The standard first reaction from most people when confronted with a sink full of dirty grey water that just won’t go down the plughole is either to (a) phone the plumber or (b) run down to the nearest hardware store for a bottle of Drano™ or some other ferocious chemical to tip down the hole and obliterate the gunk doing the blocking. However, neither of these methods is really necessary for the majority of blockages, and it is quite possible to get things going again without reaching for the chemicals.
Drano™ and the like are strong chemicals that dissolve the substances (usually organic substances) that are causing the blockage. However, the Drano™ will keep working and dissolving organic substances after the water is gurgling freely down the sink. Just stop and think for a moment what this is likely to do to the aquatic ecosystem. Yes, your drain commercial cleaning chemical of choice is probably biodegradable (these days, anyway) and will break down and be less noxious after a while, but it won’t do this straight away and it will have some effect. These fierce chemicals should definitely not be used if you have a septic tank system – they will kill the anaerobic bacteria that break down the waste solids.
The most common cause of blockages down sinks is a gunky mixture of soap scum and hair, often caused by people washing their hair in the sink or wet shaving. While letting beards, armpit hair and leg hair grow wild and leaving it unwashed is probably going a bit too far in the quest for an unblocked sink, it is possible to minimize the amount of hair that goes down. Most plugs have a trap at the top of them to prevent large objects going down and a good amount of hair gets stuck here, especially long hair. Clean hair off the trap regularly. Sometimes, if the water is a little sluggish to go out, pulling out any hairs from the trap can work wonders. The hairs will come up covered with thick black or grey goo that smells vile – chuck this down the lavatory or in the compost heap (toilets have wider pipes for obvious reasons and can handle this sort of muck). Waxing and dry shaving with electric shavers can also minimize the amount of hair going down, but this is a matter of personal preference.
The other common cause of blocked drains is the stupid habit of tipping hot fat in its liquid state down the kitchen sink. A plumber of this writer’s acquaintance says that this is the most frequent reason he is called out to a job. Don’t do it. Instead, give that liquid fat to the dog, pour it into the compost heap, use it to make a bird feeder or save it for making soap (the soap produced won’t be perfect, but it will be good enough soap).
OK, that’s how to prevent a sink getting blocked, or at least reduce the likelihood of it getting blocked. But what if you’re sitting there with a sullen grey puddle that won’t go down?
First of all, try the force of air pressure. For this, use a plunger or plumber’s mate – one of those sticks with a big rubber cup on the end. A big one works better than the small ones – the idea of these things is to force air up and down the pipe, which will dislodge and/or break up the blockage, so the more air pushed, the better. Place the cup over the plug hole and get pumping up and down. You will hear a swirling, swooshing gurgling sound, and (all going well) the drain will be clear.
Still no luck? Now its time to try chemical action, but you can use natural products for this. Boiling water will melt fat so it can get down, so this can be your first line of defence if you suspect that fat is blocking the drains. But better still is the baking soda and hot vinegar method. First of all, pour about a cup full of baking soda down the plughole. Make sure it all goes down – use a bit of boiling water to help it on its way. Follow this with a cup of vinegar, preferably heated or even boiling, as heat speeds the reaction between the acid and the base. The resulting reaction will force the blockage apart, and the acid in the vinegar will also have some effect on the alkaline soap. Wait a few minutes and repeat.
If you still don’t have any luck, you may need to physically remove the blockage. This is a nasty job and you can only do it if you can see the S-bend (or U-bend) in the pipe – try the cupboard under the sink or basin. Remove anything in this cupboard and put a bucket underneath where the pipe comes down from the top. Now unscrew the bottom of the U-bend – you may need some help from a pipe wrench. Then unscrew the top and stand clear as the water from above comes splashing into the bucket. Tip any excess water from the bend into the bucket as well. Now comes the really nasty bit: you will have to poke around and find what’s blocking the pipe. If some idiot has poked cotton buds down the sink (it happens!) or if there’s a very thick plug of fat/hair/soap/gunge, you will have to remove this. Wear rubber gloves. When you’re done, screw the pipe back on nice and securely, and go and throw the bucket of dirty water onto some unobtrusive place in the garden.
