Household Hints by Rosemary ~ A Bit of Everything

Rosemary has some hints for cleaning out the old and shining up the new as we settle into 2012.

Now that the excitement of Christmas and New Year celebrations are over, it's back to basic housework and cleaning up. Some of our guests consisted of small boys who frequent hockey arenas and were exhibiting signs of a cold on the way. Once the decorations come down and before the usual items go back in place is a good time to go around and do a good dusting, wash down and spray with a general disinfectant.
One of the occasional jobs that needs to be done, and this is a good time for it as well, is to lift off the toilet seat by undoing the screws that hold it to the bowl. This will give you a chance to clean the area under the screws and between the lid and the seat where dust and dirt can collect. Before I scrub the bathtub, I put the whole seat in it with a covering of hot water, spray it with a disinfecting cleaner and wash it completely before reinstalling it.
While cleaning the seat, and the rest of the bathroom, toss a denture tablet (always keep a box around, whether you have dentures or not, as they are also great for cleaning stained coffee or tea cups, tea and coffee pots and jewelry) into the toilet and let it sit for a while to clean the ceramic. Swish the water around with a brush before flushing.
Winter boots, especially those worn by small boys, can get pretty smelly; the odor can be controlled by putting a cotton ball with a couple of drops of clove or tea tree oil on it in an empty film canister, punch a couple of holes in the top and put them in the boots overnight. This will stay good to use for several weeks then you simply have to renew the cotton ball and oil.
Over the holidays when I put homemade rolls in the bread basket the linen liner was grease marked, a friend told me that if I had sprinkled flour on the linen it would have absorbed the oil and the material wouldn't have marked so easily. This is a hint I'll take note of the next time I serve rolls to see if it really works. If you try it let me know how it went, as it is I'll take the grease marks out with a mixture of vinegar and dish detergent, which works well.
Also time to sprinkle baking soda on the carpets, let it sit a bit and then vacuum up for fresh clean scent. Commercially made carpet cleaners contain chemicals and perfumes; baking soda won't cause an allergic reaction.
Pour some baking soda and vinegar down the drains to help clean out whatever grease has made its way into the pipes over the holidays, repeat in a week and then every several weeks after to keep your drains clean.
Then, time to put my feet up and enjoy a cup of tea with my new stocking stuffer mystery novel. Happy New Year everyone.