Sparkling oven racks and chemical-free window cleaner
There's nothing like coming home to a clean house to make you feel at ease as you unwind from a hectic day. Who wants to live in cluttered, messy or dirty quarters? But dusting, vacuuming and washing aren't everyone's favourite pastimes so we asked Homemakers readers to share their best tips for cleaning their homes faster or better.
The following cleaning tips can help you to save time and money -- and you can still take pride in your squeaky clean home sweet home.
Oven racks that shine in no time
Manufacturers recommend removing oven racks when you use the self-cleaning oven function or they'll lose their shine and won't slide easily. I always remove the racks as I like them to remain shiny. The next time I run the dishwasher, I lay the oven racks on top of the other dishes in the top dishwasher rack.As long as I remember to take the racks out just before the drying cycle, while they are still wet, I find that the baked-on residue scrubs off easily with a metal scouring pad -- no additional cleaning agent required.
This maximizes the use of the dishwasher cycle and cuts down on the amount of cleaning product you use.
Carol Guicheret, Winnipeg
Chemical-free window cleaner
My top cleaning shortcut is a reusable cloth called a Whiz Cloth. Using the cloth and the hottest water I can stand, I clean my windows and then dry with paper towels. I get my windows done quickly with no streaks and using no cleaning solutions.
The cloths are very strong and inexpensive. A package of eight costs about $2 and you can find it at Giant Tiger and Wal-Mart stores. They can be washed in the washing machine and used over again.
Linda McKague, Woodville, Ont.
Click to continue to learn how you can save time cleaning the shower...
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The following cleaning tips can help you to save time and money -- and you can still take pride in your squeaky clean home sweet home.
Oven racks that shine in no time
Manufacturers recommend removing oven racks when you use the self-cleaning oven function or they'll lose their shine and won't slide easily. I always remove the racks as I like them to remain shiny. The next time I run the dishwasher, I lay the oven racks on top of the other dishes in the top dishwasher rack.As long as I remember to take the racks out just before the drying cycle, while they are still wet, I find that the baked-on residue scrubs off easily with a metal scouring pad -- no additional cleaning agent required.
This maximizes the use of the dishwasher cycle and cuts down on the amount of cleaning product you use.
Carol Guicheret, Winnipeg
Chemical-free window cleaner
My top cleaning shortcut is a reusable cloth called a Whiz Cloth. Using the cloth and the hottest water I can stand, I clean my windows and then dry with paper towels. I get my windows done quickly with no streaks and using no cleaning solutions.
The cloths are very strong and inexpensive. A package of eight costs about $2 and you can find it at Giant Tiger and Wal-Mart stores. They can be washed in the washing machine and used over again.
Linda McKague, Woodville, Ont.
Click to continue to learn how you can save time cleaning the shower...
Page 1 of 3
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