Issue Date: April 8, 2007

New tricks for cleaning

What's your house hiding: tumbleweeds of pet fur, marks on the walls, a funky-smelling microwave? The nation's top cleaning wizards tell you how to tackle tough chores.

By Natalie Ermann Russell

That springtime ritual of cleaning house is once again upon us. A lot of people view it as a mental cleansing, but the practice's roots (according to one theory, anyway) probably lie in the days when fireplaces were the sole source of heat and black soot got all over everything. No wonder people looked forward to warmer days when they could air out the house.

Nowadays, with our automatic heating and air-filtering systems, we don't need to banish soot. But even a closed-up modern home with central air can feel like it hasn't breathed in months. That's why we're on Mission: Clean. We've asked housekeeping experts to share their best solutions to the 11 most tenacious cleaning problems:

Stinky microwave
SOLUTION: You already may know about nuking a bowl of water on high for a few minutes to "steam" off any caked-on food (use a clean sponge to wipe up loosened gunk). But Dena Querubin-Blizzard, co-host of "Real Simple Television," suggests adding a few slices of lemon to the water. You'll get rid of odors and have a lemony-fresh microwave.

Musty smell
SOLUTION: Odor-killing light bulbs (brands such as Fresh2 and O-ZoneLite) have a coating of titanium dioxide that destroys biologically based, odor-causing molecules floating in the air. "These light bulbs are actually destroying odor, which to me is the good kind of air freshener," says Jeff Bredenberg, author of "How to Cheat at Cleaning" (Taunton, $12.95). "If you're adding more odors to the air [with scented sprays, etc.], that's problematic because really you're layering one odor on top of another."

These bulbs can last up to 10,000 hours, they'll save you energy (they're the eco-friendly, compact fluorescent bulbs with that coiled shape), and they'll freshen up the place to boot. But note that odor-killing bulbs are much more expensive than the two-buck kind -- anywhere from $10 to $40 a pop. "They're not going to de-stink an overwhelming smell, but they'll definitely help," Bredenberg says.

Discolored, scratched pots and pans
SOLUTION: "A friend of mine does a 'steel wool day,'" says Allison Fishman of TLC's "Home Made Simple." Put on your kitchen gloves, grab a wad of steel wool, and go to town on the outside of your pans, which often get scorched but rarely get deep-cleaned. When you're finished, they will look like new. You can't use steel wool on the interior of non-stick pans, but you can protect them from scratches in the future. Fishman recommends layering paper towels or shelf liners between them.

Pet fur on fabric
SOLUTION: "If you have pets in the house, you know how clingy cat or dog hair is on curtains or upholstery," Bredenberg says. "The reason it clings is because it has a static charge to it." He recommends filling a squirt bottle with 1 ounce of liquid fabric softener and 6 ounces of water. "Walk up to a curtain covered in dog hair, spray the air near -- not on -- the curtain, and that will kill the fabric charge. Brush it down so [the fur] falls to the floor, and vacuum it up." Or, you can put on a pair of rubber gloves, wet them, then run your hands over the upholstery, Querubin-Blizzard says.

Soiled toys, etc.
SOLUTION: "You can clean lots of stuff in the dishwasher: plastic combs, toys, oven grates, refrigerator drawers, shower caddies," Querubin-Blizzard says. Just load them in the dishwasher with regular dishwasher detergent.

Dust behind your refrigerator
SOLUTION: Put the fridge on two appliance rollers so you can easily pull it out and vacuum in the back and around the coils. "They look like oversize roller skates," Bredenberg says. "Tilt your fridge to the left and get a roller under the right side, then do it on the other side. It's probably a two-person job."

Marked-up scuffed walls
SOLUTION: "I spent a lot of time painting walls," Querubin-Blizzard says. "Then the kids marked them all up."

Luckily, WD-40 brings the walls back to their former pristine state, says the mother of three young children. Simply spray the cleaner on the marks -- be it pen, crayon or scuffs -- and wipe them away with a damp sponge. Find hundreds of other uses for WD-40 at wd40.com.

Dirty shades
SOLUTION: Give cloth or plastic lampshades a shower. "Use your hand-held shower head to manipulate and rinse off the dust," Bredenberg says. "You'll see the river of gray water streaming away." Then leave them in the tub to dry. Just don't use this method on delicate silk or wood.

Another option is a lint roller. "Hold your hand under the shade [as you roll]," Querubin-Blizzard says. "It works like a charm."

Dusty wood floors
SOLUTION: Wrap a push broom in an old, damp rag, then run it over the floor. "[Regular] sweeping just releases more fine particles into the air," says Mindy Pennybacker, who runs the environmental website GreenerPenny.com. "So I cover the broom with a damp rag, or chiffon -- that's what they call it in France, which makes it sound so dressy." Then mop using 1/2 cup of white vinegar to 2 gallons of hot water, with a couple of drops of lemon juice and 1/8 cup of dish soap. No need to rinse; it doesn't hurt the finish

Dishwasher stains
SOLUTION: Run white vinegar through the dishwasher, Querubin-Blizzard says. Or, use lemon-flavored Kool-Aid (it's the only flavor that works, by the way). The acid content gets rid of lime deposits and iron stains. To do this, simply fill up the cleanser receptacle as you would with regular dishwasher detergent.

Dusty electronics, including TVs and computer screens
SOLUTION: Wipe them clean with a used dryer sheet. It removes dust and kills the electric charge that attracts grime in the first place. "You're not only getting up the dust, but you're doing some preventive cleaning, too," Bredenberg says.

Cover photograph by Dan Whipps for USA WEEKEND