And don’t ever tip fat down the sink again.
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Acetate: A synthetic fabric. It doesn’t like biological washing powder, vinegar or pre-wash stain removers. It also doesn’t like soaking, rubbing, ironing, rubbing, wringing, twisting or spinning. This is a definite “dry clean only” fabric. It looks a bit like silk.
Acrylic: A synthetic fabric that’s quite washable, although some prefer to be hand washed only (check the label). A cold wash is best. Don’t bleach. Avoid ironing it when it is wet or damp and only use a cool iron. It looks a bit like wool and is often mixed with wool.
Angora: A natural fabric made from goat hair. Hand wash gently in warm water using hand soap. Dry flat and do not twist, wring or rub – this will make it stretch or turn to felt. Avoid ironing it.
Broderie anglaise: This is usually made from cotton, but can be made from polycotton. It can be machine washed (if the garment it is attached to allows this) but put it in a pillowcase or lingerie bag to stop the holes getting hooked on things.
Calico: This is a type of light cotton weave with a particular print (usually floral – think Laura Ashley). As it is cotton, it can handle hot washes, tumble drying and hot irons. It will probably need ironing, too.
Cheesecloth (muslin): Very fine cotton. For some reason, muslin/cheesecloth garments usually run colour. Wash items separately, preferably by hand, although you can use warmer water. It can be ironed, preferably when damp. Don’t wring it.
Chiffon: Very light see-through fabric made from synthetics or (luxury of luxuries) silk. Hand wash the synthetic chiffons; dry clean the silks. Alternatively, just spot-treat any dirty marks.
Corduroy: Usually made from cotton or a cotton blend and is quite hard wearing. It is a bit more delicate to wash and should be turned inside out to protect the distinctive pile. If you have to iron it, iron it damp and turn it inside out.
Cotton: A natural fibre that’s very tough. It can handle the hottest washes and the hottest irons. It can shrink when new, so be careful with this. If buying cotton for dressmaking, preshrink the fabric by washing it before cutting out the pieces and sewing the garment.
Down: These are soft feathers usually used to stuff things. Wash in cold water using a delicate cycle. Tumble dry on low or dry in the sun– it will take ages. Fluff it up periodically to move the feathers around and stop them clumping. If you dry clean it, air it well afterwards, as the down will trap the toxic fumes – not what you want to breathe in while you sleep.
Fur: Real fur should either be brushed or (if really dirty) dry cleaned. You can spot-clean marks with shampoo or hand soap and cold water, stroking in the direction of the fur.
Lace: Can be made from cotton, linen or synthetics. It is best to use a delicate cycle on the washing machine or handwash it. If washing lace in the washing machine, put it in a pillow case or a lingerie bag to stop it snagging on zips, buttons and hooks, which can tear the lace.
Leather: Tough as old boots – literally. You can hand or machine wash it, but it will go hard after drying. It is better to spot clean leather. Salt water ruins leather, so soak a leather item in milk if this happens. Then rinse. To soften leather after it has dried hard, work it to and fro in your hands – roll it and unroll it a few times to soften it.
Nylon: A synthetic fabric. It prefers to be washed in cold water, but can handle being machine washed on regular. It dries quickly and doesn’t usually need ironing.
Satin: This is a finish rather than a fabric type. It is made from silk or from synthetic fabrics. Silk satin should be hand washed, but synthetic silks can cope with the delicate cycle in your washing machine. If you iron it, use a cool iron and iron it on the dull side to protect the shiny finish.
Velvet: Can be made from synthetics, cotton or silk. Wash inside out, using the delicate cycle. Hand wash or spot-treat silk velvet. To fluff the pile back up again after drying, hold the item over a steaming kettle (be careful not to get burnt).
Wool: A natural fibre from all sorts of animals. Hand wash and dry flat. Don’t wring it or spin it. If for carpet a professional carpet cleaning is fine.
