If your gold jewellery is looking drab, or coffee stains not coming out of your clothes? Beer is here to help! Beer can actually take out stains, restore your lawn, and spruce up your wooden furniture. Keep reading to find out what other amazing things beer can do!

1. Loosen Rusty Bolts

The acid in beer can help dissolve some of the rust on rusty bolts, helping you get them loose.

2. Insulation

Full, unopened cans of beer used in construction walls actually help insulate! The beer works by absorbing the cold.

3. Clean Gold Jewellery

Place your gold jewellery in a dish of beer and let it soak. Rinse and dry with a soft cloth. The acid in beer works to clean most metals, making them look good as new!

4. Restore Wooden Furniture

Using flat beer, rub it gently onto wooden furniture using a soft cloth. The beer helps restore the polish and the color of your furniture.

5. Stain Removal

If you have tea or coffee stains on your carpets or clothes, soak the stain in beer. Leave it to sit and then dab it with a cloth. Wash it with soap and rinse with warm water.

6. Brown Spots on Lawns

The acid in beer kills off fungi and pests. The fermented sugar feeds the grass and helps restore your lawn.

7. Get Rid of Mice

For a humane way to get rid of mice in your home, put a small amount of beer in a bucket. Place a wooden board against the bucket so mice can fall in. Once the mice are in the bucket, take them outside and release them.

8. Get Rid of Pesky Wasps

Placing a few cups of beer a distance away from your picnic or BBQ area will distract wasps and bees. Say good-bye to swatting away wasps every time you try to take a bite of your food!

9. Get Rid of Fruit Flies

If you’ve got a fruit fly problem in your kitchen, crack open a can of beer and place it on your kitchen counter. Cover the top with plastic wrap and poke a few tiny holes in it. The fruit flies will be able to get in, but they won’t be able to get out.

10. Fertilize Gardens

Just like with your lawn, the fermented sugar in beer is something your garden vegetables and flowers will love!

Photos: Snow Brains, In Habitat, Modern Magazine Quality All Care.

With kids, pets, and weekend get-togethers, stains and dirt can be inevitable. We all know what it’s like trying to scrub out that stubborn coffee stain that never seems to fade. These tips and tricks will help you battle (and win!) the toughest stains on your carpet, and keep it clean, too!

First, the stains need to go! Here’s how:

1. Take 2 empty spray bottles and fill one with cold water. In the other bottle, add 1/4 tsp dishwashing liquid and 1 cup of warm water. Shake well.

2. Spray the detergent mix onto a cloth and dab the stain (don’t rub!). As the stain begins to dissolve, begin to blot with a clean section of the cloth. Keep doing this until the stain is gone.

3. Take a clean cloth and spray it with the cold water. Use it to rinse the detergent from the carpet, and blot it with a dry cloth.

4. Stack up paper towels on the spot and place a heavy pot on top. Leave this overnight. The paper towels will soak up any residual stain that’s deep inside the carpet. In the morning, remove the pot and paper towels and fluff up the carpet with your fingers. Allow it to air-dry completely.

Now that we’ve got the stains out, here are a few tips on how to keep dirt at bay:

De-Grit Doormats

Your interior doormats only stop dirt from being tracked inside the house if they’re clean. Toss your mats into the washer and dryer on a gentle cycle and tumble-dry them on low. If they are non-washable, use a vacuum. Vacuum first the front, then the back to loosen any embedded dirt. Vacuum the front of the mat again to get all the grit that came out. To give the mat a quick refresh, take it outside and shake it well. Using a stick or your hand, beat the mat to loosen any dirt.

Clean High-Traffic Areas

In between heavy-duty cleanings, use a powdered or foam carpet cleaner on areas that get a lot of traffic. Apply the cleaner according to package directions and vacuum.

Take Off Your Shoes

Keep dirt outside by implementing a no-shoes rule in your home. Keep extra slippers near the door, and encourage visitors or family members to use them. Keep a broom handy in the entryway closet to collect dirt before it gets stuck into your doormats. Put mats outside your door as well so you can wipe your feet before heading inside.

Photos: Angies List, This Old House, House Ideas. 

Face oils, lipstick, and eye liner stains are all hard to get off our clothes. We love that they’re long-lasting on our face, but not so much on our favorite shirt! The next time you find yourself battling those stubborn stains, read our list!

1. Lipstick and Lip Balm

Scrape off any excess and treat it with a prewash stain remover and wash. If the stain is still there after washing, blot the stain with a dry-cleaning solvent and launder. Before you toss your clothes in the wash, make sure there aren’t any lipstick or lip balm tubes in your pockets. They can melt into the fabric and become difficult to remove.

2. Nail Polish

Nail polish is easily removed with acetone. Blot the stain carefully with a paper towel until the stain is removed. Avoid using acetone on triacetate or acetate fabrics, as it will melt the fibres. Rinse with water and launder as usual.

3. Blush, Eye liner, Concealer, Eyeshadow, and Mascara

Treat the stain immediately with a prewash stain remover and wash your garment as usual.

4. Face Oils

When your favorite face oil drips onto your shirt, quickly blot any excess. Treat it with a prewash stain remover and launder. If you don’t have any stain remover lying around, use a waterless hand cleaner to help tackle the stain. Launder the fabric on the hottest setting possible (provided it’s safe for the fabric).

