Household Cleaning Tips, Homemade Cleaning Products, Stain Removal Tips etc.

Household cleaning tips that work. Advice for removing stains, what to do with leftovers, how to make your own homemade cleaning products and general household tips for your home. For a more in depth look at vinegar as a household cleaning product see our page entitled Cleaning with Vinegar.

Helpful household tips in the Kitchen and the House will provide shortcuts, give you new ideas and helpful tips in general. Here you will learn to prevent eggs from cracking when boiling them, how to dry wet shoes, how to prevent fishy smells when cooking fish. There are also stain removal tips for removing various stains from clothes and carpets. There are many more handy tips here for you to read and adopt. Happy hunting!

HOUSEHOLD CLEANING TIPS FOR THE FREEZER

* To keep root ginger fresh, place in the freezer and grate off sufficient use at a time.

* Whip cream before freezing - it then stays whipped and can be used when required. Cut the amount off that you want to used and allow to thaw at room temperature.

* Salt in excess can prevent the proper freezing of foods.

* Cooked fish is not recommended for freezing unless it is incorporated in fish cakes, fish pies, fish casseroles etc.

* The whites of hard-boiled eggs can become rubbery when frozen.

* Frozen casseroles, soups and stews containing garlic will develop an odd flavour. Rather add the garlic to these dishes after reheating.

* Salad vegetables such as cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce, whole onions, celery and radishes loose their crispness when frozen and cannot be used in salads. However, frozen tomatoes, onion and celery can be used for cooking purposes.

* Avocadosdo not freeze well, although when thawed are fine mashed with lemon juice and used in dips.

* Salted cheese that has been frozen cannot be used on a cheese platter as it will crumble. However, it is fine to use for sauces and cooking.

* Do not freeze stuffed poultry due to the slow freezing of the stuffing, harmful bacteria may be present and will cause illness when the bird is thawed and eaten later.

* Sauces thickened with flour thin on thawing. Therefore use cornflour or rice flour to avoid this.

* Custards, cream fillings and milk puddings tend to curdle and separate if frozen. Caramel creams do not freeze and frozen gelatin dishes will separate on thawing.

* Sour cream separates when frozen on its own. However, it freezes well when combined with other ingredients.

* Bananas will turn brown when frozen, but if they are mashed and lemon juice is added they can be used in baking.

* Never put hot foods directly in a freezer. Always wait for them to cool first.

* Household cleaning tips for your freezer - To hasten the process of defrosting place a bowl of boiling water in the bottom of your freezer placed on a chopping board. Close the lid. Ice will melt faster. Repeat if necessary.

HOUSEHOLD CLEANING TIPS FOR THE KITCHEN

* Leftover wine and beer can be added to stews and casseroles.

* The strong flavour of onion rings is lessened and their crispness retained if they are soaked in iced, salted water for an hour before being added to the salads.

* Prick an egg with a needle at the rounded end to prevent cracking when boiling.

* Scrambled eggs will not become watery if you add 1 teaspoon of cornflour to the mixture before cooking.

* whipping cream stays fresh for days if you add a pinch of baking soda to the cream while whipping.

* Baked potatoes will be crisper if they are brushed with a little oil before baking.

* To quickly dry herbs, remove the leaves from the stalks, wipe them clean without washing, place between paper towels and microwave on high for 3 minutes. Turn if necessary and microwave a little longer. Remove and crumble.

* To make corned beef taste better when cooking, add a dash of vinegar, a tablespoon of honey and a few cloves while cooking.

* To tenderize tough meat when boiling, add half a teaspoon of cream of tartar to the water.

* Before making flour into a batter for a pudding add a dessertspoonful of ground rice. This will make the pudding lighter.

* When frying fish, sprinkle a little curry powder into the pan. It prevents the 'fishy' smell and improves flavour and colour.

* A stick of cinnamon or 1/2 teaspoon of cloves added to the water when stewing apples, peaches, pears or prunes will give them a lovely spicy flavour.

* Warm jam will allow you to spread it more easily on cakes and sponges, and will also prevent it from soaking through.

* If you have a collapsed meringue top it with some marshmallows and them toast it under a grill or a very hot oven.

* To remove the smell of smoke from the kitchen, burn a few drops of vinegar on a hotplate or pan.

* Household cleaning tips for cleaning your microwave. Place a quarter of a cup of vinegar in a coffee cup and fill the rest up with water. Bring the water to boil in the microwave. Remove and clean down sides of microwave more easily.

* Household cleaning tips for cleaning your hands after handling fish; rub them with a slice of lemon. Rinse as usual.

* Household cleaning tips for cleaning your dishwasher; Keep the inside of your dishwasher clean and sparkling by pouring a cup of vinegar inside and running through a cycle. If you repeat this on a regular basis, the inside of your dishwasher will soon look like new again.

* Household cleaning tips for keeping ants out of your kitchen. Don't use insecticides and sprays, just spray undiluted vinegar around doorways, windows and anywhere else you spot them.

HOUSEHOLD CLEANING TIPS FOR THE HOUSE

* To dry wet shoes fill them with crumbled newspapers and wrap each shoe in some newspaper. The paper will absorb the moisture.

* To sharpen your sewing machine needles, place a piece of fine sandpaper under the needle and sew through it as if you were sewing though cloth.

* To remove white marks on your wooden furniture here is a great homemade cleaning products recipe; use a mix of linseed oil and turpentine. Gently simmer 1/2 litre of linseed oil for 10 minutes. Removed from the stove and add 125 ml of turpentine. Mix the 2 ingredients together and apply to the burn marks.

* Other household cleaning tips. A cloth dampened with kerosene will keep chrome taps and faucets shiny and gleaming.

* Other stain remover tips. To remove fruit stains from material, soak it in cream of tartar and wash in the usual way.

Other household cleaning tips. To clean porcelain ornaments and rings use toothpaste.

* To help angora wool go further, knit alternate rows with 2-ply wool.

* Other stain remover tips. To remove bloodstains, egg, writing ink use cold water and rinse well before washing in hot suds.

* Other stain remover tips. To remove coffee, tea, ice cream, milk, butter wash in warm water and then wash in warm suds.

* Other stain remover tips. To remove oil-based paint from clothes use turpentine.

* Other stain remover tips. To remove ballpoint ink, grass, lipstick, mascara use methylated spirits.

* Other stain remover tips. To remove mildew from bathrooms and plastic shower curtains use bleach.

* Other household cleaning tips. A window cleaner mixture is made using 1 cup of kerosene, 1 cup methylated spirits and 1 cup water. Place in a bottle and shake well before using. To use put a few drops on a cloth and wipe over mirrors and windows. No polishing needed.

Well there are a lot of helpful hints and tips here. If you have your own handy hints that you would like to share, please feel free to do so by filling in the box below. Handy tips and helpful hints are always welcome.

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