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Cold, wet evenings are perfect for getting out old-fashioned storybooks and reading aloud to children – or to older family members. And if you read older children’s books, it’s amazing the little tips that you can pick up about house cleaning using old-fashioned methods. And that applies to stories about old-fashioned households that did have a maid to clean for them, etc. (e.g. Little Women and the rest of that series) and to stories about households that had to rough it a bit more (Little House on the Prairie).
So what can you learn from these books about keeping everything tidy and shipshape?
* A clean, dry attic is perfectly OK for storing vegetables such as pumpkins, red peppers, onions and marrows – good news for those of us today who like to grow vegetables but don’t have masses of space in the refrigerator. Make sure that the area you plan to store these veggies in is dry and free from mould. Any mould spores lingering on the skin of the plants should be killed by a quick wipe-down with neat white vinegar before thorough drying.
* You don’t have to use mineral oil for greasing machinery –animal fat (the sort you shouldn’t eat for the good of your heart) will do. After all, Pa in Little House in the Big Woods used to use bear grease to lubricate his traps. Save clean fat from meat and use it for greasing bike chains and the like. It will go rancid and smell peculiar, so you have been warned. But those looking for a natural alternative to mineral oil should take note. If you want to clean off oil and fat from fabric, animal fats can be removed by a jolly good scrubbing with soap and a soak in water as hot as the fabric can handle, followed by washing as normal. Mineral oil can be removed in the same way, but if the oil stain is particularly tough, using eucalyptus oil or glycerine will help.
* Contrary to popular belief, you can save the job of washing the dishes for once a day in one big hit if you have to wash them by hand. Do this job when the children are home from school and all adults are home from work (if possible) so you have as many hands as possible to do the drying. Doing the dishes together can be a great opportunity for talking and “quality time” as a family.
* Children are never too young to learn the basics about domestic cleaning. Even preschoolers can dry dishes and put them away, help to make beds and pick up dirty clothes for washing. The earlier they start, the better.
* Grate a carrot and steep it in water or milk to make a natural food colouring – unlike the dubious artificial ones, this natural colouring has some additional nutrients.
* Unvarnished wood surfaces can be cleaned with ordinary soap and water – and a whole lot of elbow grease! This was standard for kitchen tables and it is easy to do with wooden chopping boards. Use boiling water to sterilize chopping boards.
* Hair does not need a lot of “product” to get it shiny and glossy. For straight hair, brushing with a natural boar’s bristle brush is all that’s needed. To clean a bristle brush, pull as much hair and fluff out as possible. Then soak the bristles in a solution of warm water and baking soda before carefully drying it. If the brush has been used by someone with head lice, kill these by pouring boiling water over the bristles.
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Well done – you’ve finished all your house cleaning and your house is sparkling. And what better motivation for having a good clean up than preparing for an elegant cocktail party? But what are some good cocktails to serve at a cocktail party, including some for the designated drivers or teetotallers who would rather stay off alcohol? Here’s a few classic recipes.
Alcoholic cocktails:
* Manhattan: seven parts rye whisky to three parts sweet Martini. Mix over ice then add a dash of Angostura bitters. Stir together, then pour into a chilled glass. Traditional garnish: a cherry.
* Martini: 9 parts gin to 1 part dry vermouth. Stir together (unless you are serving the martini to James Bond, in which case it should be shaken, not stirred) and pour into a chilled glass. Traditional garnish: a twist of lemon (peel and maybe a bit of the juicy part) or a green olive on a toothpick.
* Cosmopolitan: 3 parts vodka, 3 three parts cranberry juice, two parts triple sec/Cointreau, two parts lime juice (not lime cordial). Shake together with ice and pour into a chilled glass. Traditional garnish: a slice of lime fitted over the side.
* Margarita: 4 parts tequila, 3 parts triple sec/Cointreau and three parts lime juice, with a splash each of egg white (which will make it froth slightly) and sugar syrup. Shake together. Traditional garnish: dip the rim of the glass into lemon juice then into salt – do this before pouring the margarita in.
* Pisco sours: 8 parts Pisco (a variety of Peruvian brandy – you can use whisky, in which case, you are making whisky sours), 4 parts lime juice, 3 parts sugar syrup, white of one egg. Shake together, then garnish with a splash of bitters, if desired.
