List your favorite/untraditional cleaning/restoration tips ...

[jacob]

There's cleaning with soap and water ... but then there's the "make it look like new" tricks which sometimes requires 'better living through chemistry' but not always.

Here's what I've found:

* ArmorAll. Intended for cleaning car interiors and tires but works wonders for any plastic, rubber, and metal. E.g. fans, radios, lamps, tools, ...
* Mr Clean Magic Eraser (and derivatives). Countertops, stoves, and wherever Scotch Brite fails.
* Corn starch solutions. DIY window/glass cleaner which works much better than Windex.

[chenda]

My grandad recommended cleaning small objects with half a clothes peg. It gives you better purchase apparently

[Ego]

Goo Gone removes tar, wax and sticky messes.
Zep spot remover removes stains and smells like nothing else I've used.
I bought a Shark portable steam cleaner at the swap meet for a few bucks.
There are few clothing stains that can resist that triple threat.

I learned while living on the boat to keep a can of Nevr-Dull handy.
Break fluid is highly penetrating so I use it to free rusty nuts and bolts. Don't get it on paint.
Always keep old toothbrushes.
Car compound restores oxidized aluminum (bike parts) nicely.

Edit to add, nylon and polyester items often get hairy/stringy with age. Especially boots, athletic shoes, backpacks and bags. Burn off the hairs with a lighter and make them look new. Also works with pesky ear hairs. Danger!

De-pill garments with a disposable razor.

[GandK]

* Mr Clean Magic Eraser (and derivatives). Countertops, stoves, and wherever Scotch Brite fails.

These also conveniently remove black scuff marks from painted walls, as well as the scuff marks on on white athletic shoes.

Always keep old toothbrushes.

Yes. Yes. Yes.

Not already mentioned above:

Textured microfiber cleaning cloths are my friends. They will clean all the glass in your house, from mirrors to vases, with just water. They will also desmudge your (eye)glasses, phone and computer screen better than anything else when dry. I keep one in my purse for that reason. Be sure to get the textured ones like the ones in the photo... the smooth ones are nowhere near as effective IME. I sometimes see these marketed as a good way to dust without chemicals, which puzzles me since that's about the only thing they can theoretically do that I think they need something stronger than water to accomplish.

[jennypenny]

Vinegar in the fabric softener dispenser of the washing machine will get out smells and brighten whites.

Blue dish soap combined with vinegar is a good shower cleaner.

Blue dish soap combined with hydrogen peroxide will clean grout and remove mold.

Resolve carpet cleaner cleans grout and gets out sneaker scuffs in floors.

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Are things like the Mr. Clean sponge and microfiber cloths really worth it? I just use rags. I hate buying extra stuff.

[jacob]

I import(*) microfiber cloths from Denmark. I didn't even know they were available domestically.

I also import these for mopping floors.
https://www.google.com/search?q=gulvklu ... 23&bih=789

(*) When I get visitors, I ask them to bring some.

[GandK]

Are things like the Mr. Clean sponge and microfiber cloths really worth it? I just use rags. I hate buying extra stuff.

I would definitely buy a Mr. Clean sponge if you have black scuffs on painted walls. That's the biggie for me. I've had the same sponge for the last 3 years. You don't have to buy it repeatedly, and it's extremely effective in that specific situation.

I have owned the same 8 microfiber cloths for the last few years as well, and use one per day in pretty much any cleaning situation when people would normally use paper towels. I do still use rags for dusting and for kitchen scrubbing.

Very glad I have both available.

[jacob]

@GandK - Wait .. can Mr Clean sponges be washed? Sofar I've been throwing them out once they get gnarly. Now I feel stupid. I do wash the microfiber cloths.

[GandK]

@jacob No, no! They disintegrate. But you can use them until they disintegrate! I only have about a quarter of mine left, LOL. But even though it's ugly, it still works. 95% of my usage has been scuffs on walls... in a house full of boys, that's a pretty regular thing, and that's the one thing that sponge does that I can't accomplish otherwise without buying specialized chemicals or applying so much elbow grease that it would damage the paint. (Or repainting.)

