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" Pet Peeve 1 Crayon on Walls If you have a young Picasso who has scribbled on the walls, here&amp;#039;s the quick fix: dry-cleaning solvent. Pour a bit on a terry-cloth towel to safely remove crayon marks from almost any surface, except antique wallpaper. Pet Peeve 2 Perspiration Stains Sweat won&amp;#039;t stain if you let your antiperspirant or deodorant dry prior to putting on your clothes. Before you wash shirts, pretreat the underarm areas with undiluted liquid laundry detergent so sweat will rinse away. Pretreat any existing stains with household vinegar to help dissolve the perspiration. To prevent more buildup, wash in the hottest water that&amp;#039;s safe for that fabric at least every third or fourth time. Pet Peeve 3 Sticky Irons If there&amp;#039;s a brown or sticky residue on the iron&amp;#039;s soleplate, it&amp;#039;s most likely from man-made fibers singed by an iron that was too hot. This is the time to spend a few bucks for a tube of iron cleanser, which does a fabulous job and will last for years. Steam iron not spritzing properly? Check with the manufacturer on how to clean the innards. In some cases, you can use vinegar, but not in others. Newer models may require tap water rather than distilled. Pet Peeve 4 Stinky Shoes (and Feet) Wash your feet and dry them well. Spritz feet with deodorant before putting on socks. It also helps to use antibacterial soap and to soak your feet in vinegar for five minutes nightly. Airing out shoes and pouring a bit of baking soda inside between wearings will also help. Pet Peeve 5 Mystery Stains Often these stains are from a pale liquid, such as white wine or a clear soft drink that contains sugar, that was present when the garment was laundered but did not come out completely. Try this: For whites and light-colored fabrics, dab stain with 3 percent hydrogen peroxide on a cotton swab. Allow the peroxide to set for several hours; it acts as a milder, slower bleaching agent. And here is my mother&amp;#039;s last-ditch stain remover for washable whites and colored items that can be bleached (or that you&amp;#039;re willing to take a chance on): To 1 gallon of hot water, add 1 cup of powdered dishwasher detergent and 1/2 cup of bleach. Let the garment soak for no longer than 30 minutes. If the stain doesn&amp;#039;t come out in that amount of time, it probably never will.  Next: Pet Peeves 6-10 Pet Peeve 6 Smelly Dishwasher First check to be sure the drain hose is not crimped and look in the bottom of the machine for bits of food and gunk. Believe it or not, a dishwasher should be cleaned and deodorized occasionally. Pour a gallon of household vinegar in the bottom, let it sit for an hour or so, then run the washer through a full cycle. To help remove hard-water buildup, simply add a half cup of citric acid powder (available at supermarkets) and run the dishwasher. If the odor is still strong, call a plumber, because it could be a potentially hazardous problem that needs to be remedied by a pro. Pet Peeve 7 Lipstick Marks Lipstick can usually be removed with rubbing alcohol. Get two hand towels; lay one out and place the garment, lipstick stain facedown, on it. Dip the other towel in the rubbing alcohol and use it to dab the back of the stain. Repeat until stain is gone. Marks made by lipsticks formulated to be long lasting or by those with a lot of gloss may need several treatments. Pet Peeve 8 Cleaning Silver Both sterling and silver-plate utensils (except hollow-handle knives) can be washed in the dishwasher as long as you stop the machine before the drying cycle, take the pieces out and hand-dry them. Do not put these utensils in the same basket with stainless steel, because this could damage the sterling. For long-term care, a good-quality silver cream or polish is still the way to go. Pet Peeve 9 Smoke Fumes on Clothing Normal laundering should remove the odor from washables. For winter coats and heavy sweaters, many fabric-refresher sprays do a good job. But if there has been a fire and the smoke smell is awful, find a dry cleaner that has an ozone cleaner. Pet Peeve 10 Bloodstains For washable clothes, soak garment in cold water for about 30 minutes -- that will usually do the trick. However, if you still see a mark, mix a little water with unseasoned commercial meat tenderizer (which breaks down the protein in the blood) and apply to the affected area. If the fabric can&amp;#039;t be laundered at home, take it to the dry cleaner ASAP. Point out the stain and let the professionals save the garment. Next: Old Problems, New Fixes 1. Make ballpoint-ink stains disappear Then: Hairspray Now: Rubbing alcohol Fabrics, inks and hairspray ingredients are different today. Now, your safest bet is to lay the garment on a hand towel with the stain side down, dampen a clean cloth with rubbing alcohol and lightly dab (do not rub) the stain. 2. Get candle wax off carpet Then: Towel and iron Now: Ice and a metal pan Fill a metal pan with ice. Put the pan directly on top of the candle wax until the wax is frozen solid, then hit the spot with a small hammer to break up the wax. Vacuum up the pieces or remove by hand. Use dry-cleaning solvent on a clean cloth to remove any leftover residue. 3. Wash blue jeans without fading them Then: Soak the jeans in salt or vinegar and water to prevent dye from running. Now: Most of today&amp;#039;s denim is manufactured with modern dyes, so there&amp;#039;s no need to pretreat jeans. Some laundry products will also help denim retain its dark color. Next: Quick Bathroom Cleanup Bathtub Rings Use cheap hair shampoo and a long-handle scrub brush. Of course, there are commercial cleansers that do a good job. Household vinegar also removes rings, but never use it on marble or granite bathtubs. Toilet Stains Make a point of scrubbing with a toilet brush several times a week -- for just one minute. This will prevent a hard-water buildup. For thorough cleaning, use a disinfecting cleanser and don&amp;#039;t forget to clean under the seat and lid and around the base. Shower Curtain Scum Plastic shower curtains and liners can be put in the washing machine to get rid of that grime. Throw in a bath towel or two for scrubbing action, along with your regular amount of detergent. Pop the curtain and the liner in the dryer for several minutes or hang to dry. Here&amp;#039;s another hint from my mother: To help prevent soap buildup and mildew, trim the bottom seam of a nondecorative plastic curtain or liner with pinking shears. The water will drip off the cut edge more quickly, allowing the curtain to dry faster. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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