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101 chemical free ideas for the home

Posted: Mon Dec 03, 2007 9:55 am
by inishindie
Stop me if this one has been done before!!

I have a short attention span and couldn't get to the end of the list!

If you don’t have a paper shredder to get rid of your private papers here is a tip. Fill a bowl with warm soapy water and soak the documents for an hour. Press the paper into a brick shape or a ball. They will not be able to pull apart and cannot be read. If you want to take it a stage further then put the bricks or balls somewhere where they can dry out. They can be used as fuel on the open fire.

Clean gold rings. Put some lipstick on a cloth and rub for a sparkling shine. Do not use on rings with crevices though or you will have difficulty getting it off.

Stale crusts of bread cut into cubes then baked make great dog biscuits.

Small burn marks on the carpet can be removed by rubbing the area with a slice of raw potato.

Keep an old toothbrush near the sink for cleaning graters, blenders and whisks etc.

Posted: Mon Dec 03, 2007 9:34 pm
by Thomzo
5. Use white vinegar instead of fabric conditioner.

6. Use a combination of baking soda and vinegar for clearing drains.

Posted: Mon Dec 03, 2007 9:58 pm
by Chickenlady
7. Use white vinegar diluted 50% with water instead of polish or glass cleaner

Posted: Mon Dec 03, 2007 10:01 pm
by Chickenlady
8. Mix a cup of olive oil with half a cup of lemon juice for cleaning hardwood furniture

Posted: Mon Dec 03, 2007 10:03 pm
by Chickenlady
9. Make your own yogurt and eat as is or use natural flavourings like vanilla, home made jam, stewed fruit, etc. No nasties and no plastic pots to chuck away.

Posted: Tue Dec 04, 2007 6:56 am
by Silver Ether
Thomzo wrote:5. Use white vinegar instead of fabric conditioner.

6. Use a combination of baking soda and vinegar for clearing drains.
not heard the fabric conditioner before ... How much do you use ... I dont use conditioner at all but sometimes the towels could do with help .. tutt indoor drying

mix together
1/4 pint of White vinegar
1/4 pint water
12 drops of teatree oil
in a spry bottle, shake and use as disinfectent...

yuk

Posted: Tue Dec 04, 2007 9:55 am
by inishindie
Hi I suggested to my brother that he treid the vinegar as a softener in the washing machine. He put in a whole bottle and stunk for weeks!!

10 Put an apple in a sack of potatoes. This will keep the spuds from growing roots for longer.

11 When measuring treacle, dip the spoon in flour first and the treacle won’t stick.

12 When buttering crackers, put them on a slice of bread. They do not break as easily.

Posted: Tue Dec 04, 2007 10:22 am
by mrsflibble
13. white vinegar again- 1tblsp gets rid of the smell of diesel from clothes

Posted: Tue Dec 04, 2007 8:20 pm
by Thomzo
Silver Ether wrote: not heard the fabric conditioner before ... How much do you use ... I dont use conditioner at all but sometimes the towels could do with help .. tutt indoor drying
I just put about a tablespoon in, maybe less. It doesn't smell of anything then. And use white vinegar. Malt vinegar will smell and could stain your windows.

Zoe

Posted: Wed Dec 05, 2007 7:32 am
by Silver Ether
Thanks flower ... I use white vinegar for all sorts... its great for cleaning laminate flooring ... just a drop in the mop bucket...

more tips

Posted: Wed Dec 05, 2007 9:24 am
by inishindie
14 To get rid of unpleasant smells in the fridge, put a saucerful of charcoal left over from the barbeque onto a shelf overnight. The small will be gone in the morning


15 Store stock cubes in the fridge and they will be far easier to crumble

16 Put an apple in a sack of potatoes. This will keep the spuds from growing roots for longer.

17 When measuring treacle, dip the spoon in flour first and the treacle won’t stick.

http://inishindie.blogspot.com/

Posted: Wed Dec 05, 2007 3:29 pm
by mrsflibble
18 if you have a friend or family member with a cash and carry card, buy your white vinegar from one. I have 1.5 gallons of the stuff which should last me until about next xmas lol!

Posted: Wed Dec 05, 2007 10:52 pm
by Chickenlady
Er, 16 and 17 are in there twice! Are they especially good tips?

hi chickenlady

Posted: Thu Dec 06, 2007 9:57 am
by inishindie
Re: 16 and 17

I have a very short atternion span and forgot I had mentioned them before. I tend to try and juggle nattering on here with doing the domestics and forget myself sometimes. I did have the apples in a sack of spuds up until today. We are looking afer two rather smally dogs and they decided to eat the apples last night for thier midnight feast.

I do apologise and thak you for your vigilance. It's good to know that someone is on the ball and taking notice. I have a couple here that I hope I have not mentioned before


Put an apple in a sack of potatoes. This will keep the spuds from growing roots for longer.

When measuring treacle, dip the spoon in flour first and the treacle won’t stick.

What were we talking about again?!


http://inishindie.blogspot.com/

where was I?

Posted: Thu Dec 06, 2007 10:03 am
by inishindie
I remember now, we were talking about dogs I think.

Here are a couple of tips with the amended numbering

16: Dogs and cats shed their coats constantly and the hairs can be a real pain. Try wetting a rubber glove and brushing the animal, a lot of the loose hair will collect on it. Rubbing with a rubber glove also picks up hairs from furniture and carpets.

17: Because cats have a strong sense of smell you can use citrus oil on areas you don’t want the cats to scratch. Some people use chilli powder or pepper, but I think that’s a bit harsh.

http://inishindie.blogspot.com/