Here are some ideas to help you keep your home nice and clean and fresh: For urine odors on furniture, mattresses etc dampen and sprinkle borax on the spots-the borax should neutralize the odor and then clean it again with mild detergent-for new urine accidents, use either club soda or vinegar and pour it on spot for wall to wall carpeting with backing, buy a hypodermic needle and fill it vinegar and inject the carpet to get to the backing and do it repeatedly. sprinkle baking soda or borax (you can add some essential oils ie lavender etc to add a fragance(I put a few drops in oil and then rub it on rugs and possibly antiseptic effect-(I sometimes use tea tree oil or eucalyptus-which are also insect repellents) on the carpets and then vacuum-what what it is worth a friend convinced not to use commercial rug deodorants-I think his pet wound up getting sick..whether the pet got the dust in his eyes or what actually happened I can't remember. I just know I stopped. sprinkle baking soda on the bed mattress to help reduce odors sprinkle baking soda on your furniture-you create a mess and have to spend time vacuuming it up but it seems to work actually you can sprinkle baking soda on your pets but careful not to get it near their nose or eyes-it helps deodorize besides when brushing it out absorbs some of oils While you are at it you might as well do that when you are about to sprinkle the carpet so you will have less to cleanup and what goes on the floor will contribute to your sprinkling the floor It might be convenient to buy a sugar sprinkler so you can just fill it with baking soda -maybe you better label it so if you are cleaning challenged you won't have to worry about using too much baking soda when you are dumping it from container-we cleaning challenged tend to be very impatient and have a lot of things on our mind other than cleaning for odors in refrigerator:half a lemon;open box of baking soda;used teabags half a lemon in garbage pail flavored tea bags in water in pot pourri warmers diluted vinegar on pet urine .be careful of that rug..reduces urine odor(you can use club soda also) baking soda in bottom of ashtrays helps reduce tobacco odor remove odors from cutting board- vinegar and baking soda underarm deodorant substitute-use alcohol to remove bacteria and then apply baking soda or cornstarch light match in bathroom or where new deposit in litter box.. mildew odor from books-put books in bag with baking soda or clean cat litter and leave for a few weeks for skunk odor this is interesting linkshunk odorSUGGESTS HYDROGEN PERIOXIDE,LIQUID SOAP AND BAKING SODA -another reference to hydrogen peroxide-skunk odor killer A lovely person just sent me this tip for skunk odor-" If your pet is sprayed by a skunk, simply bring it into the kitchen. Take down your smoke detector, because you're going to make smoke. Take an old tin can (wash it clean). Put it on the stove with a couple of teaspoons of sugar in it (not too much - you don't want the sugar to boil over the can). Heat it until the sugar burns and leave it to burn until the smoke fills the room. The smoke should take away the skunk smell. (also useful for clothes that have been sprayed)." odors from fires very difficult-might have to wash clothes five times-possibly vinegar to the rinse and add baking soda-might have to degrease your walls with something stronger than vinegar or lemon and then add some sealer to further lock in the odor before you repaint Coping with Cat Hair I hate spray cans but spraying with Staticguard on the surface and letting it stay for a minute and then brushing it off works get clingfree or bounce or antistatic clothes and rub your the hair off the clothes(or else buy clothes that match your kitty cat's or buy a cat or dog whose hair matches your favorite color)-You can also buy a Swiffer or Grab-it or Masslinn products-they supposedly are electrostatic and will attract the hair-I have repeatedly read that fabric softeners like clingfree etc can be toxic..obviously aerosol cans aren't environmentally friendly- for those with more time, possibly try when rinsing clothes, use a 1/4 cup of vinegar or epson salt s and see if they help remove static cling from clothes and thus make them less susceptible to being recipients of pet hair and fur..they are recommended in many places for being a fabric softener feeding fatty acid supplement to your beloved companions may help-ie flaxseed oil for one-I have noticed big time the difference in my schnauzer's coat-started using flaxseed for possible anti tumor properties-cod liver oil-try to get Norwegian cod liver oil-less contaminated! Allerpet-FAQ re allergic reaction why -their product more of Dr. Foster smith's products-for shedding etc masking tape or other tapes with adhesives work will but you run into a fortune if you have long haired kitties-(of course if you put your clothes away that would help but for some of us creative and intellectual busy people..that is asking the impossible) put on rubber gloves and wet them and then rub against the hair try vacuuming your clothes but boy is that a pain use a wet sponge mop over your carpet to clump pet hair-remember to make certain it doesn't have something on it you forgot about..you can add some glycerin to the wet sponge to help the process furniture fur magnet?