I love wearing a perfume when I go out. But wouldn’t it be great of your clothes came out smelling nice as you remove them from your clothes cabinet?

Of course you can use a fabric softener in the laundry. Have you ever received a trial strip of a perfume in a mall? When you get any such sample, don’t just throw it away. Place it in between your clothes and let it be there. The pleasant odor of the perfume sample will pass on to your clothes.

Try this and leave any more such hints that you have for me!

When I have a lot of cooking to do, cutting and chopping are the two things that figure on top of the list. They are part of the basic preparation for what I have to cook next, and it can be rather messy at times.

One idea struck me the other day. I took lots of aluminum foil and spread it on my work area in the kitchen. Then after I was done with my cooking, I simply removed the foil to find the same clean platform as it was before cooking!

I use this hint before every party…will you?

Sometimes I feel that weekends are just meant for cleaning and cooking. You slog through the week and wait for the weekend, and this is what you end up doing!

One way to be relieved is order a meal or go out to have one. But if you wish to take a break from cleaning dishes at home, here is one solution that works. Simply use disposable dishes, spoons and bowls once a week and enjoy the meal you cooked! I have started implementing this and finally found some quality time for family and friends.

Are you the next in line?

I understand that the old vase that your best friend gifted you on your wedding means a lot to you. There are so many such items in our house that hold emotional value for us as we have fond memories about the person who gifted them to us.

But is it worthwhile to latch on to something that does not work or simply has worn out over the years?

We need to be practical sometimes and remove all such things during cleaning up. What are really important are the memories and getting rid of some thing does not mean you don’t love that person anymore.

Every time I host a party at home, I am tensed. Oh no, I am not worried about how the party will go, but I am worried whether my house-help will clean the glass dishes WITHOUT breaking them!

I found a solution for this. Of course, I use the dishwasher. Besides that, it helps if you place a thick napkin in the bottom of your sink. This prevents any accidental breakage while rinsing the glass dishes. Now I don’t bother about my expensive dinner set being in my maid’s hands any more!

What do you do in such cases? Let me know.

I have the experience that I end up spending a lot of time each weekend cleaning up the house but still cannot cover all the problem areas. I always wondered where I am going wrong…and then one fine day I came across a cleaning apron!

This apron is just like any other apron but has pockets to hold the cleaning supplies and other tools such as brushes etc. You can move between rooms wearing this apron and thus save a LOT of time! My cleaning spree is incomplete without an apron these days!

Do you have any such time-saving tips too? Why not share with me?

There must many amongst us who need to vacuum clean the house more than others do. Why does this happen? Is dust attracted to our houses only?

It is not so. Keeping windows open for a long time will naturally bring in dust along with the cool breeze. So if you wish to cut down on some cleaning jobs on weekends and if you want a cleaner house then closing the windows for most part of the day is the only option.

It has helped me as I get some time to enjoy with my family now. Why don’t you try?

I don’t know from where ants suddenly appeared in my clean kitchen the other day. I would like to share my friend’s trick that drove the ants away in a jiffy!

Take a little ground cinnamon and sprinkle it at the probable entry points of ants such as tiny slits in windows etc. You can mix two portions of water with one portion of white vinegar along with about two tablespoons of dish washing liquid. Fill this in a spray bottle and aim it right on the ants…they will hurry to leave your house!

If you know some more tips, do leave them here!

Last Sunday, I decided to play “clean house” with my kid. I gave her a big laundry basket and told her to look in each room for things that did not belong to that room. She was happy that she had got a ‘job’ to do, and did it well. Next I asked her to put back all those ‘misplaced’ things where they were supposed to be! Wow…I was surprised to see a really cleaner and tidier home!

Involving kids in housework is sure to make them responsible adults in future…why don’t you give it a try? Let me know if it helped you.