Household Tips

Household tips:

• If you keep a few camphor tablets in the cupboard in which you store silverware, your silver will not tarnish.
• If a glass gets stuck inside another one, place it in a fridge overnight. They will come apart easily.
• Henna stains on clothes can be removed by soaking the stained portion in milk for half an hour.
• Clean your spectacles with a couple of drops of Eau-de-cologne, for a shining clean and dust-free effect.
• IF YOUR mats and carpets look faded, rub them with a mixture of warm water and turpentine and watch the colors glow again.
• CLEAN YOUR wooden furniture with kerosene diluted with a little water to keep worms at bay.
• WIPE YOUR kitchen platform with a cloth dipped in vinegar to keep ants away.
• IMMERSE LEMONS, raw banana, raw jackfruit, drumsticks, 'parwar' and lotus roots in water to retain freshness.
• PUT A few drops of lavender oil in half bucket of water for the final rinse. Your bedsheets will come out smelling fragrant.
• YOU CAN make nice lime pickle, if you sprinkle black pepper over the lemon rind pieces and dry them in the sun.
• PLACE a small quantity or rock salt in a muslin cloth in your biscuit tin to keep the biscuits crisp, especially during the monsoons.
• PLACE 1/2 inch of Baking Soda in the bottom of the ashtray to eliminate stale tobacco odors. Replace the Baking Soda when you empty the ashtray. As an added bonus, the Baking Soda helps extinguish cigarettes and cigars!
• TO MAKE a bath towel more absorbent and soft, put a handful of salt in the bucket of water and soak the towel for 24 hours. Wash and dry.
• Keep a bowl of potpourri in the bathroom. You may pour a pleasant smelling perfume over the potpourri to keep the fragrance last long.
• To make your bath or bedroom smell fresh put a fabric softener sheet in your wastebasket. Make sure you spray some air freshener in the air and wait 20 minutes

• Bathtub: The film that accumulates in your bathtub, shower tray and washbasin can be removed by soaking and scrubbing with Vinegar.

• Brass: Rub with a lemon half dipped in salt. It will not only clean but leave a great shine.

• Coffee Stains: Use salt to clean your discolored coffee pot.

• Copper: Rub vigorously with half a lemon dipped in mixture of salt and white vinegar.

• Drains: Use a sink strainer to avoid blocked drains. To unblock, try a plunger and boiling water. Or pour in a quarter cup of bicarbonate of soda and add a quarter cup of white vinegar. Hold the plug in while the drain fizzes.

• Iron :Clean your iron of lime scale. Pour equal amounts of vinegar and water into the water holder. Put on the steam setting and let it stand for 5 minutes. Cool and drain. Clean a scorched iron plate. Heat equal parts vinegar and salt in a small pan. Rub solution on the cooled iron surface to remove dark or burned stains.

• Oven:Warm the oven, mix a cup of water with half a cup of cloudy ammonia in an oven-proof bowl, turn the oven off and place the bowl in it for 10 to 15 minutes, wipe the walls of the oven with a stiff brush and some bicarbonate of soda, wipe over with a damp cloth. The racks should be easy to clean with a scourer and some bicarbonate of soda after the cloudy ammonia treatment. After you have cleaned your oven, wipe it over with a solution of 1 heaped teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda and 300mls of water. This will make the job easier next time. Wipe oven with vinegar to prevent grease build up.

• Stainless Steel :Vinegar cleans stainless steel & Copper pots

• Wallpaper remover :You can use vinegar to remove wall paper. First remove top layer of wallpaper. Then spray vinegar on and let stand for a minute or two. Then pull backing away. Scrape excess glue off wall. Wipe remaining glue off with vinegar and rinse with water.

• Washing machine & dishwasher :Add vinegar to the soap container and run through a regular cycle to dissolve detergent residues. Use vinegar in place of rinse aid. Fill powder holder with bicarbonate soda.

• Glassware:Half fill container with cold water add 1 tablespoon of dry mustard, shake, leave for 30 minutes then rinse. Also removes odours. Mix grated peeled potato with warm water, allow the solution to stand in container, swirl occasionally and rinse. Place raw rice, dash of vinegar and salt with water in the container. Swish , empty, then rinse.