Household Hints
NUTS Not just healthy cholesterol reducing snacks! Both Walnuts and Brazil Nuts are wonderful, completely natural ways to remove blemishes and scratches from your wooden furniture. Simply remove the nut from its shell and rub it over the marks in the wood. Start in a circular motion working across the scratch or mark along the entire length; then rub up and down the length of the scratch several times; sit back and let the natural oils penetrate the surface, seep into the damaged area and start their restorative process. After a few minutes, gently polish the area with a clean soft cloth and be amazed at the results. Do remember, though, you need fresh nuts (not dried) as it is the oils which actually do the trick!
POTATOES Fried or boiled, baked or mashed – potatoes are a staple of many a meal but they are also an effective and natural treatment for rust. Hadn't heard that one before? The science is simple – rust is the result of a reaction between water and iron; potatoes contain oxalic acid. Oxalic acid mixes with iron to form a compound known as ferric oxalate which, unlike rust, dissolves in water and can just be wiped off. Your favourite iron cooking utensils looking the worse for wear will benefit from some potato treatment – chop a potato and run the inside over any rust, then wipe it away or if necessary wash it off, ensuring that you take great care to dry the item thoroughly or you start the rust process off again.
BICARBONATE OF SODA, VINEGAR and LEMON Between Bicarbonate of Soda (Baking Powder), Vinegar and Lemon Juice, there was almost no cleaning task which couldn't be tackled successfully by the 'in-betweenies' and housemaids and with little else available to use, just as well! Amongst the many uses for baking powder are removing burns from the bottom of pans or stains from floors; neutralising bad odours and
page 15
tackling grease fires in the kitchen; mixed into a paste and applied with an old toothbrush, it keeps tile grouting and bath surrounds clean and fresh...and Lemon Juice is the perfect way to keep your copper shiny and bright; remove water spotting from knives, scrubbing down and removing stains from your wooden chopping boards or butcher's blocks. Why not give them a try and discover some new uses for these seemingly magic cure-alls?
ICE CUBES If you have been moving furniture around to give your room a fresh look or replacing pieces with new, you might find a few unsightly dents in the carpet where items have stood for some time and you don't want to be restricted in what you can do or have to keep them covered! Raid the freezer – pop an ice cube into the dip or dent and leave it to slowly dissolve. Then very gently 'work up' the carpet pile using an old toothbrush so you avoid damaging the individual fibres. Pat dry and avoid walking on that area for a day or two to give the carpet chance to bounce back.
SOAP Not a solution for a large hole but if all you need to do is fill in a nail hole or tiny nick, find a bar of soap which matches as close as possible to your wall. Just rub the soap in a circular motion over the hole until it is completely filled. Wipe off any excess and smooth the surface. Instant DIY!
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40
