Everyone knows I love Target! I mean, I celebrated my birthday there a couple years ago. So I am super jealous I can’t enter this contest for a FIVE HUNDRED DOLLAR TARGET GIFT CARD. HELLO! Jealous.
For this Momversation, Dana, Giyen, Mindy, and I share our simple household remedies. You know, the whole “soda water gets out a stain” thing? Stuff like that.
So how do you win? You just go to Momversation.com and tell us your own creative home remedy. And if you want, share them here, too! I love love love finding out easy CHEAP solutions for common problems. Like, did you know vodka is a fantastic way to clean your eyeglasses? Or rubbing a bit of sugar and chap stick on your lips helps with chapped skin? I could go on and on, but I want to see what you all have up your sleeves.
Oh, and did I mention I’m one of the judges?! Good luck!
Maile says:
To get wax out of things, use a brown bag and an iron. Unfortunately this doesn’t work so well when you are trying to get oily red scented candle wax out of your supposed to be white carpet because a tiny person leaned in and whacked a hot candle off the mantle while you were trying to hold them and blow out said candle at the same time….
Equallydivided says:
Holy cow, that’s ME! I had the same thing happen with my white berber.
Carpet came with the house. I firmly believe that if you have children, black carpet should come with the birth certificate.
Kate says:
This one is kinda lame, but you know how sometimes you buy picture frames, and the price tag sticks to the glass, and you can’t peel off the sticky stuff and it’s *really* annoying? Nail polish remover! Works like a charm. Gets that gunk off in no time!
Kim says:
A hair dryer works for that too
Claudia says:
I soooo use nail polish for that too!
NotAMeanGirl says:
Use Hairspray to get ink out of cloth. It works on clothing, furniture… everything. Spray the area that has the ink on it then blot with a dry rag. (Yes the ink gets all over the rag but that’s HELLA better than on the couch!) Works like a charm. Sometimes, depending on how much ink has soaked into the cloth it can take a good long while to get it all but it works really well for small ink leakks etc.
Janet says:
also works for scuff marks on the toes of dress shoes:)
Rory says:
And also on some scuff marks on cars
Liz says:
I have a 15 month old daughter and she has been trying to run since about 10 months… It often doesn’t work out. And there are times when the suredace she ultimately faceplants on is not soft. Which often equals little blood in her mouth ( if your child has bitten through their lip or is gushing blood this is not the solution. Please head to your Doc or Er) a spoon full of sugar will stop the bleeding and it is a sweet treat for your babe.
Cathy K. says:
Best cleanser for your tile surfaces in the kitchen and bath – vinegar and hot water with a microfiber cloth. The tiles shine like brand new and the grout stays cleaner becuase there’s no filmy residue to catch dust. Thanks to a great microfiber mop – floor cleaning is a breeze too!
Linda Campbell says:
Vinegar and water to clean everything is great! Especially if you have small children, totally safe!
quidquid quidquid says:
haha isn’t Windex cheaper than vodka?
Melissa says:
LOL – I was thinking the exact same thing! I’m not using my precious Vodka for cleaning!
Jenny S says:
This might not really be ingenious or anything but I use EasyOff oven cleaner on my stovetop to get the carbonized/burnt-on black stuff off my grates and stove top. My husband used to spend wayyy too much time scrubbing them with the green scouring pads. Letting this stuff sit on the grates/stovetop for a few hours makes it so that burnt-on stuff just wipes right off.
Kristina says:
Ever forget you have a sticker on your shirt and then it goes through the laundry, leaving a gray ugly mess? Picking it off is no longer an option. Saturate it with a pre-laundry stain remover and let it sit for awhile, you can peel the pieces off. If that doesn’t work you can use duct tape.
Angela says:
Soap scum and other hard to determine residue on shower glass doors ALWAYS comes off (with little effort) by using a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser!
Beware though, it WILL take the finish off of your formica kitchen countertops. Lesson learned, but I got a clean shower!
MamaCas says:
Vodka is also a good way to not CARE if your glasses are dirty.
Amélie says:
haha, loving this one!
