I use the recommended creme on my cooktop....put it on, spread it around with a damp paper towell, let it sit then wash it off with another paper towel or micro cloth. Once in a while I have to do this twice if I really mucked it up, a single edge razor blade also works well on stubborn burns.

This is an old thread but the tips are still useful! I'd like to add another tip to clean coffee makers. You probably heard, seen or have used Brew Rite and Dip It cleaners. It will save you alot of money if you just go to the laundry isle of Walmart or other stores and purchase a box of Arm & Hammer Washing Soda. Washing Soda = Sodium Carbonate = Brew Rite. Sodium Carbonate is also in Dip It cleaner. They are all the same stuff but in different bottle and a whole lof of cost difference. I believe at Walmart, an 8oz. bottle of Brew Rite is $4.98, but a box of 55oz. Arm & Hammer Washing Soda is only $3.24. If you do the math, you'd be saving at least $30 using washing soda. I know there are many type of coffee makers out there. I'm going to give 2 methods, for percolators and for dripper. If you have another type, just use one of these methods. For Percolators: Use 1 tablespoon of Washing Soda for every 4 cups of Water. Pour into the carafe, stir these well to dissolve the washing soda. Assemble all components (stem, cup & lids), and brew/perk as usual according to your type of percolators (stovetop, electric, etc.). Turn off the heat or unplug, let it sit for an hour while the unit is cooling down. Discard the mixture and rinse each component with water thoroughly. For Drippers: Use 1 tablespoon per 4 cups of water. Mix the washing soda well to desolve before pouring the mixture into the water reservoir. (Do NOT put just washing soda powder into the water reservoir.) Then, brew as usual. Discard the mixture and pour just water into the reservoir. Brew again to rinse. Do this for a total of 3 times, each time changing with fresh water. It should clean just as well as Brew Rite and Dip It.

Many of you suggested I redo the stark white tile at the floor of my fireplace, and I agree it should be done. While I can't afford quartz, marble or granite, I'm up to painting it. From my online research it appears that cleaning, bleaching, sanding and priming the tile are necessary. Sherwin Williams used to sell a kit for this project but no longer does. Could you share with me what products you've used? Oil based paint if I can find it? I think a solid color would be preferable to a chevron or checkerboard pattern although I like the patterns. All tips and photos would be happily viewed.

You guys are all full of good tips! Hope it's going well ATK. We have four cats. Although we are pretty tidy, and have gotten rid of stuff as a results of a few moves over the last 16 years, it's crazy keeping up on the cat hair, dust and litter boxes, so I totally get where you're coming from. I recently bought a stick vacuum and I love it. I didn't spring for the Dyson, but it was another one recommended here somewhere and I found it on Amazon. It probably doesn't work as well as a Dyson but it works pretty darn well and has been life changing when it comes to cleaning. I no longer have to get the central vac out or lug our full size Dyson around the house. I vacuum up the tracked litter more often because the stick is so easy to carry around. It's super each to grab each day or a couple of times daily to hit the higher traffic spots. Another thing I did is created "cat designated" spots around the house so they don't sleep just anywhere. It took some experimenting to find out what they each prefer as far as pet bed, quilt, blanket, etc., In the winter I use heated beds or put heated mats under their cat quilts. So now they sleep on only those spots and I no longer have to clean cat hair from non-protected spots. I also throw a light quilt or sheet over our bed so I'm not constantly washing quilts and comforters. I also began using Dr. Elsey's Ultra litter just recently - while it still tracks, it's not nearly as bad as all the others, and it's less dusty, too. And believe me, I've tried them all. One other thing that has helped is that once everything has a place, I have to take care of items as soon as I'm done using them or come across them. When I'm done with laundry, I fold and put away - I don't save it for later anymore. When I find an oddball thing, I go put it in its place rather than stash it somewhere to try and remember to deal with later. I got sick of trying to remember where I stashed those things when I finally needed them, or frantically cleaning before someone was coming over. It's nice to have kitty cat company, and I love our cats dearly, but I do wonder (and fantasize!) what it's like to have a house with no pets in it. We have probably 6-7 more years at most with our current cats, and then may just foster. A friend of mine is a single woman in her 40's and she loves fostering one cat at a time. She has fostered three cats for the local shelter during this time of Covid.