Some Great Household Tips to make your Life Easier
In a world of fast fixes, new technology and new products it's always easy to ignore the classic methods and techniques. To many people's surprise and delight, the old ways often outperform their modern counter parts. So if you are having practical issues around the house, try some of these traditional fixes.
Photo:By Elena Chochkova - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3145063
1) Lemon juice - A spoonful of freshly squeezed lemon juice is a great way to ingest a good boost of vitamin C. Particularly good during winter/cold season to stave off any illness. However, it's not only good for your health, it's also good as a cleaning agent. For example, rubbing lemon juice on your hands after handling garlic, onions and sea food is a great way to combat the smell. Due to the juice's acidity, it is also good at breaking down fats and grime.
If your microwave oven is getting a bit grimy and pongy, add the juice of 1 lemon into 300ml of water, in a cup. Place into the microwave and turn on at full power for 2-3 minutes. The steam given off should help loosen any grease and grime and will also leave your microwave and kitchen smelling lemony fresh.
2) White wine vinegar - This is almost a "holy" classical home fix for many. White vinegar has hundreds of cleaning and household applications. Pouring a cap full of vinegar into a pale of warm water will give you great, streak free windows, glass, mirrors and tiles. Combined with baking soda (bicarbonate), vinegar can clean almost any kind of stubborn, dried on dirt. Add a cap full to a wash in order to soften fabrics such as towels.
3) Getting rid of frying pan fat - Particularly in the case of animal fats, disposal down a kitchen drain is not advisable as this can easily lead to blocked pipes. Instead, place a disposable paper kitchen towel onto the cooking surface of the frying pan. Now heat the pan up on the lowest gas setting. Within about a minute, all the congealed fat should melt and absorb into the towel. Now simply dispose of the towel into the bin and wash the pan as per normal.
4) A natural moth repellent - use freshly dried lavender, thyme and marjoram wrapped in a muslin cloth or similar. Hide several of these bundles throughout your wardrobes, chests of drawers, linen closets etc. The smell should keep your clothing moth free.
Photo:User:Fir0002, GFDL 1.2 <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/old-licenses/fdl-1.2.html>, via Wikimedia Commons
5) Plastic shopping bags - normally, these end up in the sea or in landfill sites. Why not put them to good use and re use them as bathroom trash bin bags.
6) Walnuts or any type of darker nut - Light scratches on wooden furniture can be lessened by the applied rubbing of nut. The oil normally contained within will be transferred onto the scratch and will darken any exposed wood.
Photo:By Nicor73 - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=46824117
7) Disinfect your sponges - Dampen them to the point of saturation and place inside the microwave on full for approximately 3 minutes. This will steam kill all the bacteria contained within which in turn, will minimize odour and maximise longevity.
8) Baking soda (bicarbonate of soda) - As with vinegar, this is is a great multi use home product. For example, pour some bicarbonate of soda into a smelly pair of shoes or boots. Leave to sit for at least 2-3 hours. Then simply empty the granules/powder out into the bin and vacuum the inside of the footwear.
9) White wine vinegar and bicarbonate of soda - This combination is great for cleaning pipes and toilet u bends. Simply pour 150 grams of bicarbonate of soda into the toilet or drain. Then add 150 ml of vinegar. Leave to sit for 5 minutes. Then pour 2-3 litres of boiling water over the top. Leave for another 5 minutes. You should then be able to flush away the offending articles.
10) Sharpen your scissors with aluminum foil - if you are regularly cutting through cardboard or stiffer paper, your scissors will soon need a sharpen. Make some clean, straight cuts through a twice folded piece of aluminum foil. This will help remove any small burring at the cutting edge. Depending on the severity of the blunting 5-10 cuts should make a noticeable difference.
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