Laura Lara says:
Towards the end of my pregnancy, I had to take my wedding ring off of my very swollen finger. It would not budge, my finger was turning all shades of the rainbow. WINDEX to the rescue! Sprayed a little on, and voila! Off slid the ring!
Jamie S says:
Blood can be removed from almost anything using hydrogen peroxide! Great for those of us with rambunctious children. Pour a little peroxide on, let it soak a little, and then wash. It may need to be repeated, but it works!
P.S. I am also a HUGE fan of vinegar too!!!
Tara says:
I agree! It also removes any other bodily fluids, too (cat puke, dog mess, anything!) It won’t bleach out or stain fabric or carpet, either. I buy it by the case.
Melissa says:
At first, I thought this was going to be about the guy in the news who went all Saw and cut his own arm off when it got stuck in the furnace…did you see that? He said “What Would MacGyver do?” – crazy.
Anyways, my favorite tip as of late is to get bad stains out of carpet. My daughter spilled orange Fanta on the carpet. Immediately, I attacked the spill with my usual carpet cleaner (which ALWAYS works) and nothing. My husband worked on it, I worked on it for hours…everything we tried wasn’t lifting. I was desperate and looked online. I guess that Fanta, Kool Aid and red pop is worse to get out of carpets than red wine and coffee.
I came across a tip to get Joy detergent, hot water and mix it together. Pour on the stain and rub with in with you fingers a little. Then, take a white rag, place it over the stain and grab your iron. On a medium-low setting, iron the area. I was skeptical about this but I immediately started seeing the orange show up on the rag. It got the stain totally out! I have told some of my friends this tip and they all agree it is one of the best secrets. I’m not sure why it works…everyone always told me that heat sets a stain but honestly, I think it lifts the bad dyes!
KK says:
I am so trying this today to see if I can get out a red stain on the carpet in my son’s room. He colored on his furniture with a red magic marker (at this point I’m assuming it was not of the washable variety) & then attempted to “clean it up” by wetting a towel from the bathroom which resulted in the marker running off the furniture & onto the carpet! You just might save me my renter’s deposit! I’ll try anything at this point.
Christine Bronson says:
Have you ever cooked bacon or something with grease and gotten all over your shirt? (for those of us not smart enough to use an apron)
Using DAWN dish detergant will get splattered grease stains out of clothes. EVEN after you’ve washed them.
Just lay the shirt out on the counter and dab the DAWN dish detergent on the spots. Then wash.
Presto!! They are out. Just like that.
Lizz says:
my fave i learned when we were moving out of base housing in 29 palms. you know how tubs and showers get all filmy, even when you clean em once every few months? rubbing alcohol on a cloth, any kind, wipe down the tub, and viola, smooth and clean. it also works on your stainless steel, or shiney sink faucet that always looks gross because your husband seems to be incapable of spitting his toothpaste castoffs anywhere else but directly it. and it gets nail polish out of carpet (just pour and use a cloth to rub the s**t out of it.)
and you know those nasty toilet rings? use a pumice stone on them and your throne will look good as new! also works on soap scummy tub rings.
and that whole vinegar thing everyone’s on rocks too
Jen says:
My dad is a farmer and inevitably his glasses end up with lots of scratches on them. He uses pledge to clean them and the pledge actually fills in most of the scratches so he doesn’t have to get new glasses every three months.
Kay says:
A really great home remedy for painful earaches is garlic. Crush some fresh garlic to extract some of it’s natural juices, and pour into the ear canal (make sure to avoid getting the garlic itself in there!). Then, place a small cotton ball in the ear and relax for about 20 minutes. When I was about 14 I woke up with excrutiating earaches for about a week, but living in a very rural town with no car made it impossible to get to a pharmacy, so my mom had me lay on my right side (it was my left ear hurting) and she poured the garlic extract into my ear, and then places a garlic-covered cotton swab in my ear canal. Within twenty minutes I was sound asleep, and I haven’t had an earache since. It turns out that garlic is a natural anti-biotic, and though it’s recommended to go to a doctor or pharmacy with a problem like that, when you’re in a pinch, it works wonders.
