleaning quite a bit. :) Glad you like these helpful tips.

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  35. You are a star for showing some awesome tricks. I love a clean home, but I get so exhausted cleaning up all the time after boys running in and out. The cooking although is the fun part, cleaning is not:(. Your tips are awesome.
    I use soda in the drain all the time along with some lemon wedges and it gets it clean and smells good. Great tips my dear.

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    1. Thank you, Asha. Glad you like the tips. I love a clean home too, but really dislike cleaning, how ironic. hahaha....

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  36. Awesome tips! Thanks for sharing! I always use baking soda & vinegar for everything especially a moldy bathtub, it helps!

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    1. Thank you. :) Glad you like the cleaning tips too.

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  37. love cleaning with vinegar and baking soda! ... i add essential oils like lemon, orange, ylang ylang and tea tree oil to make it a pleasant general cleaner!

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    1. Oh yeah, adding essential oils is the way to go. I love the smell of essential oil way better than the vinegar! ;) I'm sure anyone would agree.

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  38. Great tips! I freshen the sink with leftover used lemon/lime wedges. Keeps it smelling citrusy ;)

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    1. Thank you, Kiran. Glad you like these tips. I've gotta try your tips with lemon and lime wedges next time. I adore citrus scenes. ;)

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  39. Love the stored cupcake liners. Now why did I not think of that?

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    1. Thank you, Madonna. Glad you like these tips.

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  40. Amy, I simply love all the tips esp the one on cleaning stainless steel, infact everything :)

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    1. Thank you. Glad you love these tips too. I use these cleaner everyday and love it.

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  41. Hi Amy, great posting. Thank you for sharing all the useful information.

    Best regards.

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    1. Thank you, Amelia. Glad you like this post. ;) Have a wonderful week.

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  42. Thanks Amy for these awesome tips!!! I use baking soda for fridge and left over lemon peel or wedges to clean the sink.

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    1. Thank you, Shibi. Glad you like these tips and I'll definitely add a lemon peel in the sink for sure. ;)

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  43. Great tips! I use vinegar as the cleaning agent for everything on my boat. You can also use it to get rid of diesel fuel smell fast. Or any kind of odor, for that matter.
    I usually use Bar Keeper's Friend to clean stainless steel, but I'll have to try your tip #5, as well #2.

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    1. Thank you. Glad you like these tips. Good to know it can get rid of diesel smell. :) I dislike it when I accidentally touch the gas when I fill up the car in the gas station. :)

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