Questions tagged [cleaning]
Tips and tricks relating to cleaning. Please do not use this tag alone. Use also another tag to identify what it is you are trying to clean.
79
questions
32
votes
11answers
5k views
How can I neatly eat messy food without “common” utensils?
This is an attempt at a canonical Q&A for the question above, as suggested in this comment:
This should replace the Mango, BBQ Ribs, Chips, Apple and Orange eating questions.
I am trying to eat ...
23
votes
13answers
29k views
How to clean crevices of electronics without compressed air?
For cleaning keyboards and other computer components not reachable with a cloth, I generally use a can of compressed air.
However, the can is empty. What else can I use that would be a general ...
30
votes
6answers
5k views
How to clean blood from white clothes
A related question asks about cleaning blood off of colored clothing.
What can I do to clean blood from white clothing?
I've tried washing it off with soap and water, but that doesn't really get rid ...
51
votes
8answers
119k views
Permanent marker on a dry erase board?
I have inadvertently used permanent marker on my dry erase board. If I "scrub" the board the marker comes off, but this ruins the surface. What might be the best way to fix this mistake to save the ...
19
votes
6answers
114k views
How do I get lint out of a headphone jack?
Spending most of its life in my pocket, the headphone jack of my phone frequently gets clogged up with lint. Usually I can tweeze it out, but this time I forgot, and tried to plug in my headphones, ...
19
votes
11answers
5k views
How can I clear my shower drain without drain cleaner?
While showering I notice that the drain starts to clog and water start to accumulate, but yet its not totally clogged. What can I do to prevent further clogging, while still being able to continue my ...
20
votes
16answers
20k views
Removing ice from the windshield
Related: How to keep the windshield from freezing over?
Let's say I've ignored their advice and woken up with a thick coating of ice on my windshield, as I did yesterday.
What's the fastest way of ...
11
votes
5answers
23k views
How to kill the stink in an unplugged refrigerator?
There is a refrigerator that has been left with food in it and without electricity for some time, opening the door is 'unpleasant'. It either needs to be cleaned and restored to service or it needs ...
6
votes
1answer
5k views
Eradicate a cockroach infestation
A cockroach infestation has formed in my house a while ago, probably because food was left out and dishes were never done. However for the last few months I have made sure to keep the place clean and ...
4
votes
10answers
74k views
How to clean glass without glass cleaner?
I'm all out of Windex/glass cleaner and I want to clean a very dirty window without leaving streaks. I have both a microfiber cloth and paper towels available. What can I use instead of glass cleaner?
4
votes
5answers
28k views
How can I remove skin oil from my phone's screen?
My phone screen picks up the usual fingerprint smudges, but there is a band where the swipe keyboard appears that is particularly bad. Rubbing with phone screen cleaning wipes and glasses cleaning ...
32
votes
8answers
12k views
Cleaning a dirty computer screen
Sometimes my computer screen gets dirty and dusty, and this grime doesn't come off by just wiping it. (Besides the fact that wiping it by hand will just make more problems)
What can I use to clean a ...
20
votes
11answers
6k views
What is the best way to get rid of steam on a mirror?
What is the best and continually way to get rid of steam and fog on a mirror? The picture below is what I mean:
Image from: vivaitalianmovies.com
In the past, I've tried using soap and toothpaste on ...
12
votes
3answers
902 views
De-pill the clothes?
Many people like me do not like to wear the cloths which has small pill-like balls especially on cotton based fabric. I tried plucking the the visible pills after a wash, that was very annoying and ...
10
votes
4answers
5k views
How to get Urine stains out of carpet
I recently got a puppy, and he is still not quite house trained. I attempt to clean up his accidents right away, but they still leave a small stain. I can see small circles on the carpet where he has ...
14
votes
19answers
29k views
How can I fix a clogged toilet without calling a plumber?
We've all been there: you're using the toilets, flush the water, and it's still there. Flush again, to no avail. It's utterly clogged.
