Household Hints
Mineral Water = Water Dribbles
Many of us live with trucked water delivery. The water is saturated with minerals which build up on the water faucets and shower heads and soon turns our wonderful water pressure into a dribble as time goes by. This doesn't have to be the case. There's a very simple solution for this problem.
Each time the truck delivers a new fill up of water, dump a little brown vinegar in the fresh water. Not only will this help eliminate mineral deposit buildup on the fixtures, but it will also be a refreshing finish for your skin. You will notice less dry skin, and it is very beneficial for your hair as well. The vinegar softens the water, too.
So how much vinegar? I say a couple of gullugs (turn the bottle over and it says 'gullug, gullug' and that's plenty!) If you're into measuring things, probably about a cup or so, depending on how large your water storage container happens to be. 1100 liters, add about 1/2 cup (and that's plenty). It doesn't take much. You won't smell it or taste it in the water. However, it does not make the water any safer for drinking (continue to purchase bottled water to drink). Submitted by Lynne Ruegger
Forgot to leave the refrigerator door loose this summer? How to get rid of odors.
Did you turn off your refrigerator before you left for the summer? If so, did you leave a towel or somthing in the door to allow air circulation? If not, you are sure to return to a stinky fridge. Not to worry. It's not really as difficult to eliminate that odor as you might think. No, don't worry about purchasing any special cleaning agents. This is an old remedy I learned from my grandmother that works every time. You will need to plan on using a cooler/ice chest for a few days, though to store your food. Wad up lots and lots of sheets of newspaper and stuff your freezer and/or refrigerator until it's stuffed full. Close the door and leave it for two or three days. Open it up and pull all the wadding out and dwa-lah! No more odor. Submitted by Lynne Ruegger
Plus you forgot to buy window cleaner. And you don't want to drive to town to buy more. Don't worry. Here is a less expensive cleaner that will do the job better and it's probably in your kitchen. Vinegar. That's right, vinegar. Put a half cup in a gallon of water and clean those windows cleaner than any glass cleaner.
I suppose you've heard it works good to dry windows wiping back and forth on one side and up and down for the other so it's easy to identify which side the streaks are on? Well, I have one better than that. You won't have to worry about streaks at all. To dry the windows, wad up a sheet of newspaper and dry using circular motions. It will be the cleanest, streak free windows you've ever gazed through. Welcome back to San Felipe and now you can enjoy the wonderful view through clean windows.
NOT AN ATHLETE, BUT HAVE ALTHLETE'S FEET?
from Lynne Ruegger
Althlete's Foot isn't a pleasant problem. It makes your feet itch and crack open, not to mention the unpleasant odor. There are all kinds of products available at drug stores but are costly and take time (sometimes weeks) before you get any real relief. I have two home remedy formulas I will share with you.
This one I heard about but haven't known anyone that actually used it, so if you do, please let us know what you think of the results. Steep 15-20 sticks of cinnamon bark in a half gallon of boiling hot water, let it cool and soak your feet for 15 minutes. No more itch and your feet smell great.
This one I have told others about and every one of them were pleased with the outcome. Pour boiling hot water into a foot tub and add clorox bleach. Ease your feet in slowly--it will be too hot and takes time to make your feet accept the temperature, so take your time. Once you get your feet immersed, settle back with a good book or something for a spell. Leave your feet in the tub until the water has turned cool, but do not dry your feet. Hold them above the tub and let them drip dry. This will not only stop the itch and burn, it will kill the bacteria and fungus that causes athlete's feet. If it doesn't kill it the first time, do it again as soon as you detect the problem arrising. You may need to buy all new shoes to fully eliminate the problem. Shoes and footwear are capable of recontaminating your feet. Use bleach to wash all your footwear.
A BAD CUT WON'T STOP BLEEDING and you don't know what to do. Reach into your kitchen spice cupboard for a perfect medicine. Cayenne pepper. That's right, cayenne pepper. Sprinkle it on the cut. It aides to stop the bleeding and closes the wound.
from Lynne Ruegger
MONTEZUMA REVENGE has you cornered in the bathroom and no time to get to the pharmacy for one of those expensive medications that sometimes help. Here's one you can get in your own kitchen and won't have to be far from the 'holy throne.' Get into the spice cabinet and take a teaspoon of ground nutmeg. Take a teaspoon of it three times per day and you'll soon be feeling much better.
from Lynne Ruegger
SQUEAKY DOOR HINGE has you cringing? And it makes you grind your teeth every time one of the grand children run out the door. You used the last of the WD 40 the other day and haven't purchased a replacement yet. Stop grinding your teeth and cringing. Grab the jar of vaseline. A little dab of this famous old household remedy on those hinges and the squeaks will be gone in a couple of swings.
from Lynne Ruegger
DOG HAS A TICK and you want to get rid of it. Often when you pull a tick from a dog, the head will detach from the body and stay imbedded in your dog. To avoid this problem, it takes only a few minutes longer and is far more comfortable for your pet. Apply a dab of vaseline over the entire tick. It cuts off the air and the tick will back out of the dog's hide, head and all, for you to pick off your dog.
from Lynne Ruegger
GRUNGY BATHROOM TILE AND GROUT and you are out of scrubbing bubbles. Not to worry. Make your own scrubbing bubbles with everyday household items that work just as easy and often easier than those expensive items at the store. Make a paste using baking soda and hydrogen peroxide. Apply your homemade scrubbing bubbles with an old toothbrush and in minutes your tile and grout will be sparkling clean.
from Lynne Ruegger
BROKEN LIGHT BULB IN THE SOCKET is a difficult problem. Don't get pliers and tools for this one. Use something less apt to cause a cut. Cut a potato in half and shove it over the broken bulb to unscrew it from the socket with ease.
from Lynne Ruegger
LIGHT COLORED SOFA HAS AN OIL STAIN. It was pretty before that. Don't worry. You can get rid of that oil without costly cleaners. Rub cornmeal on the spot and leave it for a half hour. Vacuum up the cornmeal and find that the oil stain will magically disappear with it.
from Lynne Ruegger
RED WINE SPILLED ON NEW CARPET will enrage any homeowner. Run for the bathroom instead of the door. Grab the mister's shaving cream and spray a mound on the spill and leave a few minutes. Gently blot it up with a sponge dampened with cold water and your hostess will praise you instead of pounding you.
from Lynne Ruegger
PAINFUL HEMORROIDS have you grumbling? An old farmer's remedy for this one is in the cabbage patch. Why don't you try sitting on it?! Yes, sit on it. Chop up some cabbage and place on a towel and sit on it. Sit on the chopped cabbage bare-bottomed. It soothes the pain and itching plus the cabbage juices lessens the swelling.
from Lynne Ruegger
COOKED CABBAGE ODOR is the only bad part of cooked cabbage. My grandmother cooked it perfect every time, but for some reason she never had the left over stinky odor of cooked cabbage. I learned her secret. You have to go nuts. Walnuts to be specific. Add a whole unshelled walnut to the cabbage water. You will discover the odor is absent. It makes the taste of delicious cooked cabbage twice as good when you don't have that stench.
from Lynne Ruegger
SOUP IS TOO SALTY but don't throw it out. Instead there's a very simple home remedy that will absorb that extra salt and save your soup. Slice up a potato and add to the salty soup. The potato will work like a sponge to absorb the excess salt and make your soup as good as you hoped it would be.
These household hints came from Lynne Ruegger. They actually work.
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