Conference moira::parenting

    
    I will start......
    
    how do you go about getting blood out of clothing?  I forget if use
    warm water or cold.  
    
    

    Cold water takes blood out of clothing.  The colder the better.
    
    Robyn
    

    My 20 year old daughter claims that if you spray the spot when it's
    still fresh with hairspray, then it washes out with no further
    treatment.  I tried it on some sheets, but the stain wasn't fresh.  It
    worked pretty well.

    Hairspray is perfect for ink stains, too.  Saturate the area with
    hair spray, then blot with a paper towel until all the ink comes
    up.  If there's any additional stain, it should come out with
    stain-removal stick (you know what brand it is!).
    
    I also had good luck using a stain removal stick on some bloodstains
    on one of my daughter's dresses (minor injury at daycare).  The stain
    removal sticks work best if you treat the stain promptly, then let it 
    sit for a day or two before washing.
    
    On another topic...
    
    I use the freezer and sandwich bags with the zip-type closings for
    a lot of stuff.  I put notes to school, spelling papers, etc., in
    the freezer-size bags. The bags keep everything nice and clean.  
    (unfortunately, I think my son feels like a dweeb when I do this!)
    I also use freezer-size bags when I make bread crumbs.  Put the
    stale bread in, close tightly, and roll a rolling pin over it til
    the crumbs are the way you like them.  Put the bag in the freezer
    when you're done.  No mess to clean up (except for the stray crumb
    or two that fell on the floor).
    
    And now, a tip from my oldest sister that has stood the test of time:
    
    "Company coming and no time to straighten up?  Get a pail of warm water
    and give the kitchen and bathroom floors a swish with plain water. 
    Draw the shower curtain and make sure the towels are clean.  Spritz air
    freshener in the bathroom and a bedroom or two.  Throw all the dirty
    dishes in the dishwasher if you have one; otherwise, hide 'em in the
    bathtub.  You've drawn the shower curtain, what difference does it
    make?  Next, go into the front room.  Throw out all the newspapers. 
    Shove the magazines under the sofa.  Run a kleenex tissue over
    everything and spray some furniture polish in the air.  Stack up all
    the old mail and the other junk from the dining room table, put a
    rubber band around it and put it either on your dresser or in the top
    drawer of your nightstand.  Put a note on the fridge so you don't
    forget to retrieve it.  Now start cooking.  I don't mind people walking
    in as I'm putting the finishing touches on a meal, but I'd die of
    embarrassment if they walked in on me while I was cleaning!!"
    
    I should add that my sister is an Army wife and has done more than her
    share of entertaining in the 27 years she's been married.
    
    P.S. This works!  
    
    
    
    
    

    .4
    
    This is "pressure" cleaning?  That's how I always clean! :-)
    
    Being a new mother I'm just using other tips but developing some
    on my own.  My latest one....Angeline absolutely hates the bath
    ring she was given when she's in the bathtub.  I mean, we're talking
    hysterics here.  And I feel bathtime is no time for hysterics I don't
    want anything to help develop a fear or hate of water.  So I said, 
    it was a gift but still a waste.   Well, when she started the problems
    we're having with coughing/vomitting.  I need her sitting up a lot
    more than she is.  The bathring makes a nice seat on the floor that
    doesn't tip.  When I'm in the shower it's especially helpful.  She
    sits on the floor with a book or something while I'm in the shower.
    And I firmly believe it has helped her sitting ability better than
    her walker or Exersaucer.   The only downside is she can't reach
    to the floor while in it.  If she has a smaller toy and drops it,
    which we know the little ones do, it's gone until Mommy retrieves
    it.  So I try to give her bigger things that she can reach if they
    drop.  Plus, it's a heck of a lot easier to lug around this little
    bath ring than a walker.  When we go visiting, we bring it along
    so she can sit anywhere.  Helps with feedings away from home too.
    
    						cj
    

    Hydrogen peroxide works on blood, too.  As do lots of pet stain
    eliminators (work on 'biological' stains).  Always do a test spot
    first, however.  I've only had to use them on white items, so I don't
    have any color fade problems.
    Sarah

    OH!  One more life-saver for me for cleaning stains: Blue Coral spray
    auto upholstery cleaner.  I've used it for everything, and haven't found
    anything that won't come out. Again, test spot first!  It's kind of
    hard to find (looks like a Windex bottle, liquid is pinkish). I've
    found it randomly in Spags (for the Massachusetts readers) and
    occassionally at automotive stores.
    Sarah

We've found that the Goop type handcleaner is great for getting just about 
any stain out of clothes.  It does help to let it sit (or 'set', if you're 
down here in Georgia....) for a few days before washing.  Just rub it in on 
both sides of the stain real well.