When at home I can simply call a plumber, but:
It costs money
...
asked Jan 5 '15 at 15:40
Shadow Wizard Wearing Mask V2
2,3623 gold badges15 silver badges43 bronze badges
5
votes
8answers
1k views
Easiest way to remove blackheads [closed]
What is the easiest fastest and not too expensive way too remove blackheads on the face? Especially the nose area.
12
votes
3answers
8k views
Clean hair from vacuum brush
I own a roomba and while its cool and saves time and everything, cleaning the counter rotating brushes inside it is bothersome. I have long hair.
I usually open the roomba and remove the brushes, ...
10
votes
2answers
20k views
How to eat chips with out getting hands dirty [duplicate]
The title really says it all, but for you sticklers...
How to eat chips with out getting hands dirty?
Things I have tried:
A napkin; very awkward
Not eating chips; not a solution
Eating with my ...
8
votes
2answers
2k views
Removing blood from colored clothes
I got blood on my blue shirt. I would usually use peroxide, but last time I tried that, my shirt got ruined (colors got messed up). What is an easy way I can remove blood from my shirt without ruining ...
5
votes
8answers
59k views
How can I neutralize the odours of certain washing detergents?
Brands of clothes washing detergents such as Tide, Gain, and Downey contain a strong chemical odour which is offensive to me. No amount of airing-out will diminish this odour. Things washed using ...
3
votes
5answers
9k views
How do I clean dust between my desk and glass protecting it?
I have a huge sheet of protective glass on top of wood desk with a computer set up on top of that. Dust has collected between desk top and glass. How can I get the dust out without disassembling and ...
58
votes
12answers
97k views
How does one efficiently clean-up hair from sink after shaving or trimming beard?
How does one efficiently clean-up hair from sink and counter area after shaving or trimming beard?
After shaving, but more so trimming my beard (using electric trimmer), mustache, or trimming my hair ...
15
votes
6answers
93k views
removing corrosion on the contacts of an Apple USB-to-Lightning cable
After keeping my iPhone data/charging cable in the car for too long, I have the problem described here which is that the tiny contacts on the "lightning" end of the cable have become corroded, and the ...
34
votes
10answers
26k views
How can I clean my sticky keyboard?
My keyboard is sticky. Obviously, since it is electronic, I can't use an abundance of soap and water.
I've tried a damp cloth, but it is not effective. How can I clean it, without ruining it?
21
votes
12answers
248k views
How to get cat urine smell out of wooden floors?
Sometime ago I bought an old house that had soft wood floors. Half the house had carpet. The person that had lived there before had cats, and the carpeted area of the house had a strong cat urine ...
22
votes
3answers
99k views
How do I remove hairs from a caster wheel on a roller chair?
My roller chair is now immovable since there is somehow HAIR, which is about 3 feet (9 dm) per strand, rolled and tangled into all 5 wheels. Below is a picture of the chair:
MSRP for this chair: $625....
27
votes
24answers
93k views
How to clean inside of straw
I have a plastic cup from a company I used to work at. I like this cup and it's very convenient for me to be able to drink water with the straw, so I use this very often. However, after longtime use, ...
12
votes
4answers
28k views
Easiest way to remove adhesive from shirts?
I recently went to an event, and we had to wear name tags. Then, I forgot to remove the name tags before I washed it. When it came out, It had a white stain. I found out that the stain was some sort ...
10
votes
5answers
28k views
How to Get Rid of Smell in a Refrigerator?
How do you get rid of the mixture of smells in a refrigerator (Not Unplugged) so that other items don't inherit their nasty smell? I have heard of baking soda, but are there other techniques?
3
votes
2answers
6k views
How to clean old sticky pc mouse with rubber coating?
I have an old Logitech MX510 mouse which is very sticky on the sides. How can I get rid of this stickiness?
19
votes
9answers
33k views
How can I quickly eliminate the smell of cigarette smoke in a confined space?
When somebody smokes in my car or a room of my home, the smell lasts for days to weeks. How can I quickly remove that smell?
I've tried using basic air fresheners, but they only put a bandaid on the ...
18
votes
3answers
2k views
Cleaning a microwave
What is the easiest way to clean dried/burnt-on food out of a microwave?
