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Homemade Cleaning Solutions and Tips
By Brenda Hyde
Don't spend money on gimicky, expensive
cleaning solutions. Use what you have around
the house plus inexpensive items you can get
at the store to clean around the house and yard.
-Keep your garbage containers cleaned and rinsed,
especially in hot weather. To stop mildew and mold
sprinkle 1/2 cup Borax in the containers. (Do this
slowly so it doesn't come back up in your face.)
-Bleach used carefully is a great cleaner and
disinfectant. Use a mixture of 1/8 cup liquid bleach
to one quart of water. Use a rag to wipe on the
solution, and wipe off with a clean damp rag after
a couple of minutes. Always wear old clothes
when using bleach because it will take the color
away if splashed. Also if you have sensitive hands
wear rubber gloves. Keep bleach away from kids.
-White Distilled Vinegar-I just bought 2 gallons of white vinegar on
sale for $1.59 each. You can
make scented herbal vinegar to use in cleaning VERY
simply. Simply cut herbs and stuff them in a glass jar.
Use whatever combinations you like the smell of-and
cover with the vinegar. Replace the lid and place the
jars in a pantry or cupboard for about 4 weeks. You
can use the vinegar plain as well, but you just won't
believe the difference by adding herbs to it! After 4
weeks, strain the vinegar and use as follows:
*Rub your hands with vinegar after handling onion
or garlic to help get rid of the smell.
*Use it in your mop water for the kitchen and bathroom
floors. Add 1/2 cup to a 1/2 gallon of water for a good mixture.
*If there are odors such as fish after cooking or smoke
in the air, pour vinegar in a small open bowl and allow it
to sit out on the counter in your rooms.
*Mix vinegar with baking soda to form a paste and use it
to clean surfaces, much like Soft Scrub.
*For a bathroom cleaner try this mix:
1 tsp. Borax
1/2 tsp. liquid detergent (like Ivory Dish Soap)
1/4 cup vinegar
2 cups hot water
Combine in a spray bottle and shake. Spray on
counter surfaces, sinks, tubs etc. and wipe clean.
Brenda Hyde is a freelance writer living on ten acres in rural Michigan with her husband and three kids. Stop by and visit her garden blog, Garden of Grace & Whimsy, and her photography blog, A Dance of Words & Photos.
SeptemberLady "Born and have lived in Southern MD most of my life. My husband and I just finished building a new home on the family farm, where I hope to retire in the near future.
My interests: Doll collecting, cookbook collector (especially old ones), antiques, family/friend get-togethers, cooking/baking, flower and vegetable gardening, bird-watching."
Memorial Day: Backyard Grilling Memorial Day signals the start of barbecue season. Everyone wants to light that fire and charcoal that first meal. A few tips might pre- vent your entree from becoming a "Burnt Offering."
Read these tips for plenty of grilling ideas, make this year's barbecue perfect!
Growing and Using Garlic Chives Garlic chives, Allium tuberosum, is a hardy perennial (Zones 3-9) that will grow to about 12 inches high. The stems are skinnier and flat, instead of hollow as are regular chives, with greenish white blooms that are about an inch wide and not as rounded. They bloom in the summer rather than spring. The bloom stalks grow much taller than the leaves, sometimes up to 30 inches.
The stems and blooms are both edible and have a mild garlic onion taste. I've noticed many writers will list this as primarily as an Asian herb, as they are also known as Chinese chives, Chinese leeks, ku chai (China) or Nira (Japan), but it has many other uses as well!
The Perfect Porch Swing Perhaps it is the soothing rhythm or the reassuring creak of the porch swing that attracts us. Perhaps it is the companionable silence or quiet conversation. Or maybe swings simply remind us of more genteel times.
Although porch swings can be purchased in a wide range of materials, the most common are wicker and wood. You can also make your own porch swing from one of the myriad of woodworking patterns available at garden centers, hardware stores, or on the Internet.