A candlelight dinner in your living room is very sensual and romantic, until you realize the next morning that some molten candle wax made its way into your carpeting. You can try to move the furniture around, but that stain wouldn’t go away. The problem with candle wax is that it can sometimes be stubborn, and all the scraping in the world wouldn’t get rid of the wax particles stuck into the nap and fibers of the carpeting.

While candle wax stains are tough stains, they are very easy to remove. You can get rid of candle wax stains in no time at all, provided you have the right tools to get the job done.

Things You Need

• Any plastic scraping tool (ruler, dough cutter, an unused identification card)

• Brown paper bag (a used grocery bag would do fine)

• Clothes iron (not a steam iron, although if you have to use one, turn off the “steam” function)

• Baking soda or baking powder

Steps

1. Scrape away as much as you can of the candle wax stain. Be very careful not to cut into the fibers of the fabric, or ruin the nap of the carpet.

2. Lay the brown paper bag on top of the candle wax stain.

3. Turn on the iron to the lowest heat setting, and run it over the paper bag. The wax will melt right into the paper bag.

4. If you need to clean multiple candle wax stains, use a clean portion of the paper bag to pick up the wax.

5. Candle wax can sometimes leave greasy spots. To remove these grease stains, sprinkle a small amount of baking soda or baking powder on the grease spot and leave it there overnight. The baking soda will absorb the grease, which you can then vacuum away the next morning.

Now that you know how to remove candle wax stains from carpets, you can have a candle light dinner at just about every carpeted room at your house. Just remember to keep it safe, because it’s easier to get rid of candle wax stains than to get rid of a fire.

Steam is one of the most effective ways to remove tough stains. Many professional cleaning services use steam to remove caked-in dirt on clothes and carpets. Some communities and cities also use steam to clean the tar and grime out of sidewalks and roads. Steam ironing is a common way to remove wrinkles from clothes.

Steam works in many ways to clean stains:

• Steam is made from high-temperature water vapor. Heat, coupled with the dissolving action of water, can easily dislodge and remove steam.

• Steam under high pressure is used to loosen and remove stains on roadways. When mixed with salt water, steam cleaners are also used to break down snow.

• Most professional carpet-cleaning services use steam-powered vacuum cleaners. Steam cleaners are cheap, efficient, and are gentle on even the most delicate fibers.

• High-temperature steam straightens out many fibers like cotton, wool, and polyester. A steam iron can be used to iron clothes with ease. You can also use a conventional iron and a spray bottle to generate steam.

Whether you want to get rid of tough stains or annoying wrinkles on your clothes, steam is one of your best cleaning tools.

After a night of drinking, your clothes may smell like beer. Beer may taste good to some people, but it certainly does not smell good on your clothes. You don’t want to go around town smelling like an old tavern or a seedy bar, but you don’t have the time to wash your clothes on the way out of the watering hole. There are many ways you can leave the bar smelling fresh and clean:

• Always carry around a bottle of water-based cologne. Alcohol-based cologne can sometimes heighten the smell of beer on your clothes.

• You can sit by an air conditioner for a few minutes to allow the beer smells to evaporate.

• Stay away from smokers and cigarette smoke. The least you want is the smell of beer and the smell of cigarettes on your clothes.

• Dab on a little bit of baby powder or talc on the beer stains. The powder will absorb the alcohol and fermented grain smells from your clothes.

Drinking may be enjoyable, but you don’t have to put up with the awful smell of drying beer. With a few simple ingredients, you can stay smelling fresh and clean no matter what drink accidentally makes it into your clothes.

Toilets are perhaps the dirtiest parts of any home. The fact may escape you, but you spend quite a lot of time at the toilet. You certainly don’t want to catch any diseases or infections from using a toilet, so you have to keep it clean and fresh.

Over time, germs and other microorganisms can build up inside your toilet. Mold, mildew, and bacteria can make their way into your body every time you use the toilet. Harmful microorganisms can multiply overnight, and cause foul odors and smells inside your toilet. Here are some neat tricks you can use to keep your toilet smelling fresh and clean:

• Pour a cup of distilled white vinegar in your toilet overnight to remove the smells and kill some of the bacteria.

• Squeeze full-strength bleach under the rim of the toilet to kill harmful mold and mildew.

• Have a tank cleaner installed on your toilet.

You spend a lot of time at the toilet, so you should pay special care and attention to keep it clean.

Mopping a floor or washing a window can be quite a chore. Most people find themselves bored with their weekend cleaning tasks, and end up really stressed afterwards. You can remove all the stress and the boredom from your weekend cleaning jobs by playing your favorite tunes on the home stereo system or through your MP3 player.

Dance is very invigorating, and takes your mind away from the drudgery of cleaning. It is also an excellent form of exercise, especially for people who want to lose extra pounds. You could use headphones on a portable MP3 player, or you could make cleaning more fun and exciting if you play music at a loud volume, although make sure your neighbors would not complain. Here are interesting dance ideas you could incorporate into your cleaning routines:

• Play 70s disco for window washing.

• Play some hip-hop dance remixes when you’re mopping up the floor.

