Home Maintenance For Dummies Cheat Sheet

The make-your-own-cleanser guide to help maintain your home

DIY cleanser scrub

This formula for my DIY cleanser scrub is especially suited for cleaning up baked-on spills on glass or porcelain ranges and cooktops when you would normally pull out the cleanser. Start with the following ingredients:

• 3/4cup borax
• 1/4 cup baking soda
• Dishwashing liquid to moisten

Combine the two powders and moisten them with just enough dishwashing liquid to create a gooey paste. You can use all borax or all baking soda if you want, depending upon what you have around the house, but just keep in mind that the concoction won’t be quite as strong without the borax. For a more pleasing and lingering aroma, add @@bf1/4 teaspoon lemon juice.

Gentle Glass Cleaner

Our Gentle Glass Cleaner works well for cleaning the glass shelving in your refrigerator, glass cooktops, and the windows in range and oven doors. You need the following ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons ammonia
• 1/4 teaspoon dishwashing liquid
• 1/2 cup rubbing alcohol
• Hot water

Mix the ammonia, dishwashing liquid, and rubbing alcohol, and add enough hot water to make 1 quart of cleaner. If you prefer, you can avoid the smell of ammonia by using white vinegar or lemon juice. However, these optional concoctions will cause the formula to be slightly less powerful.

For super-duper window cleaning — especially in cold weather when windows are extra dirty — add 1 teaspoon of cornstarch to the formula to boost your cleaning-and-sparkling horsepower.

Natural Carpet Freshener

Steam cleaning carpets can be a pretty big project but a quick vacuuming with this natural carpet freshener can deliver fragrant results and stave off more frequent deep cleans. Here’s what you’ll need:

• 2 cups of baking soda
• ½ cup of salt
• ¼ to ½ cup of mint leaves or lavender buds

In a mixing bowl combine the baking soda and salt, then add the dried mint leaves or lavender buds to the mix and stir well. The baking soda will help neutralize odors, while salt helps to enhance the deodorizing effect and the herbs add a pleasant scent.

Once the mix is ready, vacuum your carpet to remove most of the dirt.  Then sprinkle the mixture evenly across your carpet. Pay special attention to areas with strong odors or high traffic.

Leave the baking soda, salt, and dried herb mixture on your carpet for at least 20-30 minutes. This gives it time to absorb odors and freshen up the fibers. Then, just vacuum your carpet thoroughly.  And with that – the funk will be all gone and replaced with a fresh pleasant scent!

People-Friendly Oven Cleaner

This People-Friendly Oven Cleaner is a safe alternative to those conventional, caustic oven cleaners. You can also use it to clean barbecue grills and grungy pots and pans. Start with the following ingredients:

• 2 teaspoons borax or baking soda
• 2 tablespoons dishwashing liquid
• 1 1/4 cups ammonia
• 1 1/2 cups hot water

Mix the ingredients, apply generously to spills, and let the solution soak for 30 minutes or as long as overnight. Loosen tough spills with a nylon scrubber, and then wipe up with a damp sponge.

Super-Duper Disinfectant Cleaner

The Super-Duper Disinfectant Cleaner works well anywhere you would use a store-bought disinfectant, such as on appliance pulls and handles, the inside face of the refrigerator where the gasket seats, the refrigerator drip pan, counters and cutting boards, and around the opening of your clothes washer. It works especially well on all surfaces of a trash compactor — inside and out.

Mix the following ingredients and then scrub:

• 1 tablespoon borax or baking soda
• 1/4 cup powdered laundry detergent
• 1/4 cup pine-oil-based cleaner or pine oil
• 3/4 cup hot water

For kitchen countertops, backsplashes, and the like (where there is a lot of area to cover), you can dilute with more hot water to get more coverage.

Your home maintenance toolkit

This list of basic tools covers a wide range of tasks for home maintenance, repairs, and DIY projects. You don’t need to buy everything at once, but refer back to this list from time to time as you add tools to your collection:

1. 16 oz Hammer: For various tasks like hanging pictures and light demolition work.
2. Tape Measure: Essential for measuring materials and spaces.
3. Screwdrivers: Both flathead and Phillips-head screwdrivers in various sizes.
4. Adjustable Wrench: Handy for tightening nuts and bolts.
5. 3/8” Socket Set: Includes various socket sizes for nuts and bolts.
6. Allen Wrenches: For assembling furniture and tightening small bolts.
7. Pliers: Combination pliers and needle-nose pliers for gripping and cutting wires.
8. Utility Knife and Blades: Ideal for cutting materials like cardboard and plastic.
9. Level: 36” or 48” aluminum to ensures straight and even installations.
10. Drill/Driver: Battery-powered for drilling holes and driving screws.
11. Drill Bit Set: Includes various drill bit sizes for different materials.
12. Circular Saw: Battery-powered saw for cutting wood, laminate, and other materials for DIY projects.
13. Safety Glasses, Gloves and Dust Mask: Protection for eyes, hands, and lungs during DIY tasks.
14. Caulk Gun: For applying caulk around windows, doors, trim and bathtubs.
15. Clamps: Small bar clamps to secure materials during gluing or be an extra hand during assembly.
16. Sawhorses or Workbench: Provides a stable work surface for cutting and assembly.
17. Work Light: Battery powered light and/or a headlamp (like those that hikers use) to put light right where you’re looking.
18. Paintbrushes: 2 ½” tapered and straight for painting walls, trim, and furniture.
19. Toilet Plunger: Essential for clearing minor toilet clogs.
20. 2 1/2-Gallon Wet/Dry Shop Vacuum: Cleans up dust, debris, and spills.
21. Putty Knife: Used for applying and smoothing putty, spackle, or filler.

Your monthly home maintenance checklist

Maintenance performed regularly and on schedule provides optimum longevity and helps prevent potential breakdowns or malfunctions. Beyond maintenance procedures for operational sake, the primary (and most important) reason for checking, inspecting, and constantly tuning up your home is to ensure maximum safety for you and your family.

Make these tasks part of your monthly home maintenance schedule:

• Clean and replace furnace and air-conditioner filters,
• Clean and freshen your drains.
• Degrease and freshen your disposal using disposer cleaning tablets.
• Check the steam system safety valve and steam gauge.
• Check the water level of your steam system.
• Clean the filter on the interior of wall-mounted heat pumps.
• Check air intakes for insect blockages and debris.
• Clean the range-hood filter.
• Clean your appliances.
• Remove and clean range burners.
• Wash and rinse the clothes-dryer lint screen.
• Inspect, clean, and lubricate at least one major appliance per the manufacturer’s instructions.
• Check water-purification and water-softener filters.
• Clean and brighten tile and grout.
• Deep-clean all types of flooring.
• Inspect fire-extinguisher pressure gauges.
• Test smoke-detector sensors and alarms.
• Test carbon-monoxide detectors.
• Test the auto-reverse safety feature on garage-door openers.