Dave

    A couple of old fashioned tips (handed down by my mother).  Not sure
    if anyone has heard of these, but the treatments do work!
    
    o  To minimize bruising and pain after a fall, etc, 
    cut a potato into large oval slices and place on the injured area.
    Hold each slice tight on the skin for about 3 minutes, and use 2-3 slices.
    
    Works best if done immediately, rather than waiting 1/2 or more.
    
    o  For misquito bites, rub either a pure silver coin or fresh
       basil on the bite.  Reduces the itching and swelling.
    
    
    Kathy
       

    To keep the fizz in a bottle of tonic (OK, if you're non-New England,
    "soda" or "soda pop" or whatever), make sure you're not squeezing the
    bottle as you put the lid on (so it's not indented); then when the
    lid's on tight, turn the bottle over completely and then back upright. 
    This agitates the tonic, it releases CO2 which makes for higher
    pressure on the inside, which keeps a better seal (pressing the plastic
    bottle to the threads of the lid better, I assume).  It really does
    work (for *weeks*, even), assuming you have more than an inch or so of
    tonic still left in the bottle.
    
    Leslie

    I find Lestoil a life saver!  For grease spots on clothes, I just put
    some on straight, throw the garment into the laundry and BEFORE it goes
    into the dryer, check it to make sure the stain came out.  If the stain
    is still there, do a repeat.  The repeat can be done later when you
    have another full load to do.  Works great on crayons that are stuffed
    into pockets!  :)
    
    Also, for an exfoliant:  try using a baking soda mixture.  It's VERY
    gentle and it works!
    
    Sandra

    See note 408 in Womannotes...
    
    The best tip I have gotten lately is.....
    take a pair of pantyhose that you have a "run" in.  Take leg with
    "run", lay flat on a counter/something you can cut on. Cut across the
    leg in appx 3-4" intervals. (do not cut where the run is) You will have
    a bunch of doughnut-looking pieces.  Use these for ponytail holders,
    trash bag ties, etc.   Use other leg to store onions or garlic,
    knotting in between the onions/garlic. Or, Tie up plants.
    
    
    p.s. I also use the snack size baggies for chopped onions.  I usually
    chop one LARGE onion and need less than 1/2 of it.  I put appx 1 cup
    per snack size baggie and freeze.  Also great for small amounts of
    leftover spag. sauce.  Just the right amount to bring for lunch.
    

    
    Any suggestions on how to remove yellow stains from a real porcelain
    tub.  I have tried a few different name brand cleaners as well as that
    clorox cleanup that contains bleach.
    
    

    My Mom always uses a pumice (sp?) stone to remove difficult stains
    in the toilet - maybe that would work?  
    

    Maybe a paste of baking soda and peroxide?  (The baking soda is just to
    keep the peroxide on the stain.
    
    meg

    My mom always used nearly straight bleach in the old porcelain sink in
    our summer cottage.  She would fill the sink and let it soak.  Of
    course, it stunk us all out of the cottage :-)

    
    For stains off of porcelain I use Ajax or Comet (powder) and a sponge
    with a scrub side. It works great on my kitchen sink and tub.
    
     

- When pounding chicken breast into thin pieces, I found the wax 
  paper I was using falling apart.  Save the plastic bag from cereal 
  boxes.  They are thicker and can take the abuse of pounding.  I 
  use this for garlic meshing too.  It's easier then cleaning the 
  press I have (your press may vary).  Simply dicing after pounding 
  is all it needs.

- I bought a breadbox sized (for lack of a better description) basket
  and placed 8x11 envelopes in them marked with my children's names.
  Now when I get important papers from school I file them there.  The
  basket is pretty and sits on my kitchen counter.  I use it for 
  miscellanous papers and coupons, too.  It keeps my counters empty.

- On the same idea.  I keep envelopes with people I know names on it.
  If I see an article or coupon I put it in the envelope.  Maybe a
  fortune from a fortune cookie or a note from the notesfile are in
  there, too.  Next time I write them a letter it's like I've been
  doing nothing but thinking little thoughts about them, when all 
  I've done is organized pieces of information or things they might
  like.   

- After supper I lay out three lunch boxes for the next day.  While
  I'm doing the dishes, I fill the boxes with the dessert and snack
  needed for the next day, as well as the empty tupperware for their
  sandwich.  Now all I need to do in the morning is put the cold juice
  in.  I freeze 1/2 a refillable plastic juice-box shaped container with
  juice.  In the morning I fill the rest of the way with juice from
  the refrigerator and by lunch it's cold but not still frozen.  I
  still make the kids do their sandwiches as part of their morning
  responsibilities and they can't complain to me they didn't like
  their lunch.  Plus we aren't scurrying around trying to find a
  snack, they've noticed what's been going in there and by morning
  there's no chance to give negative feedback.  (Mixing cereals, 
  raisins, small marshmellows, choc chips, etc is always a hit.)

