Got any great cleaning tips? I don't but I just got a new product I love so I thought I'd share it with y'all. My sister in law sent me these: [www.amazon.com]
I love them. So much better than a traditional dishrag or sponge. They wring out completely dry, then they dry fast. I throw them in the washer when dirty. The only thing that is weird about them is that they dry kind of hard. But who cares. I will never go back to regular dishcloths. I've used them in bleach water and they were completely colorfast. I've scrubbed my pots with them with good results. Still had to use a SOS pad in some spots but still better than a regular dishcloth. They are the perfect size and after you are done using them you just run it under warm water and wring it out and it's ready for the next use.

I use a Scrub Daddy and bottle brushes (because that’s what we use in the laboratory). Those look nice though, especially if you can throw them into the laundry.

I just ordered more Quik n Brite from Amazon. Last time, I got it at the County Fair. It’s the best thing ever to get stains and grease from clothes and it doesn’t take out the color.

These looked intriguing, so I looked on Amazon and learned that "Swedish" a style, not the country of manufacture. These are actually made in China. I kept looking and found other Swedish dishtowels, including a package of 12 (instead of 10) and $2 less (if you like blue or yellow). So, I ordered these: [www.amazon.com] which happen to be made in Germany. There are some for even less money but look carefully at sizes.

I havent heard of quik and brite before. I will have to check it out. I am not very good at stain removal.

Great find Myst4au. Mine were a gift so I wasnt going to quibble about the country of origin.

CQ, I hope that they were NOT a Valentine's Day gift !!! (Less romantic even than a taco dinner.)

Haha what a terrible vday gift that would be. Even for a product I like.

@walesmaven wrote:

CQ, I hope that they were NOT a Valentine's Day gift !!! (Less romantic even than a taco dinner.)

Many, many items are manufactured in China. I was just curious. BTW, Swedish Fish are now manufactured in Canada.

@CoffeeQueen wrote:

I haven't heard of Quik and Brite before. I will have to check it out. I am not very good at stain removal.

Great find Myst4au. Mine were a gift so I wasn't going to quibble about the country of origin.

I recently got an Eye Vac and I love it.
[www.bedbathandbeyond.com]

I got mine from BBB, but you can get them other places. I used a 20% off coupon and a gift card that brought my total down to $37. I have it in the room that I keep the litter boxes in and it is great for sweeping up the litter and having the Eye Vac suck it up. No more line from the dustpan! It's light enough so I can lift it and set it in the hallway to sweep up there. The canister holds a lot.

Around the same time, I purchased 2 of these litter mats: [www.amazon.com]

I'm not sure if that's the same brand but they are made the same. The top layer in the mat has holes so the litter falls to the bottom layer and you lift up the mat and dump the litter back in the box. In theory, it works great which is probably why they are rated highly on Amazon. But no one asked the cats to rate them. I have 2 cats, and for a month, they would not step on the mats. They launched themselves out of the litter boxes up and over the mat. (Kinda funny to watch) Then when they tried to step on them, they would stumble because the holes were too big and the pads of their paws would be uneven on them. My boy finally will walk on them but his sister's paws are too little so she still won't. I would NOT recommend these mats in case anyone saw them and was wondering. I am looking for a mat that is stiff enough for me to sweep clean but able to throw in the washer to clean.

Wow you got a great deal on the Eye vac. Its a great idea too. I dont shop often (unless Im getting paid) so I hadnt seen those. Im positive the last time I was at Bbb was 3 years ago when I bought my shark.

I discovered it by watching one of those shows on HGTV or the DIY network - can't remember which. They were remodeling a house and they installed a similar product. I found the Eye Vac while searching online for the other product, which actually works better for me because it doesn't need to be "installed." BBB didn't carry it in a store near me at the time, so I ordered it online. It was weird - there is a model that was cheaper ( a little less sucking power) that would have probably worked. However, you couldn't use the 20% off coupon on it. Using the coupon on the more powerful model brought the price down to within $1-2 of the other one. And because I ordered it online, I have the Rakuten extension enabled so I got cash back on my purchase. Every little bit adds up and helps.

@CoffeeQueen wrote:

Wow you got a great deal on the Eye vac. Its a great idea too. I dont shop often (unless Im getting paid) so I hadnt seen those. Im positive the last time I was at Bbb was 3 years ago when I bought my shark.

A guy I was casually dating before I got married was feeling me out for gift ideas. I told him that flowers were a horrible idea because they died so quickly.

He have me a 48 roll package of toilet paper with a big, red bow on top.

I loved the idea. The TP lasted longer than the relationship.

@CoffeeQueen wrote:

Got any great cleaning tips? I don't but I just got a new product I love so I thought I'd share it with y'all. My sister in law sent me these: [www.amazon.com]
I love them. So much better than a traditional dishrag or sponge. They wring out completely dry, then they dry fast. I throw them in the washer when dirty. The only thing that is weird about them is that they dry kind of hard. But who cares. I will never go back to regular dishcloths. I've used them in bleach water and they were completely colorfast. I've scrubbed my pots with them with good results. Still had to use a SOS pad in some spots but still better than a regular dishcloth. They are the perfect size and after you are done using them you just run it under warm water and wring it out and it's ready for the next use.

