This Dawn cleaning tips conversation is brought to you via the Double Duty Diva Network; all opinions are my own.
Sometimes I see a life hack on Pinterest and I think to myself, “Duh! Why didn’t I think of that!” Some are so simple like how to cut 40 cherry tomatoes at the same time (by placing them on a plate, putting another on on top, and then slicing through the two horizontally – smart, huh!). Many times it changes how I do things at home and it’s been a great way to add a few time-saving practices into my everyday life.
I think the idea behind life hacks is to get smarter about using what we have to do more and that’s the focus behind the Dawn Beyond the Sink campaign. To rethink needing a house full of specialty cleaners and cleansers and to use products that are truly multipurpose. So I was challenged to “Reach for Dawn” to take care of some of our toughest cleaning challenges and for us, those are in the garage. Well, just outside of the garage because our cars are parked in the driveway which leaves them exposed to the elements of our Seattle weather. That means they have gunk on the wheels and tires pretty much year round.
Dawn Cleaning Tips: Garage Uses – Cleaning Wheels and Tires
Nothing makes a car look old and tired faster than dirty wheels. But when you live in an area like Seattle, it’s hard to keep them grease, oil, and mildew free. One easy way to clean them is to combine a teaspoon of Dawn dish washing detergent in a gallon of hot water.
Using a soft sponge or cloth, scrub away the grease on the hubs using the soap and water mix (if you get your hot water straight from the hot water tank in the garage as my husband does, wear gloves or allow it to cool sufficiently before using). You may have to do this for several minutes – using more soap and water as needed.
Rinse away the soapy water residue with clean water and dry the wheels with a dry, soft towel so they really shine. My wheels are 20 years old, but they still look pretty good!
Dawn Cleaning Tips: Garage Uses – Cleaning Greasy Tools:
Is your tool box full of greasy tools? While we had the pan of soap and water at the ready we tackled a few of my husband’s tools. He’s really good about wiping them down before storing, but we dug deep into his toolbox and found a few that could use a cleaning.
The same 1 tsp to 1 gallon of hot water we used to clean the car wheels was also the perfect combination to take care of the tools. While you might be tempted to just toss them all in to let them soak, that could cause some damage*. Instead, with a dishcloth or sponge, wipe away the grime (scrub if necessary).
Gloves are not necessary, but the water was very hot so we used them. Rinse the tools immediately with clean water.
Finish them off by drying them with a soft towel. Unfortunately my husband refuses to admit he needs glasses or he would have noticed that he missed a spot! Or two. 🙂
* Soaking could lead to etching on certain materials.
Do you have any great Dawn Cleaning Tips? I’d love to hear them.
Dawn Beyond the Sink Pinterest Party
Join in on the Dawn Pinterest party for a chance to win some fun prizes! Find the full details at the Dawn Beyond the Sink page. The party runs from October 27th to November 24th and prizes include: weekly prizes of $250 Target Gift Cards and a Grand Prize of a $700 Home Depot Gift Card.
#DawnBeyondtheSink Twitter Party
Get some other great tips on using Dawn outside of the kitchen during the Twitter party on Tuesday October 28th at 9pm EST. You’ll need to RSVP to be eligible for prizes. You’ll also need to follow the hosts @DoubleDutyDivas, @BridgetteLA @CeceliaMecca @AngieKcom @WhatMommiesNeed and @RamblingChick.
The prizes that will be given away druing the party are:
- Prize 1 – Rowenta Iron/Sorter Combo + Dawn ($100)
- Prize 2 -. Shark Stick Vac ($100) + Dawn
- Prize 3 – $100 Williams Sonoma GC + Dawn
- Prize 4 – Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer ($350) + Dawn
- RSVP-Dawn product
Win a 20-Volt Max Lithium-Ion Cordless Combo Kit
One lucky winner will win this 20-Volt Max Lithium-Ion Cordless Combo Kit with an ARV of $600!
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I’ve never cleaned a tool! They all look pristine, because my dad usually comes over with his own tools when I need something repaired. But something else that’s hard to clean is my light colored floor.
It would have to be my vise grips!
