Handyman...
Household Remedies Make A
Handyman A Hero
My mother-in-law scoffed at my
suggestion. My wife raised her eyebrows. When they are together, I have no
chance.
Over their protests, I assured them that toothpaste, indeed, would clean a
tarnished silver charm bracelet. My mother- in-law had purchased the bracelet in
question - one of a matching pair she gave my daughters several years ago that
had turned dark and grimy.
Instead of making a special trip to buy an expensive tarnish remover, I headed
upstairs for a mild toothpaste and an old toothbrush. A few dabs of white stuff
and several mild brush strokes later, and the tarnish was gone.
"Why, Gary," my mother- in-law said, "I never realized you were so smart." I
smiled. She's only been my mother- in-law for 24 years.
Despite my mother-in-law's surprise, you don't have to be a whiz kid to know the
toothpaste trick. Some folks might think the stuff is too abrasive for fine
jewelry and some might prefer to use a little ammonia or dish-washing soap, but
toothpaste has always worked for me.
In fact, trying out common household ingredients as cleaners or pest controls is
something I get a kick out of doing. A few weeks before stunning my
mother-in-law with my brilliance, I revived the shine on the porcelain tub in
the guest bathroom. After three consecutive weeks of house guests - my
mother-in-law among them - the tub was a little grungy.
My wife was out of powdered cleanser. "Try two parts baking soda and one part
salt," I told her. Her eyebrows shot up. But after I mixed up a batch of cleaner
and lightly scrubbed with a long-bristled nylon brush, the tub surface sparkled.
I'm not alone in my search for homemade solutions. Not a week goes by that I
don't get an e-mail or letter from a reader about a household remedy they'd like
to recommend. I thought it was time I shared some of my favorites. I can't take
credit for all of them - most have been used for ages and published elsewhere,
including in a guide to household cleaners and remedies by Annie Berthold-Bond
titled, "Better Basics for the Home: Simple Solutions for Less Toxic Living."
It's a great book. Anyone who likes saving money by making cleaners and
household concoctions should have a copy. Visit Berthold-Bond's Web site -
www.betterbasics.com -
and you might just find some of these tried-and-true household remedies:
Easy cleaners
Equal parts baking soda, salt and borax powder make an excellent scouring
cleaner for stainless-steel sinks and porcelain sinks and tubs. Use a
long-bristled nylon brush or an old terry-cloth rag to rub it in, then rinse
with water.
Cream of tartar and lemon juice also can remove stains from stainless steel. Mix
them to make a paste, then work it into the stain with a soft rag. On heavy-duty
stains, let the paste set overnight. Wipe clean.
1 cup baking soda, 1 cup salt and 1 1/2 cups vinegar cleans drains. Mix the
baking soda and salt, then pour it into the drain. Make a little pocket in the
middle of the white mound with your finger, then pour the vinegar slowly down
the drain. Let it foam for several minutes. Rinse with boiling water.
Laundry boosters
1/2 cup baking soda along with your regular detergent will help brighten a full
load of whites or colors. Some say it works only with liquid soap, but I haven't
found that to be true. We use it with both powder and liquid.
Borax is a great laundry disinfectant. We use it to keep the kids' ice hockey
and soccer apparel - jerseys, socks and undergarments - smelling fresh. Look for
20-Mule Team Borax - the same stuff from "Death Valley Days" - in the laundry
detergent aisle of your supermarket.
Bathroom brighteners
White vinegar dissolves soap scum and hard-water stains. Spray undiluted white
vinegar on mica countertops and porcelain sinks. But please don't use it on
marble.
Try lighter fluid or WD-40 to remove water spots from chrome faucets and
handles.
Glass glisteners
Ditch the liquid blue stuff for 1/2 cup ammonia, 1/2 cup white vinegar and 2
tablespoons corn starch. Dissolve it all in a gallon of warm water and use an
old cotton-blended sheet to clean windows and glass. Some people advise drying
the clean glass with newspaper, but - and maybe it's a result of my occupation -
I prefer to use inexpensive paper towels.
Bugs be gone
Diatomaceous earth keeps ants and other bugs out of the home and garden. This
powder, made from the skeletons of prehistoric algae, is abrasive to the soft
bodies of certain insects. You could say it rubs ants and other bugs the wrong
way. Buy diatomaceous earth at nurseries; sprinkle it around the foundation of
your house or around ant hills. Be sure to buy the kind of diatomaceous earth
that is not used in pool filters.
Boric acid, which can be purchased at pharmacies, is an effective ant killer.
Make ant traps using a couple of teaspoons of boric acid, 1/4 cup hot water and
1 cup corn syrup.
After mixing the ingredients, pour the concoction into small jar lids or shallow
plastic lids from yogurt and margarine containers. Let the ants chow down for
several days. Keep the mixture soft by adding a few drops of water. Change the
menu to a teaspoon each of peanut butter and brown sugar mixed with
1/2 teaspoon boric acid. The ants will keep eating, bringing the poison back to
the colony.
Here's one more tip: After cleaning your porcelain tub or sink with the
above-mentioned baking soda and salt mixture, polish it with an inexpensive
automobile polish. That's right. The polish will help repel water and soap
stains.
And keep some toothpaste handy. One of these days, you might want to impress
your mother-in-law
- Gary Dymski, Newsday, Thursday, September 16, 2004
This page was last updated on
03/28/05
.