I know this topic's for household cleaning, but these work well as a towels too for traveling or the gym, if these are the same type of towels they sell for drying up cars after a car wash.

As for cleaning hacks, I save a TON of time automating what I can due to the size of my house....

I have a Neato for every floor of my house that automatically vacuums everyday and a Braava to sweep my floors with those dry Swifter cloths and then a wet mop after for my wood floors. Those along save me TONS of time and I literally have to focus on the staircase usually.

As for cleaners,

1. Bissell Professional Spot and Stain + Oxy is a LIFESAVER regardless if you have pets or not.
2. Vinegar and Baking soda
3. Easy-Off Fume Free Oven Cleaner is absolutely amazing for ovens, speaking from experience having to quickly turndown a rental.
4. Dish soap concentrate with degreasing formulas is literally all your need for general household cleaning, while I also combine with wet wipes.

Speaking of toilet paper, I've upgraded every single toilet with a hand spray and bidets. It's more of an Asian thing, I feel like, as most of my American-born and raised friends think it's weird to wash your bum and would rather wipe and smear.

I can't decide if that's highly imaginative or totally lacking in imagination.

@HonnyBrown wrote:

A guy I was casually dating before I got married was feeling me out for gift ideas. I told him that flowers were a horrible idea because they died so quickly.

He have me a 48 roll package of toilet paper with a big, red bow on top.

I loved the idea. The TP lasted longer than the relationship.

@Tarantado wrote:

As for cleaning hacks, I save a TON of time automating what I can due to the size of my house....

I have a Neato for every floor of my house that automatically vacuums everyday and a Braava to sweep my floors with those dry Swifter cloths and then a wet mop after for my wood floors. Those along save me TONS of time and I literally have to focus on the staircase usually.

As for cleaners,

1. Bissell Professional Spot and Stain + Oxy is a LIFESAVER regardless if you have pets or not.
2. Vinegar and Baking soda
3. Easy-Off Fume Free Oven Cleaner is absolutely amazing for ovens, speaking from experience having to quickly turndown a rental.
4. Dish soap concentrate with degreasing formulas is literally all your need for general household cleaning, while I also combine with wet wipes.

Speaking of toilet paper, I've upgraded every single toilet with a hand spray and bidets. It's more of an Asian thing, I feel like, as most of my American-born and raised friends think it's weird to wash your bum and would rather wipe and smear.

My cleaning hack is a housekeeper who comes weekly. hahahaha

I guess you can marry a beautiful woman who has no idea how to clean now?

All he needs to do is take her home and she will be so impressed she will probably propose on the spot.

Back to cleaning hacks. After you run out of that 3 oz bottle of screen cleaner that you paid $5.00 at Staples fill it with 50% rubbing alcohol and distilled water. Works great.

So today I had to buy windshield spray for my auto. The total cost was $2.99 for a gallon of windshield cleaner. I am going to fill my window cleaning bottles with this stuff.

For foaming hand washing liquid, I fill my empty bottle with 1/3 dish soap and then fill with water. Mix well and voila!

I was gifted a veggie chopper by my sis in law. It has worked wonders for me since it saves a lot of chopping time in the kitchen. I recently upgraded and went for an even better one. [www.amazon.com] Love this!

Also if you don't want dirty, gunky bathtub mats, check this out [www.amazon.com]

Never have to take them out to clean. They are anti slip and skid proof.

That's a killer price on that chopper thingie. It looks awesome.

I know! I got it for $22 a couple of months ago.

Just a suggestion, but I trained my cat to pee pads years ago. It is so convenient and I have absolutely no litter smell or tracking anywhere in my house.

I started off by putting a couple of cupfuls of litter on top of a pee pad ( I use the Hartz lavender scented) in the litter box. My cat didn't notice any difference. I changed the pee pads about twice a day.

Over the space of a week, I gradually decreased the amount of litter until I was using none at all. My cat still scratches the pee pad when he poops, but is is contained on the pee pad.

Then, I switched to a rabbit droppings plastic pan that I found at Tractor Supply. They are wider but not as deep as a cat litter box. My cat has more room and can't tip it over the way they can litter boxes.

I love that I never have to worry about smell or cleaning up litter. I buy a package of 100 liners for about $22. but ease of cleanup and no smell is well worth the price.

Recommendations for a great Mandolin please. @Mum, that bath mat sounds unbelievable! They need to work on its visual appeal. Do you own one?

Yes, I have the mats in both my bathtubs. They have been there for three years now. So much easier to just clean the surface than taking out dirty mats with hair and soap inside them. The pictures don't do justice since they are transparent. (Not white like the pics)

I gotta say I like this thread. It's interesting.

@Texans, do you have a Costco membership? My sister has a tiny Yorkshire terrier. She buys a box of 100 pads for $15 at Costco. She works FT and has trained the cutie to go on the pad.

@ Mum, thank you. I am buying one for the tub. Can't stand those bathmats!0

Also ordered the bath mat. Looks like a better bet than what I have been using.