winemaiden.com » Make Your Own Natural and Effective Household Cleansers – Part 2

Make Your Own Natural and Effective Household Cleansers – Part 2

Posted by Admin on February 2nd, 2009 filed in Uncategorized



As promised…here is the second part highlighting kitchen cleansers, carpet/upholstery cleaners, and other miscellaneous ideas.

Kitchen Cleansers:

Oven Cleaners:

1) We start with prevention. Put aluminum foil on the bottom of the oven but make certain it is not touching the heating element.
2) Clean up any spills as soon as they happen.
3) While the oven is still warm, sprinkle salt or baking soda on a spill. If the spill is dry, wet the spill lightly before sprinkling on salt. When the oven cools, scrape away the spill and wash the area clean.
4) Baking soda, water; salt; vegetable oil-based liquid soap. Sprinkle water on oven bottom. Cover with baking soda. Let sit overnight. Wipe off and apply liquid soap with scouring pad. Rinse.
5) Sprinkle/spray water followed by a layer of baking soda. Rub gently with a very fine steel wool pad for tough spots. Wipe off scum with dry paper towels or sponge. Rinse well and wipe dry.
6) 2 tablespoons vegetable oil-based liquid soap, 2 tablespoons borax: Mix the soap and borax in a spray bottle. Fill the bottle with hot water and shake well. Spray on oven and leave for 20 minutes. Scrub off.
7) AS A LAST RESORT ONLY: Fill a small glass bowl with 1/2 cup full-strength ammonia and place in oven and close door. Let stand overnight, then wipe loosened dirt with paper towels or newspapers. If necessary, rub surfaces with an abrasive, such as fine steel wool, then wash with warm soapy water and rinse. Repeat process if necessary. Provide plenty of fresh air and wear gloves.

Refrigerators:

1) To clean exterior and interior walls, dissolve 2 tbs. baking soda in 1 qt warm water and wipe all surfaces.
2) To clean interior fixtures, such as vegetable bins and shelves, wash in hot soapy water, rinse well and dry.

Counter Tops/Kitchen Surfaces:

Fragrant Kitchen Rinse

Use a suggested essential oil (either alone or in a combination pleasing to you). Add 4 drops of oil to each pint of water. Pour into a spray bottle, store away cool dark place. Use as a final rinse after cleaning kitchen surfaces.

Eucalyptus
Pine
Lavender
Cypress
Lemon
Lemongrass
Lime
Thyme
Grapefruit
Orange
Wintergreen
Rosemary
Sage

Pots and Pans:

1) For burned on foods: Soak or boil a solution of 2 tbs. baking soda per qt of water in each pan. Let stand until particles are loosened, then wash as usual. Use steel wool if necessary.
2) To clean a greasy pan, add 1 or 2 teaspoons of baking soda to the water in which it is soaking.

Copper pan cleaner:

Sprinkle surface of pans with coarse salt. Rub salt into stains with the cut half of a fresh lemon.

No-Stick Cookware:

To remove stains from non-stick surfaces, pour a solution of 1 cup water, 2 tbs. baking soda into a pan, simmer 5 to 10 minutes. Don’t allow mixture to boil. Wash in hot soapy water, rinse and dry. Apply a light coating of cooking oil.

Baking Dishes – Enamel, Ceramic or Glass:

Soak in hot soapy water, then scour with salt or baking soda and rinse thoroughly.

Dishes:

1) Use liquid or powdered soap instead of detergents (detergents are petroleum-based). In dishwashers, use equal parts borax and washing soda.

Drinking Glasses:

1) Occasionally soak drinking glasses in a solution of vinegar and water to really get them clean.
2) Prepare a solution of baking soda in tepid-cool water (one teaspoon per quart) and brush with a soft toothbrush. Very good for glass coffee makers and thermos jugs too.

Spot-free Dishwasher Rinse:

Add 1 cup of white vinegar to the rinse compartment of your automatic dishwasher. Wash dishes as usual.

Coffee/Tea Stains:

To remove coffee stains from cups or counters, rub with baking soda paste.

Drain Opener and Garbage Disposal Cleaner:

For slow drains, use this drain cleaner once a week:

1/2 to 1 cup baking soda
1 cup white vinegar
1 gallon boiling water
1/2 a used lemon
Pour baking soda down drain/disposal, followed by vinegar. Allow the mixture to foam for several minutes before flushing the drain with boiling water.

Garbage Disposal:

To eliminate garbage disposal odors and clean and sharpen blades, grind ice and used lemon and/or orange rinds.

Kitchen Safety (Fire):
1) Emergency fire extinguisher: if a greasy pan catches on fire, turn the heat off and try to cover the pan. Sprinkle powdered baking soda over the fire.
2) An oven fire is easily extinguished by closing the door after shutting off the heat.