- Every now and then I take a wet face cloth out to the car and wipe
  down the car-seat (*sticky*).  While the cloth is still wet I wipe
  all the dust off the dash board and get the steering wheel.  If you
  pump your own gas the steering wheel might have a gas odor to it.
  By the time I get home the sun dries the face cloth, no problem.

- A wet face cloth in a zip-lock bag is a great thing to bring along
  for a long car trip.  Especially for my family, our dog drools 
  big time.

- Put return address stickers on all your cassettes and VCR tapes.
  That way if you lend them out, they always come back to you.  

  I rent or go to the library for books on tapes for when I have a 
  long boring job to do, like washing and cleaning the car or basting
  the layers of a quilt together.  It makes the time go faster.

- Freeze single servings of cooked boneless chicken in zip-lock bags.  
  My kids hate dishes with spagetti sauce or roux sauces, so while I'll
  boiling the pasta, I put the frozen single servings (minus the zip-
  lock bag) in the water.  Their dinner is ready faster than mine and I 
  don't have to worry about keeping things separate and making extra work
  or dishes.  I don't mind if they start dinner first, they take longer 
  to eat anyways.

- I keep my mending/sewing threads in the drawer next to where I sit
  watching TV.  If I don't have a pile of stuff that needs attention
  I'll make an "announcement" and the kids bring stuff to me that 
  they've forgotten to mention.  All orphaned buttons I find in the 
  washer and dryer are attached to the pin-cushion.  Once a year I
  put them all on a twisty-tie and toss them into a sewing basket
  (just in case).

- Put a post-it note on the inside of your car's visor with the 
  mileage of your last oil change.  That way I don't forget what
  the mileage was at the last oil change and the note is not in 
  the way or easy to loose.

- Put three clean tennis balls in the dryer with things that need
  to be fluffed up like thick comforters or down jackets. 

- When you put a set of sheets away in the closet, put the complete
  set in one pillow case then stack.  Now you know when you grab
  that one pillow case that the whole set is there and you don't
  have to go searching for it.

The next two entries have to do with being kind to the environment.
I read that greeting cards and wrapping paper is very difficult
to recycle and that creating them causes more pollution than most
other paper products (dyes and lamination).  Cards and wrapping paper 
have a short life span in their designed application, so I decided to 
make a change.  Here's what I did.  [Please these are opinions I am
sharing.]                                             --------

- This hint might not be for everybody.
  I've decided not to buy greeting cards, it bothered me to see them
  tossed after being read and some of my smaller nieces and nephews
  don't even read.  I hear they don't decompose easily, too.
  Now I spend the money on something more functional and fits in
  an envelope.
	o Garden seeds
	o Pocket comb
	o Credit card size flexible magnifing glass
	o Bookmarks
	o Packs of gum
	o Maps
	o Pens or pencils
	o Barettes
	o Socks (specialized for kids, Mermaid, Batman, etc)	

  They love the thought and I don't feel like I'm wasting money.
  This works for ADULTS and KIDS.

- When we have a birthday party to go to we wrap the gift with
  brown paper.  Then the kids write notes, jokes or something that
  has to do with that kid (baseballs, ballet slippers, etc).
  My kids love to tease, "Want know what's inside?" and give hints.
  I wrap the gift with new laces for sneakers or something like
  that.  Once I got rid of all my rubber bands (elastics) on a
  gift.  There were rubber band fights at the party (of adults).
  Another time I used hair ribbons and gently wrapped the gift.  

    re : .-1
    I forgot to buy a birthday card for young child's b-day present a few
    weeks ago. Instead of rushing out to buy a card, I wrote a Happy
    Birthday message onthe inexpensive paperback book that was intended to
    be part of the present and used that for the card. I think I'll keep
    doing that! Some cards are practically that expensive anyway.
    Sue

    I have two hits for injuries.  My mother used the first one, my sister
    used the second one.
    
    For a burn.. 
    take a potato and cut it in half.  Take a fork and scrape
    it in the center to make a "pulp".  Cover the burn with the pulp from
    the center of the potato and hold it there with a paper towel.  Keep
    pressure on the burn until the potato turns brown.  I had a BAD burn on
    my leg one time from a tailpipe of a motorcycle (stupid teenager rode
    in shorts!).  You can't see the burn on my leg at all.  The only
    difference is that no hair grows in that one spot.
    
