home-remedies-and-natural-cleaning-recipes

CLEANING MARKER OUT OF CLOTHING

Sun, 06 Oct 2024 16:43:48 +0100

I remember wearing a new pair of khaki pants to work as an Activities Director of a Memory Care Unit. I placed a red marker in my pocket, and the lid fell off. You can imagine the big red mark in ended up having in the seat of my pants. I really liked the style of these pants, and you can imagine my disappointment. I went to the store and found out that they did not have another pair in my size. So I decided to see if it was possible to get all that bright red marker out of the seat of my pants and salvage them.

I found to recommendations which sounded promising and it required both methods to make it completely work.

Step 1:

Place a paper towel on the counter space. Place item of clothing on top of the paper towel WITH THE SIDE WITH MARKER FACED DOWN. You want the marker side on the paper towel so that it is being absorbed by the paper towel. Pour rubbing alcohol or hand sanitizer on the clothing and rub it into the clothing. Replace the paper towels on the bottom frequently. (You do not want to take a chance of the marker being retransmitted into the clothing item) Then repeat the process until the marker has been removed.

Step 2:

Rub Murphy’s Oil Soap into the area you have been treating with the alcohol or hand sanitizer, than throw into the washer and wash as you normally would. Make sure the entire mark has been removed before throwing into the Drier. (Drying tends to set color in. I did find that my spot was completely removed.)

Natural Abrasive Cleaner

Wed, 18 Sep 2024 20:42:06 +0100

I have several respiratory issues which can be challenging. There are many environmental and seasonal things which can affect me. But there are other things which can also cause complications.

Many of us suffer with allergies, asthma, bronchial problems, sinus problems or other respiratory problems. House dust can be a detriment. So it is important to keep our homes clean. But we don’t often think about the fact that what we are using to clean may also be causing some of our issues. The chemicals we are using are also harmful to our lungs. We don’t recognize that we can find many alternative cleaning agents in our kitchen cabinet.

Baking soda alone can be used as an abrasive cleaner which not only cleans but also deodorizes. Me personally, like to have a nice fresh scent while I am cleaning. Yes you can add essential oils to your baking soda, which can not only freshen the smell, but many essential oils also have antibacterial and antifungal properties which make them useful for cleaning.

Epsom salts alone can also be used as an abrasive cleaner also. Just like baking soda, it also deodorizes. The nice thing about using Epsom salt rather than Baking soda, is you can purchase the epsom salt which is already scented with the essential oils.

Baking soda and epsom salt are both equally effective in cleaning. The same items you should not clean using baking soda are the same things you should not use epsom salt or even any other abrasive cleaner (ie. Comet or Ajax).

Instead of using only baking soda or epsom salt, I mix both of these ingredients together to make my abrasive cleaner which I use on my toilet, sink, bathtub and other surfaces which I clean. It gives me the perfect scent and a magnificent outcome. Yes I could use strictly the epsom salt, but I am also going it include in this article a recipe for a homemade scrubbing bubbles recipe with instructions of how to use it.

For my abrasive cleaner, you want to use equal parts of baking soda and epsom salt. You will need:

Glass mason jar
Baking Soda
Epsom Salt (You can use any brand or scent, but I prefer Dr. Teals. Any scented epsom salt contains essential oils which are anti-bacterial and anti-fungal)

Put equal parts of each ingredient in the glass mason jar. It is best to use glass rather than plastic. (Epsom salts can degrade plastic.) I use a large mason jar, so that I do not have to make it as often, and I use this abrasive cleaner frequently.

