Guest guest Posted September 25, 2006 Report Share Posted September 25, 2006 Maybe this will help many, BugsCleaning Tips -------- Ant Repellant: To keep ants out of the house, find where the ants are entering the house and sprinkle a " barrier " of cinnamon or any type of ground pepper to block their way. The spices are too hot for the ants to cross. Bathroom Odors: Place a shallow dish of baking soda behind the toilet to absorb bathroom odors. Candle Wax: To remove wax from carpeting you should first scrape away any excess. Then, using a warm iron and a clean cloth or even a paper bag simply place the iron on top of the cloth over the wax and as you iron it will adhere to the cloth instead of the carpet. Continue moving the cloth around as you pick up the wax so you are always using a clean section of cloth. If a little grease stain remains sprinkle on baking soda and let sit overnight before vacuuming which will remove the grease residue and deodorize at the same time! If colored wax leaves a stain, blot with spot remover or carpet cleaner, following label directions. Chimney: To keep your chimney clean, throw a handful of salt on the fire. Chrome: To remove rust from chrome, wipe it with aluminum foil dipped in Coke. To polish chrome, use a crumbled up piece of aluminum foil and rub! Cloudy Drinking Glasses: Soak them for an hour or longer in slightly warm (not boiled) white vinegar. Then use a nylon-net or plastic scrubbie to remove film. Still there? The damage must be etching (tiny scratches that occur in the dishwasher) and is permanent, sorry to say. To avoid this altogether, hand-wash your best glasses. Coffee Grinder: Grind up a cup or so of rice in a coffee grinder to clean the grinder and sharpen its blades. Copper: To polish copper, rub an ample amount of catsup on the copper and let it stand for 5 minutes. Rinse off the catsup with hot water and dry to find an incredible shine. Crayon on Walls or Washable Wallpaper: Spray with multipurpose lubricating oil. Then gently wipe, using a paper towel or clean white cloth. If mark is stubborn, sprinkle a little baking soda on a damp sponge and gently rub in a circular motion. If lubricants residue remains, dampen a sponge with a solution of one or two drops of mild dish-washing liquid to one cup water. Squeeze out sponge and gently rub in a circular motion. Rinse sponge; lightly moisten with water to go over area; dry with a clean cloth. Another method is to use a blow dryer. It heats the wax and wipes away instantly. If the color reamins behind, like red usually does, wet a cloth with bleach and wipe. Deodorize dishes, pans, cutting boards or utensils with those same pungent odors, simply add 1/4 cup of lemon juice to your dishwater. Fireplace Soot Odor: To diminish and remove this odor, after you clean out the ashes, place a shallow pan of baking soda for a few hours or overnight in the fireplace. Fish or Other Spoiled Food Odor: Place a bowl of white vinegar on the counter for a few hours. The odor will disappear for good. Freshen a Garbage Disposal: Sprinkle baking soda in it along with a few drops dish-washing liquid. Scrub with a brush (a new toilet brush works great), getting under the rubber gasket and all around the inside. Then turn on water and the disposal and flush thoroughly. For a fresh citrus scent, throw in a few cut-up lemons or limes and run them through, too, using lots of water. Freshen Laundry Basket: Place a fabric softener sheet in the bottom of your laundry basket (remember to change it weekly.) You can also simply sprinkle some baking soda in the bottom of your basket and that will help absorb the odors as well. Freshen Linen Closet: In the linen closet place cotton balls that have been sprayed with your favorite scent. Once they are dry place them in corners and on the shelves. Ink Stains: The best way I have found to get out ink stains is to put rubbing alcohol on the stain - it disappears! This must be done before washing. (Submitted by Darvin Mossing) For ink on the wall, wipe with bleach and it will dispear. Kitty Litter: To keep cat litter fresh smelling, mix baby powder in with the litter. Microwave Odors: Keep a cup of baking soda in the microwave between uses to keep potatoes from smelling like bacon or other unusual combinations! To clean baked-on food quickly, simply fill a measuring cup full of water and turn the microwave on for about 1-2 minute, until you see the water boiling. The moisture makes all the old food easily wipe off! Mothball Substitute: Take your leftover soap slivers and put them in a vented plastic bag. You place the bag with seasonal clothes before