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  #176  
Old 05-13-2013, 05:36 PM
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Default Re: Cleaning Tips

... But I dunno why she swallowed the flyyyyy... :notes:
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  #177  
Old 05-13-2013, 06:50 PM
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Default Re: Cleaning Tips

WD-40 works well at removing asphalt from boots and countertops.
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  #178  
Old 05-14-2013, 04:56 AM
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Default Re: Cleaning Tips

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Originally Posted by Ymir's blood View Post
WD-40 works well at removing asphalt from boots and countertops.
Also from the decorative outsides of automobile transportational contraptions.
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  #179  
Old 05-14-2013, 06:29 PM
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Default Re: Cleaning Tips

It also deters hornets and yellow jackets. Which works for me, since using it to lubricate my garage door opener keeps the nasties away as well.
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  #180  
Old 05-14-2013, 08:37 PM
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Default Re: Cleaning Tips

So, it's probably not a good idea to use it to clean asphalt off of yellowjackets and hornets then?
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  #181  
Old 05-14-2013, 10:04 PM
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Default Re: Cleaning Tips

You could try...I've got the epi pen ready.
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  #182  
Old 05-14-2013, 10:15 PM
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Default Re: Cleaning Tips

Are you allergic?
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  #183  
Old 05-14-2013, 10:20 PM
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Default Re: Cleaning Tips

Nope but I bet after hundreds of bee stings you might need one.
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  #184  
Old 05-14-2013, 10:37 PM
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Default Re: Cleaning Tips

To bee honest, the asphalt would cook them pretty quick.
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  #185  
Old 05-14-2013, 11:42 PM
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Default Re: Cleaning Tips

Mmm, cooked bees. The UN DID say that we all needed to eat more insects.
BBC - Travel - Is crawly cuisine the future? : Food & Drink, Asia
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  #186  
Old 05-20-2013, 08:47 PM
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Default Re: Cleaning Tips

I made my own laundry starch yesterday. It was easy and cheap as hell. I don't know why commercial spray starch even exists.

My recipe:

2 tbs cornstarch
1/4 cup cold water
2 cups boiling water
a few drops essential cedarwood oil (optional)

Mix the cornstarch into the cold water and make a slurry. Be sure to stir until there are no clumps left. Add the cedarwood oil or any other essential oil you like the scent of, if you want. Add the boiling water to the slurry and stir until it's all dissolved. Cool. Pour into spray bottle. The end.

When you make it this way, it winds up being a thickened, thoroughly blended solution. Shake it before use just on principle, but you don't have to worry about any of the cornstarch winding up in the bottom of the bottle.

I used a very light spritz of it on collars and cuffs and they came out just right. I did have to wipe down the iron once it cooled a little, though, because there were some white speckles on it from the starch.
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  #187  
Old 05-20-2013, 08:51 PM
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Default Re: Cleaning Tips

Not everyone wants to deter hornets - although this story did turn out to be an internet hoax.

Internet stung by 'hornets' nest sex tale' | Metro News
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  #188  
Old 05-20-2013, 09:38 PM
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Default Re: Cleaning Tips

I'm going to go out on a limb and call the starch thing as a hoax. Color me crazy, but I've got a feeling about this one.
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  #189  
Old 05-20-2013, 10:04 PM
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Default Re: Cleaning Tips

There was a wonderful troll who used to post in one of those old text-only newsgroup things - rec.household.cleaning or something like that. He used to call himself Mr. F. Bentos.

Who would have expected a troll to have lurked in such an unlikely habitat? His style was so dry and his methods so cunning that I used to cry with laughter reading the threads he trolled.

He used to start with a slightly complex sounding tip in response to someone asking how to clean something - so someone would ask about, say, cleaning a stain in their carpet, and he would recommend something like soaking Eucalyptus leaves in white vinegar, applying the mixture to the carpet and then using a warm clothes iron and a towel to dry the carpet out.

When the poor unfortunate had tried the method, and either found that it made no difference at all, or worse ruined their carpet completely, he would then insist that they'd used the wrong variety of leaves, or the wrong brand of vinegar or something - and if only they weren't so stupid then his method would have worked perfectly. As the victim became increasingly angry, he would then reveal that he'd never actually tried the method himself, but that he'd calculated that it should work based on scientific principles - or he'd accuse them of having a rubbish quality carpet - and that if they had decent carpets like him, then the method would have worked just fine.