Things I use this mixture for:

Cleaning my bathroom sink, tub or shower and toilet. (Not to be used on copper, antiqued or gold finished sinks or faucets. If you are looking at a tarnished look, do not use abrasive cleaners.)
Cleaning my kitchen sink or my counters. (Not to be used on marble or cement counters.)
Deodorizer for refrigerator. (Use a larger sized pill bottle, an old Tylenol or other over the counter pill bottle will do. Poke a few holes in the lid. Fill with abrasive cleaner. Replace lid. Put in refrigerator. Replace every 1 to 3 months.)
Carpet freshener. (Sprinkle on carpet. Allow to set for 15 minutes. Then vacuum)
Making scrubbing bubbles (Measure ½ cup of abrasive cleaner. Add 2 tablespoons of natural soap or dish washing liquid. Mix ingredients to a paste and then spread mixture on surface. Allow to dry for 15 minutes. Add water and scrub and scrub and scrub. The mixture will create bubbles as you add water and scrub. It will take a lot of water and scrubbing to remove cleaner and clean surface, but not a lot of elbow grease.)

Coca-Cola as a degreaser and rust remover…

Tue, 20 Aug 2024 21:16:32 +0100

Sometimes after sauteing or frying foods, I find it difficult to clean up the pan. What can be done to simplify the task?

You would be amazed with that you can do with a Coke (Coca-Cola). Coke is high in phosphoric acid and carbon dioxide. You may be asking what a coke can be used on for cleaning and for what purposes. Let me share a few with you.

Coke can help remove rust from metal objects. For smaller objects, you can submerge them in a container of Coke for several hours. You can also use Coke to clean rust stains from toilet bowls and bumper rust from cars.

Battery terminals often need to be cleaned up due to a build up of corrosion and battery acid. Pour Coke over your car battery terminals, let it sit for a while, and then scrub away the corrosion with a brush.

Remember how I mentioned those burnt pans. You can pour Coke directly into a hot pan to loosen burnt-on food so you can wash it away.

You can also make a degreaser with about a ½ cup of Coke, ¼ cup of distilled white vinegar, 2 rounded tablespoons of salt and a splash of dish soap. Mix these ingredients together and pour them into a bottle which you can use for squirting. (If you don’t have a bottle, utilize the coke bottle and punch a hole in it’s lid and use it for squirting.) You can then spray this solution in the pan you are trying to clean up, or it can also be used for cleaning the rust in your toilet bowl.

Coke can be used to remove soap scum just as well.

Do you have a Grease Monkey (Mechanic) which lives in your household, whose laundry you need to take care of? Getting that nasty motor oil out of their clothing is near impossible. Pour a can of Coke into the wash with your laundry soap. You will be amazed at the results. (For stubborn grease stains, you just need to soak the dirty laundry in coke for 30 minutes and then wash it normally in your washer with detergent.)

You can also use Coke to clean your garage floor. Pour a Coke over the oil stains present in your driveway and garage. Let it stand for several hours and then wipe or rinse it to get rid of those grease spots.

Needless to say, Coca Cola is a popular beverage but I personally will not drink it. I do find it to be very useful in my home and there are plenty of reasons to keep a stock of Coca Cola in your home.

I hope you found this article helpful.

Natural Window Cleaner

Sun, 18 Jun 2023 02:05:51 +0100

Have you ever cleaned your windows and still ended up finding they are all streaked? How would you like to clean your windows and find that they are crystal clear?

The other day my boss came into the classroom to clean the windows. Our school is a very old building. The windows are blotchy with hard water stains. She walked in with a a bucket of warm water with an onion cut up in it. After the onion sat in the bucket for 30 minutes, she took a rag wiped the solution on the window and let it set for a few minutes. Next she took a squeegee and used it to remove the solution. She followed it with spraying straight vinegar on the window and wiping it off with a dry cloth. She repeated this same process on all windows, both inside and out. Once she was finished the windows were crystal clear, almost invisible because they were so clean. Actually, they looked like new windows.

If you are looking for truly clean windows, you will want to try this process.

Removing Scuff Marks from Shoes.

Sat, 25 Feb 2023 19:44:05 +0100

I am sure we all end up with those annoying scuff marks on our shoes, at least I THINK. I am sure I am not alone. But I can say I think I need to learn how to walk because I manage to trip over my own feet on a daily basis. Each day I end up with new scuff marks on my shoes.

I recently bought a new pair of shoes which are black, with cream colored soles. Every day I wear them I end up with cream colored scuffs on the black upper part of my shoe. I have to say they are totally obvious.