• Dance crazes from the 1990s are excellent for dusting and wiping curios and shelves.

Cleaning need not be boring and tedious. You’d be surprised at how much work you can do if you make your cleaning jobs more fun and exciting.

Ever wondered why companies insist that their employees keep their workplaces clean? Not only is a dirty workplace a terrible place to work in, but it also lowers productivity and efficiency. Cleaning up after a day of work is just as important as what you do for a living.

Japanese companies innovated a productivity philosophy called “5S,” which stands for five Japanese words that refer to a methodology not only for cleaning, but for business. The 5S methodology is all about eliminating waste, speeding up daily tasks, and improving the quality of the workplace. You can use the 5S methodology to help you organize your tasks at the end of every working day.

Seiri (Sorting)

Go through everything in your workplace. Check your shelves, desks, and even the file structures in your office computer. Keep only the items you need at work, and discard or store everything else. Sorting and storing reduces the time you spend looking for a particular pencil, a notepad, or a certain file on your computer, which means that you can devote more time to work.

Seiton (Set in Order)

“Set in order” means that there’s a place for everything, and everything should be in its place. After a day of work, take the time to see if your writing materials, tools, notes, and files are in their correct and proper order. It also means that you can improve the work flow for the next working day.

Seiso (Sweeping)

At the end of each working day, take the time to clean up after your office space. Clean up after any mess you make. Not only should you do this out of courtesy, but “seiso” also means that you know the exact place of everything you need for work. It also means that when you enter a clean office, you should work and leave in a clean office.

Seiketsu (Standardizing)

Almost every company has a standardized manual on company behavior and workplace cleanliness. If your company assigns cleaning tasks, you should know exactly what you should do and stick with that role for the particular task.

Shitsuke (Sustaining)

A systematic and productive workplace is not a one-day-affair just because the boss or some prospective clients are around. Sustaining your cleaning tasks is important to improve productivity and increase employee satisfaction. Remember that if you cannot sustain 5S, you have to start over.

The 5S system may sound simple, but it demands dedication and commitment. With 5S, you can be sure to complete your office cleaning tasks in no time.

One of the leading causes of clogged kitchen drains is used cooking oil. Many people make the mistake of pouring used cooking oil down the drain, and end up with a clogged sink at the end of the day. You may spend a whole afternoon with a rubber plunger, drain cleaner, and a kettle of boiling water trying to unclog the drain. You can avoid this messy, exasperating chore by disposing of used kitchen oil properly.

• Never pour cooking oil down the sink. The temperature of your drain pipes are significantly cooler than your kitchen, which means that the oil could solidify very quickly. Even vegetable oils can build up and solidify inside your drain pipes.

• Put it in a jar. Small amounts of cooking oil can be stored in a resealable plastic jar, and disposed of with your other household rubbish.

• Take it to a processing plant. Restaurants can process used cooking oil, although it is best to send your big jars of used grease and fats to a biodiesel processing facility. Not only do you get rid of your used cooking oil, you can also help produce clean, environmentally friendly fuel.

The next time you dispose of used cooking oil, remember to give your drain pipes a break. You can prevent clogged drains by following these simple steps to get rid of your used cooking fats and grease.

If you run a catering business, or if you happen to entertain a lot of guests in your home, you would be surprised at how many germs could be found in your spoons and forks. No amount of scrubbing can get rid of the pesky vermin found in many kitchen utensils, which makes it important to sterilize your spoons and forks every now and then. Sterilization is very easy, and it kills germs in no time at all.

Tools

• Kettle or pot

• Stove

• Liquid dish washing detergent.

Steps

1. Fill a kettle or a pot with water, and put all your spoons, forks, and other pieces of cutlery inside.

2. Add a small amount of liquid dish washing detergent to the pot, and mix thoroughly.

3. Bring the water to a boil for at least five minutes.

4. Rinse the cutlery immediately under cold running water, and store them in a clean dry place.

Sterilizing your spoons and forks not only prevent diseases, but they also keep your kitchen and dining area safe and clean for dining and enjoyment.

Mechanical mice are favored by computer users who are on a budget, or for people who are most comfortable with it. One problem with a mechanical mouse is that the tracking ball can gather a lot of dirt and grime from the mouse pad or from your computer table. As the dirt builds up on the ball’s rubber surface, your mouse’s responsiveness is greatly reduced. Your mouse pointer may be jumping and skipping all over the monitor, or your mouse may not work at all. Cleaning a mechanical mouse ball is easy, and requires only a few simple steps.

Tools You Need

• A plastic ruler, a laminated identification card, or any other plastic tool with a blunt edge

• Rubbing alcohol

Steps

1. Remove the mouse ball from its receptacle.

2. Soak the mouse ball in a small amount of rubbing alcohol, which helps loosen some of the dirt and grime stuck to the surface.

3. Very carefully scrape off the particles of dirt and grime on the surface of the mouse ball. Make sure not to deform the ball, or to scrape off too deep that you scratch the surface.

4. Allow the ball to dry in a clean, cool, dry place before replacing it to its receptacle.

Now that your mouse ball is clean, your computing tasks and computer games will no longer suffer from a twitchy mouse pointer.