Photos: Eles Cosmetics, Epiphannie A, I Diva, Big Words Blog, Peachy Curves.

We’re big fans of using vinegar to clean our home! With pets and kids running around, it’s important to minimize toxic cleaning solutions as much as possible. Vinegar does a great job with laundry, deodorizing, and removing rust. But, there are some things that should never come into contact with vinegar. Read the list to find out if you’re guilty of using vinegar on these items!

1. Stone Floor Tiles

Acidic cleaners are never good for natural stone. Lemon, vinegar, and ammonia are some of the acids you should keep away from stone. Stick to using a special stone soap, or you can use dish detergent and warm water.

2. Your Iron

Vinegar can actually damage the internal parts of your iron. If your iron gets clogged, make sure you empty it completely after each use, and follow the manufacturer’s cleaning instructions.

3. Egg stain or Spill

The next time you drop an egg on the floor, or have an egg stain on your clothes, don’t reach for the vinegar. The acidity in the vinegar can cause the egg to coagulate, making it harder to remove.

4. Granite and Marble Countertops

Just like with the stone floors, granite and marble countertops should never be cleaned with vinegar. The acid can actually etch the stone. Use dish detergent and water instead.

5. Hardwood Floors

Some homeowners find that vinegar cleans their sealed hardwood floors well, and others say it damages the finish. To stay on the safe side, clean your floors with a cleaner specifically formulated for hardwood. If you would like to try vinegar, dilute it with water and try it in a corner or other hidden area before washing the whole floor with it.

6. Some Stubborn Stains

Grass stains, ice cream, ink, and blood won’t come out with vinegar alone. These stains set in the fabric quickly and don’t respond to acid. Instead, treat them with a pre-wash stain remover and wash them with a detergent that contains enzymes.

Photos: Innovative Living, Ironing Services Tamworth, Fine Art America, AP Granite Countertops Orange County, Wood Floors by Ace, Jump Reports, Frugal Living Now.

We love using home-made cleaning solutions! The store-bought chemicals can irritate your throat and nose, and they’re not safe to come into contact with your skin, either. Using only a few simple and cheap pantry ingredients, you can create your very own cleaning solutions for cheap. Give the environment (and yourself!) a break and try these recipes.

White Vinegar

Vinegar dissolves dirt, soap scum, and hard water deposits. Although it’s a tough acid, it’s gentle enough to use on hardwood floors. White vinegar is also a natural deodorizer, and absorbs odours instead of masking them. If you’re worried about the smell, it goes away completely when the vinegar dries. If you have sensitive skin, vinegar is great as a fabric softener. Add 1 cup of vinegar to your rinse cycle instead of regular fabric softener. For hard water deposits on your showerhead, simply place 1/2 cup vinegar in a sandwich bag and tie around the showerhead with a rubber band. Allow it to sit overnight and rinse in the morning. If you’re looking for an all-purpose spray cleaner, simply mix 1 cup vinegar and 1 cup water in a spray bottle. This is great for countertops, backsplash areas, and floors.

Baking Soda

Baking soda has a mild abrasive action and has natural deodorizing properties. It’s a great replacement for harsh store-bought scouring powders. Sprinkle baking soda on your sponge for bathtub rings, vanity units, or removing food deposits from the kitchen sink. For tough stains and grime, make a paste of baking soda and water and leave it to stand for 10-20 minutes until the deposits have softened and can be removed easily. To keep drains running smoothly, pour 1/2 cup baking soda down the drain and a little hot water to wash the baking soda down. Allow it to sit overnight, and don’t use it on blocked drains.

Rubbing Alcohol

Rubbing alcohol is great on windows, mirrors, and hard-surface ceramic tiles. It’s also good to put it into a spray bottle and spray on points of contact to kill germs (door handles, steering wheels, toilet handles, toilet seats, etc.).

Ammonia

Ammonia is a strong window and all-purpose cleaner, and it’s stronger than vinegar. For a tough cleaning solution, mix 1 tbsp ammonia, 1tbsp dishwashing liquid, and 2 cups of water.

Photos: Trusper, Modern Survival Online, Good Ideas and Tips, Kendricks Stationers, DIY Life.

There’s nothing more frustrating than putting away a fresh load of laundry, and realizing that the stains on your clothes haven’t gone away! Here are 5 of our favorite tricks for combating even the most stubborn stains:

1. Grease Stains

For grease stains, soak the stain in regular dish soap. Rub the dish soap into the stain and rinse with hot water.

2. Tomato Sauce Stains

Pour boiling water over the stain and sprinkle baking soda over it. Rub the baking soda in and rinse.

3. Blood

You can removed dried blood by soaking it in milk or dabbing it with hydrogen peroxide. Rinse and wash garment as usual.

4. Grass Stains

Get rid of those pesky grass stains by rubbing hydrogen peroxide over them.

5. Lipstick

For lipstick stains, glycerine is all you need, but make sure not to pour it beyond the stain. After, wash the garment with detergent in warm water.

Photos: Your Discount Chemist, Uma Quimica Irresistivel.