Happy Chinese New Year! Did you know that before the Chinese New Year, it's traditional to clean the house from top to bottom? It's part of the process of bidding farewell to the old year and welcoming the new one. Since it's #ThrowbackThursday and the new year just began a few days ago, we couldn't resist sharing some good old-fashioned deep-cleaning tips, inspired by
this list of traditional tricks!
Click through for 8 old-school natural cleaning tips!
1. Give your oven a blowout.
Who knew? Heat is your secret weapon for eliminating gross grease or oil patches on your kitchen appliances and utensils. Make cleaning the oven easier by grabbing your hair dryer! Spray down the surfaces you want to clean with your fave all-purpose cleaner, cover with plastic wrap, and hit 'em with high heat for a few minutes. Then pull off the plastic and wipe off all the gunk in seconds! Salt also helps with dissolving grease, so sprinkle a little on before your cleaner if you have an especially stubborn spot.
2. Save stale milk to add luster to wood and marble.
Really, any lacquered surface will benefit from this treatment! Grab an old rag and pour some of that stale milk on there (make sure it's not coagulated - and wear gloves and a mask if you're squeamish about smells). Then just wipe down your marble countertops and wooden cabinets, and any other lacquered furniture you may have to see an instantly more lustrous surface! Just remember to wipe it down with a damp cloth afterwards to avoid any smelliness.
3. Scrub stains from your pots with a potato.
Tired of weird stains on your pots and pans? Grab half a potato, dip it in salt, and rub it all over your cookware to banish stains and refresh your pans! You can also use this trick for oven stains.
4. Evict inconvenient dust bunnies with nylons.
Use the power of static to attract dust in hard-to-reach places. Wrap a pair of nylon stockings around a broomstick for a DIY dust wand and banish those bunnies!
5. Spot-clean any stain with toothpaste.
Has that stain on the curtain been bothering you? Grab your toothpaste and scrub it in to remove stains in all kinds of fabrics and other surfaces. You can even use toothpaste to clean rust and water stains off your metal appliances - squeeze some onto a toothbrush and get scrubbing!
6. Get streak-free, spot-free windows with an onion.
If you have an extra onion, it's a good time to clean all your windows! Prepare some old newspaper or a rag, then cut your onion in half and wipe it across the window. Wipe up the juice with your newspaper before it dries for sparkling windows in seconds!
7. Buff leather with egg whites.
Just using the yolks for something? Don't throw out your egg whites! Brush a little of the clear stuff into any scratches in your leather furniture to conceal marks and make your leather look shiny and new.
8. Banish bad smells with citrus.
If you keep oranges, lemons, or limes around, save those skins! Toss some citrus skins in your microwave and turn it on for a minute to loosen up any residue and spread the delicious citrusy smell. Then just wipe down the inside of the oven and toss the citrus scraps. You can also use these handy little fruits to deodorize your sink or garbage disposal - wipe it down with half a lemon dipped in salt to disinfect and remove odors.
What are your favorite natural cleaning hacks? Share them with us on social media @catchyfreebies using the #ThrowbackThursday hashtag!
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