Tips to make household cleaning easier

NEW YORK (WABC) -- Sometimes the simplest spills can be the hardest to get out. But we have some advice to make your cleanups easier, thanks to one woman who shared her tips.

Don't cry over spilled wine, your reeking sink, or stinky towels anymore. To the rescue is author Jolie Kerr, the queen of cleaning conundrums. Kerr wrote the book "My Boyfriend Barfed in My Handbag and Other Things you Can't Ask Martha"

Up first, the dreaded pit stain. "My rule of thumb is if it comes out of you it's a protein stain," said Kerr.

Jolie says treat the stain quickly and use half a scoop of oxyclean in water.

"What youre going to want to use is something that's enzymatic based," she said. "The longer you can let it soak the more effective it's going to be."

Launder as usual and voila! Goodbye yellow stain.

For blood stains, Jolie dabs a little Hydrogen Peroxide. "Which is great because a lot of houses have this in it," she said.

Next, ever wonder what's causing the mildewy smell on your towels? its ODing on detergent.

"Mildew likes two things, water so you get it and it likes soap," said Kerr.

The solution: white vinegar, which kills the mildew bacteria.

"Half a cup to a full cup running through the rinse cycle," Jolie said.

White vinegar also works wonders on a smelly garbage disposal.

Jolie says stop up the sink. "We're going to go with 1/3 vinegar to 2/3 water," she said.

Fill it up, unplug the stopper and run the disposal.

Combine that vinegar with plenty of baking soda and you can non-toxically and cheaply unclog a drain.

Stubborn residue in vases, decanters or tupperware also benefit from the fizzing action of, denture cleaner.

It beats scrubbing, and for that shower film, wet a bounce sheet..it comes right off.

And about that red wine, hit it with the salt and it absorbs it right away.

How about getting out makeup like lipstick and mascara: Lestoil or Pinesol, not laundry products, but terrific on grease-based stains, even salad oil. Dab onto the stain, give it a scrub. Let it sit, rinse with cold water, it will come right out.