Generally the shoes I wear are either suede or nubuck leather, not a smooth or glossy finish. AsI said I tend to scuff my shoes on a daily basis which does not show as well on the dull surface shoes I normally wear so this is not the first time I have tried to clean up scuff marks on my shoes. I have tried using alcohol an artist erasers with both the typical eraser and with the grittier end of an eraser, I have tried a rag and a scrub brush. On my shoes I typically wear I have managed to make it less noticeable, but after I wear them I either rescuff them or the scuff mark has become more noticeable by the end of that day and my wearing them. I have tried taking the same measures trying to clean them up on my new shoes, with no positive results. Then I found a new method I had not found before, Fingernail Polish Remover. Simply using a paper towel and finger nail polish remover. So I simply grabbed some fingernail polish and a paper towel, lightly moistened it and magically rubbed out the scuff marks in seconds. I then grabbed my other shoes which I had been struggling with, and followed the same procedure and my shoes looked like new. It was amazing.

This mas the easiest method I have ever used, with immediate results.

Homemade Saline solution for Neti Pots

Sat, 25 Feb 2023 19:49:13 +0100

I have always had problems with my sinuses and allergies. When I was in my early 30’s I had to go through Laser Sinus Surgery. My doctor gave me the recipe for making a saline solution to flush my sinuses each and every day, which I and my children still use on many occassions.

I do not have a netty pot but I use a bulb syringe which we as mothers have all used at some point to clean out those snotty noses of our babies.

(One just like this)

For this recipe you DO NOT WANT TO USE TAP WATER, USE DISTILLED WATER.

(Most of the water coming from our taps are filled with minerals and the water is to hard for this recipe and will cause more harm than good.

…And as for the salt DO NOT USE REGULAR TABLE SALT WITH IODINE. I use Natural Sea Salt. Just make sure the salt you use is IODINE FREE

Here is the recipe:

32 ounces of Distilled Water
1 ½ teaspoons of Sea Salt
1 teaspoon of Baking Soda

Place each of these ingredients into your storage container and shake. You can use it immediately. Just grab a coffee mug and pour about 4 ounces into a coffee mug and heat it in the microwave for about 30 seconds, you want it as hot as you can tolerate to make it really effective.

I like to use this solution while in the shower, it is easier clean up. Use your neti pot or just one of the bulb syringes like I use, and clean each nostril. (I will say with the bulb syringe it does force the solution all through my sinus cavities, cleaning them all out. You will be shocked with all the gunk you flush out, and the fact it will be bringing it out of your mouth and tear ducts as well.) Save some of the solution to gargle at the end as well, to clean up your tonsils. You will want to do this once daily while symptoms persist. Before my laser surgery, they had me doing it twice daily, to clear up an infection I had been fighting for 2 years.

I find that I am able to recover much more quickly from a cold when I clean out my sinuses. It is really important to keep up with this during allergy season, to cut down the allergens in your system and help prevent the sinus infections.

This recipe will help cut your costs of buying those neti pot solution mixes,

I hope you found this article useful and get to feeling better.

Kitchen Cabinet Cough Syrup

Sat, 25 Feb 2023 19:47:39 +0100

Have you ever found yourself with that nagging cough that you just can’t kick. Nyquil isn’t stopping the cough enough for you to get that good night’s sleep. Maybe you just don’t feel like going to the store to buy yourself any cough medicine or you prefer to use natural treatments. I have used this cough treatment several times, including last night.

Most people have all of these ingredients in their kitchen cabinet for cooking, if not you may want to pick them up. They won’t go to waste. All you need is ginger, cayenne pepper, apple cider vinegar, honey, tap water and a container to store it in.

Here are the instructions of how to make this recipe, and dosages:

2 Tablespoons of water
2 Tablespoons of apple cider vinegar
2 Tablespoons of honey, preferably local honey
¼ teaspoon of cayenne pepper
¼ teaspoon of ginger

Add each of these ingredients into your storage container. Place the lid on it and shake.

When I found this recipe years ago, they recommended letting it sit for a couple of days, but I will say that I have always used it straight away because I am usually at this point desperate for anything to work.

