# Stupid household tips **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 23, 2002, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-household-tips/138340 "2002-11-23T12:45:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![beegirl13](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/848f3c/32.png) [@beegirl13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beegirl13)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2002, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-household-tips/138340/21 "2002-11-24T17:37:42Z")
Mix ammonia and chlorine bleach for an extra strong grout cleaner! For maximum effectiveness, make sure that no fresh air enters the area being cleaned. Disclaimer: I am not repsonsible for any death that may occur as a result of using this tip. ---
**Author:** ![Skerri](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f04885/32.png) [@Skerri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skerri)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2002, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-household-tips/138340/22 "2002-11-24T18:06:26Z")
Ack! An idiot friend of mine did that to clean her bathtub one time, **beegirl13**. They had to evacuate the entire apartment building! To keep pets off of certain surfaces, wet the surface with lighter fluid. Whenever your pet looks as if he or she may jump on the surface, strike a match, light the surface, and say “No!” in an authoritative voice. Works every time! ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2002, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-household-tips/138340/23 "2002-11-24T19:14:21Z")
> [@](#): > > To give a woman the impression that your house is clean, use Pledge. Don’t use it _on_ anything, just squirt some in the air. This makes it smell as though you’ve dusted. from P. J. O’Rourke’s _The Bachelor Home Companion_, which is just _full_ of great tips like this. ---
**Author:** ![Sublight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Sublight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublight)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2002, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-household-tips/138340/24 "2002-11-25T03:44:21Z")
The cat-mop is from one of the books on [chindigu](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-form/002-8740192-8307250), the art of useless inventions. My personal favorite was the chopstick with a mini-fan attached for cooling off hot ramen. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2002, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-household-tips/138340/25 "2002-11-25T03:48:23Z")
Save time by using the bathroom in the shower. If the big pieces won’t go down the drain by themselves, use your heel to mash them down the drain. Meanwhile, on the Enterprise deck… (Man, I’m posting on way too many threads tonight) ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2002, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-household-tips/138340/26 "2002-11-25T04:06:33Z")
And while you’re in the shower, be sure to take out a big piece of elemental sodium as a loofah. You’ve never felt so fresh! ---
**Author:** ![I\_can\_t\_believe\_that\_s\_butter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8edcca/32.png) [@I\_can\_t\_believe\_that\_s\_butter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_can_t_believe_that_s_butter)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2002, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-household-tips/138340/27 "2002-11-25T04:31:41Z")
The acidic properties of Coca-Cola make it an ideal cleaning agent for countertops and kitchen floors. ---
**Author:** ![anyrae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e495f1/32.png) [@anyrae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anyrae)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2002, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-household-tips/138340/28 "2002-11-25T04:44:02Z")
I accidentally Feng Shui-ed my whole place backwards… Talk about some screwed up Ch’i… (started w/ the back door, instead of front) ---
**Author:** ![GusNSpot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gusnspot/32/436_2.png) [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2002, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-household-tips/138340/29 "2002-11-25T04:58:19Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Mooney252 \* > \*\*Raid makes an aromatic oven cleaner. (There’s a real story behind that one!) \*\* Mooney252, so what do you use in your bird when a passenger throws up? 😉 Just snapped to your screen name. :smack: Got one? Rent, want one? Flew an Exec.(65 model) for a while, preferred the Comanche. I’m a big guy, LOL… Made the manual gear in the older ones easy for me was about all. LOL Good to see another pilot on the board… ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2002, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-household-tips/138340/30 "2002-11-25T05:26:56Z")
It is easy to drill a hole in the refrigerator door to make sure that the light goes out when the door is shut. ---
**Author:** ![Lissla\_Lissar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8491ac/32.png) [@Lissla\_Lissar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissla_Lissar)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2002, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-household-tips/138340/31 "2002-11-26T03:35:43Z")
To remove all really stubborn stains, soak item in straight bleach. Diluting it is silly, especially for tough stains, like ketchup. The best way to deal with litterbox odour is to stop feeding your cat. It will adjust in time, and you’ll never have to clean a litterbox again! Keyboard sticky? Take it into the shower with you. Be sure to scrub hard between the keys- a nailbrush is ideal for this task. Keep your Thanksgiving turkey bones and use them to make a lovely centrepiece for Christmas. ---