* Mojito: Put a handful each of fresh lime (chopped) and mint leaves into a tall glass. Put in two parts of sugar, then add in six parts white rum and two parts lime juice. Fill with ice. Traditional garnish: a sprig of mint.
* Bloody Mary: 3 parts vodka, 6 parts tomato juice, 1 part lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco sauce, salt and pepper. Shake together, then pour over ice and add celery salt. Traditional garnish: a celery stalk.
* Sangria: red wine (plenty), orange juice (moderate amount), sparkling mineral water (optional) and brandy or triple sec (smaller amount). Mix together in a large jug and add chopped fruit, usually apples and oranges, but you can also try peaches, kiwifruit and banana. The brandy or spirits can be omitted for a less potent version that contains so many antioxidants it’s almost healthy.
* Piña Colada: 3 parts white rum, 3 parts coconut cream, 3 parts pineapple juice. Shake together with ice. Traditional garnish: a slice of pineapple and a cherry.
* Daiquiri: 9 parts white rum, 4 parts lime juice, 1 part sugar syrup. Garnish with a wedge of lime.
Non-alcoholic cocktails:
* Virgin Mary: 6 parts tomato juice to 1 part lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco sauce, salt and pepper. Shake together and serve over ice, and add celery salt. Garnish like a Bloody Mary (which it is based on).
* Virgin Piña Colada: equal parts coconut cream and pineapple juice. Serve with ice. Garnish like a regular Piña Colada.
* Shirley Temple: two parts ginger ale, one part orange juice and a splash of grenadine. Shake together. Traditional garnish: a cherry or a slice of lemon.
* Roy Rogers: a mixture of grenadine and cola. Traditional garnish: a cherry.
* Dolce and Gabbana: a variation of the Roy Rogers, using diet cola instead of “regular” cola.
* Jefferson: iced tea and orange juice.
* Faisal Ali: equal parts orange juice, ginger ale and cranberry.
* Pomme Noir: apple juice and cola
For a good cocktail party where people don’t get too messy, it’s important to make sure that you have plenty of nibbled handy, and think beyond the traditional nuts and prawns – some people are allergic to fish and/or nuts.
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Your dog will eat off the floor, if there’s something it likes lying there. So what’s so important about cleaning the bowl it eats or drinks out of? Well, while dogs have a natural immunity to dirt they pick up when eating food from all kinds of places, that does not mean that the dishes they eat from should not be kept as clean as possible. Why tempt providence and anyway, the dog will be happy eating from a clean bowl with no stale food particles or odours. This is such an easy job that you need not even think of adding it to the job list of your home cleaning agency. Do it yourself in just a few minutes.
If you are using a gravity feed bowl to give food or water to your dog, all you need to do is remove the bowl from the supply canister and clean it, following the manufacturer’s instructions. If there are no instructions then use one of the following methods which are for normal dog bowls.
Scrape out all the left over food from the bowl and place it in a dish washer. If the bowl is plastic, place it in the top most rack so it does not get over heated and melt. Wash the dog bowl just as you would any other dish. And there’s no need to wash it separately. There’s nothing wrong in washing your dog’s bowl along with other crockery.
If you prefer to wash your dog’s bowl by hand, just bring it to the kitchen sink, scrape of any food residue and get started with detergent and a sponge. If you need to, don’t hesitate to use a steel wool pad to get rid of stubborn grime that has been caked on the surface. Just be careful not to damage the bowl’s finish. Your dog may not mind, but that’s no reason not to be careful.
Remember to rinse it thoroughly to ensure that not even the slightest bit of soap residue remains. Dogs are very sensitive to the ingestion of chemicals and even a little soap left behind could cause an upset stomach. That defeats the whole purpose of cleaning the bowls.
Once the bowl is clean dry it off and its ready for use. It’s a good idea to clean the bowl every day. This will prevent the build up of dried food residue and the consequent growth of germs, bacteria and even fungus.
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It needs to be stated at the outset that pearls should always be cleaned with delicate natural cleaners rather than harsh ammonia-based cleaners, or any other proprietary cleaner used for getting jewellery nice and sparkly. Pearls are very delicate natural organic substances, unlike the metal and crystalline rocks that make up most jewellery (other exceptions are ivory – if you have inherited some – amber and coral, and also polished wood.