Cleaning out the microwave was always one of my least favorite tasks back when I worked the graveyard shift at the local ...
15
votes
11answers
75k views
How to quickly dry wet sneakers?
I stepped in a deep puddle and now both of my sneakers are thoroughly wet. I've tried opening them up to let them air dry, but this takes far too long. I'm also afraid to put them into the clothes ...
11
votes
4answers
24k views
How can I get damp clothes to hang-dry faster in the home?
It's cold at the moment and I can't spare much for heating the house.
Are there any cost-effective hacks to hang-dry wet clothes faster (and preferably limit mould-inducing moisture in the air)?
8
votes
11answers
112k views
How to stop rim of water bottle becoming smelly?
I have a water bottle that I use pretty much every day. Admittedly I don't wash it all that often just purely because I don't feel like it / forget when I am home and just want to relax.
I have ...
7
votes
7answers
498 views
How can I clean my laptop keyboard?
I need to clean my keyboard for my Lenovo laptop. The space of the strokes are very low.
7
votes
4answers
959 views
More effective way to clean a CD/DVD?
I have a music compact disc. When I insert it into my computer, I get through tracks 1-3 just fine, and part way through 4 before the player throws an error. I get an identical response in another ...
6
votes
2answers
483 views
How can you reuse a disposable water bottle indefinitely?
I like to reuse disposable water bottles as many times as I can so that they get many uses before having to be recycled.
Assuming you continue to properly wash the disposable water bottle, is it ...
5
votes
3answers
343 views
How to make a 100% cotton shirt repel moisture?
I bought a casual 100% cotton button-down shirt the other day from the brand ESP fashion.
I live in Bangkok, Thailand and it's crazy hot here at the moment (or any moment), so I figured a white one ...
16
votes
5answers
31k views
What should I do without hot water in the shower?
I just woke up, it's -20 degrees Fahrenheit outside, I have to be at work soon, and now I just found out that the hot water heater isn't working, so the water is freezing cold! I'm smelly as can be ...
13
votes
4answers
142k views
How to remove lint from a shirt without a lint brush?
I am at the office right now and thanks to a new cotton jacket I wore on the way here, my shirt is covered in lint/fluffs.
Obviously this looks terrible and I would like to avoid making a bad/unclean ...
11
votes
3answers
11k views
How to remove large quantity of dust from electronic/mechanical equipment?
Say for example, I have a computer with many many fans, and which that computer sits on the carpet floor.
What is the best way to get dust, hair, bits of trash, maybe even bugs, out of a moving piece ...
11
votes
9answers
3k views
Removing mold from walls without use of harmful chemicals
I have mold in the corner of my kitchen.
Usually remove it with mold-removing chemical products like bleach spray and it work perfectly. But recently some people told me these chemicals are harmful ...
8
votes
15answers
39k views
Any idea how to remove this build-up from glass shower door?
My shower door has slowly built-up this limescale-like coating over the past 5 years and it does not seem to respond to any attempt to remove it.
It is far more prevalent on the door nearest the ...
8
votes
2answers
209k views
How to remove ink from paper?
We have all made mistakes when writing before and if you are clever you will have written or drawn it out in pencil first so that you can correct any mistakes before making ti a little more permanent. ...
8
votes
8answers
10k views
How can I clean a textured bathtub?
My bathtub has a textured non-slip surface on the bottom, which is in the form of a fine grid of raised and lowered areas, forming thousands of tiny squares about 1mm on a side. So each square is a ...
8
votes
4answers
180k views
Removing duct tape from my car without paint damage?
Duct tape is a wonderful product for making things stick together. It often will leave a sticky mess after you separate whatever you used it on.
How do I remove the duct tape mess from my car without ...
6
votes
5answers
6k views
Remove bad smell from clothes
I buy new clothes and wear them for 2-3 months. I wash them several times during this period. The clothes don't smell fresh anymore, even after washing.
The smell is like sweat or ammonia or ...
5
votes
2answers
3k views
How to remove water spots?
I have a shower with a glass screen to stop the water covering the floor and I try to wipe it down every time using a squeegee in order to prevent the exact problem I am having - I believe the issue ...
