Fresh Tips, New Ideas For Spring Cleaning

Doing battle against the clutter and germs that have sprouted in your home this winter is largely a matter of common sense: Dust, sweep, wash, throw out -- and move on.

Most specific cleaning tips don't require much of a leap of imagination either: Mix vinegar and water for a natural glass cleaner; don't forget to wipe down doorknobs and light switches; disinfect wet sponges by microwaving them.

But some new books and current magazines are offering a handful of less obvious ideas as well. They might just take your home from clean to sparkling, and even save you some time:

Living Room

· Tackle dusty furniture quickly and easily by putting a clean athletic sock on each hand and wiping, says Jeff Bredenberg, author of the new book "How to Cheat at Cleaning" (Taunton, 2007). Bredenberg also suggests dusting fabric lampshades by rinsing them in the shower and letting them air dry. (Just don't try this with silk lampshades, which will get damaged.)

· Minimize scuffs on your wooden furniture by rubbing the damaged spot with the meat of a walnut or pecan. The oil in the nut will make marks less visible, according to the February/March issue of Ready Made magazine. The magazine also advises eliminating scuffs on leather furniture by rubbing gently with a pencil eraser.

· When dusting a flaking or cracking surface, don't use a cloth, which could snag, points out "Martha Stewart's Homekeeping Handbook" (Clarkson Potter, 2006). A soft paintbrush will do the trick.

Kitchen

· Stir the ice that comes out of your freezer's ice maker every few days to keep it fresh and clump-free, Stewart says. Discard your ice every month or so if you don't use ice often.

· Try placing sheets of wax paper on countertops while cooking dinner, Bredenberg suggests. That way crumbs and sticky spills can simply be thrown away.

· Bredenberg even has a tip for outdoor cooks: Spritz the grates of your grill with non-stick cooking spray before heating. After cooking, scrub for a moment with a wire brush, then close the grill. Leave it heating for an extra 15 minutes to burn off any residue.

Bedroom

· In the "What to Expect Guide to a Healthy Home" booklet Heidi Murkoff, author of the hugely popular "What to Expect" series of parenting books, suggests eliminating the dust mites that live among your child's stuffed animals by placing the toys in the freezer overnight. (The booklet, published in association with Clorox, is available for free at http://whattoexpect.com.)

· Most pillows can be machine washed, Stewart says; launder every three to six months according to label instructions. Exceptions include pillows filled with silk, buckwheat and wool. Those can be gently spot-cleaned with dishwashing liquid. Take care not to saturate the stuffing, and dry in sunshine.

· If your favorite blouse gets stained with ballpoint ink at the office, Martha Stewart says you'll need petroleum jelly to help clean it.

Here's how: Use the petroleum jelly to build a dam around the stain. Fill an eyedropper with isopropyl alcohol and treat the stain, staying within the borders of the dam. Use a dry solvent such as mineral spirits or acetone to remove any color remaining. Do not use acetone on acetate.

Rinse with a diluted dishwashing soap solution made of 1 tablespoon colorless, fragrance-free dishwashing soap and 10 oz. water, then launder.

Bathroom

· Do you normally store the family's toothbrushes together in one place? Murkoff advises keeping them at least one inch apart to avoid sharing germs. She also recommends closing the toilet lid before you flush. Otherwise, she says, you'll be causing a "mini-bacteria volcano every time you flush."

· Most vinyl, synthetic, cotton and hemp shower curtain liners can be washed in your washing machine, using hot water and a mild detergent, according to the Martha Stewart book. Hang to dry.

For liners that do not come with cleaning instructions or labels that advise against machine-washing, Stewart counsels scrubbing the curtain outside with a solution of 10 parts water, 1 part chlorine bleach and a plastic-bristled brush. Let sit until discoloration is gone or faded and rehang to dry.