However, don’t reach for the natural cleaning product that you use for most other domestic cleaning purposes, vinegar. Vinegar is an acid and reacts with alkaline substances. Pearls are made from calcium carbonate, which is an alkaline substance, so vinegar is even worse for pearls than commercial jewellery cleaning products. Readers may recall the related legend about Cleopatra that is parodied in the Asterix cartoons. If you haven’t heard this legend, the story says that Cleopatra and Mark Antony (possibly – it could have been Julius Caesar) had a bet on as to which one of them could put on the most lavish, most expensive feast. Cleopatra had pulled out all the stops, but her efforts failed to impress Mark Antony. Her response was to snap her elegant fingers for a cup full of vinegar, and she promptly took off one of her priceless pearl earrings – the pearls were extremely large and worth, according to the various sources, 15 provinces – and dropped it into the vinegar. A few stirs (or a few hundred), and she promptly drank his health and won the bet. The moral: don’t get vinegar anywhere near pearls, and try not to mess with Roman generals.
The best way to get pearls glowing with that gentle lustre is to let them sit next to the skin frequently, moving gently. In other words, pearls look their best when worn frequently. The combination of natural body oils at the neck and/or wrist (assuming that you have a pearl necklace or a pearl bracelet) mixed with the gentle buffing of a soft substance that is similar to but much finer than chamois leather – your skin, even if Father Time and Mother Nature have left fingerprints all over you – is perfect for cleaning pearls. Pearl earrings of the long and dangly kind manage to get enough buffing and oils as well, and also should be worn frequently.
Pearl rings, however, are another story. These should be kept for special occasions only, as hands are exposed to many more substances than necks. Handwashing, for example. Soap is no good for pearls, and alcohol-based hand sanitizer is even worse. Take your pearl ring off – carefully – if you have to wash your hands if you are wearing a pearl ring. And you’d probably take care of your pearl bracelet, too.
Make sure that your pearl necklace and earrings are protected from the chemicals that do go on your neck – namely moisturizer and perfume. Even home-made lotions and fragrances will do pearls no good. Put your pearls on last as a finishing touch after your moisturizer, makeup and perfume.
But sometimes, pearls will get a little grubby and the natural oils from your skin can build up too much (especially mixed with makeup, skin flakes and everyday grime). This grime will need to be cleaned off. Water is about the only readily available thing that will not damage pearls, so you should rub your pearls with a soft cloth dampened in a little warm water. Technically speaking, salt water can be used to clean salt water pearls, but the problem here is the string that holds the pearls together doesn’t like the salt water. If the grime is visible, you can scrape at it gently with your fingernails, as fingernails are the same hardness as pearl and won’t scratch it. But gently is the operative word.
Pearls should not be steam cleaned. Other natural cleaning methods and products to avoid include baking soda, milk (too acidic), talcum powder and ultrasonic cleaners. Don’t use a toothbrush, which is perfect for other jewellery, or a scouring pad. Just stick to water and a soft cloth, with the occasional poke from a fingernail.
Once you have cleaned your pearls, they should be dried with a soft cloth. Just pat them. Leave them to dry thoroughly before wearing them, as the silk they are strung on will stretch if it gets wet. Resist the temptation to dry them with a hair dryer, in front of the radiator, in an oven or in direct sunshine, as this will dry the pearls out too much. Pearls should have a moisture content of 2%, and they will crack if they get too dry. So if you have had a last minute invitation to a place you want to wear pearls to and your pearls are a little dull-looking, resist the temptation to try cleaning them in a hurry. Leave them off or just wear them anyway.
It is a wise idea to have your pearls restrung by a jeweller periodically, and you can get the jeweller to clean the pearls at the same time. He/she knows how to do it.
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Vinegar is almost as versatile as baking soda when it comes to cleaning. White vinegar is the cheapest vinegar to find at your local supermarket, but most sorts of vinegar will do the job. Having said that, I would probably not use top-quality cider vinegar just to clean the bathroom taps (what a waste!) and I don’t recommend using balsamic vinegar for any cleaning purpose at all – the balsam in it makes the vinegar rather sticky. Save the fancy vinegars for marinades and cooking.
