Oh no! The dog just knocked into the coffee table and spilled red wine all over your beautiful, white carpet. It's ruined, unless you can think fast on your feet and find something to get it out, right?

The good news is that there are solutions to wine and other common household stain challenges. With a little research and a bit of elbow grease, almost anything will clean up like new. A few examples:

Red wine
Believe it or not, white wine is a neutralizing solution that allows you to lift the color out of carpeting. Simply pour white wine over the area and very gently blot the liquid up with a thick towel (be very careful not to rub as this will force the stain into the carpet). Once you have the majority of the spill blotted up, take a carpet shampoo or clothing stain remover and clean as you would if the stain were a bit of dirt on the carpet.

Silverware
Ever notice the dishwasher tends to leave spots on your silverware? As any waiter will tell you, there's an easy way to fix that. Using a napkin, rub club soda on the silverware, and the stains and spots will disappear.

Be green when you clean
Check the labels of household cleaners; some might have ingredients you don't want your family or pets exposed to. In some cases, chemical cleaners can be easily replaced with natural products. One example is for windows. When you're at the supermarket shopping for cleaners, stay in the food aisle—yes, the food aisle—and pick up some vinegar. Vinegar applied with newspaper does an outstanding job of cleaning windows.

Mix some baking soda into your shampoo
This little tip will leave your hair as clean as a spring morning. In a tiny bowl, mix 2/3 shampoo and 1/3 baking soda, then shower, using the mixture when your hair is wet. Rub it in for two or three minutes, then rinse and add conditioner. Do this once a week for silky clean hair.

Make wood surfaces shine
Put two tablespoons of distilled white vinegar, four tablespoons of olive oil, and a half cup water into an empty spray bottle. Now, tighten the cap and shake the bottle up a bit. You'll have a sure-fire polish that won't damage the wood.

Look at the natural products in your kitchen and do some research on the web. You'll find plenty of easy ways to clean things you thought would be a chore.