*I forgot to mention it, but unlike typical ear ache remedies, this doesn’t hurt to use. Also, once you block it off with cotton, you don’t smell like garlic. always a plus*
Misty says:
To pull a wet stain out of carpet, pour on table salt. It pulls all the liquid and color out of the carpet. Let it dry and vacuum it up.
Shannon says:
Recently I was babysitting a little boy who threw up red koolaid all over my light beige carpet. I soaked up what I could, and then began trying to get it out. The one thing that worked was to mix dawn with water and scrub the area. Cover it with a towel, and steam that spot with an iron. It REALLY worked! The koolaid left my carpet. No other cleaner was working and I was so grateful to find a remedy.
Marti from Michigan says:
If you have put something on a window or glass, with scotch tape and then pulled it off and there is scotch tape left on the window that you cannot scrape off no matter how hard you try……WD40 to the rescue! Spray a dab on a cloth first, and rub the area. It comes right off. Then of course, you need to wash your windows because it does leave an oily residue.
Olivia says:
I could totally have used the sunburn remedy a week ago. I was MISERABLE. And the diaper rash cream? I’m going to be all over that. What kind of diaper rash cream do you use?
C Los says:
I remember the time we went to Target in Glendale for your Birthday!!! Pizza Bread sticks…
Ah the good times…
Rebecca says:
Target is the cure for depression. It’s true.
Kim says:
Ok, here is mine
I love Hydrogen Peroxide. This little beauty first came to my attention as something other than a cut cleaner, when I had my first home birth. My midwife pulled out the H.P. and poured it on the blood stains. Took it right out. I also have started cleaning my shower with Hydrogen Peroxide. It will get rid of the soap scum so quickly, and who doesn’t want that?
Lisa @ Early Morning Run says:
Ack! I wish I HAD a home remedy to share. I would LOVE to win this!! how cool is it that you’re a judge for a target giftcard?! Did you hear we’re actually getting one on the island of Manhattan in July! On the UES even (well, Harlem)!
Tara says:
So you know how sometimes you break a glass in the kitchen and even though you sweep it doesn’t seem to get everything up. You can use a can of play-doh to press on the shards to make sure they are all cleaned up. I was surprised how well it worked.
Amie says:
Ever tried to get that used candle wax out of a votive? It tends to come off in pieces & always leaves a bit behind. Stick the votive in the freezer & after a bit the candle will shrink. The candle will come out all in one piece with nothing left behind.
Melissa says:
Hydrogen peroxide (so cheap!) will get blood out of anything.
Snookie Quinn says:
Coffee filters! Use a coffee filter to wipe your eye glasses clean, No smudges, no smears, perfectly clean! I know, I know, I didn’t believe it either until I tried it. I now keep a baggie in the drawer with coffee filters that I cut in half. One half of a filter is big enough and all you need for a good cleaning. Try it, you’ll SEE!
Amélie says:
I love it, and I just can’t believe how well it works!
jenny s says:
this does totally work. I can see now!!!
Truewell says:
Oh my goodness – please don’t rub a dryer sheet on Rigby or any other dog!!
DRYER SHEETS ARE TOXIC TO PETS!! The chemicals can be absorbed through the skin, inhaled and ingested if she licks. They can cause seizures and other really serious problems with the central nervous system.
Even exposing a dog to clothes fresh out of the dryer is potentially dangerous for sensitive pets!!
There are special pet perfumes that are considered safe. Use these if you absolutely must. But don’t ever use dryer sheets!!
See this article (under “Factors that may trigger a seizure”)
http://www.purelypets.com/articles/epilepsyarticle.htm
Truewell says:
This article has detailed information on dryer sheets as a toxin:
http://laundry.about.com/od/laundryproductsafety/qt/petsdryersheet.htm
-Truewell
Heather says:
Thank you for this info! I had no idea. I changed it, I definitely wouldn’t want any poor doggies to get sick!!!
