The "Simple, Green Household Tips that Actually Work" Thread
I decided to make a place for those simple hints that actually work. I say that because so many of the ones I read in Spanish magazines and newspapers don't actually do what they claim to do. and yet there are "green" household tips out there that are cheap and easy to do and work.
Here's one: You know when you burn something like lentils (or whatever) and they stick and stink and threaten to ruin your pan? I've heard it said that you just have to throw the pan away because whatever you cook in it will burn. I've tried vinegar and salt. Nada. Now this one works! Coke. Yes, Coke.
Put enough Coke in the pan to cover the burned area. Put it on the stove and bring it to the boil. Allow it to stand for about 3-5 minutes. Scrub with a brush or pot scrubber. If there's any mess left, dump out the cola and pour in some fresh and repeat the process.
I don't know if this works as well with store-brand colas. I know that Coke has a lot of acids etc in it which is what makes it work.
Here's another: If you have asthma or allergies, remember to vaccuum your mattress at least once a month. This helps get rid of dust, mites and other allergens. Also, make a solution of weak tea and put it in a spray bottle. Use as you would air freshener. Apparently something in tea bonds to the protiens in allergens in the air and helps "settle" them.
for spotless dishes, add some white vinegar to the rinse water.
To clean windows/mirrors without streaking, use white vinegar in a spray bottle and wipe down with a crumpled piece of old newspaper.
I find that Baking soda+ vinegar will clean most tough stains and dishes (for dishes I would let it soak a few minutes. It creates a chemical reaction.
For stains on counters and bathtubs use a few drops of lemon oil. About 1/4 a bottle took our bathtub from blue (due to hair dye) back to white. If you'd like, add some baking soda for abrasion.
Silver (faucets, dishes, etc) can be polished to a shine using baking soda an a dry rag. just rub it on with a dry cloth and use another clean dry cloth to wipe it back off.
This is pretty much all I use to clean with besides dish detergent.
wow yg, I believe that coke would do that! i do use vinegar though for burnt on things (oatmeal, rice, accidentally leaving the pot boiling down to nothing, etc) and vinegar always works. I put some vinegar with water in the pot and let it boil for a while, then let it cool and scour it. it always comes off :)
the salt thing I never heard about until yesterday! that tea thing is interesting. i'll have to try it sometime.
I like to keep white vinegar in a spray bottle for various cleaning needs. It can pretty much replace any of those caustic chemical cleaners typically found under the kitchen sink.
I also keep hydrogen peroxide in a spray bottle to use as a disinfectant.
The combination of vinegar and H2O2 (kept separate; spray one, then the other) is a great way to clean and disinfect pet enclosures (in my case, rat cages) without worrying about harmful residue or respiratory irritants lingering about.
I second the baking soda for cleaning. We have a white sink (stupid purchase!) and the only thing that keeps it clean is baking soda. Sprinkle it on with a tiny bit of water and then use your FINGERTIPS to rub it all over. You won't believe how dirty that soda will turn-even if your sink doesn't look that dirty! It even gets into the scratches and stuff so they turn white again and aren't that noticeable. This works on stainless steel too.
I'll second the hydrogen peroxide. I use it to scrub my white plastic cutting boards when they start to look dingy. It works well in almost any capacity as a bleach replacement.
Where do you find lemon oil, fufu?
This thread rules.
Inquiry: Best way to scrub bathrubs/tile grout/shower doors, etc?
I scrub everything with baking soda, then go over it with a vinegar rinse. Only vinegar for the shower doors (unless they are really gross, then i guess you could scrub them with baking soda).
Where do you find lemon oil, fufu?
It's an essential oil So same place you would get tea tree oil, lavender oil, peppermint oil, etc. My local health food store has it. I bet you could find it a WF in the medicine type area. It's pricey, but lasts a while....unless you dye your bathtub blue and have to scrub it =-)
This thread rules.
Inquiry: Best way to scrub bathrubs/tile grout/shower doors, etc?
Here on VW in the Non-Food Recipes slot there's a shower cleaner...AntiMicrobial Shower Spray.
I can't always get white vinegar here, and cider or wine vinegar REEKS, so I have learned to scrub the plastic shower stall with the cut side of a lemon (already squeezed is fine) to get rid of the white droplet marks. I don't do it very often because it's a pain and they always come back and I'm lazy.
while perhaps not a green one, if you can get your hands on those "magic eraser" cleaning sponges (mr. clean makes them, i've seen tons of store brands in the US) they are great for soap scum. they are the only "cleaner" i buy because they work faster than household cleaners.
other than that, vinegar/baking soda/salt for everything. Borax and washing soda are GREAT for laundry. i add washing soda with my dirty dirty clothes and they come out clean and bright.
magic erasers are definitely magic!!! love them
The ones they sell here tend to cover over dirt, not remove it. :'( I tried one on the wall and you could see that the spot was still there, just covered over with white.
I hear my aunt-the-head-of-surgery-nursing's voice: "It's not enough for it to look clean, it's got to be clean!"
while perhaps not a green one, if you can get your hands on those "magic eraser" cleaning sponges (mr. clean makes them, i've seen tons of store brands in the US) they are great for soap scum. they are the only "cleaner" i buy because they work faster than household cleaners.
other than that, vinegar/baking soda/salt for everything. Borax and washing soda are GREAT for laundry. i add washing soda with my dirty dirty clothes and they come out clean and bright.
We use these and a scrub brush with vinegar to clean the cat poo from the walls. Love my kitties...by why do they gotta kick their poo?
Agreed! :-p
Magic erasers contain formaldhyde (spelt that wrong) or some type of formaldhyde off-shoot.
I swear by my microfibre cloths. Especially the window and glass one. No chemicals, no vinegar, just water.
Regarding Magic Erasers-Snopes says the formaldehyde is false.
I got one to clean up a plastic toy that I rescued from the trash....wow! It almost looked like new! It's great for textured surfaces-like plasic-you can get in the little crevices and really get them clean!
http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/eraser.asp
We use these and a scrub brush with vinegar to clean the cat poo from the walls. Love my kitties...by why do they gotta kick their poo?
My kitty has one that has VERY high walls and is kind of like an igloo. Here, let me upload a couple of images:
http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs133.snc3/18046_271915170515_665630515_4941885_2528145_n.jpg
http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs153.snc3/18046_271936985515_665630515_4942203_3482860_n.jpg
You can kind of see what I mean in these photos.
My cat, Parker, and my roommates' cat, Hailey, don't fling poo but they do fling litter (Parker gets a little overzealous in burying stuff). Maybe you could use something like that for your cats?
A puddle of water slept on our wood dining table over night. When I wiped it up the wood was looking very "white" and I thought it was ruined.
I rubbed Extra Virgin Olive Oil all over it and now you can't even tell the water spilled there! I now clean it with the oil too when it needs it.
We use these and a scrub brush with vinegar to clean the cat poo from the walls. Love my kitties...by why do they gotta kick their poo?
My kitty has one that has VERY high walls and is kind of like an igloo. Here, let me upload a couple of images:
http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs133.snc3/18046_271915170515_665630515_4941885_2528145_n.jpg
http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs153.snc3/18046_271936985515_665630515_4942203_3482860_n.jpg
You can kind of see what I mean in these photos.
My cat, Parker, and my roommates' cat, Hailey, don't fling poo but they do fling litter (Parker gets a little overzealous in burying stuff). Maybe you could use something like that for your cats?
This made me laugh...over here in Spain our expensive dept store sells these as "cat beds." Uh, no, guys.... :-D
Yabbit, that's very funny. I'll think of that every time Parker's in there.
Pages