Wacky Household Cleaning Tips Put To the Test

Tang and Jello In the Dishwasher

If you can find Tang in your grocery store, try using it to clean your dishwasher. Not the dishes, the dishwashing machine. I poured a cup of powder into my dishwasher, set it to hot water and hoped it would dissolve the light orange residue inside.

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Verdict

It worked! A cycle of Tang did leave the interior of my once dingy machine sparkling white. Miliner says Tang's acid dissolves mineral deposits. Ramsey of C&R Housecleaning says in her experience, a citric Jello powder works just as well.

Photo Credit: Flickr/ Roadsidepictures

Newspapers to Clean Faucets

Although we all know to use newspaper to clean windows and mirrors for a streak-free shine, I read that it can make faucets gleam.

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Verdict

It disappointed. I'd say that it will work depending on the material of your fixtures. It left a black streaked mess on my bronze finished faucet, but it worked fine on the silver finish. Crumpled newsprint should be saved for cleaning windows spritzed with vinegar or generic window washing cleaner for a streak-free shine.

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Pencil Erasers For Water Stains

Ramsey also mentioned that a pencil eraser will erase water stains on faucets.

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Verdict

It disappointed. While it worked fine on my faucet with a silver finish, it didn't work at all on my bronze finished faucet. One of the best tips, which I use to this day, comes from the book, Extraordinary Uses for Ordinary Things: Use a pencil eraser to eliminate sticky price tag and label residue left on items such as picture frame glass.

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Diapers Fix Leaks

The ServiceMagic blog said that a diaper is a temporary fix for leaks. My washer hose often acts like a garden hose during the rinse cycle, so I tested a Pull Up by wrapping it around the hose, and securing it with packaging tape where the leak originated.

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Verdict

It worked! It held the moisture in through one large wash cycle, which typically produced about three cups of leaking water. The diaper was heavy with moisture, so I would only use it on minimal leaks like this, not on burst pipes, for example. Though it looked somewhat comical, it's a great idea for a quick fix.

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Coffee Filters For Cleaning Windows

There are a number of uses that we've seen for good old-fashioned coffee filters, but here's a new one from Debra Johnson, "Coffee filters are great for cleaning windows as the filter contains no lint and doesn't leave behind ink on hands as newspaper does," she says.

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Verdict

It worked! The coffee filters left behind no lint on the windows at all. I sprayed window cleaner onto an unused basket-style coffee filter and scrubbed my kitchen window. But it was kind of a pain since the coffee filter is so small.

Photo Credit: Flickr/artizone

Coca-Cola

You may ditch your daily can after reading this, but it has been reported that coke can take rust off bolts and blood stains off asphalt. For more mundane uses, pour a can of Coca-Cola into a pot or pan with burnt on food, soak overnight and then scrub.

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Verdict

I used Coca-Cola to try to take rust off of a heating vent. I soaked a rag with Coca-Cola, then let it sit on the rust stain for about five minutes before wiping up the liquid. It definitely made the metal brighter and eliminated some of the rust, but it wasn't perfect. For about a buck a bottle, it may be the cheapest industrial strength cleaner I've ever used.

Photo Credit: Flickr/ photobunny

Shaving Cream Cleans Grout and More

Jolie Ramsey, owner of C&R Housecleaning in St. Louis, told me to use shaving cream and lemon juice to clean grout. I was leery about dumping or even dabbing lemon juice on my recently tiled bathroom floor, but the grout near the sink was definitely dirty.

Photo Credit: flickr/Telstar Logistics

Verdict

It worked! But I just used shaving cream, no lemon juice. (Hint: Shaving cream quickly expands, so squirt a tiny bit.)

Photo Credit: flickr/cote

We love surprising new ways to achieve our housekeeping needs! Check out more Unusual Uses for Coca Cola here.