As every homeowner can attest, the to-do list of chores for around the house never seems to get any shorter. Whether it’s lawn work in the spring or winterizing your home in the fall, most weekends seem too short to get everything done. With this in mind, here are a few tips on how to quickly cross off a few household chores that always seem to popup.
Haunted House
Squeaky doors and floorboards work great in haunted old homes that children dare each other to enter. However, if your house doesn’t have a deep, dark secret, they can be just plain annoying. Spraying a little WD-40 onto the hinges of squeaky doors can quickly eliminate the ominous sound that used to accompany each time you opened and closed the door. Make sure you move the door back and forth while you spray the hinge so the lubricant can work its way into each seem.
For creaky floorboards that complain about being stepped upon, sprinkle a little talcum powder over the whinny area and sweep it into the cracks. Once most of the powder has been swept between the cracks, use a damp cloth to remove the remaining powder from the floor.
Waning Wallpaper
Depending on the age of your home, or how humid the summer gets where you live, your house might suffer from the condition known as peeling wallpaper (insert ominous music). To fix this unsightly problem, smear a sheet of writing paper (such as from legal pad) with wallpaper paste, and gently rub the paper against the underside of the section that has peeled away from the wall. Firmly press the wallpaper back against the wall, and slowly slide the writing paper out of from underneath. Use a clean cloth to smooth away any bubbles that remain, and your wall will look good as new.
Swinging from the Chandelier
Chandeliers, whether hanging above the dinning room table or in your front hallway, are difficult to clean because of their ornate beauty. Using a feather duster or damp cloth will all but assure you miss a few spots, so try this trick instead. Purchase a pair of white cotton gloves, put them on, and spray one thoroughly with glass cleaner, while keeping the other one dry. Alternate wiping down the chandelier with the wet glove, and then immediately drying off any dampness with the dry glove. Since your fingers should reach all of the tiny crevices a duster would miss, you can return the sparkle to even the fanciest of light fixtures in no time.
Depressed Pillow
Do the cushions on your couch or favorite chair seem a little deflated? Well instead of spending the day trying to talk them up, place the cushions outside on a warm sunny afternoon. The warm sunlight will not only fill your cushions with B-12, but it will also help to evaporate the moisture that becomes trapped in the filling. Make sure to flip the pillows after a few hours to avoid the sun fading the fabric, and by the end of the day, your pillows will once again be puffed up and filled with confidence.
Race Track
Does your home’s linoleum look like it’s participated in a few too many drag races? Fortunately those scuffs are easier to remove than keeping your kids from pulling, dragging, pushing, beating, slamming, and jamming things into, onto, and around your linoleum floors. Just rub each scuff with white toothpaste applied to a dry, clean cloth and rub the area until the scuff has vanished. If you prefer your toothpaste colorful and tasting like bubble gum, spray a little WD-40 on a cloth instead and gently rub each area. Make sure you clean off the WD-40 with dishwashing soap when finished so your linoleum floor doesn’t turn into a mini ice rink.
Timothy Lemke writes about health and home improvement for a variety of Porltand businesses, including the blog of Dr. Brett Johnson, an Oregon City dentist.