i didn't learn any of this stuff from my mother (or any other relatives) but i did learn quite a bit of it from and magazines in dentists' offices when i was a little kid; i also find green blogs to be really helpful when it comes to tips and tricks. (i like the greenest dollar particularly.)
- if you are a person who vacuums, you can keep drapes and curtains cleaner by vacuuming them when you do the floors.
- baking soda is pretty much good for anything you can think of to use it for, including scrubbing/cleaning almost anything. add it to washing machines instead of fabric softener; use it with vinegar to clean non-aluminum pots; run it through a drip coffee pot or dishwasher to clean it. you can also mix it with cream of tartar and cornstarch to make baking powder. oh, and if you make a paste of baking soda and vinegar and spread the paste on insect bites, it helps relieve swelling and itching. mix equal parts baking soda and cornstarch to make a deodorant; for dry skin, add an equal part (or even more) of coconut oil.
- the scent of lavender and mint helps keep away ants and flies; a few droplets of lavender and mint oils in a squirt bottle with about a liter of water will last for a while. squirt anywhere ants come in and it will deter them. the scents are bad for cats, though.
- fresh ginger will help stave off a cold and help you feel better faster when you're sick. (i grate it about 2 tbsp into 8 oz of juice; it is particularly good with lemon, orange, and pineapple.) ditto raw garlic, although that's often harder to eat.
- if you cook with eggs and often use just the yolks, save the whites by freezing them in plastic bags or ice cube trays. they defrost pretty easily in the fridge overnight and are perfectly useful for angel food cakes or pavolvas or whatever.
- save the cut bits of vegetables (the tops of onions and onion skins, any parts of garlic, the tops of celery, peppers, the woody parts of asparagus, tops of carrots, and mushroom stems are really excellent for this) in a bag in the freezer. when you have about two quarts worth of cut veg, make veg broth. two quarts of cut veg will make about 8 quarts of light veg broth or 4 - 5 quarts of darker broth. (i usually make it in two 4 quart parts; just add 5 quarts of water to the 2 quarts of veg and boil for 1 - 2 hours. strain the broth out into bags or tupperware, and then add more water and boil again.)
- if you oversalt soup, add a peeled potato. it will absorb all the salt. then you can just fish it out and throw it away.
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Date: 2010-04-30 02:31 pm (UTC)- if you are a person who vacuums, you can keep drapes and curtains cleaner by vacuuming them when you do the floors.
- baking soda is pretty much good for anything you can think of to use it for, including scrubbing/cleaning almost anything. add it to washing machines instead of fabric softener; use it with vinegar to clean non-aluminum pots; run it through a drip coffee pot or dishwasher to clean it. you can also mix it with cream of tartar and cornstarch to make baking powder. oh, and if you make a paste of baking soda and vinegar and spread the paste on insect bites, it helps relieve swelling and itching. mix equal parts baking soda and cornstarch to make a deodorant; for dry skin, add an equal part (or even more) of coconut oil.
- the scent of lavender and mint helps keep away ants and flies; a few droplets of lavender and mint oils in a squirt bottle with about a liter of water will last for a while. squirt anywhere ants come in and it will deter them. the scents are bad for cats, though.
- fresh ginger will help stave off a cold and help you feel better faster when you're sick. (i grate it about 2 tbsp into 8 oz of juice; it is particularly good with lemon, orange, and pineapple.) ditto raw garlic, although that's often harder to eat.
- if you cook with eggs and often use just the yolks, save the whites by freezing them in plastic bags or ice cube trays. they defrost pretty easily in the fridge overnight and are perfectly useful for angel food cakes or pavolvas or whatever.
- save the cut bits of vegetables (the tops of onions and onion skins, any parts of garlic, the tops of celery, peppers, the woody parts of asparagus, tops of carrots, and mushroom stems are really excellent for this) in a bag in the freezer. when you have about two quarts worth of cut veg, make veg broth. two quarts of cut veg will make about 8 quarts of light veg broth or 4 - 5 quarts of darker broth. (i usually make it in two 4 quart parts; just add 5 quarts of water to the 2 quarts of veg and boil for 1 - 2 hours. strain the broth out into bags or tupperware, and then add more water and boil again.)
- if you oversalt soup, add a peeled potato. it will absorb all the salt. then you can just fish it out and throw it away.
- instead of using dryer sheets (which are terrible for your skin and also the environment), use pillows filled with herbs. (this post at the greenest dollar explains how & links to an etsy shop if you don't want to sew them yrself.)