-from Dr Foster Smith Catalog wet a sponge(again you can add small amount of glycerin and rub that over cat hair on clothes allerpet/Nature's Miracle-possible help for pet allergies yOU MIGHT WANT TO BUY HEPA FILTER AIR PURIFIER IF YOU OR A FAMILY MEMBER SUFFERS FROM ALLERGIES check cleaning links for links to articles on allergic reactions thensome's cleaning links get dogs who are non shedders(usually they are hypoallergic too-ie schnauzers,bijons,poddles, or the hairless mexican dog..(ps if you get a nonshedder,you would be amazed at how easy it is to buy your own clipper and groom them haphazardly yourself-the blades are designed so if is almost impossible to clip the skin-if you buy a clipper,make certain you always feel it as to when it gets hot and might burn the dog-also it seems easy for the cleaning challenged to constantly disinfectant the clipper-since love appears to outway "better things to do with ones time as we have noticed polar fleece really picks up cat hair(still haven't found a solution to get it off-if you have old polar fleece clothing item,you might also use that as a hair picker upper General Cleaning Sprinkle baking soda on whatever surface you want to clean-floor-counter etc-better to get one of those flour sprinklers to get a finer shower and then spill vinegar on the soda..voila,you hear a sizzle and then start cleaning up the mess. If you want to make it more powerful add a little borax (caveat..as I am always in a rush or have other things on my mind, I usually use too much baking soda and have to clean up the residue-even when I clean I mess up: diluted vinegar in water can also rinse away film from human's hair too Centralcarpet provides tips vinegar and newspaper(newspaper may not work as well these days since the ink has been often changed to vegetable based rather than petro based) clean mirrors and glass clean mirrors and glass:denatured alcohol/club soda/vinegar and newspaper salt and boiling water helps keeps drains flowing salt and boiling water-doesn't help to get the water to boil faster-just helps to raise the temperature of the water salt in case you don't have baking soda helps put out grease fire-also of course covering fire with a lid of a pan also helps > cleaning electric coffee pot.. vinegar and cold water/4 tablespoons of salt and water and boiling it helps remove bitterness Add a dash of salt into instant coffee or bitter coffee helps to make it less bitter adding a drop or two of vanilla into the coffee grounds before brewing also takes away some of the bitterness vinegar in water while poaching or making hard boiled eggs..keep shell intact eggs and vinegar in water while poaching or making hard boiled eggs..keep shell intact salt-boiling in salt water helps eggs to peel easier-pouching eggs in salt water helps to keep white intact-testing eggs-two teaspoons of salt in cup of water-if it floats-don't use it aluminum spots-2 tablespoons cream of tartar + 1 quart hot water coffee stained cup-moist salt fiberglass stain - baking soda paste crystal finery - rubbing alcohol or vinegar and water with baking soda if you need something abrasive-poor it on terry cloth towel and then rub the object-supposedly it is a bad idea to use ammonia or anything more abrasive than baking soda-if you leave flowers in a crystal vase too long,though you might need vinegar or ammonia..or supposedly you can drop a denture cleaner in- clean fruit from pesticide or wax with baking soda I read a tip that if you put some water in a glass candle stick holder and then put a candle in,it will prevent some of the mess of cleaning up..as long as you don't let the candle burn all the way done gooey stuff-put ice cube on it or if you can put in freezer and then scrape off when hard and continue from there candle wax-put brown paper bag over wax and iron with warm iron-wax goes onto bag-if candle wax goes inside an object try heating object in double boiler..or if weather on your side, put object in sun and let wax melt naturally more on wax-if you spill it on carpet..put ice cube to harden it and then scrape off as much as possible..next take a warn iron and put brown paper bag on spots and iron..brown paper bag will absorb the remaining wax..to extend life of candle..freeze it over night..or else dip it in salt solution for a few hours or in mild detergent for a few hours.. WD40-a very light oil-besides using it to help unstick locks(olive oil