Household Maintenance

Cleaning tips

Here is a GUIDE to help you stay on top of the ugly job of taking care of your own place.

ATTEMPT DAILY

• Make bed

• Put dirty clothes in the hamper.

• Hang up clean…or “clean enough” clothes.

• Clean up spills.

• Wash dishes.

• Wipe counters and stovetop….or at least clear off the bottles and food!

WEEKLY

• Vacuum the carpet.

• Sweep hardwood floors.

• Dust furniture.

• Do the laundry

• Change sheets….or buy some!

• Clean sinks.

• Clean showers and tubs.

• Clean the toilet.

• Clean bathroom mirrors.

• Empty trash cans.

Bet you didn’t realize how much Mom and Dad did around the house while you were sleeping in!

MONTHLY

• Replace the bag on your vacuum

• Dust ceiling fans.

• Wash kitchen and bathroom area rugs…..or replace if you can’t tell what color the rug originally was!

• Clean out the refrigerator. It will be interesting to see the different types of mold that has grown inside!!

 “First Timers” household survival tips

Stains

On fabrics/carpets –
Fresh carpet stains can be reduced by gently soaking up with paper towels, then spraying with shaving foam. Don’t rub the stain. You will end up rubbing it deeper in the carpet. Leave to soak in and repeat if necessary.

Urine/Vomit (on washable fabric) - Soak in cold water and spray with a spot remover. Then wash in a strong detergent.
Alternatively, sponge with a vinegar solution (1 tablespoon/15ml to 1 pint/500ml cold water).

On non-washable fabrics, remove surface deposits, sponge with warm water (with a couple of drops of ammonia). Blot dry with absorbent paper

Dog poop (on carpets) - Remove surface deposits. Wipe with damp cloth. Clean with carpet cleaner, rinse and blot, repeating as necessary.

Beer - Rinse or soak in lukewarm water, then wash in detergent.

Kitchen Hints

Can't get the ketchup out of the narrow necked bottle - try this. Hold thumb over the end of a drinking straw, push straw to the bottom of the bottle, remove thumb. Ketchup should now pour easily.

Put two or three lumps of sugar in with the cheese to stop it from going moldy.

Rub your hands with vinegar before and after slicing onions - this will eliminate the smell.

To prevent foam from forming and boiling over when boiling pasta in water, put a couple of drops of vegetable oil in the water.

To prevent egg cracking while boiling, add a pinch of salt to the water.

To remove food stains from hands, rub on raw potato and rinse with water.

To keep the "fizz" in an unfinished canned drink, put the end of a teaspoon in the can and the next day it will still be fizzy…really, try it.

Basic Home Maintenance

Basic house maintenance tips to make you look like a pro.

 Remember, only you can prevent your house from falling apart. Armed with some basic house info, you will possess the brainpower necessary to keep your house upright.

1. Plumbing

A. Unclog toilet with a plunger. (Go to your local hardware store and ask for one…along with your other list of tools identified later in this chapter.) If the plunger doesn't work you may have to call a plumber or a company that specializes in unclogging pipes.

B. Locate water shut-offs near toilets and under sinks. Also locate water main in the front yard and make sure you can turn it on and off. This is important to know in case you have a water pipe leaking somewhere in the house. You can prevent extensive wall and carpet damage knowing how to turn them off quickly.

C. Unclog sinks with any drain cleaner you can buy at the hardware or grocery store. If that doesn’t work, get under the sink and pull the pipes apart to clean. WAIT! Did I say you?! I meant you need to get someone to help you and show you how or as a last resort, hire a plumber. If you hire a plumber, make sure you watch how they do it. You may be able to do it yourself next time. If not, you could at least have a great “OOMO Moment”!
 

2. Electrical

A. Locate the main electrical box outside. All of the switches should be identified.

B. Know what a GFCI is and how to reset them. (Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters)
Here's how it may work in your house. Suppose a bare wire inside an appliance touches the metal case. The case is then charged with electricity. If you touch the
appliance with one hand while the other hand is touching a grounded metal object, like a
water faucet, you will receive a shock. If the appliance is plugged into an outlet protected
by a GFCI, the power will be shut off before a fatal shock would occur.

C. Identify and know how to change out different types of light bulbs. Be aware of the different wattage numbers on the bulbs and match them accordingly within your place.

D. NEVER work on anything electrical until you turn the power OFF in the main electrical box!

3. In case of Emergency

A. Know where your gas line shut-off valve is.

B. Have a list of numbers to call in case of an emergency.

C. Have a fire extinguisher and know how to use it.

D. Know where your main electrical box is and how to shut off power.

E. Have extra bottles of water on hand.

F. Have candles, flashlights, matches, non-perishable food, batteries, radio and anything else you think you might need in case of the “big one” (Whatever that means in your part of the country – earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes or your basic power outage!).

G. Have a plan of escape in case of a fire.

It seems something is always breaking, falling, cracking, or just plain quitting. Keeping your house in good repair is one of the first steps in making sure it doesn’t fall apart.

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