Mindy says:
If you are a nursing mother and your child develops an ear infection or “pink eye”, a little breast milk in the infected eye or ear will help to clear up the infection. Breast milk also helps to heal cuts and scrapes. Milk isn’t just for babies or cereal… who knew!
Heather says:
Wow, what a neat idea!
If I had known that when I was breastfeeding, maybe I would have tried to keep my milk supply afterward, just so I could go around squirting my injured loved ones…. … though they might not have appreciated that. LOL
McKenna Jones says:
I love Target!
The newest home remedy I’ve discovered and used is honey and olive oil mixed together making about a 2 tablespoon solution and thickly putting it on a blister or infected area, that may scar. It takes away the redness, pain, and also helps the tissue not scar.
My friend got burn on her face that was beginning to blister, and we applied this on it, and after trying everything else, in less then two days of applying this: it was gone! No scars! No pain! No redness!
Tonya says:
Windex works on koolaid. Spraying windex directly on koolaid stains wether on the countertops, laundry, carpets, ect… WILL take red koolaid out. Totally works!! ;o)
Oh and the cheaper the windex is the better it works. I ALWAYS have some dollar store windex on hand.
Jennifer says:
Tired of spending your mula on biore strips to keep those pores squeaky clean?
I mix hot water with a little Knox Gelatin to make a paste. As it cools down a bit, apply a layer on your face (avoid the eye area). I use it on my nose :). Let it dry and peel. Viola! Clean pores for a fraction of the cost.
Love your stories Heather! Whether they bring tears of shear laughter or feeling your pains… Know that you’re not alone. Someone in Redwood City, CA hearts you!
KK says:
Honey totally works on burns. I use it whenever I get one inadvertently from a hot pan or a brush with the oven door while cooking. Works like a charm.
My new favorite body scrub: salt & baby oil. Gets you smooth as a baby’s bum!
Amélie says:
Ooh, I’m loving this post! … Now I’m off, gotta go and try some of these remedies
Maura says:
If you have run out shaving gel use hair conditioner.
Milk gets red wine out clothes….once you apply it right away!
I bake alot of bread by hand and sometimes I cannot find buttermilk here in France so I use skim milk with the juice of a half lemon instead and its perfect.
Amy P. says:
To unclog a drain, pour 1/2 cup of baking soda and about 1 cup of vinegar into drain. Let sit for 15 – 30 minutes. Then dump in a bunch of boiling water.
This is really good for freshening up a garbage disposal drain too.
Shell says:
I use lemons or limes (or other citrus fruit) to clean my disposal when it gets nasty. It typically only takes about half, and then use the rest in the beverage of your choice.
The citrus smell is awesome, and the rind cleans the tines. Not bad for about fifteen cents!
Sara says:
To clean your microwave, cut up a lemon and put it into a dish with plenty of water (I use a pyrex measuring cup.) Microwave it for like five minutes and then let the microwave sit closed for a little while. Then you can totally just use a wash cloth or sponge to wipe down the inside of the microwave. Everything comes off and it smells great! Not to mention, it’s totally chemical free.
Summer says:
Mine is kind of lame, but my husband found it ingenious when he saw me doing it.
You know how your bathroom mirroe gets fogged up after a shower? It makes it SO hard to do hair, makeup, etc. when you’re in a hurry. Anyway, if you just zap it with the hair dryer for a few seconds the fog will go away and your mirror will be streak free (unlike when you take a towel or your hand and wipe it down).
Thanks for all the helpful tips!
Gretchen Kintzel says:
I use toothpaste on my kids when they have bug bite. It helps with the itch and if they scratch it is not toxic
Monkey's Mama says:
I use Chapstick to smooth down those little, fine, flyaway hairs that stick up all over the place. Holds ’em down without making your hair a greasy mess like some products and hairsprays can do.
Kasey W. says:
To get stains out of carpet, I have used Windex MANY times! It seems to work great!
I love Target, too! I am there several times a week!
Tara says:
If you have an old greasy stain on your clothes, try WD-40. You just spray it on the stain to reactivate and bind to the old grease/oil and then treat it with Dawn or another grease-cutting dish soap, throw it in the laundry and, Voila! No more stain.