If you, like my other half, find the smell of vinegar a bit overpowering and unpleasant, you can add essential oil to it. Any essential oil you like will do, but lavender, tea tree and pine oils are antiseptic, which is an added bonus. (My other half, I might add, objects to the smell of vinegar but doesn’t mind the over-scented chemical muck that leaves me with streaming eyes, a sore throat and cracked hands for the next few days… but he doesn’t do the majority of the house cleaning, does he?)
The bathroom is a great place to splash the vinegar around, as vinegar kills mould – and the bathroom is the place where mould is most likely to show up, even if the rest of the house is nice and dry. So wipe vinegar around any areas where the dreaded grey-blue (or orange or brown, or pink…) scunge turns up.
Keep cleaning vinegar separate from your cooking vinegar by decanting some vinegar into a pump-spray bottle (or a low powered water pistol – may help encourage the kids to help with the cleaning). Add the essential oils and shake well.
You can use vinegar neat or dilute. The more concentrated it is, the more effective it will be.
Other bathroom vinegar ideas:
* Vinegar is acidic, so it will get rid of the limescale on taps. It may take a while to work, so you may have to leave the vinegar to work for a wee while (make use of a zip-lock bag partly full of vinegar fastened around as much of the tap as possible) or else get scrubbing.
* Vinegar also shifts soap scum off taps, porcelain and glass (Who managed to get all that soap onto the mirror? And how?)
* Vinegar can also help to get rid of that dreaded bath ring. Spray the bath down with neat vinegar after use to help melt away the bath ring.
* Wipe the loo seat with scented neat vinegar, both the top and the bottom. While you’re at it, wipe the rim down as well. This will kill quite a few germs. Don’t bother wiping it off – it will evaporate and release some of the scent. And, unlike commercial cleaning products, it won’t hurt the skin of whoever sits on the toilet next.
* That spray bottle with the dilute vinegar and essential oil can also do double-duty as a toilet air freshener.
* To unblock the bath or sink, clear any hairs, etc. from the plug trap and carefully tip a cup of baking soda down the drain (use a funnel). Heat up another cup of vinegar and while it is still hot (preferably boiling), tip it down the drain after the baking soda. The resulting fizzy reaction will blast out the blockage. If it doesn’t, then either call the plumber (in the case of the bath) or get under the sink and unscrew the pipes to see if some stupid nong has stuffed cotton buds down the sink and remove these cotton buds (better still – make stupid nong remove the scummy, stinky greenish-black cotton buds so they know not to do it again).
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Bars of soap always look so attractive when they’re new – pleasantly scented fat ovals or rectangles (or other shapes!) just begging to be turned into lather. But after a few weeks, they look decidedly grotty – thin little slivers that get stuck to the soap dish, smell of nothing and fall to bits almost as soon as you look at them. All most of us can think about is throwing them away as soon as possible and replacing them with a nice new bar of soap. However, some of us might try to keep using these mingy little bits to wash our hands as long as possible.
But you don’t need to do either. Don’t keep trying to get a good lather out of those sleazy little slivers, but don’t throw them away, either. Keep them – otherwise you’ll end up throwing out a lot of soap that you don’t have to, adding this to the water system and costing you.
The first thing you can do with old soap scraps is to break them up – which won’t take long. When you have quite a few scraps collected, melt them in the microwave until liquid, stir them together and pour them into a mould to make a whole new bar of soap. You can add colouring (normal food colouring will do) or scent or oatmeal into this mixture if you like.
However, that can be a bit too fiddly for most of us. A better and more versatile use for soap scraps is to turn them into liquid goo. Slip the soap scraps into a string bag (the sort you get around oranges or onions) and put this into a container of water. This will need to be stored out of sight, as it can look a bit grey and grim at times. Don’t tie the bag closed – you will always have more soap scraps to put in. The water will dissolve the soap into a greyish white jelly or liquid that has quite a few uses around the home and garden.
