December 7, 2011: Homemade Stain Solutions

As you begin to take our your Christmas decorations after being stored for a year or so, you may see that some of the items are stained. Luckily, getting your holiday décor in tip-top shape for parties or guests is a breeze when you use simple household ingredients.

Note: I was reminded of many of these recipes after reading last week’s American Profile magazine (I want to give credit where credit is due).

Coffee Cup Stains

One of my favorite holiday displays is a collection of snowman coffee mugs I put in the hutch cabinet in my kitchen. But during the holidays, I often serve my guests hot chocolate and tea, which tend to leave stains in the bottom of the cups. The solution? A teaspoon of baking soda and water to fill the cup will do the trick. For really stubborn stains, fill the cup with plain white vinegar and allow to sit overnight.

White Tablecloths and Linens

Tablecloths that are stored for long periods of time tend to get yellow. Make them bright white again by soaking in a basin of cool water to which the juice of one lemon has been added (you can also do this in your washing machine prior to running a regular washing cycle). Use a tablespoon of vinegar in the rinse cycle for even more brightening.

Before washing a load of whites, let them soak for half an hour first in the washing machine with 1 to 2 cups hydrogen peroxide added to the normal amount of laundry detergent.

To remove grease stains from napkins, rub in a bit of liquid dish detergent before laundering.

 

Carpet Stains

I haven’t tried this one myself yet, but Mary Findley, quoted in the American Profile article, claims that shaving cream works well to remove stains from furniture because it stays on top of the fabric. The same concept should hold true for carpet; just be sure to test it on an inconspicuous spot first in case it has an adverse effect on the dye.

Plain sudsy ammonia, diluted with warm water, works well on small carpet stains. Spray it on and then use an absorbent white cloth to absorb the liquid (use the bottom of your foot to dab at the stain with the cloth). Repeat as many times as necessary to remove the stain. This works well on spilled red wine, juice or soda.

March 26, 2011: Oven Cleaning Tips

When you cook and bake as much as I do, your ovens (both microwave and range) are bound to get nasty, coated with bits of dried food, grease and burned-on sauces.

I’m lucky enough to have double wall ovens, which really comes in handy over the holidays. But since I was severely limited in size, I had to select a pair with one that is self-cleaning and the other not. Of course, I try not to use the one I have to manually clean, but sometimes I can’t help it.

I’ve had my share of kitchen mishaps. One of the worst was a carrot cake. I’d gotten the recipe from a magazine. I thought that since it was a published recipe, it must have been tested and consequently, it would be a trustworthy one. Boy, was I wrong!

Although I rarely measure ingredients exactly, I did so with this recipe because it was the first time I was making it. I thought that when the batter was done it looked a bit too goopy thin. I should have listened to my instincts. The recipe was for a three-layered cake so I had to use both ovens. I went ahead and poured in the goopy batter, set the timer, and went about my business while my husband napped on the couch in the living room. It wasn’t more than 10 minutes or so into baking that the smoke alarm in my house went off. I rushed into the kitchen only to find both ovens on fire! That goopy batter had acted like a volcano, bubbling up and spilling over like a carrot-fueled Mount Vesuvius in both ovens. When it hit the burner elements, it ignited into flames.

What to do? While my husband still slept, amazingly enough, I opened all the doors to let the smoke out then quickly grabbed my trusty box of baking soda (in the economy size). I opened both ovens and sprinkled a bit of baking soda inside. No change. I sprinkled in some more, and some more, until the entire box was nearly gone. The flames finally went out and the smoke alarm went off.

By the time DH finally roused himself from his happy nappy, the entire house smelled horrible and the bottoms of both ovens were coated in two inches thick of white powder.

It took forever to clean up that mess – and to this day I still find traces of baking soda on the top edge of my lower oven occasionally.

The (relatively) good news? Baking soda is a natural, mild abrasive and cleanser. At least I didn’t have to clean fire extinguisher foam out of them! Instead, I used wet paper towels and both ovens came out glistening clean by the time I was done.

So there’s Tip #1: when on fire, use baking soda to put out the flames in your oven.

Now here’s a couple recipes for cleaning your oven and microwave when there’s no fire to put out.

Oven Cleaner

Spray interior of your oven generously with full-strength ammonia. Close the door and let it sit overnight. The next morning, use a damp sponge or paper towels to wipe away the softened mess.

Tips: Be sure your kitchen is adequately ventilated and your exhaust fan is turned on while cleaning. And try not to stick your head in the oven and inhale the fumes from the ammonia.

Microwave Cleaner

Pour plain white vinegar into a medium-sized bowl and place it in your microwave. Turn it on high for one minute then let it sit, unopened, for an hour. Open the door and wipe away the mess with damp paper towels or a sponge. This will also remove odors from your microwave.

March 19, 2011: Glass Cleaner Recipes

One cleaning product you are sure to have around the house is glass cleaner – probably that blue liquid that costs a lot (I suspect you’re really paying more for the container than the ingredients because the formula is pretty simple). Instead of paying for a new bottle of glass cleaner, keep the spray container and refill it with one of these recipes.

