-When you're washing windows, scrunched-up newspaper is the absolute best. Spray on vinegar (or glass cleaner, if you swing that way), then scrub with newspaper. (You can toss the papers into your compost pile later, too.)
-To clean out water bottles, throw in some coarse salt, a few ice cubes, and a slice of lemon. Shake vigorously for a minute or two and rinse well. (You'll probably still want to use dishsoap, but this will get out the scum that sometimes accumulates in the corners.)
-Dr. Bronner's soap is magical. No, really. It does a great job of pretreating laundry and makes floors shiny. If you garden, spraying some diluted soap over your garden will keep away many common pests. If you're going outside and would prefer not to be eaten by bugs, dilute some peppermint or lavender Dr. Bronner's, then use a cotton pad to wipe it over your arms, neck, and other exposed skin. It's not perfect as a bug repellent, but it's about as effective as Skin So Soft or Off.
-If you have sensitive skin, consider making your own deodorant. There are a billion recipes online (self-link: I have one on my blog, here) and, in my experience, it's just as effective as the storebought stuff.
-If you have mice and can find their holes, you can stuff the holes full of steel wool and the mice won't be able to get back through. (This only works, however, if you're *totally sure* that the mice are on the other side of the wall.)
-A piece of white chalk will absorb moisture--you can put it in with jewelry to help prevent tarnish, or tuck it into a shoe to help suck up some of the extra moisture from sweaty feet.
-If you have a metal showerhead--especially the cheapy kind that you find in most rentals--you can often greatly improve its performance by taking it off the spout and leaving it soak in a vinegar/water mix overnight. Clears out all kinds of mineral deposits.
-Magic Erasers (or the cheap knockoffs) are fantastic for a lot of things. They're basically super-fine-grain sandpaper, so they're reasonably safe to use on most things. They do a great job scrubbing rings out of tubs and toilets, and on more than one occasion, I've used them to scrub a burnt mess out of a pan.
-Lemon juice will often get out adhesive or gum. If you're allergic to peanut butter like I am, knowing this can literally be a lifesaver!
(Sorry for the double post--I misformatted the first time.)
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Date: 2010-05-01 06:37 am (UTC)-When you're washing windows, scrunched-up newspaper is the absolute best. Spray on vinegar (or glass cleaner, if you swing that way), then scrub with newspaper. (You can toss the papers into your compost pile later, too.)
-To clean out water bottles, throw in some coarse salt, a few ice cubes, and a slice of lemon. Shake vigorously for a minute or two and rinse well. (You'll probably still want to use dishsoap, but this will get out the scum that sometimes accumulates in the corners.)
-Dr. Bronner's soap is magical. No, really. It does a great job of pretreating laundry and makes floors shiny. If you garden, spraying some diluted soap over your garden will keep away many common pests. If you're going outside and would prefer not to be eaten by bugs, dilute some peppermint or lavender Dr. Bronner's, then use a cotton pad to wipe it over your arms, neck, and other exposed skin. It's not perfect as a bug repellent, but it's about as effective as Skin So Soft or Off.
-If you have sensitive skin, consider making your own deodorant. There are a billion recipes online (self-link: I have one on my blog, here) and, in my experience, it's just as effective as the storebought stuff.
-If you have mice and can find their holes, you can stuff the holes full of steel wool and the mice won't be able to get back through. (This only works, however, if you're *totally sure* that the mice are on the other side of the wall.)
-A piece of white chalk will absorb moisture--you can put it in with jewelry to help prevent tarnish, or tuck it into a shoe to help suck up some of the extra moisture from sweaty feet.
-If you have a metal showerhead--especially the cheapy kind that you find in most rentals--you can often greatly improve its performance by taking it off the spout and leaving it soak in a vinegar/water mix overnight. Clears out all kinds of mineral deposits.
-Magic Erasers (or the cheap knockoffs) are fantastic for a lot of things. They're basically super-fine-grain sandpaper, so they're reasonably safe to use on most things. They do a great job scrubbing rings out of tubs and toilets, and on more than one occasion, I've used them to scrub a burnt mess out of a pan.
-Lemon juice will often get out adhesive or gum. If you're allergic to peanut butter like I am, knowing this can literally be a lifesaver!
(Sorry for the double post--I misformatted the first time.)