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Housework:
Air Freshener
Herbal potpourri.
Cotton balls soaked in vanilla.
Boil cinnamon and cloves in a small amount of water.
An open box of baking soda absorbs refrigerator odors.
Borax sprinkled in the bottom of garbage or yard waste to control odors.
All-purpose Cleaner
1 gallon of hot water mixed with ¼ cup of vinegar can replace ammonia or chlorine. Safe for all surfaces and can be rinsed with water.
Instead of a scouring pad, which contains both phosphorous and chlorine, try Bon Ami.
Bathroom Cleaner
Try baking soda when scrubbing surfaces clean and wipe surfaces with a ¼ cup vinegar, 1 gallon hot water mixture.
Blood Stains
Club soda and cold water will remove fresh blood stains. Blot with a clean cloth.
Chocolate Stains
Blot stain with club soda.
Copper Cleaner
Dip the copper in warm vinegar, then sprinkle salt on the piece and scrub with a soft cloth. Rinse with clean water.
Drain Cleaners
Keep drains open and clean with a plunger or metal snake.
As a preventative measure, or if a drain becomes clogged, pour in ¼ cup of baking soda followed by ½ cup of vinegar. After the fizzing subsides, flush thoroughly with boiling water.
Floors/Toilets
Use a mixture of 2-3 teaspoons each of borax and liquid dish soap in 2 quarts of hot water to clean floors and toilets. This replaces products that contain chlorine and hydrochloric acid.
Killing Germs
Make your own disinfectant by mixing ½ cup of borax with 1 gallon of hot water. This replaces other products that are poisonous and flammable.
Mildew
Mix borax with warm water as needed. This replaces other shower and tub mildew removing products that contain pesticides.
Oven Cleaner
Dampen the spill and sprinkle salt on it while the oven is still warm. Scrape the spill away when cooled.
Grease spots can be removed with a vinegar soaked rag.
Tough spots can be eliminated by wetting the area then lightly scrubbing with baking soda and steel wool pads.
Pet Stains/Odors
Use a mixture of ¼ cup vinegar in ¼ cup liquid soap. Rub in the mixture, blot the stain and rinse with water.
Rust Remover
The weak acid in vinegar woks well on rust stains.
Warm vinegar and scrubbing will remove rust from dishes, sinks and teapots.
Silver Cleaning
Baking soda and water or buttermilk mike nice silver-soaking solutions.
The fine abrasives in toothpaste will brighten silver jewelry with mild brushing.
Try boiling silver for 2-3 minutes in a mixture of 1 cup water, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon salt and a piece of aluminum foil. Rinse pieces thoroughly with water and dry with a soft cloth.
Sinks/Counter Tops
Use vinegar mixed with warm water and salt.
Spot Removers
Remove grease from garage floors by sprinkling the trouble area with fresh cat litter. Let stand for a few hours then sweep up.
Stains
General household stains can be cleaned and disinfected with borax solutions.
Windows
Vinegar and water mixed makes an excellent window cleaner.
Wood Furniture Polish
Look for products containing pure oils like lemon oil, tung oil or almond oil without petroleum distillates.
You can make furniture polish yourself with a mixture of 1 part lemon juice to 2 parts mineral oil.
Wood Cleaning
Try using Murphy’s Oil Soap.
Wood Scratches
Mix 1 teaspoon each of lemon juice and mineral oil.