Glass Cleaner Recipe #1

Plain white vinegar
Rubbing alcohol
Juice from half a lemon or about 1 T. bottled lemon juice

Mix together 3 parts vinegar to 1 part rubbing alcohol plus the lemon juice. Shake and spray.

Glass Cleaner Recipe #2 (I already shared this one earlier in the month in a post about cornstarch for cleaning but I’m including it here again for your convenience)

½ cup ammonia
½ cup white vinegar
2 T. cornstarch

Add all ingredients to a pail of warm water. Apply with a cloth, then wipe with a clean, dry cloth or a wad of newspaper.

Glass Cleaner Recipe #3

½ cup water
½ cup rubbing alcohol

Mix together in a spray bottle.

Tip: For streak-free windows or mirrors, use wadded up newspapers or coffee filters to dry the glass cleaner from the surface.

March 1, 2011: Natural Cleaning Product Ingredients, Fabric Softener Recipes

Today, the month of March comes blowing in on a strong wind – at least where I live! March represents the beginning of spring (the vernal equinox occurs two-thirds of the way through) and a gradual thawing and warming that sends a signal to bulbs that it’s time to bloom (the official flower of the month of March is the daffodil).

March is actually named after the Roman god of war, Mars and it was considered the first month of the calendar year in ancient Rome. It’s fitting, then, that the month’s birthstones are bloodstone and aquamarine, both of which denote courage.

All right, enough March trivia!

What does spring mean to me? Usually it’s spring cleaning! March is the beginning of the early windy season here in the White Mountains (which can last until May and makes another appearance in the fall) and by the time spring officially arrives, my house needs a thorough cleaning of all the dust that sneaks its way past the windows and doors.


In honor of that age-old tradition, I’m dedicating March blog posts to natural cleaning products and tips. I’ll still include food recipes and the occasional beauty treatment, but I want you to be ready for deep cleaning projects that only cost pennies - so there's no excuse not to clean!

Before we get any further into this month devoted to spring cleaning, I thought it beneficial to compile a list of ingredients you will find helpful to always keep on hand. With these products, you will have a natural arsenal of supplies sufficient for just about any spring cleaning job on your list.

The beauty of using natural products for cleaning is that you really can’t go wrong trying them for any type of application. Most of us know that you can’t combine bleach with various other ingredients because it could create toxic fumes; since I don’t use anything as harsh as bleach, that’s not a concern. The harshest item on this list is ammonia – and I use it sparingly.

It’s doubtful you can ruin anything with natural products, either. In the following list, I’ve indicated what each product does in the way of cleaning so you can determine whether or not a specific ingredient is appropriate for a particular application.

Natural Cleaning Products List

•    Lemon Juice – Mild acid (corrosive to metals), mild antibacterial and antiseptic, water softener, whitening agent, cuts grease
•    White Vinegar – Mild (household formula) acid that dissolves mineral deposits, brightens, cuts grease
•    Borax (sodium borate) – Detergent, insecticide,
•    Washing Soda (sodium carbonate) – Water softener, water descaler, removes oil, grease, and alcohol
•    Baking Soda (sodium bicarbonate) - Disinfectant, antiseptic, acid neutralizer, water softener, odor neutralizer. But don't use on aluminum!
•    Cornstarch– Absorbs grease and moisture, mild abrasive
•    Dishwashing Liquid (dish soap) – Cuts grease
•    Tea Tree Oil – Antiseptic, antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, pesticide
•    Salt – Sets dyes, removes rust, abrasive, absorbent
•    Castile Soap – Non-foaming cleanser made from plant-based oils, used in place of any type of cleanser for face, body, or household
•    Fabric Softener – Lubricant, conducts electricity
•    Ammonia – Degreaser, produces streak-free shine; use sparingly and never mix with bleach or any product that contains bleach; use in a ventilated area

There may be a few other products that are necessary for specific solutions, but this list represents the core ingredients that will be used in the majority of the natural, homemade cleaning product recipes I’ll share with you here.

And because I owe you a recipe or two, here are two uses for fabric softener. These recipes are economical, too – I’m still using the bottle of fabric softener I bought six months ago!



Dryer Sheets

Instead of buying a box of dryer sheets for the laundry at the store, make your own. Simply use an old washcloth. Before you put your wet laundry into the clothes dryer, dampen the washcloth, then sprinkle it with about a tablespoon of fabric softener. Scrunch up the washcloth so the fabric softener permeates it, then toss it into the dryer. This is far cheaper than using dryer sheets.

Bathroom Cleaner

If you’re like me, you use hairspray on a regular basis (hey, I have to – I’ve got this fine, thin, flyaway hair!). But when I spray it on, it doesn’t just land on my hair – it tends to coat the tile floor in my bathroom, too. Unfortunately, hairspray is tenacious and regular floor cleaners don’t cut through the layers of sticky stuff. The solution? Mix 1 part fabric softener with 2 parts warm water. Spray or pour on the floor where needed. Let it sit for a couple minutes, then wipe it up. Presto! The hairspray softens and comes right up!