Everyday Cheapskate

I never get tired of receiving tips from my readers that they have tried and found to be true! Whether it's a tip that has been handed down from a loved one or a tip that was discovered quite by chance, the excitement is contagious when I open my mail and feel their enthusiasm. As you can see, this week I received many enthusiastic letters.

SHINY SINKS. For an easy, cheap and green way to clean my enamel sink, I scrub it with a mixture of baking soda and vinegar. After rinsing, I add the stopper to the drain and pour hydrogen peroxide into the sink to cover the bottom. I let this sit for 15 to 20 minutes and use a sponge to clean the sides of the sink if it's needed. Any stains usually disappear. There's no odor, and it's non-caustic. — Juli F., e-mail

SPICK-AND-SPAN PAN. Many years ago, my aunt told me to put baking soda in a pan that had burned, add some water and have it simmer on the stove for a while. If it's a dish, you can let it sit after you add the baking soda and water. Doing this easily removes the burned particles. — Geneva D., Florida

SCUFF-FREE. I clean houses part time, and I have another great use for baking soda. I discovered that using a baking soda paste (add a few drops of water to the baking soda) gets black scuff marks off floors beautifully. Test the paste in a corner first, but this is safe on most vinyl flooring. It also works on walls but can cause the paint to come off, so test first, and be careful.

CRAYON CLEANUP. My toddler loves to sit at the table and color with crayons. When the crayon markings end up on the table or other hard surfaces, I rub them with a used dryer sheet. Doing this cleans up the marks easily, with no residue, and the dryer sheet can be reused many times. — Erika T., e-mail

MAGIC MARKER. I recently found out that you can remove permanent marker from surfaces using hair spray. I had metal filing cabinets that my mom had labeled with permanent marker plus several plastic drawers for organizing my kids' room that they had "decorated" with Sharpie pens. My sister was visiting and had some hair spray in an aerosol canister. She sprayed some on a napkin and then rubbed over the marker. It came right off, which saved me from replacing the items. — Mary Ann D., e-mail

CLEAN CARPET. Cornstarch is great as a quick carpet cleaner. Just sprinkle the cornstarch on the carpet, especially in front of sofas, chairs and entryways. I usually use my wire mesh sifter from the kitchen to get a fine dusting. Leave it on the carpet for one hour, and then vacuum. This works really well. — Ann P., e-mail

Would you like to send a tip to Mary? You can e-mail her at mary@everydaycheapskate.com, or write to Everyday Cheapskate, P.O. Box 2135, Paramount, CA 90723. Mary Hunt is the founder of www.DebtProofLiving.com and author of 18 books, including "Debt-Proof Living" and "Tiptionary 2." To find out more about Mary and read her past columns, please visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.

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