Clean and Green Part II

Read Clean and Green Part I

Garbage Disposal:

To eliminate garbage disposal odors and clean and sharpen blades, grind ice and used lemon and/or orange rinds until pulverized.

Kitchen Safety: Fire

1) Emergency fire extinguisher: if a greasy pan catches on fire, turn the heat off and try to cover the pan. Sprinkle powdered baking soda over the fire. (Fill a large coffee can with baking soda and keep it near the stove.

2) An oven fire is easily extinguished by closing the door after shutting off the heat.)

Carpets/Upholstery:

1) A great non-toxic carpet stain remover is club soda. Soak spot immediately with soda and blot until the stain is gone.

2) Pet Urine on Carpets: Dab area with toweling to absorb as much as possible, wash spot with liquid dish detergent, and rinse with 1/2 cup vinegar diluted in 1 qt warm water. Lay towels or paper towels over the spot and weight down to absorb excess moisture. Let stand 4 to 6 hours, then remove toweling, brush up nap and allow to dry completely. Use an electric fan to speed drying.

3) Red wine stains can be removed from carpet by rubbing baking soda in and vacuuming.

4) Sprinkle cornstarch onto carpet, vacuum.

5) To remove grease spots from carpets, first sop up the liquid with a sponge, then rub a liberal amount of baking soda into the spot. Let it absorb overnight. Next day, remove the excess and vacuum the area.

6) To remove grease spots from carpets, first absorb excess with a sponge, then rub a liberal amount of corn starch into the spot. Let sit overnight, then vacuum.

7) Dry cornstarch sprinkled on rug and vacuumed.

8) Carpet Fresher

* 4 cups baking soda or cornstarch
* 35 drops Eucalyptus essential oil
* 30 drops Lavender essential oil
* 25 drops Rosewood essential oil
* or any combination of your favorite essentail oils

Measure 4 cups of baking soda into a bowl, add essential oils. Break up any clumps that form, stir until well mixed. Before vacuuming sprinkle powder from a shaker type can or jar. Let it sit on the carpet for about 15 minutes then vacuum.

9) Herbal Carpet Freshener

* 1 cup baking soda
* 1/2 cup lavender flowers

Crush the lavender flowers to release their scent. Mix well with baking soda and sprinkle liberally on carpets. Vacuum after 30 minutes.

10) Sprinkle baking soda on carpets before vacuuming for a natural rug deodorizer

Furniture Polish and Scratch Covers:

1) This polish should to be made fresh each time you use it.

* 1 lemon
* 1 teaspoon olive oil
* 1 teaspoon water

Extract the juice from the lemon. Mix with oil and water.

Apply a thin coat on your wood surface and let sit for five minutes. Use a soft cloth to buff to a deep shine.

2) Use 3 parts light mineral oil and 1 part olive oil and a drop of lemon juice.

3) Use a little olive or lemon oil and some beeswax.

4) Hide wood scratches by rubbing with the meat of a walnut.

5) Use a soft cloth and wipe with a bit of mayonnaise.

6) Rub furniture with a cloth dipped in cool tea.

7) Mix 2 parts olive oil with 1 part lemon juice. Apply mixture to furniture with a soft cloth and wipe it dry.

8) 1/8 cup linseed oil, 1/8 cup vinegar, 1/4 cup lemon juice. Mix ingredients, using soft cloth, rub into wood.

9) To remove water stains on wood furniture, dab white toothpaste onto stain. Allow the paste to dry and then gently buff off with a soft cloth.

Floor Cleaners:

1) A pencil eraser removes heel marks from a floor.

2) For greasy, no-wax floors:

* 1 cup vinegar
* 1/4 cup washing soda
* 1 tablespoon vegetable oil-based liquid soap
* 2 gallons hot water

Combine all ingredients, stirring well to dissolve the washing soda. Mop as usual.

Metal Cleaners:

Silver:

1) Use toothpaste instead of toxic silver cleaner to clean and brighten even your best silver. Use an old soft bristled toothbrush and warm water.

2) Rub with a paste of baking soda and water.

3) To magnetize tarnish away, soak silver in salted water in an aluminum container; then wipe clean.

4) Soak in boiling water, baking soda, salt, and a piece of aluminum foil.

5) When a quick dip for silverware is needed, prepare a solution of baking soda in tepid-cool water (l level teaspoon to a quart) and brush with a soft toothbrush.

Brass:

1) Mix equal parts salt and flour with a little vinegar, then rub.

Chrome:

1) Rub with undiluted vinegar.

Copper:

1) Rub with lemon juice and salt, or hot vinegar and salt.

Stainless Steel:

1) Rub with a paste of baking soda and water.

Automotive Cleaners and Care:

Windshield Wiper Frost Free Fluid

Mix 3 parts vinegar to 1 part water and coat the car windows with this solution. This vinegar and water combination will keep windshields ice and frost-free.

Car Soap

1/4 cup vegetable oil based liquid soap, and hot water. Mix in pail. Wash your car on the lawn instead of your driveway to reduce runoff to the street or storm sewer.

Car Wax

* 1 cup linseed oil
* 4 tbsp. caranuba wax (available at automotive stores)
* 2 tbsp. beeswax
* 1/2 cup vinegar.

Put ingredients in top half of a double boiler or saucepan. Heat slowly until wax has melted. Stir, and pour into a heat resistant container. After wax has solidified, rub it on the car with a lint-free cloth. Saturate a corner of a cotton rag with vinegar and polish the wax to a deep shine.

Miscellaneous Cleaners:

Candles/Wax:

Sponge with a piece of cotton dipped in rubbing alcohol.