What can you use the soap goo for?
1. Decant it into a pump-top bottle and add a little colouring and/or scent, then use it as liquid soap. You can leave out the scent and the colour if you prefer.
2. Mix the goo with water and spray it over roses to get rid of aphids. This is an effective organic spray (well, mostly organic, anyway). Make sure that you don’t use water that is too hot for your spray – this will kill the plants as well as the aphids.
3. Use it for handwashing smalls or woollens– it’s much gentler than regular laundry powder for the garment in question and for your hands.
4. Use it as shampoo. Surprisingly, it’s not as harsh as you might expect – it’s very mild, in fact – and it cleans hair very efficiently. It stings if you get it into your eyes, though, as it hasn’t had any this-and-that added to treat the sting. It is a bit too runny to pour into your hand in the normal way, so you will need to apply it directly to wet hair. You can add scent – essential oils are lovely – to improve this. Follow with a vinegar rinse, especially if your water is hard or chlorinated.
5. You can use it around your domestic cleaning duties. For washing the floor for example pour the goo into a bucket and add some hot water.
6. The goo can be used as a general purpose house cleaning product for nearly any purpose (not for glass) in a soft water area. In chlorinated or hard water, soap goo can leave a white scum as it reacts with the minerals in the water.
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It’s washing day again (or it’s time to do the daily load of washing). If you look down the supermarket aisles at the amount of products available to help you do the laundry, the list seems endless: washing powder of various types, fabric softener, soaking treatments, stain removers, anti-static products to put in driers, starch, linen sprays… And every one of these laundry commercial cleaning products has a barrage of artificial (and possibly even toxic) chemicals and fragrances.
Thankfully, many of these products can be replaced by natural home made laundry products, or the need for some of them eliminated all together. At the outset, however, it is important to state that soap flakes may be unsuitable to use as a substitute for detergent powder in modern washing machines, as soap can leave a residue (especially in hard water areas) that can clog and damage the machine. If you have sensitive skin, use a low-fragrance or fragrance-free brand of laundry powder instead.
Essential oils can be added to any of these laundry treatments for natural scent. The traditional scent to use in laundry is lavender (the name lavender derives from the Latin lavare meaning “to wash”). Eucalyptus oil is another popular essential oil to use in the laundry, as it has stain removing properties. Other oils are moth repellents, especially natural camphor and cinnamon.
Soaking and pre-wash treatments: For many stains, a long soak in cold water is all that’s necessary to loosen excess dirt and float it out of the fabric. For tougher stains, add soap gel to the soaking water. Making soap gel is easy: simply save slivers of soap in a container, and pour hot water over the scraps to melt them – you can add essential oil to scent the gel if you like – eucalyptus oil has some stain removal properties. Select the water temperature carefully. While hot water can melt and loosen grease as well as enhancing the wetting properties of ordinary soap, hot water will set protein based stains (e.g. blood or egg yolk). Lukewarm (blood heat or about 30 degrees Celsius) water is probably the best option.
Fabric softener: To make towels and cotton sheets soft and fluffy, try adding ½ a cup of baking soda (bicarbonate of soda) to the washing water, and 1 cup of vinegar to the final rinse. The baking soda and the vinegar will react within the clothing, and the resulting fizz will fluff up the fibres of the fabric. Alternatively, just add vinegar to the final rinse. This will reduce the pH of the clothing – a must for any washing load containing urine-stained items (nappies, and items from children who still wet the bed or have trouble holding on), as the vinegar neutralized the rash-causing ammonia in the urine.
Stain removers: Depending on the type of stain, clothing can be treated prior to washing with a range of natural stain removers. Vodka (or another strong alcohol), soap, lemon juice, glycerine, essential oil of eucalyptus and vinegar all have natural stain removal properties. Some people swear by using half a cut potato as a “stain removal stick.”
Anti-static treatments: You only need these if you use a clothes dryer, and you can eliminate the need for them entirely if you switch to drying clothing on an outside washing line or on a clothes horse.