It worked wonders on a year-old stain I had on a favorite shirt that had been washed and dried numerous times.
Marcia says:
This also works for crayon stains! when my twins were younger there were several times that a crayon made its way through the washer & dryer. A little WD-40 on the stains worked perfectly. It works great on ink stains, too.
sandy says:
I use baking soda and Peroxide instead of toothpaste, my checkups at the dentist have been great! Sparkling cleaner teeth
Alison says:
okay, this is SUPER easy and a total “duh!” solution to getting off annoying price tag stickers from… anything! Haven’t you ever bought something and the sticker from the the store just WILL NOT come off and when you try to perform a slick, suave, one-time pull off, it leaves paper behind?? So annoying, right?
Get out a hairdryer (all ladies have this weapon stashed in the house SOMEwhere!) and aim that bad boy on your nemesis. Slowly peel a corner of the sticker and keep the heat on it. The sticker will just glide right off as its glue melts away, and your will be sparkling new and sticker ooze-less! I did this with every single piece of my wedding china, in addition to picture frames, sunglasses, home decor… etc.
This is one hot trick for an uncool problem!
Erica says:
A cheap, inexpensive way to not have a buttery, yellow smile is to rub orange peels on your teeth. It surprisingly works really well.
Jill says:
One of my favorites is if you get your cell phone wet, you can immerse it in regular or instant rice and leave it overnight (remove the battery first). The rice absorbs the water and the phone works again.
Lisa says:
The best way to get odor out of athletic shoes is to put them in a plastic bag and place in the freezer. The sub zero temp kills the bacteria
MrsP says:
My home remedy involves honey and lemon. I boil honey and lemon on a table spoon and give it to my son when its still warm to stop a lingering cough. Honey has many medicinal advantages and in this case it is meant to keep the chest warm. I also use it in case of burns to keep the skin from getting boils and to sooth the burn area. Hope this is useful for everyone and of course that I win
Melanie says:
I must tell The Best Anti Stink Remedy for upholstery or probably just about anything.
Our cat went pee on our couch. I spent buckets of money trying to save said couch and said cat. Ends up my mom told me to mix 16 oz of 3% Hydrogen Peroxide, 1 Tbsp. Baking Soda, and 1 tsp. Dish Soap. Wash, rinse, and there you go. No stench. Go mom!
Lori says:
Dishwashing liquid. The kind you use to hand wash dishes. Squirt a generous amount into the clogged toilet bowl. Wait until the water level goes down a bit. Then fill a bucket (or empty wastebasket) with water and pour in from about waist high. You may need to repeat this 2 or 3 times but odds are that even the first or second time you’ll hear something starting to happen.
Lori says:
Ooops! To Unclog a clogged toilet: Dishwashing liquid. The kind you use to hand wash dishes. Squirt a generous amount into the clogged toilet bowl. Wait until the water level goes down a bit. Then fill a bucket (or empty wastebasket) with water and pour in from about waist high. You may need to repeat this 2 or 3 times but odds are that even the first or second time you’ll hear something starting to happen.
Lindsey says:
A trick for getting rid of hiccups – fill a glass or cup with water, put a spoon in it and drink with the handle of the spoon resting against your cheek – works every time!
A trick to sharpen a needle or a diaper pin – run it through your hair, down the length of your hair. Really works!
WD-40 also gets crayon off wallpaper and walls.
Don’t know if this is really a home remedy but a quick way to cut cherry tomatoes in half – place them on a plastic margarine tub lid (or any similar shallow plastic lid and put another lid on top of them then pressing down on the top lid, cut through them.
For teething pain, wet and wring out a washcloth and freeze. Let your little one chew on it for relief.
To prevent ingrown toenails, cut a small V in the middle of the nail. Great for people who have persistent problems with this.
Clean your teenagers’ retainers in Efferdent.
For car smells, put Bounce sheets under your car seats.
Have we bombarded you enough? I guess you can guess we LOVE Target in our house!!