[jennypenny]

Can't you just throw them in the dishwasher like other sponges?

[GandK]

I doubt it. Mine basically melted as I used it over time.

It's not a sponge in the traditional sense, although it feels like one and it does absorb water. Mechanically, I think it's more like a much softer version of a Brillo pad.

Edited to add: I have, and am talking about, the original Magic Eraser. Apparently there are now many varieties available. Some of those might be more spongelike.

[Gilberto de Piento]

+1 for magic eraser removing marks from walls.

[Chris]

Magic Eraser really is magic on certain surfaces. I break mine apart to increase total surface area. And I've found the store brand to be just as effective as the original.

I like Scrub Daddy for scrubbing dishes, etc. Kind of pricey, but mine's lasted 18 months or so.

[EMJ]

How do you get black scuff marks on walls? Having raised a teenager it's still a mystery to me.
Do you wear shoes indoors?

Old linen tea towels are very absorbent and dry quickly. Great in the kitchen and when they are too worn out for that they make excellent rags.

[Did]

Any idea for melted plastic on the back of a chair after drying clothes by the fire went wrong?

[7Wannabe5]

My brand-name recommendation would be Formby's Conditioning Wood Refinisher. It will dissolve thick, bumpy, scratched or dull shellac, varnish and stain just enough that you can smooth it out with a steel pad and avoid having to use a sander or a more messy, noxious chemical stripper, and will only require minimal further finish if any. For instance, useful if you find a beat-up old 1930s bureau in the alley or you have some faux mahogany trim on your staircase. Not for use on true antique.

[brighteye]

My go-to for stains (even blood) is ox-gall soap. It's very cheap, natural and a bar lasts forever. No idea if it's available in the US.

[FBeyer]

Untraditional cleaning tip?
Don't place your stuff on top of counters, sills, tabletops, speakers, cabinets, nor on the floor. Horizontal surface is not meant for storage, they are meant for temporary usage. Storage is for storage.
You'll be done dusting and vacuuming in half the time.

So: no tv, few flowers if any on window sills, cupboard have doors to keep dust out, keys, wallets chargers and shit have a box they they belong in (preferably inside a drawer), rather than lie around on drawers or table tops. etc etc

[BlueNote]

When consumer reports tested various household branded "all-purpose" cleaners only pine sol really made the grade. It's not natural or green but it works for most situations. I use it to mop the floors and for a few other things. My typical mop mix is pine sol, borax and very hot water which leaves home smelling great.

[Sclass]

Any idea for melted plastic on the back of a chair after drying clothes by the fire went wrong?

Heat. Heat got it on, heat may have a chance of getting it off.

I use melamine sponges from the dime store that are like magic erasers. I notice the cell structure kind of collapses. I think because they are actually made up of kind of an abrasive material that is brittle. It just feels soft because it's a foam.

Microfiber towels can be bought cheap factory direct on eBay. I buy from a USA factory in Georgia when they get an inventory backup. They will blow out the rags in bulk. These are "shop" towels and bleed a little red dye. Good for cleaning dashboards.

For odd cleaning tips I've recently discovered putting two drops of Palmolive antibacterial dishwashing soap into my toilets. After moving to southern cal we are trying to get by on less flushes on #1. If you don't put any detergent in it stinks. I clean the bowl with the dish detergent too. Just add a squirt and brush. It works well and makes for a quick cleanup. I know, kind of gross but I was shocked at how well this stuff kills the ammonia smell. My biochemist SO claims that the antibacterial soap is probably blocking the bacterial action that releases ammonia from the urea. Whatever...it works. Got a $0.99 bottle on each toilet tank.

I'm always opening up some old electronic device and finding the batteries leaked. Vinegar on a q tip really does wonders on removing the residues and corrosion. Make sure to clean it up with water after that and let it dry.