Do you have tiled kitchen or bathroom countertops? There’s an easier way to keep the grout lines clean without scrubbing or cleaning products: Use leftover soda. Dark-colored sodas (like Coke or Pepsi) have high acidity in them, which makes them an excellent cleaner to disintegrate dirt and grime. When you have leftover soda, just pour the excess right on top and let it sit there for a few minutes (when it stops fizzing, it’s done working). Then wipe away. You’ll be left with clean, gleaming, almost-like-new grout lines.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

Plastic food-storage containers are a good reusable solution to keep leftovers fresh, but they can often stain. Even with tough hand scrubbing in the sink or using a dishwasher, they can still retain odors and stains that seem impossible to remove. On a very hot, sun-intensive day, try using the sun’s rays to deodorize and brighten your plastic containers instead. Wash them clean and place them on top of a towel in the brightest spot in your yard. The natural UV rays from the sun will do their magic and leave your containers smelling fresh and looking cleaner.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

Does pet hair seem permanently trapped in your carpets where no amount of vacuuming can free it? While a vacuum can do a great job at suctioning up dirt, the weight of the vac can actually compress the fur more deeply into the fibers of the carpet. To free trapped pet hair, head to the shower and grab a squeegee. Running the squeegee across the rug creates static electricity that can draw up the pet fur. As it comes up, it’ll clump and make collection easy, leaving you with a truly clean rug.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION