My allergies seem to never go away and I am becoming sensitive to a lot more things, chemical smells being added to the list. Most cleaners give me a headache at best or plug up my nose, or makes my chest feel tight along with a headache. So much of this stuff is bad for the environment, too, so an all-around-better-for-both-problems solution was to make my own. Cruising the internet for home-made cleaners brought forth a bevy of sites dedicated to this subject. I haven't tried most of them yet, but will at some point.
One that I have used for a long, long time is the dynamic duo of vinegar and baking soda. Neither are hard on the environment and both are allergy friendly. The baking soda is fantastic for scouring away stubborn crusty stuff, bathtub ring, and for use as that all-time favorite, freshening the refrigerator. I also use it to brush my teeth and with a little water added, as an under arm deodorant. I kid you not. The stuff works great for that!! If you try this, keep in mind it is not an antiperspirant; it won't eliminate sweating, just the odor.
Paired with vinegar, baking soda makes a pretty darn good drain cleaner. Run some hot water down the drain, add some baking soda followed by vinegar and watch the fascinating chemical reaction. Don't be alarmed at the foaming that boils forth from the drain. It is supposed to do that. When the volcano subsides, follow with some hot water.
Vinegar on it's own is good for ridding your counter of ants and although you must wipe the counter down several times to keep them from returning, it beats using poisons and such that are bad for the environment, bad for you to breathe, and you won't have to worry about your kids or animals getting into it. I keep a spray bottle of the stuff at the ready. Another useful treatment for keeping ants away is coffee grounds. They don't like the smell I guess. If I find an area around the foundation of my house where ants are lurking, busy coming and going like they do, I begin emptying my used coffee grounds around that area and they disappear before getting into the house. You can actually see them getting upset and heading away. And if this happens to be in a flower bed, not to worry, coffee grounds won't hurt unless the plants are very sensitive to acidic soil. The grounds will just decompose and add some nutrients to your soil. Vinegar can be used as a fabric softener, too.
If you have other uses for baking soda or vinegar I would love to hear about them. Have a fabulous week, and as always, thanks for stopping by.
One that I have used for a long, long time is the dynamic duo of vinegar and baking soda. Neither are hard on the environment and both are allergy friendly. The baking soda is fantastic for scouring away stubborn crusty stuff, bathtub ring, and for use as that all-time favorite, freshening the refrigerator. I also use it to brush my teeth and with a little water added, as an under arm deodorant. I kid you not. The stuff works great for that!! If you try this, keep in mind it is not an antiperspirant; it won't eliminate sweating, just the odor.
Paired with vinegar, baking soda makes a pretty darn good drain cleaner. Run some hot water down the drain, add some baking soda followed by vinegar and watch the fascinating chemical reaction. Don't be alarmed at the foaming that boils forth from the drain. It is supposed to do that. When the volcano subsides, follow with some hot water.
Vinegar on it's own is good for ridding your counter of ants and although you must wipe the counter down several times to keep them from returning, it beats using poisons and such that are bad for the environment, bad for you to breathe, and you won't have to worry about your kids or animals getting into it. I keep a spray bottle of the stuff at the ready. Another useful treatment for keeping ants away is coffee grounds. They don't like the smell I guess. If I find an area around the foundation of my house where ants are lurking, busy coming and going like they do, I begin emptying my used coffee grounds around that area and they disappear before getting into the house. You can actually see them getting upset and heading away. And if this happens to be in a flower bed, not to worry, coffee grounds won't hurt unless the plants are very sensitive to acidic soil. The grounds will just decompose and add some nutrients to your soil. Vinegar can be used as a fabric softener, too.
If you have other uses for baking soda or vinegar I would love to hear about them. Have a fabulous week, and as always, thanks for stopping by.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thank you for leaving some blog love! I appreciate your comments very much.