    
    Take a ziplock bag and fill it with one part alcohol (as in vodka) and 
    two parts water.  keep it in the freezer.  It make a "slushy" substance.  
    This is a great ice pack for bumps and bruises.
    
    H

    When my daughter was a baby she poked me in the eye with a finger.  The
    nail cut my eye (the cornea?)  I was in PAIN.  
    
    I am proud to say that I took her off the dressing table and put her on
    the floor.  I did not yell at her, and I did not throw her against the
    wall.  
    
    I then called my mommy.  
    
    She suggested that I fill an eye cup with cold tea and rinse my eye out
    with it.  I did, and it brought immediate relief.  It still felt bad,
    but it was not the horrible pain it had been.  I was then able to
    collect my wits enough to call the doctor, and I was comfortable enough
    to wait a few hours before he could see me.  My mom said it was the
    tannic (sp?) acid in the cold tea that brought the relief.

Was that a hidden tip in .20 for how to avoid having
to shave your legs for the rest of your life ??  :-)

- Deb B.

    Perfect ice bag for curved areas (I found out when my 5-year old
    SLAMMED his poor little shin on the top riser of the hardwood stairs)
    A bag of frozen peas!  It molds very easily to a small limb!  I tossed
    it back into the freezer when he was finished, and labeled it "not for
    consumption - ice pack use only".
    Sarah

    If a wasp gets into your house and you prefer not to pull out the Raid
    and have you or your loved ones inhale all those wonderful fumes...grab
    your hair spray instead....one good squirt on the little guys wings
    will ground him for good!  After he is disabled then I vote for the
    foot stomping action or a toss in the toilet to join Mr. Tidy Bowl for
    a refreshing swim!
    
    ..Lori

    
    Salt uses:
    
    1.  To remove blood from clothing:  Ice cold water and add salt.
    2.  Run prevention for nylons:  When new out of the package soak them
        in cold water and salt for 1/2 hour then dry.  They really don't
        run half as quickly (I'm lucky if I used to get 1 day out of them).
    
    Need help:
    
    Can anyone tell me how to get lipstick off a couch?  My mother
    suggested babypowder, but I'm afraid to try it.
    
    

    When the furnace "backfired" (for lack of a better term)
    we got a fine layer of soot on EVERYTHING.  It smudged
    when I tried to wipe it.  I sprinkled it with corn starch
    because I had read it would take blood out of a carpet.
    It must have some absorbing properties.  It made clean
    up easier.  Do you think that might work on lip-stick?

    
    I saw on a show one time where this person used white bread to clean
    makeup off of clothes.  It may work for lipstick.

    Regarding the potatoes for burns...I am leery of everything but cold
    water for putting on a burn.  Certain remedies can actually drive
    the heat from the burn further into the skin and make it worse, not
    better.
    
    Please, if you get burned, run the area under cold water first!  Then
    get out the home remedies -- or call the doctor, which I would do if
    a child were involved.  Not flaming, just "the voice of experience."
    

    NAVAL JELLY WORKS WONDERS ON AN OLD PORCELON (SP) TUB/SINK.  YOU CAN
    PIK IT UP AT SPAGS, ETC... IT COMES INA SMALL PLASTIC CONTAINED AND
    THERE ARE SEVERAL TYPES, I.E.  - GET THE ONE FOR PORCELON OR TUBS/SINKS
    

    
    I'm looking for a tip...
    
    I admit, I didn't clean my shower for the past year (something to do
    with being a mother and giving up chores to be with my daughter).
    Its really bad.  About the only thing that will clean it now is an
    abrasive cleanser.  I want something that I can just spray on and 
    wipe off after a while. The "scum" isn't soft. Its is hard.  It will
    take forever to remove with abrasive cleansers (I tried a small spot).
    
    I've tried Lysol Tub and Tile, Citrosolve, X-14, Tilex, to name a few.
    None of them live up to their claim of spray and wipe.  So... any
    suggestions?
    
    Karen

    
    give Quick & Brite a try.  it's available at Safeway at least in
    Washinton state.  it's not a spray but a cream type.  the directions
    for tough bath work is to put some QB on it and let it sit for a while
    before rinsing or something like that.
    
    i haven't used QB for something like that but we've been very happy 
    with how it cleans.  it was very impressive in cleaning the top
    of our stove that had dried on grease.
    
    jo
    

    I would like to know how heat can be 'driven' deeper into a burn by a
    substance which is NO HOTTER than body temperature?!  An earlier note
    talks about driving heat in. I assume its hot 'hot water' that is being
    used.
    
    Jeff

    That made me curious too.  Maybe what is meant is that the butter (or
    whatever) is an insulator, *keeping* heat in?
    
