Everyday Cheapskate: Cleaning Tips and Tricks That Promise to Cut Costs and Save Time

Mary Hunt on Mar 25, 2024

There's nothing so stubborn as makeup stains on white face cloths. You can remove them easily and cheaply with Fels-Naptha laundry bar soap, which is available in the laundry aisle of most grocery stores. It works like magic. Simply wet a corner of the bar and rub it on the stain. Launder as usual. A bar of Fels-Naptha will last for years in your laundry room.

WHITEBOARD CLEANER

Use WD-40 (available in any home improvement store or the automotive aisle of a discount department store) to clean dry-erase markings from a whiteboard. It works very well and leaves no dry-erase "ghosts."

CLEAN OVEN RACK

An excellent way to clean oven racks is to put them in a large plastic garbage bag, throw in a cup of ammonia and tightly seal the bag. Let the racks sit overnight. The burned-on gunk cleans up easily in the morning. Just make sure you place the bag in a ventilated area and on a floor that cannot be damaged, such as out back or in the garage with open windows.

DISPOSABLE APRON

If you have a particularly dirty job to do -- such as cleaning the outdoor grill, taking down dirty window screens or hosing down the patio furniture -- make yourself a disposable apron to spare your good ones. Take a large garbage bag, cut holes for your head and arms and slip it over your clothes. You may look a little weird, but you'll protect your clothes and save yourself a lot of time and trouble later.

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Mary invites you to visit her at EverydayCheapskate.com, where this column is archived complete with links and resources for all recommended products and services. Mary invites questions and comments at https://www.everydaycheapskate.com/contact/, "Ask Mary." This column will answer questions of general interest, but letters cannot be answered individually. Mary Hunt is the founder of EverydayCheapskate.com, a frugal living blog, and the author of the book "Debt-Proof Living."