For years I kept a whole shelf of sprays under my sink, each one meant for a single job. Today that shelf is mostly white vinegar and a box of baking soda, and the house is just as clean. These two cheap things are not magic, though, and using them badly gives poor results. Used … Read more

If your faucet wears a white crust around the base and your shower door looks permanently foggy, you probably have hard water. Hard water carries dissolved minerals, mostly calcium. When a drop dries, the water leaves and the minerals stay behind as a white ring, a rough film, or a cloudy haze that wiping alone … Read more

Every fall I open the closet where the winter coats hang and meet the same stale smell, a bit like a damp basement. A musty closet is not only unpleasant. Wool and cotton take on the odor, and the coat you reach for on the first cold morning smells like the closet. The smell comes … Read more

Spring gets all the credit for cleaning, but I think fall is the better season for it. Once the windows close and the heat comes on, you will be inside for months. Whatever dust, damp, and grime is in the house stays there with you, and the air gets drier and closer. So each October … Read more

The oven door glass is the first thing guests notice and the last thing I want to scrub. Grease splatters bake on again and again until the glass turns brown and you can no longer see whether the roast is done. The strong oven sprays work, but their fumes sting the nose and eyes, and … Read more