    Leslie

    
    Karen:
    
    I have always used ammonia to clean heavy duty grease, stains, etc.  I
    always have some on hand and refill a squirt bottle.
    
    I found what worked best for the shower/tub was to spray it with
    ammonia (make sure you ventilate well as the fumes will knock you
    over) go out of the room, shut the door and let it stand for a while. I
    would then take an SOS pad (the kind thats yellow - I believe it has
    lemon in it or something) and just scrub away.  The ammonia did most of
    the work to losen the soap scum and the SOS just takes it off.  And
    surprisingly, the SOS will not scratch the surface, the yellow stuff
    really lathers up.  Before trying this, I tried all the other cleaners
    and nothing ever worked like the ammonia.  Note of caution, never mix 
    ammonia with any other cleaner - it can have an explosive reaction. 
    For day-to-day cleaning, you can dilute with water.
    
    You may have to repeat the procedure a few times, I cleaned my tub
    every other week.
    
    As for the Quick & Brite, it unfortunately did not clean the yellow
    stains off my porcelan tub, but I use it for other things, especially 
    because it is non-toxic and I use it on my daughters high chair.  It
    also doesn't dry out your skin like other household cleaners do.
    
    
    
    

    -.1 > Note of caution, never mix 
        > ammonia with any other cleaner - it can have an explosive reaction
    
    Good advice.  And if ammonia is mixed with chlorine, the resulting fumes 
    can knock you unconscious before you can get yourself out of the room.
    
    Leslie

<    I would like to know how heat can be 'driven' deeper into a burn by a
<    substance which is NO HOTTER than body temperature?!  

I don't know the answer to that, but I know that putting a child with a fever
into a luke warm bath is a good thing and will lower their temperature,
BUT putting the same child into a bath that is just slightly cooler will cause
their temperature to get *higher*.

    Carol

    it isnt so much that the oil heats  the burn futher, but that it
    doesn't help cool it.
    
    Burns continue burning for some time after the initial contact,
    continuing to damage tissues.  The cold water helps cool the sking and
    surrounding tissues more quickly and helps stem the damage going on. 
    This is why they recommend continuing cold water for at least 5
    minutes after the burn.  
    
    Butter can also increase the chance of an infection if blisters show up and 
    break later on after the original treatment and failure to cool the burned
    area. 
    
    meg

When we bought our house 4 years ago, we had to clean the shower, it 
needed it desperately. I couldn't believe they didn't clean the scum before 
they left, but that's another tangent...

I use COMET BATHROOM SPRAY and it works wonderful! I've tried Lysol 
products and others, but the comet spray was the only thing that worked. 
No scratching, no scrubbing. Just spray, let it sit, and then give it a 
wipe/rinse and that's all...if it's real bad, I might need to give it 
another quick spray, but generally once is enough.

But, I *hate* the comet toilet cleaner, I use Lysol toilet cleaner. That 
works miracles but don't get it on your skin, I got it on my arm and it 
started burning almost instantly! No wonder it works so good!

Good luck!
Donna

    First, my question, which relates to the bathtub soap scum question is:

    Can anyone recommend a good product/technique to use on sliding shower
    doors?  I haven't been able to clear our doors of a layer of soapy film 
    or scum.  The doors are made of either translucent plastic or plexiglass, 
    mildly textured on the outside surface and set into a chrome frame.  I 
    haven't used any type of abrasive for fear of scratching the material and
    making its appearance worse.  

    Also, I have trouble keeping water from collecting in the tracks that the 
    doors run in.  These are the kind of sliding doors that are mounted on the 
    outside rim of the bathtub.

    Finally, if after I get these cleaned up, I can convince everyone to
    use a squeegee on the doors and walls after showering, will it help
    keep them from getting yucky so fast?  Does anybody do this?

    Okay, those were my shower door & wall questions.  Now, I'd like to suggest
    that the answers to questions be posted with a note title that references
    the original question's title so that when someone does a directory on
    this note string, they can easily see which notes belong together when
    looking up a certain question.  For example, if I title this note "Cleaning
    Shower Doors" (which I did :-)), responses could be titled "RE:Cleaning 
    Shower Doors" or something similar.

    For cleaning crayon and lipstick off your painted walls and doors use
    WD-40 (car stuff).  It comes off like magic...Please ventilate the
    area..
    
    renee

How does one go about removing lipstick stains from sheets?  Shruthi had a ball
one day when she found one of my lipsticks!  Also, does anyone know how one
could remove crayon marks from a Little Tykes desk?  Shruthi and her friend one
day managed to color the entire desk...and a little bit of the chair too!  I
have tried all the regular kitchen cleaners...but nothing seems to remove the
crayon marks.

