It's that wonderful time of year when we all get to start fresh. This not only goes for ourselves, but also for our homes. Spring cleaning is a great way to freshen up your house and get rid of the old and make room for the new. But perhaps, Christmas gift-giving and entertaining have left your pockets a bit light. Home & Decor presents some economical cleaning techniques that involve products such as baking soda and vinegar, that you would already have around the house.

Vinegar can be used to:
Remove soapy gunk around faucets. Soak a paper towel in white vinegar, squeeze it out, wrap it around the chrome for 10 minutes, then wipe dry.
Clean a slimy sponge or loofah. Soak it in a strong solution of vinegar and water for a day, then rinse several times in cold water. Let dry in the sun.
Clean copper, bronze, brass, dishes, pots, pans, skillets, glasses, windows. Mix with salt, rub, and rinse the item afterwards.
Clean patio furniture cushions. Scrub with a stiff brush dipped in white vinegar.
Remove bath tub film. Wipe with vinegar and then with baking soda. Rinse clean with water.
Clean leather. Leather articles can be cleaned with a mixture of distilled vinegar and linseed oil. Rub the mixture into the leather and then polish with a soft cloth.

Retard oven grease. Grease build-up in an oven can be prevented by wiping with a cleaning rag that has been moistened in distilled vinegar and water.
Remove chinaware stains. A mixture of salt and vinegar will clean coffee and tea stains from chinaware.
Shine stainless steel. Remove those unsightly spots on your stainless steel by rubbing the spots with a cloth that has been dampened with vinegar.
Shine formica counters. Formica tops and counters will shine if cleaned with a cloth soaked in distilled vinegar.
Shine no-wax linoleum. No-wax linoleum will shine better if wiped with a solution of 1/2 cup of white vinegar in 1/2 gallon of water.

Make glassware sparkle. One-half cup of distilled vinegar added to a gallon of rinse water will remove soap film from glassware and make it shine.
Make plumbing fixtures sparkle. Soap and stain build-up can be removed from chrome and plastic fixtures if they are cleaned with a mixture of one teaspoon of salt and two tablespoons of distilled vinegar.
Remove stubborn stain from pots and pans. Soak the pots and pans in full-strength distilled vinegar for 30 minutes, then wash in hot, soapy water.
Remove tea kettle deposits. Over a period of time, depending on the water supply, lime deposits will form in a tea kettle. The deposits may be removed by gently boiling a 1/2 cup of vinegar in the tea pot which has been filled with water.

Clean the toilet bowl. Stubborn stains can be removed from the toilet by spraying them with vinegar and brushing vigorously. The bowl may be deodorized by adding three cups of distilled vinegar. Allow it to remain for a half hour, then flush.
Remove tough stains. Stains on hard-to-clean glass, aluminium, or porcelain utensils may be loosened by boiling in a solution of one part vinegar to eight parts water. The utensils should then be washed in hot, soapy water.
Unclog the showerhead. Corrosion may be removed from showerheads or faucets by soaking them in diluted distilled vinegar overnight. This may be easily accomplished by saturating a terry cloth towel in vinegar and wrapping it around the showerhead or faucet.
Renew varnished wood. Varnished wood often takes on a cloudy appearance. If the cloudiness hasn't gone through to the wood, the cloudiness can be removed by rubbing the wood with a soft lintless cloth wrung out from a solution of one tablespoon of distilled vinegar in a quart of luke-warm water. Complete the job by wiping the surface with a soft dry cloth.

To wash the woodwork. Dirt and grime can be easily removed from woodwork with a solution of one cup of ammonia, 1/2 cup of distilled vinegar, and 1/4 cup of baking soda in a cup of warm water. This solution will not dull the finish or leave streaks.
Remove water or alcohol marks on wood. Stubborn rings resulting from wet glasses being placed on wood furniture may be removed by rubbing with a mixture of equal parts of distilled vinegar and olive oil. Rub with the grain and polish for the best results.
Create window washing magic. Make a solution of one part warm water and one part distilled vinegar. Wash the windows with this and dry with a soft cloth. This should produce shiny, streakless windows. Dried paint on windows is removed with hot vinegar.

