Hints For House and Home

 Lots of Simple Tips for Everday Living

A simple homemade paint remover: Mix 2 parts ammonia to 1 part turpentine.

• To remove grease spots, wipe down area with newspaper; follow with a raw corn meal scrubbing.

• To prevent pancakes or waffles from sticking to your griddle, rub down with salt.

• Warm salt water is an excellent cleaner for straw mats or rugs; let dry in the sun.

• If you are a morning coffee drinker and love the taste of fresh coffee every time you brew, run some pure white vinegar and distilled water through your machine& repeat with distilled water and cleanse pot. Do this at least once a month. If you have kitchen appliances such as steamer rice-makers, pour white vinegar into cooking apparatus to remove sediments and prevent rust. Do this once a month or when needed.

• When the outer skin of a tomato is heated it helps to remove the outer skin easily

• If you’re having a tuff time deciding on how to reuse plastic shopping bags, simply by a smaller trash can and insert bags. This will also force you to empty your trash bags sooner and keep a fresher smelling kitchen. You may also use plastic bags to transport items, carry in diaper bags for soiled or extra clothing, use them in place of a lunch pale, or simply reuse them when shopping& they’re also excellent on doggie-poop when out for a walk. My mother keeps fresh hung bags on her kitchen door, bathroom door and bedroom door for easy dispensing of dry clean paper trash. Plastic bread bags are also good to keep around if you bake your own breads 

   

• Keep an opened box of baking soda in both your refrigerator and freezer to keep frig smelling fresh. It will also prevent foods from tasting funny. You can clean your refrigerator with baking soda and hot water. It will leave it smelling fresh and shiny.
• Add baking soda and water onto your car battery for safe removal of smut and corrosion. Remember to rinse clean.

• If a dish has turned out too sweet, squeeze a lemon or lime into it; if the dish contains milk or milk products, simply add salt. Alcohol will also soak up unwanted sweetness.

• Cornstarch may be used as a smoother for sauces that have come out either too lumpy or not just smooth enough in texture.
• Keep in mind Baking Soda cuts grease and can also be added to foods to reduce grease content.
• Keep your salt and pepper shakers working by simply keeping them clean…and never store your shakers or spices near heat.
• Liquid Brown Sugar can be purchased at any grocery store; won’t harden like regular brown sugar.
• If you have fruits and vegetables you wish to eat or cook with but some of it has browned& not to worry; simply cut out the rotted or brown part and commence! Rotting does not spread like most people seem to think. It won’t hurt you and no need wasting half of anything.
• The colder your onion, the less tears for you.
• Apple Cider Vinegar makes an excellent natural meat tenderizer.
• If you still find yourself having plants even after you’ve cleared your surroundings, remember to save your coffee grounds if you’re a coffee drinker; it makes excellent food for your plants. Safe for all plants too!
• Another thought on white vinegar& add some to your dishwashing to cut the grease!
• Plastic ware can be kept odor free as well as disinfected by simply letting them soak in a solution of baking soda and hot water.
• Rub a little rubbing alcohol on your stained garments then wash. Alcohol is an excellent heavy stain remover.
• To refresh as well as de-stain your automatic dishwasher, run it through with white vinegar.
• Wiping your home down with a fragranced baby wipe is a great refresher& because of its mild ingredients basically being that of baby shampoo and water, it should be safe enough to use on most furniture.
• Keep gift bags and boxes to reuse for the following year or special occasion gift giving throughout the year.
• Cleaned food glass jars can be recycled into drinking glasses, dry grain or pasta storage, decoration, item keepers for such things as mini tools, pencils and pens, or jewelry. Never recycle your jars for canning purposes! Make sure you have specific set of jars & lids for your home canning.
• To prevent sugar ants or detour them, wipe down affected area with some white vinegar& not apple cider vinegar!
• To detour ants and roaches place a saucer filled with Borax in affected areas.
• Borax will also calm down food odors if left in an opened container in affected area.

• You may also fill opened containers of White Vinegar to eliminate household odors. Change about once a month.
• For any type of protein stains, soak item in cold water immediately for approximately one half day if possible, then proceed with regular washing& excellent for stained panties if soaked in some cold water with a bit of White vinegar& will soften your panties as well after washing& remember, never mix Vinegar and bleach together,they will create very strong FUMES.
• BORAX is a wonderful alternative to Bleach!
• The safest but not necessarily the quickest oven-cleaner I’ve found is a mixture of Baking Soda,warm water and White Vinegar applied all over oven and left overnight& then wipe clean the next day.It is not necessary to heat oven when performing this procedure.
• Light a candle or a match to quickly eliminate strong odors& especially in the kitchen before guests arrive.
• A delightful way to eliminate odors in your home is to brew some of your favorite fragrant Teas. I personally don’t mind the smell of a fresh home cooked meal when I walk into a place& I find that very comforting.

• A natural air freshener can be made by applying any nonalcoholic fragrance such as Oils on a cotton ball and distribute these throughout your home and or car& remember to refresh at least once a month.Commercial air fresheners affect your nasal passages in a very negative way. You can also wipe down surfaces with your favorite scent to refresh your home. Remember to keep these safely away from children.

• The only commercial nontoxic oven cleaner I’ve found is Arm&Hammer Oven Cleaner. Use according to directions.

• I remember my mother disinfecting her home surfaces with Isopropyl Alcohol;please remember to have area WELL VENTILATED!!! Also,wear gloves if you tend to have sensitive or dry skin& follow either way with a moisturizer. I only use this method when I’m out of my other alternatives. Hospitals long ago used this method on everything including bedsheets.
• You may add White Vinegar to your wash along with equal parts Borax to replace bleach or use vinegar and borax separate for softening, whitening, and brightening& never mix Bleach with White Vinegar.
• To remove black heel marks rub a mixture of Baking Soda and Olive Oil& or simply rub with a dry cloth if the stain is not very heavy.
• To clean wood surfaces mix equal parts Olive Oil and White Vinegar.
  To clean glass: A mixture of Rubbing Alcohol and Water in a spray bottle, followed up with a rub down of a Chalkboard Eraser to remove streaks.
• Clean bathroom and kitchen fixtures shiny with Laundry Softener Sheets.
• Boiled Water and Black Tea makes an excellent wood polish.