The holidays are full of partying and fun. Here are some quick and free home cleaning tips.

Cleaning up a spill on the carpet

It is unavoidable. No matter how careful everyone tries to be, someone will spill some food or drink on your nice clean carpet. To prevent the spill from doing damage, try to clean it up as quickly as possible. Mix one tablespoon of mild liquid dishwashing detergent in 1/2 cup of warm water (note: you can also use 1/2 cup of white vinegar). Take two clean white towels. Use one to rub the solution into the stain and the other to alternately blot the area to soak up the spill.

Keep frost off windows

If you live in a cold climate area, it’s nice to be able to look outside and see the pretty winter snow and Christmas decorations. If the windows in your house fog up when it’s cold, there is a solution. Clean windows with a solution of 1/2 cup isopropyl alcohol (or antifreeze) to 1 liter of water. Another tip is to moisten a cloth with glycerin and clean the inside of the windows.

Cleaning your precious knick-knacks

If you have a large collection of knick-knacks that you love to display but hate to clean, here’s good news: There’s a quick and easy way to clean your figurines. Just place your knick-knacks inside the kitchen sink and spray them down with window cleaner. Move them to a paper towel to air dry. This works for glass, porcelain, and glazed figurines.

Clean up candle wax drips

Candlesticks: To clean hardened wax from candlesticks, place them inside the freezer for an hour or more. Remove the candle holders and the frozen wax should flake off easily. Wash and dry the chandeliers. If you’re short on time, run the candle holders under very hot water, cover your hand with a soft towel, and gently remove the hot wax from the candle holder.

Tablecloth: To remove still-warm candle wax from a tablecloth, rub the wax with an ice cube to harden it, then scrape the wax off with a spatula. Place a paper towel above and below the remaining wax. Press the wax area with a warm iron. Keep changing the paper towels until all the remaining wax is absorbed. Sponge up the remaining residue with dry cleaning solvent. Scrub area gently with heavy duty liquid detergent. Put the tablecloth in the washing machine as soon as possible.

chimney cleaning

To avoid spreading a lot of ash dust around the room when you clean the fireplace, sprinkle wet tea leaves over the ash first.

If you have a slate fireplace, you can turn it into a sparkling masterpiece by washing it every six weeks, letting it dry, and rubbing it with lemon oil.

Wash brass fireplace tools in warm, soapy water.

Clean sticky fireplace tools with a kerosene-dampened cloth. Allow tools to dry completely before reusing.

Quick removal of clothing stains

Don’t panic when you spill something on your clothes. For a glass of club soda. Dip a clean white cloth or handkerchief into the sparkling water and blot the stain with a sponge.

Cleaning up after a big party

Step 1: Collect all the cups, bottles and glasses. Empty partially filled containers down the kitchen sink. Look around for spills and clean them up immediately.

Step 2: Fill the kitchen sink with soapy water and soak the dishes and utensils. If you have a dishwasher, run your first load of dishes.

Step 3: Grab a large trash bag and start picking up the party trash in the outer rooms, head towards the kitchen.

Step 4: Dust furniture and clean floors and rugs. Make your way to the kitchen.

Step 5: Clean kitchen. Take out the garbage bags.