Shower spray

In today’s economic times, saving money can be a necessity. Sometimes it can be fun just to see how much you can save without being fanatical.

Wet areas, such as showers, are prone to mildew in addition to soap scum and dirt. Yes, you can purchase shower sprays to get rid of the mildew.

However, you can easily make your own with simple ingredients – four parts water to one part chlorine bleach.

Now, if mildew has taken over your shower, use a stronger bleach mixture. Just be careful about getting the mixture on your skin. The bleach will dry out your skin quickly not to mention smell bad.

Place the mixture in a spray bottle clearly marked as bleach and water. Use on your shower to clean then prevent the mold and mildew.

Of course, NEVER mix bleach with ammonia. Fumes from the resulting mixture can be deadly.

Got a screw loose?

Do loose screws drive you nuts? Here are a couple of tips for fixing them.

If the screw is in wood, remove the screw. Depending on the size, take one or more wooden toothpicks, insert them in the hole. Break the toothpicks even with the wood. Screw the screw back into the hole. If the object gets a lot of wear (like a wooden drawer pull), a touch of glue on the wooden toothpicks before you insert them in the hole makes the repair stronger.

If the screw is metal, the challenge is tougher. One method: remove the screw, wrap sewing thread around the threads of the screw. Put the screw back and screw it into the hole. A second method, remove the screw. Tear a couple of small strips of paper no wider than the diameter of the screw hole but longer than the depth of the hole. Put two or more strips of paper into the hole. Place the screw in the middle of the hole between the pieces of paper. Screw the screw back into the hole. Tear off any extra paper even with the head of the screw.

I have used these on many of occasions with success. But, if these do not work, sometimes necessity requires a larger screw.

Dusting Tip

Our goals for the blog includes both crafting tips and hints and also household hints.

After spending some weekend time cleaning, here’s a dusting tip.

Great dusting products exist on the market today. Some use electro-static cling in addition to their material composition. Others use an oil and chemical mix that you use on your own cleaning cloth to clean, dust and protect at the same time.

Neither of these types of cleaning products solve the problem of dusting tiny crevices, scrollwork or barnboard that can be found in picture frames or in electronics.

One simple but handy tool can help solve the problem and should be added to your cleaning tools collection.

The paintbrush! 

paintbrush

This trim brush is one inch wide, made of soft but sturdy bristles and has a long handle. It has seen a lot of painting – and with a simple wash could still be used as a paintbrush; however, it works great for cleaning those difficult to dust items. The narrow width and long handle make the tool easy to use and useful.

If you have any pictures framed with a rough material – like barnboard – or any ornate scrollwork, the brush easily gets into the areas to clean.

It effortlessly cleans the speaker area of clock radios and the filter area of blow dryers too.

Dry dust the object first, then if more cleaning is needed, add a spritz of cleaning spray or furniture polish to the brush and dust again.

You’ll find other cleaning uses for the simple but handy paintbrush!