Tausi Insider

Photo : glebchik ( Shutterstock ) Ideally, you would have cleaned your fireplace thoroughly in the spring, after you used it for the final time of the season. But if that didn’t happen—or if you want to tidy it up before using it this fall and winter—now’s the time to do it. We’ve already talked about how to clean a gas fireplace , but what about wood-burning fireplaces? Here’s what to know. How to clean a fireplace As we’ve covered in previous articles, it’s important to make sure that your fireplace and chimney are in working order before the start of winter , in order to maximize the heat in your home, and minimize any drafts—and having a clean fireplace is key. Here’s how to clean your wood-burning fireplace : Prep work No matter what time of year you clean out your fireplace, wait at least 24 after your last fire to ensure that everything has cooled down. Also, things are going to get messy, so put down a drop cloth or two (or some old sheets), wear clothes you don’t mind g...

Photo : travelarium.ph ( Shutterstock ) You may have seen some of the online chatter about the “salad dressing” cleaning method lately as a trick for removing built-up grease and gunk from kitchen surfaces. Some cleaning hacks are solid and others are less useful ; this one falls into that second category. Still, you might see it around and be struck by the curiosity of it all , so let’s talk about it— and a similar method that is far superior . What is the “salad dressing cleaning hack”? So named because it uses the base ingredients for a simple vinaigrette, the “hack” suggests removing built-up grease and grime from surfaces first by working in a fat (like olive or vegetable oil) onto the area, and then using an acid (vinegar) to wipe up the mess . The oil, it is said, will pull up grease and then the vinegar, per House Digest , “cuts through dirt and kills bacteria.” So what’s the issue? Although vinegar is known for being a go-to cleaning hero, it isn’t the liquid to reac...

Photo : Iryna Tolmachova ( Shutterstock ) Salt is great for dealing with ice outside—but s alt is terrible for your floors for the same reason. Even if you’re very much on top of making people remove their shoes when they enter your home, salty dust can still find a way onto your hardwood and other floor surfaces and could lead to permanent damage if you don’t remove it. Here’s what you need to do to get rid of it the right way. According to SFGate , salt deposits don’t emulsify with soap and water, so don’t waste your time there. What you really need is a weak acid of some kind. You need vinegar. Before moving on to the vinegar, you first need to get rid of any salt crystals. You can do this by vacuuming or sweeping. You also need to wipe up any melted snow or wetness you spot, so grab an old towel and dab it up. Don’t push it around, as any big crystals inside could scratch the floor and you could even push the water into the cracks in the floorboards, which could result in ...

Photo : Africa Studio ( Shutterstock ) During a recent bathroom renovation project, my boyfriend had to disconnect his water softener, and it wreaked more havoc on our daily liv es than we expected . Showering and washing clothes, in particular, were much more difficult , as hard water leads to the formation of “soap scum” that is difficult to rinse away . We opted for quick, unfulfilling showers with poor soap lathering, but what can be done to keep clothes soft and residue-free? There are a few tricks to washing clothes if you don’t have a water softener , from combating crunchiness, to avoiding residue and staining. Add vinegar to your hard water washing loads Hard water is just water containing a higher amount of minerals—specifically dissolved calcium and magnesium . To keep your clothes feeling soft , you have to do what you can to neutralize those minerals, and that is where vinegar comes in. Add a half cup to a cup of white, distilled vinegar to your final rins...