Of course, previous victims would pile into the thread warning about Mr. Bentos, but he would then act all offended and accuse them of just being jealous of his excellent methods and remind them about how they hadn't followed his recommendations exactly either.

ETA: I found a link to one thread he posted in alt.home.cleaning thirteen years ago - this time giving advice to someone whose daughter's diaper had leaked. It's not one of his best efforts, but most of them seem to be missing from the archives (or I can't find them anyhow) Google Groups

Quote:
I would suggest investing in larger-sized "diapers" {known as nappies in the
U.K} Is your daughter too young to be potty trained? Why not use some kind
of vinyl underlay to protect the seat covering, if your daughter has to sit
there? You would do well to review the manner in which you go about your
personal business, as it seems that you are frequently experiencing problems
around the house. You send in a problem almost daily, most of which are
avoidable and have arisen due to lack of foresight and bad planning.

Good Day.

Mr F. Bentos
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Last edited by ceptimus; 05-20-2013 at 10:36 PM.
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  #190  
Old 05-21-2013, 02:09 AM
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Default Re: Cleaning Tips

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ymir's blood View Post
I'm going to go out on a limb and call the starch thing as a hoax. Color me crazy, but I've got a feeling about this one.
I know, I can tell from the pixels because I've seen a lot of shops in my time.
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  #191  
Old 08-21-2016, 08:33 PM
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Default Re: Cleaning Tips

Rise, 1189-days-old thrad. Rise and live again! :emostein:

It's not really a cleaning tip that drives me to reanimate this very fine thrad so much as an extremely gross cleaning story which, let's face it, is even better. Also some sort of tip can be derived from it, but that's ancillary.

So my sports bra was funky in the bunched up elastic area at the bottom and despite several treatments with stain removal products before throwing it in the washing machine, the funk was lingering. Naturally I turned to that old stalwart, white vinegar, and soaked the bra in a sinkfull of water and vinegar solution for like, 4 hours.

When I went to rinse it and wash it with the eternally versatile Dr. Bronner's Sal Suds, I saw two large white patches had appeared under the armpit hole. (The bra is black so they were very noticeable.) I assumed it was a deodorant stain, applied some soap and scrubbed, expecting it to come out.

Wrong. It did not come out and it was not a deodorant stain. IT WAS ACTUAL DEODORANT, all slimey and spoogey from having been lifted out of the fabric by the vinegar. Not even the good doctor could dissolve that shit. I had to scrape it off with my thumbnail, wiping it on a paper towel every time the nail tank filled up. The patches were easily like 4 x 4 inches, so this was some seriously nasty work. And the spooge was omg so gross, mushy white flecked with black lint.

Finally when it was all scraped off I was able to Sal Suds the situation and my brawr was clean. It smelled fresh, the elastic was pristine, there were no pit stains visible or otherwise.

My takeaway from this is that Sure unscented solid (which I chose solely on the basis that it actually has no scent, unlike 90% of so-called unscented products) does not suit my needs. I used to use this super hippy Thai mineral stone water spray which is amazing at deodorizing but proved uncomfortable for working out because the wetness and mineral residue chafed the hell out of my pits. I guess I'll go back to Arm & Hammer unscented which has a vaguely citrusy scent that I'd rather it not have but isn't unpleasant.

The cleaning tip, should you choose to accept it, is that vinegar will get really disgusting shit out of fabric that you have no idea is there.
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  #192  
Old 08-22-2016, 12:22 AM
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Default Re: Cleaning Tips

Oh, cleaning thread. I can contribute.

So I had a plastic container I'd used to store some protein shake ... and then had forgotten until the stuff was a stinky sludge. I rinsed the container out and ran it through the dishwasher; it came out clean. But its mouth failed the sniff test. It smelled rank, like the sludge I had removed from it. Running it through the dishwasher again, after a vinegar and baking soda rinse, did nothing.

Google offered a solution: unused coffee filters. So I stuffed one into the container's mouth and wrapped another around it, tying it off with a rubber band. 24 hours later, the smell was gone. Success!

When I think of all the plastics I threw away when I could have saved them ... But now I know better.
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  #193  
Old 12-29-2018, 03:09 AM
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Default Re: Cleaning Tips

:bump:

The cat is getting old and vomits on stuff pretty regular for fun so we bought a spot cleaner. It is fine, whatever, get over it, that is not the point of this.

