Glass/Window
Cleaner
Mix ½ cup vinegar and 1 quart warm water. Wipe with newspaper. |
Paint
Use water-based instead of oil-based paint. |
Drain
cleaner
Baking soda and vinegar. Put 1/2 cup baking soda and
then 1/2 cup white vinegar down your drain and cover the
drain. Let set for a few minutes, then pour a kettle of
boiling water down the drain to flush it. (Prevention:
To avoid clogging drains, use a strainer to trap food
particles and hair, collect grease in cans rather than
pouring it down the drain, and pour a kettle of boiling
water down the drain weekly to melt fat that may be building
up in the drain.) |
Aerosol
Sprays
Use pump sprays instead of aerosol sprays. |
Furniture
polish
Olive oil and lemon juice. Mix 2 parts oil and 1 part
lemon juice. Apply and polish with a soft cloth. |
Lime
and mineral deposit remover
Vinegar. Hard lime deposits around faucets can be softened for
easy removal by covering the deposits with vinegar-soaked rags or
paper towels. Leave rags or paper towels on for about 1 hour before
cleaning.
Cleans and shines chrome.
To remove deposits that may be clogging metal shower
heads, combine 1/2 cup white vinegar and 1 quart water.
Completely submerge the shower head and boil for 15
minutes. If you have a plastic shower head, combine
1 pint white vinegar and 1 pint hot water. Completely
submerge the shower head and soak for about 1 hour.
|
Metal
cleaner/polish
Creme of tartar. To remove stains and discoloration from aluminum
cookware, fill cookware with hot water and add 2 tablespoons creme
of tartar to each quart of water. Bring solution to a boil and simmer
ten minutes. Wash as usual and dry.
Worcestershire sauce. Clean and polish unlacquered
brass to a shine with a soft cloth dampened with Worcestershire
sauce.
Toothpaste. To clean tarnish off gold and silver
(not silver plate), use toothpaste and a soft toothbrush
or cloth. Rinse with clean warm water and polish dry.
|
Chemical
Fertilizers
Compost vegetable scraps and yard waste into a naturally rich soil
additive. Click
here for more information about composting on PA DEP's website. |
Spot
remover
Club soda. Rinse or sponge stains immediately with
club soda. Repeat as necessary. Wash as usual. - Creme
of tartar and lemon juice. To remove ink stains, put creme
of tartar on the stain and squeeze a few drops of lemon
juice over it. Rub into the stain for a minute, brush
off the powder, and sponge with warm water or launder. |
Ant
Control
Cream of Tarter. Sprinkle cream of tartar along
ants' path; they won't cross over it. |
*REMEMBER:
-Only buy the amount of material that you will need.
-Read the labels carefully before purchasing.
-Give excess material to charities, neighbors or friends.
-Use a nonhazardous substitute in place of hazardous materials whenever
possible. |