or any vegetable oil also works) chewing gum on floor or clothes..warm vinegar helps remove it-can put ice cube on chewing gum and let it harden and scrape off as much as you can you can spray it on crayon marks,lipstick marks or other grease or wax stains,and then wipe it off lipstick on clothes-try rubbing some tooth paste on stain crayons-try an eraser-use toothpaste to get it off walls for the wall-heat the crayon wax with hair dryer and then try toothpaste or baking soda use a baking soda paste or baking powder if the crayons are melted-you first might want to put ice cube on it and then scrape off as much as possible before you tackle the rest-if on fabric or carpet-as with wax-you can use warm iron and put brown paper bag on spot to absorb the wax from the crayon-of course you will have to deal with color stain afterwards:-( inkspot-1 tbs cream of tartar 1tbs lemon juice plus cold water-try alcohol-supposedly ingredient in hairspray when people say use hairspray to take out ink stains mildew remover- vinegar and borax (equal amounts) first borax in warm water and then add vinegar mildew preventer for shower curtain-soak the curtain in salt water after cleaning it..should retard growth of mildew all purpose cleaner equal amounts of vinegar and borax vinegar cuts greasy film but can put pits in marble vinegar supposedly safe for color fast clothes-except cotton and linen vinegar in electric iron unclogs the clogs for fun vinegar in old milk bottle..add baking soda -and then tilt bottle away and as you are adding baking soda ,put on cork and watch the cork take off If you screwed up on bleaching synthetic light item and ruined anyways try soaking them for a few hours hours in a mix of 2 warmish quarts water, 1/3 cup of salt and 3/4 cup white vinegar . You can try bluing afterwards-yellowed silk or woolens-spot clean with 1 tablespoon of vinegar to one pint of water..sponge it and then wash as usual- coffee table rings from wet cup or glass..try a hidden area first thought..Get rid of rings left by a wet glass on your table or other furniture with a 2 TBS of white vinegar plus one pint of mineral oil ..apply with soft cloth so you don't add scratches and then dry it up tps of vinegar in pie crust water adds to flakiness..if you don't like flakiness except in people..forget it balsamic vinegar sprinkled on strawberries makes them sweeter..try it on one and see for yourself small amount of vinegar on meat and chicken helps tenderize it..remember a small amount little vinegar and salt helps removes stains etc in old iron toe breaking skillets clean pesticides off food by rinsing with vinegar or tiny amount of housegrade hydrogen peroxide clean that cauliflower..little vinegar when cooking cauliflower makes it look whiter(make sure by the way nobody in your family is allergic to vinegar ..will do the research on that later..you never know,duz you decal remover..soak in vinegar (always white unless otherwise mentioned-or if on nonfabric surface-use mineral oil - paint brush remover..soak in hot vinegar ..don't know if you should do it with sable brushes though.. water softener..add some vinegar when rehemming clothes,one can sprinkle some vinegar on the crease and iron over it and it will help take out the crease re ironing-some have suggested taking out the clothes that need to be ironed when they are slightly damp-easier to iron one can put the clothes to be ironed in refrigator for a little while-the moisture will also help make ironing easier if you use an ironing cloth over fine fabric-it will help take away possible shine from ironing,also extend the length of the garment,besides preventing some scorch marks when taking clothes from washer,if you shake them while damp,ie jeans etc,less ironing will be required as many of the wrinkles will be shaken out -if your watch fogs up, you might want to try to put it in a bag with rice-and then close the bag cleaning nonwashable wallpaper- artist gum eraser absorbs dirt and is mildly abrasive-if grease stain,either warm iron and put brown paper bag on stain to absorb the grease/rub cornstarch or baking soda on grease spot which might absorb grease-good luck..also mild detergent might help..you can also try rubbing dry bread as substitute without the crust- artist gum eraser also good for removing dirt from suede followed by smoothing lightly with emery board/sandpaper..you can also try the artist gum eraser on leather furniture,bags or shoes,clothes..it might help..pseudo dry cleaning without the toxicity and expense.. blisters from new shoes-try duct tape as a great bandage..clean foot first of course and then add a sterile gauze-I also use calendula-fast healing homeopathic gel.. have read that to stretch new shoes, you can stuff them with potato peels for three days..but no thanks.. also read that proportin of 70 percent rubbing alcohol and 30 percent