Had an awesome Valentine’s Day home date? Well, of course, you did! In that case, chances are, you have a mess to take care of. From tablecloths to placemats, and chocolates to red wine, there are a lot of Cupid’s Day shenanigans that you’ll surely want to kiss goodbye the next day.
So before you can even say a thing about chocolate dipped strawberries, here are household cleaning tips and tricks to save your day!
Candle Wax
A heart-warming glow can quickly become a hot waxy mess if you have a thing for candles! Whatever you do, do not, and let’s repeat that, do not try to clean up liquid wax immediately. Well, that’s unless you’d like to take a side trip to the emergency department.
Wait for it to set then try to remove as much dried was as you can with a flat knife. After, using an iron set on the lowest temperature, place a cloth over the stained area and gently iron to life the remaining wax spots.
Oh, and make sure to pop the candles in the freezer for a couple of hours before your next planned romantic rendezvous! They will drip less and burn slower and won’t have to worry about them while you are enjoying your date.
Lipstick
If there was evidence of last night’s antics like lipstick on a shirt, no worries. Everyone will surely see the funny side of the situation and perhaps throw in a congratulatory banner all around! Kidding aside, don’t just put them in the wash hoping that it will come out clean as you can set the stain forever. Instead, create a paste with a tad of dish or laundry detergent then rub onto the spot. Wash it, and it should be removed quite easily. You can now proceed to your usual wash within 24 hours.
Chocolate
If only chocolates would melt inside the mouth and not in the hands, right? Then it wouldn’t be a messy problem; but if it did, be guided by these tips!
You can begin by scraping off hardened chocolate. All clothing or smaller items like pillows can be placed in the freezer for 15 minutes to make the scraping process easier.
If it’s upholstery or furniture we’re talking about, then you can gently scrub the spot with a sponge dipped in a mix of two cups of cold water and a tablespoon of dish soap until the chocolate stain disappears.
For clothes, you can proceed to your usual pre-wash rituals and then throw it into the laundry machine.
Red Wine
The wine will always get its way onto the most fragile and difficult to clean places. So if you missed out on the memo on sticking to clear beverages only, it’s okay. With this tip, red wine will come out of majority of items!
The most efficient thing you can first do is to soak as much wine as possible out of the item stained, using a paper towel or a sponge.
For tablecloths or clothing, sprinkle with salt to stop the wine stain for setting and spill bit of soda water to remove the stain, using a cloth to dab as you go. Then wash it as you’d normally do.
On carpets or upholstery, mix two cups of cold water and a tablespoon of dish soap then sponge the stained area with the solution until everything is lifted. After cleaning, use a sponge washed with cold water and blot until it’s dried. You can use vinegar as an alternative to dish soap on carpets as well.
So never be afraid of romance, just have fun and enjoy the day knowing that next day’s cleanup (by yourself or with the help of professionals) will be a piece of cake!