--CR.

    I just last weekend removed a whole tube of bright red lipstick from 
    walls, carpets, furniture, glass, and pj/sheets.  I used a product called
    Goo be Gone, the bottle states it works on crayons too.  I got the 
    stuff from F & M which recently went out of business and I haven't
    checked to find it anyplace else.  It works really good on sticker 
    removal which is what it was originally intended for.  
    
    side note - When I got out of the shower Amanda (2 1/2) walked into 
    the bathroom covered in lipstick and said "I beautiful Mommy just 
    like you, I wear makeup"  Its cute now but it sure wasn't cute then 
    and she knew it the minute she saw the look on my face. I spent 6 
    hours cleaning up the mess before Daddy got home.    
    
    lori

    I have found Goo-Be-Gone at both Kitchen Etc. and HomeWorks.  Both of
    these were in Nashua, NH.
    
    It's great stuff!  I've gotten crayon off of a Little Tykes table with
    Soft Scrub.
    
    judy

    I order my products from "The Clean Team."  The stuff that they have
    "Tile Juice" which takes off *all* scum anywhere is actually made of  a
    base of phosphoric acid.  Believe me, it cleans off scum and it cleans 
    it off in the door sliders of the surrounds or glass shower doors.  I
    got so tired of wasting my time with cleaning products found in
    department stores, that I started to buy what "Merry Maids" and other
    cleaning companies use.
    
    If you have a fiberglass tub (we have one porcelin and one fiber), when
    you put the Tile Juice on, you should take a gentle brush and start
    swishing it all around, otherwise the Tile Juice will etch into the
    plastic.
    
    This stuff isn't as dangerous as it sounds to work with at all. 
    Obviously you need to lock it away from kids, but you don't need rubber
    gloves up to your elbow and a ventilator either.
                           

    
    If anyone has a septic system as I do you really have to be careful
    what chemicals go down your drain.  
    
    About using the squeegee.  My husband and I use one all the time on a
    corner glass shower stall - there are 3 clear panels.  While I also can't 
    get the glass completely clear of the soam scum, the squeegee really
    helps. I also have hard water and didn't like the look of dried up
    water drops on the glass. The squeegee was perfect for this.
    
    Kathy

    
    Well, I tried the Comet bath cleaning spray on the shower and it didn't
    work.  Finally I decided to scrub.  Soft Scrub got rid of alot of it
    but I finally had to get out the Comet (abrasive powder) and attack it
    with a scrub brush.  Now it is spotless and I'll try not to let it get
    to that state again.  
    
    Karen

Well, I had a similar situation with my fiberglass shower and bath.  I couldn't
get all that crap off with dynamite!!!!!  What I did do, tho, and yes, it is not
the thing to do all the time, but I used a solution of miratic acid and water
(that takes EVERYTHING off).  This is NOT recommended for fiberglass, but I did
it anyway and it worked.  After getting all that crap off, I rinsed thoroughly,
dried it and then applied Gel Gloss, let that dry and buffed.  Boy, was
everything nice and shiny and clean and wonderful.  If you have a porcelin tub,
the acid solution will work nicely and so will the Gel Gloss.  After all is
done, then after each shower wipe down the walls and you'll not get any mildew
in the grout and everything stays cleaner much longer.

When using any acid/base, whatever ALWAYS ensure good ventilation.

Also, if you have mildew I more than highly recommend X-14...spray, leave for a
few minutes and wipe off...yes, it's THAT easy!  :)

    I have had very good luck with using Soft Scrub to get crayon marks
    off a Little Tykes table.  It takes a little elbow grease, but it
    works fine.  Just be sure to rinse, or at least go over the area again
    with a clean, damp cloth to get up all the gritty stuff.
    
    I have also used vegetable oil cooking spray (like PAM) to get various
    stickers, glue-y things, etc., off of various surfaces, and it has
    worked very well.  After all the glue is up (you have to wait a 
    minute or two), go over the surface again with a soapy wash cloth to
    clean up the greasy gunk.  I dont think I would try this on wallpaper,
    however.
    
    

Has anyone mentioned using half a potato for removing light bulbs that have
broken off near the base?  It really works!

Dave

    re -1, but don't forget to unplug the light!
    
    (saw it on Home Improvement, right ;-> )
    
    					cj *->

    Re:  .44
    
    I got a catalog (by request) from "The Clean Team".  The products sound
    great.  What do you use besides the Tile Juice?  Do you the various
    mops, etc. that they advertise?
    
    I want to try their stuff out but would like an unbiased opinion!
    
