HomeMy WebLinkAboutX2023-011-040DURHAM
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SUBSTITUTES FOR
HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS PRODUCTS
CLEANERS
All Purpose Cleaner Mix together: 1/2 cup ammonia
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup baking soda
1/2 gallon water
Use 3 tablespoons washing soda in one
quart of warm water.
Baking Soda Use soda directly on all surfaces as a
(general cleaner) no -scratch scouring powder. Combine 4
tablespoons (60ml) of soda with 1 litre of
water for an all-purpose cleaner. Rinse
surfaces.
Make a paste of soda and water to scrub
oven and stove -top drip -pans. This is not
a "Heavy -Duty" oven cleanser. For
crusted cookware, boil a half pot of water
with 2 tablespoons (30ml) of soda and
vinegar.
Abrasive Cleaner A dash of salt, mixed with lemon juice
and corn starch on a wet sponge or dish
cloth.
50 ml pure soap flakes or powder
10 ml borax
375 ml boiling water
50 ml whiting (a chalk powder)
Dissolve the borax and soap in the boiling
water. Cool to room temperature add
whiting, and pour into a sealed plastic or
glass container. Shake well before using.
If you want it to be more abrasive, add
more whiting, 15 ml at a time until it is
right for you.
Use steel wool instead.
Use washing soda and water.
Wooden Floors Melt 2 tablespoons of paraffin wax in the
top of a double boiler. Mix the melted
wax with 4 cups of mineral oil, cool and
store in a glass jar. Label clearly.
Apply with a soft cloth or applicator, dry
and polish.
Mix 2 tablespoons ammonia, 1 pint mineral
oil, 5 tablespoons turpentine, 1/2 cup
vegetable oil. Mix and wash floor, then
rinse with water.
Varnish Floor Cleaner
Multipurpose Floor
Cleaner
Mix 1 teaspoon of washing soda mixed with
4 litres of hot water. Polish with a
solution of one part lemon juice to two
parts olive or vegetable oil, if
necessary.
Clean with cold tea on cloth or mop.
For asphalt, rubber,
asbestos, and linoleum
1/2 cup chlorine bleach
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup washing soda
1 gallon warm water
Mix and apply with mop.
cork or wood floors.
vinyl, vinyl -
Do not use on
Mix 1 cup of white vinegar with 8 litres
of water. Polish with club soda.
Linoleum Polish 1 part thick boiled laundry starch
1 part soapsuds
tilix, rub on floor and polish dry.
Protects finish.
Upholstery and --Sprinkle dry cornstarch on rug, leave
Rug Cleaner 1/2 hour to absorb dirt and grease and
vacuum.
Upholstery Shampoo Use 6 tablespoons mild soap flakes or
liquid, 1 pint boiling water, 2 teaspoons
household ammonia or 2 tablespoons borax.
Mix, whip with beater, apply foam
_. only.
Rug Cleaner 7.
To deodorize only, sprinkle baking soda
liberally over carpet, leave 15 minutes
and vacuum.
Sink Stains Baking soda paste made with baking soda
and water.
Mix 3 tablespoons cream of tartar with 1
tablespoon hydrogen peroxide. Scrub and
rinse.
Glass and Tile Cleaner Mix equal parts vinegar and water. Spray
surface and wipe with cloth or crumpled
newspapers.
Use 1/4 cup cornstarch and 4 cups water.
Keep well mixed. Wipe clean with a cloth.
Use lemon juice, and dry with a soft
cloth.
Wood, Floors, Cabinets Murphy's__Qk.l Soap.
and Parrelling
Oven Cleaners Place aluminum foil liners in oven to
catch drips.
Sprinkle salt on spills when they are
warm and then scrub.
Rub spills gently with steel wool.
Furniture Polish Use a soft cloth and mayonnaise.
Rub toothpaste on wood to remove water
stains.
Mix 1 part lemon juice pure with 2 parts
vegetable oil. Apply with a soft cloth.
Use olive oil to polish wood --that has been
stained. but not varnished or painted.
Spread a little on the wood, dry with a
clean cloth.
For unvarnished furniture, use a mixture
of 1 tbsp lemon oil and 5 cups of mineral
oil.
For varnished or lacquered wood add 25 ml
olive oil and 15 ml white
vinegar, mixed in 1 litre of water.
Floor Cleaners Damp mop regularly, use baking soda,
vinegar and/or salt.
Or mix 2 cups cornmeal with 1 cup borax
and sprinkle on carpet. Leave 15 minutes
or longer. Vacuum thoroughly.