Baking soda can be used to:
Remove scuffs from vinyl flooring. A little baking soda on a damp sponge will make them disappear right away.
Polish the silver without elbow grease. Fill a non-aluminum pan with hot water, place a small square of aluminum foil (five inches or so) in pan, add baking soda (one teaspoon per quart) and bring to a boil. Drop silver in briefly and remove with tongs. Wash with soapy water and rinse and buff to a gloss. (Not recommended for figured pieces: it will remove shading, so fine silver may look like plate.)
Remove coffee and tea stains by scrubbing pots or cups with baking soda and a plastic scouring pad.
Remove black scuff marks from floor, rub them with a paste of baking soda and water.
Clean fibreglass showers and tubs with baking soda sprinkled on a sponge. Sponge clean and wipe dry.
Soak sour smelling dishcloths and sponges in water and baking soda solution.
Remove rust stains from counter tops, etc, cut a fresh lemon in half and sprinkle on a little baking soda and scrub the spot. Voila! It comes off!

Cleaning around the house
Walls
. Remove crayon marks from walls by scrubbing gently with an old toothbrush and a paste of baking soda and water.
. Remove crayon marks from painted walls by scrubbing with toothpaste or an ammonia-soaked cloth. Rinse and dry.
. Using a cleaning rag, wash the walls with a solution of mild detergent and warm water., working in sections from the bottom up to prevent streaks. Let dry for a few minutes and wipe dry with a clean cloth.
Cleaning chandeliers
Lay a piece of plastic or an opened trash bag on the floor underneath the chandelier, then spray the chandelier with a solution of three parts warm water to one part rubbing alcohol.
Refreshing your drapes

. Do not dry clean your draperies. The steaming process in dry-cleaning draperies can cause you to lose the colour. Dry cleaning is also known to leave "chalky" streaks in your draperies.
. Put them in your washing machine. The International Fabricare Institute recommends that most draperies actually should be just placed in your normal household washing machine.
. Do not put them in your drier. For the best results with your draperies, you should hang dry them in the air.
. Check the labels on your draperies. Your draperies should have care tags attached to them. That will explain what the manufacturer recommends to you when cleaning your draperies.
Cleaning glass table tops
Clean by rubbing with a little lemon juice, dry with paper towels and polish with newspaper for a sparkling table. Toothpaste will remove small scratches from glass.
Wood Furniture
Polishing
Carved furniture - dip old toothbrush into furniture polish and brush lightly. To remove polish build-up mix one cup water and one cup vinegar. Dip soft cloth in the mixture and wring out before wiping furniture. Dry immediately with another soft, dry cloth.

Removing stains
1 . Apply a small amount of non-gel toothpaste to a damp, clean, lint-free cloth.
. Rub toothpaste over the water spot.
. Remove film with a clean, damp cloth.
. Dry with a clean, dry cloth.
. Polish.
2 For dark wood plagued by water stains: apply brown shoe polish to cover the stain.
3 For antiques, give a gentle buffing with a very fine steel wool and a soft wax polish. Follow with another buffing using kitchen paper.
4 Whatever you try, the trick seems to be gentle and prolonged rubbing. It can take quite awhile to remove the stain without harming the wood.
5 Nail Polish - Blot the spill immediately, then rub with fine steel wool (0) dipped in wax. Wipe dry and wax or polish.
6 Paint Marks - If fresh, remove latex paint with water and oil-based paint with mineral spirits. If dry, soak spot in boiled linseed oil, wait until paint softens and lift carefully with a putty knife or wipe with cloth dampened with boiled linseed oil. Residue can be removed by rubbing along the grain with a paste of boiled linseed oil. Wipe dry and wax or polish.

Cleaning miniblinds
Slip your hands into a pair of socks for cleaning the miniblinds. Dip one hand into a bucket of warm, soapy water and hold the blinds between your two hands. Rub back and forth until you've cleaned the whole surface. Then reverse sides so the dry sock dries the blinds. Wipe miniblinds with damp fabric softener sheets to eliminate static that collects dust. The same trick works for your TV screen.

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