Good Housekeeping Tips

1. Empty your dishwasher.
2. Add one cup of distilled white vinegar to your dishwasher for the wash cycle. If the buildup is severe, add two cups of vinegar. Just pour it into the bottom, turn it on, and walk away.
3. When the machine is finished and cooled off, remove the racks and wipe and rinse them off in your kitchen sink. Then, take a microfiber cloth and wipe down the entire inside of the dishwasher. The vinegar smell may linger for about an hour, but will fade away along with the buildup.
4. Remember to always empty the trap. Check with your manufacturer's recommendations on how to do this.
5. For maintenance, just repeat every two weeks or so.

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Blotting up either stain as fast as you can will make it easier to remove them. When the stains are left too long it will be harder to remove them — but not impossible.

For Red Wine Stains

If you don't already have a commercially recommended product like Wine Away (a miracle worker on clothes and carpets), you want to try to neutralize the red wine as quick as possible. The best way? White wine! Simply pour the white wine on the red wine stain and start blotting up with a white clean cloth or paper towel. Keep doing this until the stain is gone. If you don't have any white wine, grab the vodka — it does the same thing.

Removing red wine stains and vomit stains from wool carpeting is going to require you to do some blotting.

For the Other Mess

First, grab paper towels and clean up what hasn't made its way through the carpet fibers. Then grab either baking soda or corn starch and sprinkle it on the remaining stains. Let it sit for about 15 minutes to absorb most of it, then vacuum it up.

If that doesn't work, mix one tablespoon of liquid dish washing detergent and one tablespoon of white vinegar with two cups of warm water. Blot it up until it's absorbed. Then keep sponging with cold water and blot dry. Remember: blotting is your friend.

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The first thing to do is clean it out. For removing smells from clothing and linens, you may have to wash everything. If it's a nice day outside, line drying is one of the best ways to get rid of odors. If you have removable shelves or storage boxes, put them outside and let them air out too.

Just by cleaning out the closet and organizing it, you'll pretty much eliminate the problem. Use potpourri sachets, scented cedar blocks, or charcoal deodorizers to keep the closet fresh. Putting shoes in shoeboxes that still have their silica packets, or using Odor Eaters products, will keep those smelly shoes in check.

Removing Smoke Odors

Cigarette smoke odor gets trapped in everything. Neutralize the remaining odor with white vinegar — don't worry, you won't smell like a salad. The vinegar smell will quickly go away.

Mix half a cup in a bucket of warm to hot water and wipe down shelves, walls, and floors. If the floor is carpeted, sprinkle baking soda on it and let it sit for an hour before vacuuming.

For stubborn odors, pour half a cup of white vinegar or coffee grounds into a bowl and leave them in the closet overnight.

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Keeping your shower and bathtub clean is a lot easier than tackling hardened soap scum. To keep the filmy mess from forming, hang a squeegee in the shower, and get everyone in the habit of using it after they have finished. 15 seconds of wiping down the walls can save you a whole lot of scrubbing later on.

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Do you have greasy film on appliances or kitchen cabinets? Want to know how to remove it? Well, oil and water don't mix to do the job, but oil and oil do.

You can use either mineral or vegetable oil to remove film from appliances on a range hood and your stove top. Put a couple of drops of oil on a paper towel over the greasy surface, and watch that gunk come right off.

It also works great on the outside of wooden kitchen cabinets.

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The simplest way to remove gooey gluey residue from your windows or any glass object is hot water and a sponge.

Soak a sponge in hot water and place it on the residue for a few minutes to soften it up. Then use a rubber scraper to push off the glue residue and wipe with a lint-free cloth. You may have to do this a few times.

The Peanut Butter Trick

If you don't have time to soak with hot water, grab your favorite peanut butter — but the smooth kind — spread some on the gooey residue and let it sit. It won't drip, either. Come back later and wipe away. The natural oils from the peanut butter soften up the glue and wipe it right off.

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The Sheila Shine cleaning solvent for metals process requires no rubbing or polishing. It actually makes cleaning a pleasure, with unbelievable results!

Sheila Shine removes dirt, grime, greasy film, water marks, and it even covers scratches. Apply with a clean, dry cloth. Using disposable wipes or rags preserves the surface against deterioration.

It immediately forms a protective coating on any surface. It repels water, prevents penetration of harmful liquids, and retains its gloss indefinitely. It also resists fingerprints and streaking.

Sheila Shine does not contain acid, silicone, or any abrasive substance. It will not powder or cake in carved woods or crevices, and can be purchased in most hardware stores.

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First off, the key is to wipe up the soy sauce as soon as it spills on anything. Then, be sure to use cold water and not hot water, as this will embed the stain into the pores of the floor.

Mix equal parts of vinegar to water, or lemon juice to water, and spray directly on the stain and let it sit for a few minutes. Then wipe it up with a clean white cloth.

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Vinegar is highly acidic which enables it to kill bacteria and also remove pet urine smells and stains.

Mix one part vinegar with three parts water and rub it into the carpet with a cloth. Then rinse the carpet with water and let it air dry. Then train your pet to stop peeing on the carpet.

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You can't ask everyone to remove their shoes when they enter your home, although it would be a great practice to start. But when you encounter scuff marks left on your wood floors, don't you wish you had a magical way to make them disappear?

Well, you do. It's called the Magic Eraser, and we highly recommend them to everyone for removing scuff marks off a wood floor.

Before you use it, it's best to vacuum up the loose dirt on the floor, because you don't want to rub the dirt into the wood floors and scratch them. Once you vacuum, just follow the manufacturer's recommendations on its use.

Quick Tip

If you don't have a Magic Eraser handy, just grab some regular toothpaste and apply it in circular motions with a damp cloth. Then rinse and repeat as necessary.

Thanks for hanging out with Long Island's home cleaning experts, Teresa's Family Cleaning. And remember: Our reputation is spotless!