The point is that today I replaced all the odor control baking soda in the house with fresh new baking soda, so I wound up with like 4 lbs of old baking soda and what do you want me to do just throw it away? Fuck you, I say to that.

The kitchen grout is dis-gust-ing, so I went all Joan Crawford on it with my old baking soda, a brush, and a spray bottle full of water and peroxide. Use a spoon to spread the baking soda over the grout, spray the liquid over it until pasty, let it sit for a few minutes. Scrub the fuck out of it with a coarse brush. And this is where the spot cleaner comes in, because I can just use it like a wet vac to suck up all the excess baking soda and gross grout-grime water, and then we can gawk at how filthy the grout was. Seriously I am ashamed of how nasty it is, but it is a high traffic area next to the door to the back yard.

I had to stop because I ran out of baking soda, and he talked me out of going to Walgreen's to buy all the baking soda in the store tonight. So I will go and buy more tomorrow and finish.

All that to say, next house, no grout.
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  #194  
Old 12-29-2018, 02:50 PM
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Default Re: Cleaning Tips

Ewwww...spoogey deodorant buildup in your garments.

I have a health condition which militates against wearing any kind of deodorant, particularly those which promote 'anti-perspiration'. When the condition arose, I asked my dermatologist what options I had to promote social intercourse. My dermatologist recommended regular use of Hibiclens, a liquid cleanser which physicians use to wash up before surgeries. Using the Hibiclens during daily showers prevents the build-up of the bacteria which creates the offensive 'body odor' smells. I have dispensed entirely with all that crap folks roll on, or spray on, in their armpits. I recommend.

Pro-tip....When I was travelling abroad, I had a problem finding prepackaged Hibiclens pads, so, I made my own with guaze pads. But, the dermatologist also recommended Head & Shoulders brand shampoo, which she stated had an effective antifungal which would serve in a pinch.
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  #195  
Old 12-30-2018, 05:36 PM
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Default Re: Cleaning Tips

My Wireless Natural Multimedia Keyboard was pretty grotty, and then it stopped working altogether. I tried the usual trick of fitting new batteries, and re-binding to the wireless interface a few times, but it was completely dead. I figured the wireless interface must still be working as it's also used by a wireless mouse that continued to work fine.

So I thought I'd take the keyboard apart to try to fix it but might as well clean it out first. I took the batteries out and submerged it in a bath of soapy water, scrubbed in the cracks between the keys with little brushes to float all the hairs, crumbs, and other disgusting detritus out, and then rinsed it clean of soapsuds using a shower.

Then I took it all to pieces and laid out the pieces to dry for a couple of days.

It's very fiddly with lots of ribbon cables and fittings that have to be connected in just the right order. I wasn't sure I'd put it back together right, and it still didn't work.

While I was working on it, I'd substituted an older wired natural keyboard - and because that older keyboard was PS2 but my computer doesn't have PS2 ports, I bought a very cheap USB-to-PS2 interface to get it connected.

So I left the washed-out dead keyboard to one side for a few days and then decided to give it one last try before throwing it in the trash - and voila! it worked fine again. :shrug: That was about a week ago, and it's worked fine ever since.

So now I'm back working on a nice clean wireless keyboard.
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  #196  
Old 01-01-2019, 05:25 PM
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Default Re: Cleaning Tips

Quote:
Originally Posted by ChuckF View Post
The cat is getting old and vomits on stuff pretty regular for fun so we bought a spot cleaner. It is fine, whatever, get over it, that is not the point of this.
I regret dismissing the spot cleaner so hastily.

2019 may well be the Year of My Love for the Spot Cleaner. This morning I used it to clean a few years of farts out of my car seats. This afternoon, I will try to extract dog drool from throw pillows.
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  #197  
Old 01-01-2019, 10:10 PM
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Default Re: Cleaning Tips

Quote:
Originally Posted by ChuckF View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by ChuckF View Post
The cat is getting old and vomits on stuff pretty regular for fun so we bought a spot cleaner. It is fine, whatever, get over it, that is not the point of this.
I regret dismissing the spot cleaner so hastily.

2019 may well be the Year of My Love for the Spot Cleaner. This morning I used it to clean a few years of farts out of my car seats. This afternoon, I will try to extract dog drool from throw pillows.
Could it remove orange spots from white houses?
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