Carpets/Upholstery:

1) Club soda: A great all purpose stain remover. Soak spot immediately with soda and blot until the stain is gone.
2) Pet Urine on Carpets: Dab area with toweling to absorb as much as possible, wash spot with liquid dish detergent, and rinse with 1/2 cup vinegar diluted in 1 qt warm water. Lay towels or paper towels over the spot and weight down to absorb excess moisture. Let stand 4 to 6 hours, then remove toweling, brush up nap and allow to dry completely.
3) Red wine stains can be removed by rubbing baking soda in and vacuuming.
4) To remove grease spots from carpets soak up the liquid with a sponge then rub a generous amount of baking soda or cornstarch into the spot. Let it absorb overnight. Remove the excess and vacuum the area.
5) Carpet Freshener:

4 cups baking soda or cornstarch
35 drops Eucalyptus essential oil
30 drops Lavender essential oil
25 drops Rosewood essential oil
or any combination of your favorite essential oils

Measure 4 cups of baking soda into a bowl, add essential oils. Break up any clumps that form, stir until well mixed. Before vacuuming sprinkle powder from a shaker type can or jar. Let it sit on the carpet for about 15 minutes then vacuum.

6) Sprinkle baking soda onto carpets before vacuuming for a natural rug deodorizer

Furniture Polish and Scratch Covers:

1) Make this polish fresh each time you use it:

1 lemon
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 teaspoon water

Extract the juice from the lemon. Mix with oil and water.
Apply a thin coat on your wood surface and let sit for five minutes. Use a soft cloth to buff to a deep shine.

2) Three parts light mineral oil and 1 part olive oil and a drop of lemon juice.
3) Hide wood scratches by rubbing with the meat of a walnut.
4) Use a soft cloth and wipe with a bit of mayonnaise.
5) Rub furniture with a cloth dipped in cool tea.

Floor Cleaners:

1) A pencil eraser removes heel marks from a floor.
2) For greasy, no-wax floors:
1 cup vinegar
1/4 cup washing soda
1 tablespoon vegetable oil-based liquid soap
2 gallons hot water
Combine all ingredients and mop as usual

Metal Cleaners:

Silver:
1) Use toothpaste to clean and brighten even your best silver. Use an old soft bristled toothbrush and warm water.
2) Rub with a paste of baking soda and water.
3) To magnetize tarnish away, soak silver in salted water in an aluminum container; then wipe clean.

Brass:

Mix equal parts salt and flour with a little vinegar and rub.

Chrome:

Rub with undiluted vinegar.

Copper:

Rub with lemon juice and salt, or hot vinegar and salt.

Stainless Steel:

Rub with a paste of baking soda and water.

Miscellaneous Cleaners:

Candles/Wax:

Sponge with a piece of cotton dipped in rubbing alcohol.

Decals/Gummed Labels/Price Tag Remover:

Vinegar works well. Vinegar also removes stick-on hooks from painted walls. Vinegar can be used to remove price labels and other decals from glass, wood, and china. Paint the label or decal with several coats of white vinegar. Give the vinegar time to soak in and after several minutes the decal can be rubbed off.

Grease Cutters:

Use lemon juice, vinegar, or sprinkle with borax and scrub with scrub brush.

Rust Remover:

1) To remove rust from tin-ware, rub with a peeled potato dipped in a mild abrasive such as baking soda or salt.
2) Briskly scrub rust spots on car bumpers with a piece of crumpled aluminum foil, shiny side up.

Stain and Spot Removers:

1) Concrete Grease Spot Remover: To remove grease from concrete flooring sprinkle dry cement over grease. Allow it to absorb the grease, then sweep up.
2) Ink Stains: Use a non-aerosol hair spray to remove ink stains.

Wallpaper Cleaner:
Roll up a piece of white bread and use it to “erase” marks on wallpaper

Insects/Rodents:

Fleas and Ticks

Wash pets with castile soap and water, dry thoroughly, apply an herbal rinse made by adding 1/2 cup fresh or dried rosemary to a quart of boiling water (steep for 20 minutes, strain and cool. Spray or sponge onto pets hair, massage into skin. Let air dry, don’t towel them dry because this removes the residue of the rosemary.

Roaches:

1) Mix equal parts boric acid with flour (or sugar or cornmeal), sprinkle around cracks and crevices or
2) Cucumber peels: set out on counter tops overnight to repel roaches or
3) Heloise’s Famous Roach Recipe:
1/4 cup shortening
1/8 cup sugar
8 oz. boric acid
1/2 cup flour
Ample water to form a dough

Mix all, form small balls of dough and set out in open plastic sandwich bags (to retain moisture longer, when hardened, replace with new dough)

Moths:
Use cedar chips, shredded newspapers or lavender flowers (moths don’t like the smell).

Mice:
Keep things clean! Don’t leave food out. Food is what they’re there for, after all. Don’t oblige them.

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