    Thanks,
    
    Linda

    I use Tile Juice, Red Juice (works great on countertops, rangehoods,
    stuff like that, but NEVER on mirrors and glass).  I have their Shussh
    (sp?) mop with the terry cloth covers - excellent for every day
    mopping.  However, when our dishwasher overflowed and we had so much
    water around, the old sponge/squeeze mop is best, but that's an unusual
    circumstance.  I also bought their cleaning cloths - one of the best
    cleaning things I ever did.  Cuts way back on paper towels and you can
    really clean with this stuff.
    
    I first heard about "The Clean Team" in Yankee Magazine about 7 years
    ago.  I have slowly bought products from them and every one I've
    bought, I've really liked - especially Tile Juice.

    how can one get a catalog for "the Clean Team" products ?

    If I remember, I'll bring it in tomorrow and enter the address.

    "Tomorrow" being a relative term in my book, here's the Address and
    phone # for "The Clean Team":
    
    	Telephone:  1-800-717-CLEAN
    
    	Address:  Jeff Campbell's Clean Team
    		  990 South Rogers Circle #5
    		  Boca Raton, FL 33487
    
    I have the catalog in my office in MK2 if anyone wants to check it
    out...I'm in the process of ordering the "Deluxe Kit + Sh-Mop".
    
    Linda

    
    For all those out there who said "Clean" is too many numbers - the
    clean represents 2532 - drop the "n" when dialing.
    
    I just ordered the catalog and they said it would only take a few days
    to arrive.
    
    

   well, I dialed the number just as it was and got thru too !  so I guess
   Ma AT&T must drop the last number automatically or something !!!!!!

   Woman on the phone told me it would go out in the mail today and arrive
   in a few too - also asked where I heard about them !!!

   Thanks for posting the number & address !
   Debbi

    You're welcome....I dialed the whole # too and got through ok.  Can't
    WAIT to get my order - never thought I'd be this excited getting
    CLEANING products!
    
    Linda

    Just an update on my "Clean Team" products:
    
    Red Juice is incredible!  Even my ultra skeptical husband is sold on
    this stuff.  One thing I really like about it (besides the cleaning
    power) is that it is classified by the FDA as safe around food.  So, I
    use it to spray the placemats down after dinner.  No rinsing needed.
    
    The Blue Juice did a great job on my patio door window.
    
    I really like the furniture polish but will reorder the Aeorosal (sp?)
    version instead of the Pump (when I run out of the pump kind that is!)
    
    I LOVE the cleaning cloths - so convenient and I'm really cutting down
    on the paper towel use.
    
    The Sh-Mop is very easy to use - I would like a narrower version to get
    behind the toilet bowls though.  It's great on our annoying vinal
    floor.
    
    The best thing is there is absolutely no odor with either the Red or
    Blue juice.  The polish smell is very muted.  My husband hates the
    smell of cleaning products so these are great for him.  Now after
    cleaning all we smell are the Lilies-of-the-Valley in our backyard
    instead of a myriad of lemon, pine, etc.
    
    All in all, I'm sold!
    
    Linda

    RE: clean team products.  I ordered the tile juice and the fiberglass
    cleaner, thinking if the fiberglass cleaner didn't do a good enough job
    I would resort to the "stronger" stuff for my dirty shower.  I sprayed
    on the fiberglass cleaner and let it sit for 2 minutes per the
    directions and all the dirt just wiped off.  I couldn't believe it!! 
    This is the best, easiest bathroom cleaner I have ever used.  Now I need
    to think of something else to try the tile juice on.  Anyone ever use
    the clean team's grout whitener?  I can't tell from the catalog if it
    is a cleaner, or just covers the dirt.  I might try my tile juice out
    on the grout...

    I probably missed it, but how can I get a catalog of Clean Team
    products?
    
    Thanks...
    
    -Linda

    
    see note 939.55

    re: Clean Team stuff - I got my catalog and there's lots of neat stuff
    I'm considering trying - I wanted to know first, tho', has anyone here
    tried the stuff they sell that you can use to clean WOOD FLOORS ???

    I have wood in probably 3/4s of the house (only kitchen, bathrooms,
    and upstairs bedrooms are linoleum) - they definitely need to be cleaned
    but I'm concerned about using anything that will ruin the floor or the
    shine (which I *hope* will come back after cleaning) !!

    Anyone with experience ?

    
    Since Linda posted The Clean Team # on the 16th -- has anyone ordered
    the catalog and received it?  When I ordered it, they said it would
    only take a few days -- and here I am still waiting for the catalog to
    arrive.  I wanted to get some feedback before calling them back.
    
