Use natural home remedies
You don't always need to use harmful chemicals in the home to sort out odours, stains and other problems. There are plenty of home remedy solutions.
Baking soda can be used to:
- Put out fires in clothing, fuel, wood, upholstery and rugs.
- Keep flowers fresh longer. Just add a teaspoon to the water in the vase.
- Absorb odours. Place an open container in your fridge to get rid of bad odours that can ruin fresh food; sprinkle it on your ashtrays to reduce bad odour and prevent smoldering and sprinkle it on slippers, boots and socks to get rid of foot odour.
- Repel cockroaches and ants. Put baking soda underneath your sink and on your window sill to keep these creatures away.
- Keep your drain clean. Put four tablespoons of baking soda in your drain every week and flush it down with hot water.
- Clean grease spills on the paving.
Vinegar can be used to:
- Kill grass on sidewalks and driveways. Pour full strength vinegar on the effected areas until the grass starts to go down.
- Kill weeds. Spray full strength vinegar on weeds in your garden until
- Eliminate pet urine stains from carpets – mix equal parts water and vinegar; spray it on the effected area and dab dry afterward.
- Deter ants – spray vinegar on your door and window frames and under appliances to keep ants from taking over your home.
- Clean eyeglasses. Just a drop of vinegar can help you see better.
Beer can be used to:
- Boost the quality of your compost. Sprinkle beer over your compost pile and turn it over. Fertilize plants. Spray a little bit of beer around the base of the plant. This will supply your plant with extra vitamins and minerals and help it grow better.
- Clean wooden furniture. If you rub beer into wooden furniture, it will help remove dust and grime, even in hard to use places.Keep bees away from the area you want to use. Ensure that you keep a small open bucket with beer in areas you need bees to stay away from – like when having a braai at your house.
- Help your lawn grow better. Pour beer on the dead / brown spots of your lawn. The grass will make use of the nutrients, sugar and energy in the beer and grow better.
Salt can be used to:
- Soothe a bee sting. Wet the sting straight away and cover with salt.
- Clean up spills in and on the oven. When your food has accidentally boiled over, sprinkle salt on top to stop smoke and odour from forming. When the oven is cool, the spot can easily be washed away.
- Keep windows frost-free. Dip a sponge into salt water and rub it on windows to prevent frost. This is also useful for car windows.
- Kill snails. When you pour salt onto snails in your garden, the snail will die of dehydration, making it an effective way to ensure that your garden is snail-free.
Garlic can be used to:
- Stick things together like glue. If you urgently need glue, but don’t have any available, you can instantly make glue by using garlic cloves. Take the cloves out and crush them, then rub the juices on paper or glass and use as glue.
- Keep pests out of your garden without being harmful to the environment. Some gardeners even use garlic to keep animals away from their vegetables.
- Keep mosquito’s away. Although it is not exactly known why using garlic keeps mosquito’s, it is a very effective solution.
- Protect pets. Garlic also repels ticks, fleas and other parasites. It is also a helpful way to keep colds and flu away during winter time.
Cooking spray can be used to:
- Prevent dirt from building up and sticking to your car’s wheels. Simply spray a little cooking spray on your wheels and rims after cleaning it to prevent future dirt from building up. The next time you have to clean it, the dirt will come off easily and quickly.
- Stop melted candle wax from sticking to candle holders and other surfaces.
- Fix sticky key locks. Spray the key with cooking spray before inserting it into the lock and wiggle it a couple of times to remove the stickiness.
- Get rid of a squeaky door. Spray oil on hinges and remove any drips with paper towel or cloth.
- Keep grass from sticking to your lawnmower blades while moving the lawn, simply spray the blades with cooking oil before you start.
Baby powder/oil can be used to:
- Make sheets cool in summer. Ensure that your sheets do not get sticky and sweaty this summer by simply sprinkling baby powder between them before going to bed.
- Clean bathtubs or showers. You can remove built-up dirt around your bathtub or shower by wiping it with baby oil.
- Absorb grease stains on clothing. When you get grease on your clothes, try dabbing it with baby powder and a powder puff. Brush off excess powder and repeat process until the stain is gone.
- Keep ants out of your home by sprinkling baby powder at all the possible entrances to your home. This will prevent ants from entering.
Find more natural home remedies on: http://www.eartheasy.com and on guarden.co: https://guarden.co/blogs/news/natural-pest-repellents-bad-for-bugs-good-for-you-and-your-environment