just a few words on homemade

**julsandtrish** · 09-28-2001, 08:40 AM

here are a some tips to keep in mind:
Borax (sodium borate), a natural disinfectant, dissolves best in hot water. Mix your potion with hot water and you can let it cool. Keep borax away from pets and children as it's poisonous (safe to clean with when rinsed away with water).
Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) is the homemaker's most prized cleaning product. Not only does it make your baked goods rise gloriously, it also is the best - and cheapest - scouring powder around. It's also fun - have you ever made your own film canister rockets? Your kids will think you're a genious, and they'll remember the experience from toddlerhood all the way to their senior high physics class.
Washing soda (calcium carbonate) is slightly caustic. You'll appreciate wearing rubber gloves when you use this. It also leaves behind a film, so be prepared to rinse whatever you're cleaning.
Vinegar (unless otherwise specified, use plain white vinegar) is up there with baking soda at the top of one's cleaning products list. The Green Fairy can clean almost anything with vinegar - from mineral deposits to mirrors to the kitchen floor. It's also a staple in the laundry room.
Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is a peroxide bleach. If you'd like, you can read some scientific gobbedly-goo about the different kinds of bleaches. You may use hydrogen peroxide on any fibers, except silk and those with any metallic threads. In the laundry, a quarter cup of h2o2 substitutes quite nicely for the advertised cup of chlorine bleach. You can also mix h2o2 with liquid dish soap instead of using a spray n' wash type of product. And most spot removers can be replaced with hydrogen peroxide rubbed on with a cotton ball or an old toothbrush. You might also want to check out the Stain Remover Guide in the Out! Darn Spot! section of our website.
Lemon juice (juice of lemon is a natural bleaching product, but using it in your all-purpose potion does more than give it that "lemony" smell - it's also a great grease cutter. (If you prefer a "mountain pine" smell instead, you can add a drop of pine tree essential oil to your cleaners). As far as buying lemon juice, you can buy lemons and squeeze them yourself, or you can just buy frozen reconstituted lemon juice that comes in a squeeze bottle. It works just as well. Keep it in the fridge, though, so it won't spoil.
Vegetable oil (plain cooking oil, doesn't matter the kind of vegetable) makes a handy furniture polish. Mix a little with a smidgeon of vinegar or lemon juice and give your piano a shine!