Household cleaning hacks you should know

MANILA, Philippines - Having a healthy household does not just mean eating the right food, but having your house germ-free as well. While we exert too much physical effort in cleaning, we also exert too much money on buying cleaning products. Be pragmatic and avoid overspending on household supplies. You probably didn't know it, but here are some cheap, convenient, and easy-to-do cleaning tips that would help you stretch your budget and patience in cleaning even further.

White Vinegar
Aside from cooking with vinegar, you may also use it to keep your dishwasher, windows, floors, microwaves and refrigerators extra clean. Pour an equal amount of vinegar and water on a cup and dip a cloth or sock. Run it over and use another cloth or sock to remove the dampness.

Ice Cubes
Every few weeks, toss in a handful of cubes in your sink. Add some orange, or lemon to ward off some stenchy odor.

Newspaper
Don’t throw away your old newspapers. Use it to get rid of garbage grime and crusty dips and drops of garbage juices.  Cover the bottom of your trash can with old newspapers to soak up leaks and odors.

Clay Doh
If you think that clay is only for playtime, think again. Clay Doh can be used to pick up the small pieces of broken glasses and glitters. Just press the clay into the area and the glass or glitters will stick onto it.

Lemons
Utilize the power of citrus to clean your microwave, which becomes smelly most of the time because of the different food heated.  Squeeze lemon juice into a small bowl of water and place in the microwave for five minutes. The fresh scent will eliminate the cooking odors and condensation from the steam makes the random splatters that have hardened easier to remove.

Mouthwash
Aside from killing bad breath, adding a considerable amount of mouthwash to a gallon of water and mop the vinyl and tiles.

Baby Oil
Baby oil helps the dirty water bead roll down the drain faster. Use this to clean your sink, toilet bowl, or tub.

Potatoes
Did you just went on a camping trip? To remove hardened mud on your clothes, especially comforter or blankets, slice a potato in half and gently rub the cut end on to it. Soak the fabric in cool water after before tossing them into the laundry.

Rice
Having a hard time fitting your hands while cleaning a narrow vase? Just pour  two tablespoons of dry rice and half a cup of warm water inside the vase. Shake the vase vigorously while covering it with your hands.  Drain the vase afterwards.

Blow Dryer
Give chandeliers a quick cleaning with a blow-dryer (set on low) or a feather duster. For tougher jobs, fill a spray bottle with one part vodka to five parts water, spritz on fixtures and blow-dry.

Hair Spray
Walls doodled with markers  can be cleaned by misting them with hairspray and wiping them immediately. Crayon on walls on the other hand could be removed by scrubbing with a toothbrush covered with toothpaste. You may also use a damp microfiber cloth with baking soda. Hairspray may also be used to remover lipstick stains on clothes.

Chalk
For those who are not aware, chalk has a powerful absorbing quality. Greasy and oily fingerprints can be removed by rubbing a chalk on walls, even clothes.  Wash it with water after to make it completely grease-free.

Onion
Peel and cut the white onion in half. Rub the onion back and forth over the grates of a hot grill. The onion will deglaze the grates and add a little extra flavor the next time you grill in for some barbecue adventure.