Clean stains immediately with cold water
or soda water.
Stains Mix 1/4 cup borax in 2 cups of water in a
spray bottle. Spray on stain and wipe
from the carpet or clothing with a damp
sponge.
Dab stain with a cloth dampened in a
solution of 1 teaspoon white vinegar to 1
quart of cold water. If this fails try
straight vinegar.
For grease, rub with a damp cloth that has
borax on it, or rub with soap and baking
soda.
For grass, rub with glycerine. Let stand
one hour and wash.
For mildew on shower curtains, wash in 1/2
cup of baking soda and 1/2 cup of washing
soda, adding 1 cup of vinegar to the rinse
cycle. Let dry in the sun if possible.
Use undiluted white vinegar or lemon
juice.
Ink stains can be removed with a
combination of lemon juice and cream of
tartar. One can also use hairspray or let
the garnment sit in milk for an hour or
two.
Club soda removes red wine stains.
Silver Polish Place a piece of aluminum foil in sink.
Add 1/4 cup of baking soda, and enough
hot water to cover the silver pieces.
Let soak 5-10 minutes, wash with warm
water and soap, rinse and dry.
_. Toothpaste or a paste of baking soda and
water.
Brass Polish Mix equal parts of salt and flour with a
bit of vinegar and rub.
Polish with Worcestershire sauce.
Chrome and Stainless Use a dry cloth and rub flour over the
Steel Cleaner surface.
Dishwashing Liquid Use soap flakes with vinegar.
Use a natural liquid soap, available in
bulk and Natural Food Stores.
Use a phosphate -free product, such as
VIP, available at your supermarket.
Dishwasher Detergent Use 1 part Borax
1 part washing soda
Laundry Detergent Washing soda, soap flakes or baking
soda.
Liquid Fabric Softener Add 1/4 cup white vinegar in the rinse
cycle.
Bleach Washing soda, salt, vinegar, or borax.
For laundry, 1/2 cup sodium
hexametaphosphate per 5 gallons of water.
Drain Openers Maintenance: Flush drains with boiling
water twice weekly.
To clear: Put a handful of baking soda,
and 1/2 cup of white vinegar down drain;
cover tightly for 1 minute. Flush.
Put 1/2 cup salt, 1/2 cup
baking soda down drain, follow with 6
cups boiling water. Let sit several
hours or overnight, then flush.
Pour 1/2 cup washing soda plus hot water
down drain. Use a plunger or mechanical
snake.
Pour 1 cup warm vinegar into drain, cover.
Room Deodorizers Vinegar or vanilla in a dish in a room for
1 hour.
Simmer 1 teaspoon of one of the following
in 1 cup of water for 5 minutes; pine
oil, clove, cinnamon or vanilla.
Place a few drops of wintergreen oil on
cotton ball and place out of
sight in each room. ( It lasts for months)
Herbs can be used individually or in a
potpourri to keep rooms fresh smelling.
Create a baking soda paste on your hands.
Rub on plastic containers that have a
strong odour such as fish or onion. It
also works well to clean out coffee
makers.
Moth balls Cedar chips or dried lavender
PAINT ALTERNATIVES
Milk Paint: This old paint mixture is popular with antique lovers.
It soaks into the wood grain, and is impossible to remove. Clean-
up immediately with soap and water because the lime in the mixture
hardens as it dries.
6 ounces hydrated lime
1/2 gallon milk
4 ounces linseed oil
3 pounds powdered calcium carbonate.
Put lime in a bucket and add enough mix to make the thickness of
cream. Stir in linseed oil, a little at a time. Then add the rest
of the milk. Sprinkle calcium carbonate over the top and. let it
sink in before stirring. Add powdered pigment if desired.
Whitewash: For wood, glass, or metal surfaces.
15 pounds of salt or 5 pounds dry calcium chloride
50 pounds hydrated lime
Dissolve salt or calcium chloride in 5 gallons of water. In a
separate container soak 50 pounds of hydrated lime in 6 gallons of
water. Combine the two mixtures, stir and thin with water to the
consistency of whole milk. Yields 10 gallons. Proportions can be
reduced.
Whitewash: For masonry
25 pounds white portland cement
25 pounds hydrated lime
Mix in 8 gallons of water, adding extra water until the consistency
of heavy cream is reached. Only mix enough for a few hours work.
Yields 10 gallons.
Whitewash: For interiors
Dissolve 5 pounds hydrated lime into 1 gallon water. Let sit
overnight. Add powdered pigment to the desired shade. Remember
that the mixture will be further diluted and dry to a lighter
shade. Dissolve 1 1/2 pounds salt into 2 quarts warm water and add
to the lime mixture. Stir thoroughly and frequently during use.
