Grease Cutters
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Use lemon juice, vinegar, or sprinkle
with Borax and scrub with scrub brush.
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One-half teaspoon of washing soda,
one-half teaspoon of vegetable oil-based liquid soap, three
tablespoons of vinegar, and two cups hot water. Mix in spray
bottle, spray and scrub, wipe clean.
Ink Stains: Use a non-aerosol
hair spray to remove ink stains.
Jewelry Cleaner: Baking soda is
safe and effective when it comes to cleaning jewelry. Use a
paste of baking soda and peroxide to clean build-up and dirt off or
your jewelry. It gets rid of dirt, grime and body oils to leave
your jewelry shining and looking new.
Metal Cleaner: Clean copper,
brass, pewter, or bronze easily with a simple mixture. Dissolve
one teaspoon of salt in one cup of vinegar, add enough flour to make a
paste. Apply the paste to the metal and allow it to sit for
fifteen minutes to one hour. Rinse with warm water and polish
dry.
Paintbrushes: Soften hard
paintbrushes in hot vinegar for a few minutes. Then wash
paintbrush in soap and warm water and let air-dry.
Polished Wood Furniture: To
remove a watermark mix a few flicks of ash with olive oil, rub it in
and leave for thirty minutes, then buff with a soft cloth; a mixture
of salt and vegetable oil, left on for an hour, then removed and
rubbed with a soft cloth, also helps remove marks. Remove sticky
marks with a little vinegar and water, then apply some beeswax or
linseed oil.
Rust Remover: Sprinkle a little
bit of salt on the rust, squeeze a lime over the salt until it is
nicely soaked in lime juice. Leave the mixture on for two or three
hours. Use the leftover rind as a handy scrubber. Rust is
gone
Silver Cleaner:
Aluminum pan, boiling water, one tablespoon of baking soda, and one
tablespoon of salt. Bring this mixture to boil in the pan.
Drop your flatware into it as it boils, doing only a few pieces at a
time. Let them boil for three minutes, then take them out and
let them drain on a soft cloth, drying them to a shine with a second
cloth. Do not overcrowd the pot--it can be confusing to remember
which pieces have already done their three minutes and which ones
still have time to go; also, it can lower the temperature of the
liquid, thereby lowering its efficiency. Intricately patterned
or pieces that are glued should probably be cleaned with a commercial
cleaner. A minute layer of the silver is removed each time you
use this method, however, the conventional method of polishing silver
rubs off the same small layer.
Silver Polish: If you have a
small job, the best silver polish is white toothpaste. Dab some
on your finger, and rub into the tarnish. For bigger pieces, use
baking soda and a clean, damp sponge. Make a paste of baking
soda and water. Scoop the paste onto the sponge, and rub the
paste into the silver. Rinse with hot water and polish dry with
a soft, clean cloth. For badly tarnished silver, leave the
baking soda paste on the silver for an hour or so, before cleaning off
with the help of the sponge and hot water.
Concrete Grease Spot Remover: To
remove grease from concrete flooring sprinkle dry cement over grease.
Allow it to absorb the grease, then sweep up.
Streak-free Glass Cleaner:
Combine one-quarter cup vinegar, one tablespoon cornstarch, one quart
warm water. Mix the ingredients and pour into a spray bottle and
spray on. Wipe dry with crumpled newspaper, buff to a shine.
Tar Remover: Food grade linseed
oil. Wet rag with linseed oil and rub hard.
Vinegar: Paint adheres better to
galvanized metal that has been wiped with vinegar.
Vinegar of the Four Thieves:
Place a small handful each of dried lavender, rosemary, sage, rue and
mint in a large jar, and cover completely with organic apple cider
vinegar. Cover tightly and let sit for six weeks. Strain
into a spray bottle. Whereas no home can be made to be sterile,
spray the powerfully antiseptic Vinegar of Four Thieves recipe in
areas of concern, such as on cutting boards and door knobs, always
making sure to avoid your eyes.
Vinyl Cleaner: One teaspoon to
one-fourth cup of washing soda, and one cup boiling water.
Dissolve the washing soda in the boiling water. Apply with
sponge, wipe off with a damp cloth.