water and spray on shoe and then put something in shoe to stretch it..again no thanks..afraid alcohol might discolor a bit..there are commercial products..ie one by dyo..another that contains papaya enzymes..works with no staining..there is always a shoe stretcher leather furniture-alcohol might take out inkspots etc-saddlesoap or Murphy's Soap-vegetable oil based-might work without drying out the leather rinsing clothes in vinegar helps remove static cling in final rinse stain remover..hopefully color fast fabric..ie coffee, tea ,grass,fruit..full strength vinegar oil stain -rub white chalk over stain and wash vinegar can be used as a corn remover..soak bread with vinegar and leave on overnight..bet your cats won't play with your feet while vinegar smell is there thuja,an herbal tincture,is said to remove warts-homeopathic thuja is often suggested to be given to dogs after vaccinations- PLEASE IF YOU HAVE DOGS OR CATS GO TO THE vaccinationspage- many vets are beginning to join the band wagon and saying that they are witnessing an alarming number of diseases,especially autoimmune diseases in our animals and are beginning to suspect overvaccination-also more parents are wondering if vaccinations are hurting their children as they witness a higher incidence of asthma,allergies,etc -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dogtoys also sells wonderful treats. They sell Alaskan Salmon Yummy Chummies. The first day I gave them to Hammy, he spent two hours searching for more of them. He is 15 years old. Their first ingredients are whole Alaska Salmon, Salmon Meal Wheat Flour and Vegetable Protein. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- plantar warts, soak a black tea bag in hot water, place tea bag on the wart for fifteen minutes a couple of times a day. sore throat..gargle with vinegar and water..can't hurt(during time of Plague..robbers used a concoction of vinegar etc as a defense against the plague when they robbed the poor victims..apparently it worked..Four thieves Recipe or something like that.. some people use water and add vinegar and wash their face.. vinegar in humifidier..check with manufacturer..might reduce the scarey bacteria you heard about.. Mildew on clothes-use lemon juice-although it might bleach fabric-let it dry and then wash again use a bit of baking soda and water in thermos container to get rid of odor put a ball of steel wool or piece of screen or fine net in the drain of bathtub when cleaning your pets since it will catch the hairs-use judgment because obviously you don't want the whole works to go down the drain and create another problem add to tablespoons of vinegar to pt of mineral oil to clean water rings off table tops and then obviously wipe off with soft cloth so you don't get other things greasy by accident stubborn stain use lemon juice and borax and then scrub it with an abrasive pad. scouring powder- salt and soap disinfectant-1/2 borax half hot water adding baking soda to your scouring pad dish may prevent it rusting vinegar can help remove rust on nuts and bolts and other mineral deposits such as calcium deposits- ps if you are hammering or removing nails,hold a rubber spatula near the nail(ps you can also put masking tape over the area you are hammering or where the claw part of hammer touches the wall to protect the wall) supposedly vinegar slows down plaster from hardening,so if you are doing some spackling etc,you might want to try to add some vinegar. water mark-toothpaste dishwasher cleaner- borax and washing soda heavily soiled washing loads-add 1/2 cup borax spray starch-two tsps cornstarch in one pt cold water-put in old spray bottle fabric softener-add 1/4 cup baking soda in final rinse paint brush softener-hot vinegar perspiration stain - baking soda or soak in salt water fresh coffee stains - use cold salt water blood stains - soak incold salt water-then wash-then if fabric can take it boil it porcelain stain - baking soda porcelain stain - cream of tartar and hydrogen peroxide paste porcelain stain - salt and rub sliced lemon on the stains porcelain stain - when really bad wet paper towel with bleach and then leave it for while on the inside of sink- oven spills -sprinkle a lot of salt and then scrub banana peel-shoe polish wine stain - salt scorch mark remover-grated onion grease fire- baking soda burns-cold water, tea bags sunburn- vinegar-I received a suggestion about soaking a towel with vinegar and putting it on the sunburn-it draws out the heat and possibly helps limit the peeling wallpaper remover- vinegar vegetable stains on hands etc-rub sliced raw potatoes on the stains tooth polisher- baking soda with some lemon juice remove odors from cutting board- vinegar and baking soda deodorize shoes and of course sneakers-put baking soda in them-ps remember you will have to vacuum if you come home and start walking barefoot..