**Author:** ![Astroboy14](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/df705f/32.png) [@Astroboy14](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Astroboy14)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2002, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-household-tips/138340/32 "2002-11-26T05:56:32Z")
To save on excessive laundry costs and labor, remember that underwear has **2** sides! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2002, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-household-tips/138340/33 "2002-11-26T06:32:55Z")
Save on A/C costs by just leaving the fridge door open. Contacts getting fuzzy? Add pepper spray to the cleaner for a more powerful cleaning action. Wash your jeans in Tide. It’s too cold out tide. ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2002, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-household-tips/138340/34 "2002-11-26T12:47:38Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Astroboy14 \* > \*\*To save on excessive laundry costs and labor, remember that underwear has **2** sides! 😉 \*\* And a back and a front that are reversible! ---
**Author:** ![kambuckta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2002, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-household-tips/138340/35 "2002-11-26T12:58:24Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Lissla Lissar \* > \*\*To remove all really stubborn stains, soak item in straight bleach. Diluting it is silly, especially for tough stains, like ketchup. > \*\* Uh? Hey, when I need to get some serious stains out, I DO use straight bleach…works wonders. (but does tend to make the synthetic fabrics a tad yellow!!) ---
**Author:** ![katiekilldare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/838e76/32.png) [@katiekilldare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/katiekilldare)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2002, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-household-tips/138340/36 "2002-11-26T13:09:18Z")
Remember that detergent for your clothes and detergent for the dishwasher are interchangeable. Wouldn’t you like to feel confident enough to eat off your jeans? If you’ve got space under your door that allows for bothersome breezes, dig out that dusty old golem and station him as a door warmer. Incidentally, those fellows work well as stand-in clotheslines, flowerstands, and step ladders. ---
**Author:** ![swampbear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampbear/32/467_2.png) [@swampbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampbear)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2002, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-household-tips/138340/37 "2002-11-26T13:28:17Z")
Dryer on the blink? No problem, just set your oven to warm and pop in that load of wet laundry. For a fresh right out of the oven smell, toss in a clove or two of garlic while drying. Out of deodorant and smelling a little gamey? Grab the Lysol and spray away. Raid will also work in a pinch and keeps pesky critters away to boot! Teeth a little on the yellow side? Rinse your mouth with undiluted bleach. Save time and water. Throw those dirty dishes in the tub while you bathe. No need to wash those sheets on a weekly basis, just turn them over and voila! a clean side to sleep on. ---
**Author:** ![manwithaplan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f1d935/32.png) [@manwithaplan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manwithaplan)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2002, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-household-tips/138340/38 "2002-11-26T13:57:44Z")
More from Viz - Music fans, place your hi-fi speakers in cupboards. Open and close the doors and, hey presto, instant volume control. Drivers, recreate that luxurious gravel driveway effect by sellotaping rice crispies to your tyres. ---
**Author:** ![Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2002, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-household-tips/138340/39 "2002-11-26T14:33:50Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by beegirl13 \* > \*\*Mix ammonia and chlorine bleach for an extra strong grout cleaner! For maximum effectiveness, make sure that no fresh air enters the area being cleaned. > \*\* This was actually my grandfather’s preferred cleaning mixture! (Oh how I wish I was joking…) ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2002, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-household-tips/138340/40 "2002-11-26T14:49:55Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by norinew \* > \*\*OK, this is a real one I read in a magazine: “If you are out of coffee creamer, use whipped egg whites to lighten your coffee”. OK, is it just me, or do you see an obvious problem here? Like, maybe, the egg whites would make the coffee LOOK alright, but it would taste exceedingly strange! I guess they also think if you’re out of sugar, you could use boric acid? \*\* Not to mention, if the coffee is too hot, you end up with scrambled eggs in your drink :X [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-household-tips/138340.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-household-tips/138340.md?page=3)