Take one tablespoon as needed.

Some people have stated that the cayenne pepper dried their throat, but found it still worked for them by using less cayenne pepper.

You do not need to use fresh ginger, just utilize the spices from your kitchen cabinet.

Sometimes I find that my honey is beginning to crystalize, but that is ok. Just remove the lid and put it in the microwave for about 30 seconds on half power and it will liquify.

I have always had great results with this cough syrup and I am not sure why I never think of it first.

Epsom Salts as a laundry booster...

Tue, 20 Aug 2024 19:05:28 +0100

I once found that my husband hand armpit stains from his deodorant which were obviously noticeable on his black work shirt. As I looked for the best way to get rid of them, I discovered an article on rubbing epsom salts into the stains and it took out the stains immediately. I was so amazed that I did more research. There are many different controversal opinions.

Fabric softening abilities - There is debate on whether epsom salts actually work in a load of laundy as a fabric softener. Things which need to be considered is the hardness in your water where you live. The water in my area tests as being very hard, but my water comes from a well, not city water. (I am not sure if the results in the test for my area came from the city water or well.) In some articles I have read they state you will want to add ¼ cup of distilled vinegar to your wash to break down the hardness. It is also said that Epsom san eliminate static cling as well as soften your clothes.

Laundry scent booster - Epsom Salts can be used as a scent booster for your laundry. I have found that you can add 1 ½ Tablespoons of epsom salt to you laundry detergent as a fabric scent booster. As I have said I like using lavender scent, but you can can also use eucalyptus spearmint scented, depending on your preference. (Lavender Eucalyptus and spearmint are also know for their anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties.)

Cleaning booster - Epsom salt can be used in your laundry soap to increase is cleaning abilities.I have read that you can add 1 to 2 tablespoons of epsom salt to your laundry detergent to add a boost to your laundry soap.

I have experimented with using epsom salts for my laundry in these two different methods, and can give you my opinions and results.

Removing ARM PIT STAINS - This was a quick fix to my husbands arm pit stains, and the resusts were quick.

Pour epsom salts into the inside of the shirt directly on the armpit stain.
Rub the epsom salt directly into the armpit stain.
Continue rubbing epsom salt into the stain until it disappears. I have found that the stain disappears relatively quickly.
Place shirt with remaining epsom salt directly in the washing machine and run through the cycle with other laundry to make up a load.

The result was amazing. Not only did I get rid of the armpit stains, but also I found that my husbands black shirt looked less faded, and almost restored to looking like new.

Keeping laundry fresh and maintained. I have been putting 1 Tablespoon of Dr. Teals Lavender Scented Epsom Salt into my laundry soap ever since, and have found that I have managed to keep the armpit stain from returning, his shirts have stayed fresh and my clothes have not had any static cling.

I find it is worthwhile to continue using epsom salt

Cleaning your coffee pot

Sun, 29 Jan 2023 22:53:18 +0100

Have you ever noticed how nice the coffee pot looks at restaurants look when the server comes by to refill your coffee pot. Well here is the secret trick they know that you do not.

It only takes a few simple ingredients which you have right in your kitchen cabinet to get rid of and keep your pot looking nice.

It only takes 4 teaspoons of Salt, 1 cup crushed ice and 1 tablespoon water to remove coffee stains from your coffee pot.

Gently swirl until clean, then rinse. Coffee pot should be at room temperature before cleaning. Do not use if pot is cracked or chipped.

All Natural Abrasive Cleaner

Fri, 25 Nov 2022 23:27:10 +0100

Are you looking for something to scrub out your bathtub, kitchen sink or bathtub. You will love this abrasive cleaner. Utilizing scented epsom salts, it gives your home a refreshing scent. Different Oils are also great for killing bacteria, such as lavender, mint and eucalyptus.

You will need a large storage container.
4 cups baking soda.
4 cups of scented epsom salts. (your choice.)

Mix all ingredients and place in your container and store in a dry place.

Instructions for use:

Pour about 1/4 cup in the area you are cleaning, add water and scrub.