packing them away. Not only will the scent prevent them from moth harm but also they'll smell great when you pull them out. Paint on Carpet: Spray with Windex® and wipe clean. Permanent Marker on Carpet: Dab a washcloth soaked in rubbing alcohol onto the marker stain. Do not rub it - just blot it - rotating the cloth to a clean spot every time. Pet Urine on Carpet: First, blot up what you can with paper towels. Mix one teaspoon mild dish-washing detergent in one cup warm water, dip a clean towel in the liquid and, working from outside in, dab at stain. Do not overwet. Rinse with fresh water and blot dry. Next, add on-third cup white vinegar with two-thirds cup water and dab on stain. Rinse with water; blot until dry. Once area is totally dry (after at least 24 hours), sprinkle entire carpet with baking soda or rug deodorizer. Vacuum after a few hours. Photos Stuck Together: With a hair dryer on low, slowly melt them apart. Roach Problem: Combine equal parts boric acid (a powder sold in hardware stores and drugstores) and sugar, mix well. Sprinkle in crevices and, if building or remodeling, between walls before putting up plaster board. Put the powder in jar lids; place lids behind the fridge and under sinks. Caution: Keep mixture away from children and pets. If ingested in large quantities, or even in small amounts over several days, boric acid can be harmful. Shower Doors: I have clear glass shower doors. I have tried everything from CLR, Comet, to Clorox - you name it, I've tried it. Today I decided to try something different. I found a bottle of Resolve spot remover for carpet and fabric. I figured " Why not? I have tried everything else. " All I did was spray the Resolve on the shower and with no effort ran a dish sponge over it and rinsed and every bit of the soap scum came off. Smelly Cooking Hands: Simply rub your hands over a stainless steel utensil under running water. This works especially well for the odor of garlic, onions or fish. Smelly Sneakers: Simply fill knee-high stockings with unused litter, tie the ends and tuck them in overnight for a quick refresh. Add baby powder, too! Another refresher for smelly sneakers is to simply take a few teaspoons of baking soda and put in the center of a cotton cloth. Tie the cloth and rubber band the edges securely creating a baking soda sachet, which you put in the shoes overnight as well. These sachets can be used over and over in any kind of shoe. Sour Sponge: Soak the sponge in lemon juice and rinse it out. This will remove the odor for good but keep in mind that it is important to either dispose of, microwave, or run your sponge through your dishwasher regularly to keep bacteria from growing. Stains in Plastic Storage Containers: Use a baking soda paste (baking soda and water) and rub into the stain. You can then rinse with vinegar (optional) and wash normally. Another method is to place container outside on a nice sunny day and the sun actually bleaches the stain out. To avoid stains in the first place, spray container with cooking spray before putting things in it that stain i.e. spaghetti sauce. Stickers, Decals, and Glue: To remove them from furniture, glass, plastic, etc. saturate with vegetable oil and rub off. Tarnished Silverware: Line a cake pan with aluminum foil. Fill with water and add 1 Tbls. of baking soda per 2 cups of water. Heat to 150 degrees. Lay silverware in pan, touching aluminum foil. Watch the stains disappear! Trash Bag Idea: Save money on trash bags by reusing plastic grocery bags. Use them in all your trash cans. To keep them from slipping down, affix a plastic, self-adhesive hook to both sides of the inside of the trash can. Hang the shopping bag from the hooks. White Heat Marks and Water Rings on Wood Furniture: If the wood has a good finish (don't try on bare wood), mix equal parts of baking soda and regular white, non-gel toothpaste. Lightly dampen corner of a clean, soft white cloth with water and dip into the paste. With circular motion gently buff the marks for a few minutes. Wipe area clean, and buff to a shine. Follow with furniture polish. (If rings remain after buffing five minutes or so, they may have penetrated the wood; you might have to refinish the piece). If that doesn't work, dip a cloth in vegetable oil, then in cigarette ashes, then rub it over the mark. Another method is to rub real mayonnaise onto the stain, allow to sit overnight, then wipe with a dry towel. Last edited by LaceHankyandWord, 3/7/2005, 10:29 pm --- 2/19/2005, 10:13 am Send PM to KellieinNC KellieinNC Global user (premium) Registered: 02-2005 Location: North Carolina, US Reply | Quote Re: Cleaning Tips -------- 1. Don't throw out old socks! Use them to dust. Slip them over your hand and dust away. Then toss them in the washer and reuse. 