INSECTICIDES
Spider mites, aphids and mealybugs can be removed from punts,
bushes and trees by hosing them off with a strong burst of water.
Pick small groups of insects such as lilac leaf miners, leaf
rollers, Colorado potato beetles and spruce budworms off your
plants by hand. This is done best early in the morning.
When planting, intersperse pest resistant plants such as yarrow,
thyme and marigolds.
To keep cutworms away, remove both ends from cans and sink them
around the bedding plants, or use aluminum foil around the base of
the plants.
Tar paper around the base of cabbage plants help prevent cabbage
flies from laying their eggs.
Rotating species of vegetables and flowers from year to year helps
prevent soil diseases and insects from setting in.
To get rid of slugs place flat boards near plants, and later lift
the boards and destroy the slugs that gather there to avoid
sunlight.
Flea Repellents Place eucalyptus seeds and leaves
around the area where the animal sleeps.
Feed pet fresh garlic, vitamin B, or
heated brewer's yeast.
Vacuum your home well, seal the bag and
throw it out.
Ant Control Mix 1 tablespoon of sugar and 1 tablespoon
of borax with 2 tablespoons of water to
make a syrup. Soak a cloth in the mixture
and place it out in a flat dish near the
infestation.
Earwigs Use epsom salts.
Fill a 500 gram plastic container half
full of water. Mix 1 tablespoon of
molasses and 1 tablespoon of brewers
yeast. Add to water. Float 1 tablespoon
of cooking oil on surface of water. Sink
container into ground at ground level.
Empty container each morning.
Leave old rags on the ground overnight
(they will burrow underneath). Shake out
into a pail of soapy water in the morning.
Spidermites Spray house plants with isopropyl
alcohol (rubbing alcohol) and rinse
after insect has died.
Roaches Put borax in cracks and dark places.
Put some grease or vaseline on the inside
of a jar that contains a banana. Set up
a stick as a ramp.
Garden Insects Place suet in trees to attract insect
eating birds.
Snails Place a shallow pan with beer
in the infested areas. Overturn
clay pots. The snails will take shelter
in them during the sunny days and they
can then be collected and removed.
Coat the inside of grapefruit or orange
skins with molasses or honey and leave
them, cut -side down, in the garden
overnight. The next morning, salt the
slugs underneath or spray them with a half
vinegar -half water mixture.
Cutworms Put two toothpicks, or anything else that
acts as a barrier, right up against the
sides of the seedling stem.
Anthills Use boiling water (This kills grass
too) .
Rats and Mice Put a screen over drains.
Fruit flies A simple trap will attract fruit flies and
keep them under control. The materials required include; a jar, a
plastic bag, beer and a rubber band.
To make the trap, pour a half -cup or so of beer into the jar.
Place the plastic bag over the mouth of the jar with one corner
reaching down into the jar. Poke a small (no more than 1/4 inch
diameter) hole in the corner of the bag with a pencil. Secure the
bag around the rim with the rubber band. Fruit flies will be
attracted by the fermenting beer, find their way through the tiny
hole in the bottom of the funnel, and not be able to find their way
out.
rubber band
corner of plastic bag
small hole
1/2 cup of beer
Some Recipes:
Soaps and Water: Add 1/4 cup grated bar soap to 1 gallon boiling
water or 2-4 tablespoons liquid soap to 1 gallon water or 1/4 cup
powdered soap to 1 gallon warm water. Dissolve soap in 2 cups
water. Add remaining water, cool and use. Test first, as
household soap may damage some plant foliage. This is effective
against soft -bodied pests (aphids) which are destroyed by the
soap's fatty acids.
Plant Juice Spray: Use any smooth -leaf plant free from pests. You
can also use leaves of repellent plants such as marigolds or
nasturtium.
1 part chopped leaves
1 part water
Mix leaves and water and blend for 30 seconds. Strain liquid
through several thicknesses of cheesecloth and pour into sprayer.
For follow-up applications make a fresh solution. Can be stretched
up to five times by diluting with water.
Insect Juice Spray (Bug Juice):
1/2 cup insect carcasses of the pest
2 cups water
Blend insects and water. Strain through several thicknesses of
cheesecloth. Dilute with 4-8 parts water. Spray plants, including
undersides. Remainder can be frozen for weekly applications and
after rain. Note: Do not use houseflies, mosquitoes, fleas or
ticks. They harbour human disease agents which could be spread by
spraying.