Wow that’s some pretty powerful cleaning. If Dawn can handle that then no problem for my dishes.
It did handle it extremely well for sure!
Does my carpet cleaner count as a tool? Everytime I use it, gunk gets all clogged up in it and it needs to be taken apart and washed. It’s pretty annoying, but it works good for the carpets!
coriwestphal at msn dot com
my hardest cleaning tool would be the grill, it is so hard to get all the grease off
The hardest tool for me to clean is probably shovels because the dirt cakes on, dries, and becomes hard and tough to remove!
The hardest tool to clean at our house would be the garden shears. The bouganvillia (sp?) leaves some kind of sticky goo on them all the time.
How neat. I use it in the house. Will have to try it else where now.
Now that is super impressive! I’d love to pass this info on to my husband so he too can clean or rims!
I love Dawn. It really does an amazing job at cutting through grease. I use it as a spot remover.
I’ll have to tell hubby about using it to clean the tires, I think he spends a small fortune on rim cleaners!
Awesome tip! My husband could use this for sure.
I would have never thought to wash car tires or tools! What a great idea.
We love Dawn and have TOTALLY used it to wash our cars too!!! =) It works great!
We love using Dawn in our home! I have never thought about using it for garage purposes, what a wonderful idea!
Oh lordy… if I told Hubby he could use Dawn to clean his tools I would be out in no time. He takes better care of his tools than anything else. HA
Dawn is the only brand of dish soap I will use. To put it nicely the others I’ve tried are crap. LOL! I’ve never thought about using it to wash my vehicle though! Tires can be difficult to shine. Definitely going to give it a try!
I use dawn blue in my cloth diapers to strip them. t really works!
I grew up using Dawn and it has not changed. I love that it has so many uses – including getting grass stains out of my little white dog!
I’ve used Dawn for years. It does an awesome job of removing grease from a wide variety of items. I won’t buy any other brand of liquid soap.
Love these soaps, they clean so amazing plus I have used them on my cloth diapers, great for elimination detergent build up.
I have a million things I could clean with it. I saw a Pinterest post the other day with ideas and there were dozens of them!
These are some great uses. Dawn is also great for killing fleas on your pets. Dawn is gentle and leaves the fur shinny and clean.
What a great idea to use Dawn for cleaning! I use it for dishes, but will start using your tip here to wash my tires.
I’ll bet my rims and tires could benefit from a good Dawn wash. I’ll have to do this too before the weather turns cold!
I had no idea that you could use Dawn for cleaning tires and tools. I just got a new car and will certainly clean it using Dawn.
I’ve got to send this to my husband. He’s got a thing about car tires.
Who knew there were so many useful ways to use Dawn? We use Dawn to wash our cars – it takes the grime and dirt right off!
I’ve used Dawn for cleaning tons of stuff, but never tools. That’s pretty neat!
I’ve never thought to use Dawn to clean tools! This would be great tip for my husband. He’s always complaining about how gross his toys get after he uses them.
Dawn cuts through grease like nothing else, so it makes sense that it would do such a great job on cars.
Wow, this is awesome. I never thought it would clean so well. Sure is beyond the sink.
I’ve never thought about cleaning tools with Dawn, but it makes sense. After all if it cuts kitchen grease and oil from spills, why wouldn’t it get tools clean as well?
I’ve GOT to show this to my husband. I already use Dawn to clean practically everything in the house, but I never thought about it on things like tires or tools. Thanks!
I’ve recently discovered Dawn for my car and I love using it! Great to use for those tough spaghetti stains too. I keep a bottle in my laundry room!
I knew Dawn helped get oil off of animals after big spills, but never considered it to clean the grease of my tires or tools. I think I might have to make a gift basket with Dawn for my dad next holiday!
WOW! I had no clue you could use it to clean tools. I am going to get my husband a supply of this to use. His tools are a HOT MESS right now!!
I didn’t realize Dawn could clean tires. Now my husband can stop buying that spray stuff.
Never thought of using Dawn for my tires. Have to try that out!
I never would have thought to use Dawn for that, but it’s an awesome idea!! I need to try it!
My hand saw is a very hard yard tool to clean.