Decals/Gummed Labels/Price Tag Remover:

Use vinegar. To remove non-slip appliques and strips from bathtubs, saturate a cloth or sponge and squeeze hot vinegar over decals. Vinegar also removes stick-on hooks from painted walls. Saturate a cloth or sponge with vinegar and squeeze the liquid behind the hook so that the vinegar comes in contact with the adhesive.

In addition, vinegar can be used to remove price labels and other decals from glass, wood, and china. Paint the label or decal with several coats of white vinegar. Give the vinegar time to soak in and after several minutes the decal can be rubbed off. (NOTE: Use these methods only on washable surfaces and washable paint)

Grease Cutters:

1) Use lemon juice, vinegar, or sprinkle with borax and scrub with scrub brush.

2) 1/2 tsp. washing soda, 1/2 tsp. vegetable oil-based liquid soap, 3 tbsp. vinegar, and 2 cups hot water. Mix in spray bottle, spray and scrub, wipe clean.

Paint Brushes:

Soften hard paintbrushes in hot vinegar for a few minutes. Then wash paintbrush in soap and warm water and let dry.

Rust Remover:

1) To remove rust from tin-ware, rub with a peeled potato dipped in a mild abrasive such as baking soda or salt.

2) Aluminum Foil. Briskly scrub rust spots on car bumpers with a piece of crumpled aluminum foil, shiny side up.

Shoe Polish/Care/Deodorizer:

1) Cold Pressed Nut Oil, Olive Oil, Walnut Oil, or Beeswax: Apply oil/wax to leather then buff with a chamois cloth to a shine.

2) Lemon Juice. Good for black or tan leather shoes. Follow by buffing with a soft cloth.

3) Vinegar; Remove water stains on leather by rubbing with a cloth dipped in a vinegar and water solution.

4) Petroleum Jelly. A dab of petroleum jelly rubbed into patent leather gives a glistening shine and prevents cracking in the winter.

5) Vinegar. To shine patent leather, moisten a soft cloth with white vinegar and wipe clean all patent leather articles. The color of the leather may be slightly changed.

6) Art-Gum Eraser and Sandpaper or Emery Board. Dirt marks on suede can be rubbed out with an art-gum eraser. Then buff very lightly an emery board.

7) Add a shine by polishing it with the inside of a banana peel, then buff.

Shoe/Sneaker Deodorizer

* 6 Tbsp Cornstarch
* 3 Tbsp Baking Soda
* 20 drops Rosemary essential oil
* 20 drops Tea Tree essential oil
* 5 drops Lemon essential oil
* 5 drops Clove essential oil

Mix all, then put 1-2 Tablespoon in each shoe/sneaker and rub it in. Allow the powder to sit in the shoe overnight.

Stain and Spot Removers:

1) Concrete Grease Spot Remover: To remove grease from concrete flooring sprinkle dry cement over grease. Allow it to absorb the grease, then sweep up.

2) Ink Stains: Use a non-aerosol hair spray to remove ink stains.

Tar Remover:

Food grade linseed oil. Wet rag with linseed oil and rub hard

Vinyl Cleaner:

* 1 tsp. to 1/4 cup washing soda
* 1 cup boiling water.

Dissolve the washing soda in the boiling water. Apply with sponge, wipe off with a damp cloth.

Wallpaper Cleaner:

1) Roll up a piece of white bread and use it to “erase” marks on wallpaper

Insects/Rodents:

Fleas and Ticks

Wash pets with castile soap and water, dry thoroughly, apply an herbal rinse made by adding 1/2 cup fresh or dried rosemary to a quart of boiling water (steep for 20 minutes, strain and cool. Spray or sponge onto pets hair, massage into skin. Let air dry, do NOT towel dry as this removes the residue of the rosemary.

Roaches:

1) Mix equal parts boric acid with flour , sprinkle around cracks and crevices or

2) Mix equal parts boric acid with sugar, sprinkle around cracks and crevices or

3) Mix equal parts boric acid with corn meal, sprinkle around cracks and crevices or

4) Diatomaceous earth (pure silica): sprinkle around flours, cracks and crevices or

5) Cucumber peels: set out on counter tops overnight to repel roaches or

6) Mix Borax with a little brown sugar and flour and sprinkle behind appliances, under sink, and in corners. Cockroaches carry the mixture back to their nests or

7) Heloise’s Famous Roach Recipe:

* 1/4 cup shortening
* 1/8 cup sugar
* 8 oz. boric acid
* 1/2 cup flour
* Ample water to form a dough

Mix all, form small balls of dough and set out in open plastic sandwich bags (to retain moisture longer, when hardened, replace with new dough)

CAUTION: Boric Acid and borax can be toxic to small children and pets, keep well out of their reach and inform other household members of the whereabouts and purpose of the borax and boric acid dough and/or powders. Always refer to safety precautions on the package.

Flies:

* Shoo-Fly Potpourri
* 2 cups lavender flowers
* 1 cup rosemary
* 1 cup southernwood
* 1/2 cup spearmint
* 1/2 cup santolina
* 1/4 cup pennyroyal
* 1/4 cup tansy
* 1/4 cup mugwort
* 1/4 cup cedarwood chips
* 10 yellow tulips
* 3 Tbsp orris root

Moths:

Use cedar chips, shredded newspapers, lavender flowers…moths don’t like the smell.

Mice:

1) Buy a “Have-a-Heart” mouse trap, catch the little guys alive and unharmed and set them free far from your or anyones else’s home

2) Keep a cat/cats to deter mice from even thinking about taking up residence

3) Keep things clean! No food left out for the little guys to eat. Food, after all, is why they entered your home to begin with. They are not there to disgust you or make your life miserable, they just want something to eat! Don’t oblige them.

Read Clean and Green Part I

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