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The old ways, that don't cost the Earth. - 9/14/2008 6:36:09 AM   
Aneirin


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From: Tamaris
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I thought with this need to be more enviromentally friendly, we could start a discussion on what we can use in our daily lives  to help us with our daily lives, the mundanes such as cleaning and such. Methods that achieve the same as the latest branded chemical and quite often methods that cost very little, something to be aware of in these harder economic times. There are methods of cleaning, old methods often using simple household or kitchen ingredients, methods that do not literally cost the Earth in monetary cost or enviromental cost, the old ways .

So I invite those of you here to add your recipes for household success, perhaps the ways handed down by your parents or grandparents, as time has shown, they work.

I will start with a few I know to get the ball rolling ;

All purpose cleaner

Fill a recycled spray bottle with two parts water , one part distilled white vinegar, and a couple of drops of washing- up liquid. This will make an effective quick - clean solution suitable for glass, stainless steel, and plastic laminate surfaces.

Psoriasis

If you suffer from this condition, mix a solution of three parts apple cider vinegar and one part water into a spray bottle. Shower as usual and then spritz your body with the vinegar solution. Rinse solution off your skin and soft pat skin dry. The vinegar will ensure that there is no soap residue left on your skin and reduce itchiness.

Eliminate brown patches on your lawn

If you add a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar to your dog's drinking water, this will neutralize the acid in the urine and prevent brown patches from occurring.

Rust removal

To remove rust from bolts and other metals, soak them in full strength white distilled vinegar

Stop new candles from dripping

Stop new candles from dripping by first soaking them in a strong solution of equal parts water and salt for several hours. Let the candles dry, then burn them as usual.

Brightening white cottons or linens

Boil yellowed items for one hour in a salt and baking soda solution.

Odour removal

If your hands smell like onion or garlic after prepping vegetables, rub them with a paste made from salt and lemon juice.

Cooling drinks

Put a handful of salt into a bucket of water and put in some ice. Mix it all around. Put your drinks in the mix and they will become cooler in a few minutes as the salt allows the water to become colder by melting the ice.

Unblocking drains

Hair and shampoo residue collect in the plug hole and bathtub drain, causing the drain to clog up. To dissolve the mess, mix one cup of salt, one cup of baking soda and half a cup of white vinegar. Pour the mixture down the drain.

Leave for ten minutes then follow up by pouring three pints of boiling water down the drain. Run the hot water tap until the drain runs clear.










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RE: The old ways, that don't cost the Earth. - 9/14/2008 7:05:32 AM   
patwi


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quote:

ORIGINAL: Aneirin


Eliminate brown patches on your lawn

If you add a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar to your dog's drinking water, this will neutralize the acid in the urine and prevent brown patches from occurring.







Be careful with this though - messing with the urine Ph of an animal can lead to health issues, such as urine stone and crystal formation.

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RE: The old ways, that don't cost the Earth. - 9/14/2008 8:10:12 AM   
Termyn8or


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The rust removal one intrigues me, I will have to give it a try.

Though I really have nothing to add completely on topic, I remember this one.

For foot fungus.

Soak your feet a couple times a day in kerosene or deisel fuel. That way you don't pollute your body with antibiotics, you have no idea what else they do to your body.

Am I alluding to a statement that your body is an environment ?

OK, I got something more on topic, hot water.

You would be surprised at what simple hot water can clean off of surfaces, and I mean with no soap or solvents, nothing of the sort.

The work I do sometimes involves cleaning optical systems. There is a liquid cooled chamber and one of the glass surfaces gets this nasty coating on it. People use steel wool, bug and tar remover, razor blades, whatever. On a forum on the subject a guy related a story about a chemical engineer he knew who stopped by and he asked if there was a way to easily remove this residue from the glass. The guy looked at it for a minute and said "Did you try hot water ?".

Here we were with our alcohol, acetone, wire brushes and razor blades, and the hot water just washes the crap away.

I learned something about adhesives also, they are temperature dependant. You may be tempted to use a torch to burn a bumper sticker off a used car you just bought, try dry ice first. The goop becomes brittle and if you get it cold enough it should slide right off. Also remember expansion and contraction. Throwing liquid nitrogen on it would probably make it fly off.

Of course that is not the most Earth friendly thing in the world.

T

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RE: The old ways, that don't cost the Earth. - 9/14/2008 8:44:40 AM   
Raechard


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From: S.E. London U.K.
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I'm buying shares in companies that make vinegar it seems to be mentioned quite a lot.

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RE: The old ways, that don't cost the Earth. - 9/14/2008 8:58:25 AM   
LaTigresse


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I always keep both varieties in my pantry. In addition to baking soda.

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RE: The old ways, that don't cost the Earth. - 9/15/2008 2:41:49 AM   
Vendaval


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White vinegar, lemon juice, baking soda and salt in varying combinations are great for cleaning purposes.
 
Since I have a small back yard again we have been washing most of the clothes on cold/cold and the delicate cycle to save energy and hanging half of them to dry on a clothes line.  The heavier items like jeans and towels still go in the dryer to keep them soft.  The smell of freshly air dried sheets is wonderful.

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