2. To clean oil spills on the counter or a hard surface floor, try sprinkling it with corn starch or flour and letting it sit a few minutes. Wipe up with paper towel and then clean the remaining oil up with warm water and dish soap. Rinse well. For an oil spill on carpet, sponge up as much as you can, then sprinkle with flour or corn starch. Let it sit for a while, then vacuum it up. Use " Woolite " carpet cleaner or some similar product according to directions to remove the remainder of the stain. 3. Try using lighter fluid on a cotton ball to clean scuffs off of shoes. Do a sample on an small area that isn't visible (like inside the shoe if the edge folds over) to make sure that it won't take the color off. 4. Try a paste made of equal parts warm water and baking soda to clean tarnished silverware. (Do not use on aluminum as it will react and turn black.) 5. Try toothpaste on a damp sponge to use for wiping scuff marks, stains, and crayon off of painted walls, tile, laminated countertops, and appliances. (When using on painted walls, be sure that you are not scrubbing the paint off too!) 6. For removing smells from carpet or upholstery: sprinkle a little baking soda on an out-of-sight spot of the carpet or fabric. Leave for 15-20 minutes and then brush or vacuum it off. If the color has not been affected by the baking soda, then use it on the place that needs deodorizing in the same manner. 7. Use vinegar to remove mineral buildup from sinks and tubs, and the like. Saturate a paper towel or rag with vinegar till it is soggy and place it over the affected area. Leave it for awhile and then remove it and wipe the area. If it does not all come off, reapply the vinegar saturated rag/paper towel. Repeat till the minerals deposits are gone or reduced enough to be invisible. To clean a shower head, wrap with the soaked paper towel, then cover with a plastic bag and attatch with a twisty or rubber band. Leave a while then remove and brush/wash the deposits away, repeating as necessary. [NOTE: It is a common myth that baking soda and vinegar or lemon juice can be mixed for a good cleaning agent. This is not true. Baking soda is a base while vinegar and lemon juice are both acids. Anyone who has some knowledge of chemistry will know that mixing a base and an acid will cause them to neutralize each other. This means that you are actually getting less cleaning power when you mix them than if you use them separately.] - " Ro Cazenave " <cajunro Sunday, September 24, 2006 10:39 PM Kitty's Introduction > Hi Kitty, > > Welcome to our group. What study program are you enrolled in? Greece > sounds fabulous! Tell us more. Congrats on your new business and Good > Luck > on the 30th. > Blessings, > Ro > > > Hello everyone. My name is Kitty and I've been " dabbling " with oils > and formulas for about 6-7 years. I retired in March from the > private sector where I was a training coordinator, and I decided to > take a more serious approach to essential oil, herbs, and creating > herbal products for the body and home. I am currently enrolled in > an online study program and traveled to Greece in May where we > wildcrafted herbs and distilled them, blended some products, and > prepared a flower essence. It was great hands on experience and a > wonderful sharing experience. > > I am currently preparing to present as a " crafter " at a local > festival on September 30 with my cousin who has a farm in Burke's > Garden, Virginia. We decided early on to take a booth and share our > crafts. That inital thought escalated very quickly from securing a > table to making herbal products, marketing, and setting up a > business. So much for " dabbling " . It's been a quick learning curve > over the last eight weeks as we sourced product, supplies, developed > logos, marketing materials, etc. > > I look forward to learning and sharing with this group. Today I am > curious if anyone out there has found a method for cleaning and > reusing essential bottles. I've not found a good way to date. > HELP!!!! > > > > > The information contained in these e-mails is not a substitute > for diagnosis and treatment by a qualified, licensed professional. > > > Step By Step Instructions For Making Herbal Labna Cheese! So easy, SO > yummy! > http://www.aromaticsage.com/cz.htm > > > To adjust your group settings (i.e. go no mail) see the following link: > /join > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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