    

    Mine was post marked 5/19, so I don't think it took too long to get it
    - I don't remember the exact date, but it seemed like a week at the
    longest.
    
    
    
    

   don't remember the postmark date on mine, but I also think it was
   within a week or so of calling....

   Debbi

    Has anyone out there used a Clean Team product on a no-wax kitchen
    floor?  Which one?  How does it work?
    
    

	I was told by the retailer that sold us our floor not to 
	use anything on it but ammonia and water or vinegar and water.

	I started out with the vinegar and water for the first six months.
	Last time I tried the ammonia, and it seemed to do a little better
	job on the sticky spots.

	(For hardwood floors, I was always told to use either just a
	damp mop, or put a small amount of vinegar in the water.)

	Karen

A boon for parents everywhere.  :-)


                      Coating self-cleans glass and paints
                      ------------------------------------

        From Science News, September 2, 1995, Vol. 148, No. 10, Pg 157
        Author - R. Lipkin

    A deliverance for moms who must continually wipe tiny hand prints off
    white walls?  An end to insect-smeared windshields?

    Adam Heller and Yaron Paz, chemical engineers at the University of Texas
    at Austin, have devised a chemical coating for glass surfaces that
    automatically clears away most types of dirt and grime.  The thin film
    titanium dioxide coating functions as a photocatalyst.  Reacting with
    sunlight, it breaks down and strips away deposits of organic debris.
    It's an adaptation of the catalyst-coated glass beads that Heller
    developed to break down spilled crude oil (SN:5/22/93, p.322).

    Working with 1-inch squares of glass in the laboratory, the researchers
    have found that the "self-cleaning" coating rids itself of just the kind
    of organic scum that tends to accumulate on walls and car windows.  In a
    distinctly nonscientific test, Heller said that he has been driving
    around town with coated glass squares pasted onto his car windows - just
    to see what happens.  "It works," he says.  "The dirt comes off."

    Because the coating works as effectively on painted surfaces as on
    glass, Heller envisions new kinds of latex paints for household walls
    that would clean themselves of fingerprints and food stains when
    illuminated.

    Details of these photocatalytic coatings will appear in an upcoming
    JOURNAL OF MATERIALS RESEARCH.

    I'll take it!
    
    Especially for my car.  Kids and dogs do a lot of window damage.
    
    ;-)

    re .69, "Coating self-cleans glass and paints"
    
    I wonder if it can be applied directly to kids' bodies;
    would certainly save on dirty hands and faces. :)
    

    
    Does anyone have a non-toic/safe way of keeping those little green
    spiders from your house.  We have come across a few in the house, and
    my daughter has had a few bites.
    
    

    Does anyone have any household tips for removing the green hue from
    blond hair.  Usually its caused by a certain shampoo or well water. 
    Not sure the cause yet, but hoping for a remedy in the mean time.
    
    Thanks in advance.

    check out note 274 - Swimmer's green hair - there are some suggestions
    in there, I believe.   Lila
    
    
    

>
>    Does anyone have any household tips for removing the green hue from
>    blond hair.  Usually its caused by a certain shampoo or well water. 
>    Not sure the cause yet, but hoping for a remedy in the mean time.
>    

Chlorine is the culprit ... usually comes from swimming in chlorinated pools.

Somewhere in here is a note all about how to get the green out ... but off the
top of my head I can't remember where, and because I use a notes off-line
reader, I can't go looking ... sorry.

Stuart

    
    This isn't really a household tip as much as a "beauty" tip
    but I figure I'd put it here for lack of a better place.
    
    I have very thin hair and like a lot of little girls, I have
    a problem keeping barettes in place.  They gradually slip
    out of my hair over the course of the day.
    
    I no order to keep the barettes in place, I take the barette
    and open it up and place a bead of hot glue across the center
    of the barette and the two outside edges and let it cool.  Once
    the glue is hard, you put the barette in and it doesn't slip.
    
    Hope this helps those of you who are hair-thickness challenged.
    
    Pam

    Wow, I am going to try this on my daughter, her hair is so fine that I
    have a hard time with keeping ponytail holders in place.
    
    Roberta

    I am looking for a way to remove crayon from wallpaper.  An earlier
    note said to try WD40 but I am wondering if anyone has had luck with
    anything else.  WD40 seems harsh to me.
    
    Thanks,
    Nancy

    
    Nancy,
    
    Try hairspray.  My son drew a red truck on offwhite wallpaper and
    hairspray removed it.
    
    Joanna

    Check out WWW.CRAYOLA.COM.  There's a section on Stain Removal which
    gives tips on how to remove crayon markings from all kinds of surfaces. 
    I used soft-scrub to get it off a "painted" wall.  Worked great!
    
    /Karen