Starch: If you like crisp, starched collars and cuffs, use the real original laundry starch: good old cornflour. Mix about a teaspoon of cornflour (cornstarch) with water in a spray dispenser and squirt the item to be treated before ironing on low. Set the iron too high and the cornstarch will burn and turn brown – but this is washable. Or give the item to be starched the Mrs Tiggywinkle treatment – mix the starch mixture in a bowl and dip the item to be ironed into it.
Linen spray: Instead of aerosols laden with artificial fragrances, make your own from distilled water and essential oil (about 10 drops of oil or so to a pint of water). Lavender is a traditional scent to add to linen – it has moth-repellent properties – but experiment and blend to find your personal favourite. Any oil you love will do!
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Somebody once wrote a book entitled “When Two or Three are Gathered Together, Someone Spills Their Drink.” However, it’s not just drinks that get spilled at the table when families get together, with resulting stains on the tablecloth, the napkins, people’s shirts and fronts, and even onto trousers. Food seems to get all over the place – and that’s without a small baby in the family or food fights going on. And guess who has to wash it all off.
Some food stains are worse than others to get off. Here is the Hall of Shame for food stains – and how to deal with them.
1. Food stain: Banana. Most likely culprit: Babies – banana is excellent baby food, but the resulting spills, spits and sick-ups result in black-grey stains down the fronts of all those pale, pastel garments. Removal method: Some people swear by pre-wash stain treatments, others suggest using glycerine to treat the stain before washing, while others suggest bleaching the stain with lemon juice and leaving it in the sunlight. One of the more unusual suggestions for removing banana stains from baby clothes is to rub the banana pulp (before the stain sets) with the inside of a banana peel.
2. Food stain: Tomato sauce (including baked beans). Most likely culprit: Everybody, but especially the ones who prefer having sausage with their tomato sauce, not tomato sauce with their sausage. Removal method: Scrape off as much as possible, then rinse immediately under cold water. Using white vinegar or glycerine as a pre-treatment can also work. Also consider trying a biological washing powder and a hot wash (if the fabric can handle it).
3. Food stain: Curry, especially the ones with tumeric. Most likely culprit: Me – I love curry. Removal method: Scrape off the excess as soon as possible. Then pre-treat the stain with glycerine and wash using a warm wash (to break down the oils), preferably using biological washing powder.
4. Food stain: Beetroot. Most likely culprit: The ones who hate beetroot and remove it from their filled rolls… and put it down on the tablecloth (not again!). Removal method: Splash on a little soda water as soon as the spill happens, sponge off the excess and then wash (as soon as possible) as normal.
5. Food stain: Cherries. Most likely culprit: Everyone. Removal method: Soak in cold water as soon as possible. Use natural domestic cleaner like vinegar or lemon juice as a bleach (if you use lemon juice, put the item in the sun to let the bleach work), then wash, preferably in biological washing powder.
6. Food stain: Chewing gum. Most likely culprit: My pre-teenagers. Removal method: Ideally, banning chewing gum. Realistically, putting the item with the gum in the freezer and letting the gum harden. Then scrape off the hardened gum. Any residue can be tackled by blotting and soaking the area with meths or some other alcohol. You can also buy specialised chewing gum remover in some places.
7. Food stain: Egg. Most likely culprit: Children who like boiled eggs but haven’t realised that the further in you put your spoon, the higher the yolk rises; clumsy or novice cooks. Removal method: Scrub off excess egg. Then soak in cold water (hot water will set egg stains). Wash in cold water.
8. Food stain: Red wine. Most likely culprit: Those who overindulge. Removal method: Immediately, pour on white wine, soda water or salt to get the stain away from the fabric. If using white wine or soda water, blot up the excess – salt should be brushed away. Rinse well in cold water until the stain has gone. Don’t use soap, as this will set the stain.
9. Food stain: Tea. Most likely culprit: Chipped teapots. Removal method: Rub a paste of baking soda and water on the spot and leave it to sit for about quarter of an hour before washing.
10. Food stain: Soy sauce. Most likely culprit: My husband. Removal method: Rinse well under cold running water as soon as possible. Rub the fabric against itself until the stain as gone. Don’t use soap – it will set the stain – but you can use washing up detergent to move the stain along.
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