Wake The Lakes Monday Lifehack of the Week:

–Have some leftover coffee grounds after your morning pour-over? Use them to tackle that ring around the tub.  Rub some coffee grounds into the grease or soap ring and it’ll gently buff off any residue. Rinse off the mixture with warm water afterward and voila! A squeaky-clean tub.

–Use essential oils to polish furniture.  You can use lemon essential oil to quickly polish any dark wood and effectively clean stains and spots.  Tea tree oil is another effective furniture polish and has the added benefit of being a bug deterrent. However, to be safe, do not use this trick on food preparation surfaces, as many essential oils are not safe for consumption.

–Try using a pea-sized amount of non-gel toothpaste to get those small scratches in the finishes of furniture out. Using paste, rub the scratch in a circular motion until it buffs out, and then clean the remainder with a damp towel.

–Use a hairdryer for a few seconds on a wall with crayon markings to soften the crayon’s wax and then wipe any marks away with a soft cloth.

–Use towel-wrapped tongs to clean your blinds.  Simply wrap dish towels around either side of a pair of tongs, secure them with rubber bands, and you’ve got your very own DIY duster.

–Is your water bill outrageously high? An overly full toilet tank could be part of the problem. To help reduce the cost, put a brick or other heavy item inside the tank. This will displace at least a few cups of water, helping you reduce the amount you use with every flush.

–Clean a pan with Alka-Seltzer tablets.  Fill that dirty pan with hot water, drop in an Alka-Seltzer tablet, and let it sit. In about 15 minutes, that mess should wipe up easily.