7777 N 76th St, Milwaukee: on 76th, just north of Good Hope. minorsgardencenter.com

Minor’s Garden Center – where all your “greens” come true!

Photo: Natalia Kopyltsova - Getty Images

When it comes to housework, everyone is looking for effective ideas that do the job fast … and if you can save a few pennies while doing it, all the better! Consider these easy ideas that promise to make spring cleaning an absolute breeze.

Dab out carpet stains with vodka. Think outside the martini glass and grab a bottle of vodka to cast out that damn spot! Simply blot the carpet stain with a damp towel, and then apply a little vodka to the stain, blotting it out with a second towel. 

Roll a lint roller over lampshades. Freshen lampshades with help from a lint roller. You can dust all of the shades in your home quickly and easily with this handy hack.

Remove stains with shaving cream. Because it’s made with soap, moisturizers and other protective ingredients, shaving cream is an effective (and cheap) tool when it comes to removing water stains, dirt and grime from sinks, showers, bathtubs and even toilets. Apply shaving cream to the area and let it set for about 10 minutes. Wipe it away with a damp towel.

Freshen up with citrus. Run a few lemon or lime wedges through the garbage disposal to eliminate odors and clean the blades. 

Dust with coffee filters. Computer monitors and TV screens attract dust … as well as microfibers from towels and cloths. Use coffee filters when wiping down screens instead. 

Wash refrigerator shelves in the dish washer. If the removable shelves in your refrigerator are small enough to fit in your dish washer, you’re in luck! Plop those shelves in there and let the dish washer do the work. Depending on your shelves, you may want to towel-dry them yourself. 

Stay on top of the news of the day Subscribe to our free, daily e-newsletter to get Milwaukee's latest local news, restaurants, music, arts and entertainment and events delivered right to your inbox every weekday, plus a bonus Week in Review email on Saturdays.

Sprinkle the mattress with baking soda. When’s the last time you cleaned your mattress? While washing the bedding is common, dusting off the mattress is not. Keep things clean and fresh by spraying the mattress with a light coat of vinegar. Next, sprinkle on baking soda and cover it all up with towels. Leave it be for 2 hours, then remove the towels and use the attachment on your vacuum to remove the baking soda.

Run a pillowcase over ceiling-fan blades. Avoid a tsunami of dust bunnies the next time you clean your ceiling fan by using an old pillowcase. Slip the pillowcase over a fan blade, wrap the opening around the blade and pull the pillowcase toward you, capturing the dust inside. Repeat with each blade.

Erase water rings with a hair dryer. If a water ring is wrecking your wood table, grab your hair dryer. Set the dryer to low heat and blow air over the water ring in a circular motion being sure not to leave it blowing on one spot for too long. The ring should vanish. If the wood’s color is still a bit light, rub a drop of olive oil into the affected area.

Brush your keyboard with an old toothbrush. If you flip your computer keyboard over and a sandwich falls out, it might be time to clean it up a bit. An old, dry toothbrush does a great job of getting crumbs and things from in between the keys.

Swipe dryer sheets over baseboards. Don’t toss out those used dryer sheets just yet. Use them to clean the baseboards in your home. Not only are that great dust cloths, but their anti-static nature help prevent dust and pet hair from settling on the boards.

Clean blinds with a sock. Wooden blinds can be a hassle to clean. Slip a sock on your hand to make easy work of getting in-between the blinds to remove dust. Spray the sock with polish or dust remover as needed.

Mark Hagen is an award-winning gardener, former caterer and Milwaukee lover. His work has appeared in Birds & Blooms and Home and Your Family magazines.

Minor's Garden Center – Gardening from the ground up.

Sign up for daily email updates!

Get the latest news from Shepherd Express delivered directly to your inbox.

© 2022 Shepherd Express. All Rights Reserved.