Lift Carpet Stains, and Two More Cleaning Tricks

Dish liquid comes to the rescue. Dissolve one tablespoon of dish liquid into two cups of warm water, and blot the stain with a clean white cloth dipped into the solution. Repeat until the stain absorbs into the cloth and disappears from the carpet, then sponge with cold water and blot dry with a clean cloth.

The next time your elbow grease isn't enough to scrub off baked-on food, sprinkle baking soda on top of your dish detergent to pump up your cleaner and add more friction to your scrubbing.

Simmer water in a small saucepan and add orange, lemon, or lime slices along with herbs like mint or lavender. The heat permeates the sweet scent throughout the house, an easy trick before parties or just for a Saturday cleaning session. Other things worth adding to the simmering water: cinnamon sticks, fresh ginger, pine sprigs, whole cloves, chai tea bags, or vanilla or almond extract.