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OILY
RAG
INDEX
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Cleaners
Ammonia
- I have bought ammonia
readily in my local supermarket. Not the cheapest
supermarket, but another one. Keep looking! I think you can
also buy it in large hardware stores. - Fiona, Hamilton.
Bath
- Sprinkle baking soda on the bath
without water and use brush to scrub off build up of oils from
bodies. – D.G.
Baking soda
- A
Reporoa reader says baking soda when applied with a damp
cloth is good for cleaning sinks, basins, polishing
stainless steel, deodorising and cleaning thermos flasks.
Carpets
- Use baking soda as a carpet
deoderizer. Sprinkle on and leave for 1- hours to absorb odours.
Vacuum off. – D.G.
- Carpets
need a clean? There is no doubt that the occasional steam
clean does wonders for reviving worn carpet. Rather than
call in the experts, you could for half the price hire a
steam cleaner. Ask about the neighbourhood to see if there
is anyone else that would like to have their carpets done.
The cost of a full day’s hire is only about $5 or $10
more than a half day, so it is well worth having the gear
for a full day and doing a number of houses. Not only will
you save money but it is an opportunity to make some as
well.
Cat
urine
-
DM from
Christchurch asks: "How do I get the smell of cat urine out of
a fabric covered lounge suite?" Chooki1from Wanganui
replies: "Try sponging with baking soda
and water until just damp. Sprinkle baking soda onto this
dampened patch, wait until it is dry, then vacuum off.
Repeat if there is still an odour there. When dry, spray
lightly with white vinegar (acts as a deterrent). Good luck!
If kitty continues to use that spot, try feeding him/her
there - they don't like to eat where they wee or wee where
they eat."
Caustic soda
Never, never, never
pour anything into caustic soda! You can add it to a liquid,
but you must not add a liquid to it. The reaction is
exothermic & serious burns are likely, as well as giving
off toxic fumes! - P.W., Whangamata.
Exterior
surfaces
- To clean paths, walls
etc here is a cheap 30 seconds. Simply save a bucket of
washing water on wash days. Add a couple of handfuls of
Baking Soda [bought at a bulk bin store] and add a good
slurp of bleach. Scrub gently onto surface. Rinse and the
result is great and lasting. - J.H. Auckland.
Fire places
-
We
have many friends with glass fronted wood-burners in their
lounges. They use many commercial cleaning preparations
to clean the glass - over time this amounts to a significant
cost.
A
simple no-cost solution is to use the ash itself to clean
the glass. We have used this for around ten years, and the
glass is still like new.
Take
three pieces of paper towel. Hold one piece under a tap to
saturate it with water. Dip this repeatedly in the cold
ash and use it to clean the glass. It will come clean within
seconds. Use the remaining two pieces to wipe the glass
clean and dry. Make sure you have a piece of newspaper
spread under the open door to catch the drips as you clean!
- Ross.
General
-
Multi-Purpose Cleaner. You need: 1/2 cup white vinegar, 1/4
cup baking soda, 1.8 litres of water. Combine ingredients in
a clean container (a 3L milk bottle will do), shake to
blend. Then for
ease of use, I pour into a spray bottle.
A great all-purpose cleaner for a fraction of the
price. - B.W.,
Auckland
-
Liquid Laundry Detergent. You need: Hot water, 1 bar
Sunlight Soap (grated), 1 cup washing soda. In a large
saucepan add grated soap and enough hot water to cover. Heat
over medium-low heat and stir until soap is melted. Fill a
large bucket with 9.5L of hot water, add hot soap mixture.
Stir until well mixed. Then add the washing soda, again
stirring until well mixed. Set aside to cool. Use 1/2 cup
per full load, stirring well before each use (will gel). - B.W.,
Auckland
-
There was a really horrible stain in our wall-to-wall
carpet. Fortunately we had some off-cuts and did a
successful repair job by cutting out a square (in our case
200x200 mm) and replacing it by fitting and gluing down a
corresponding square taken from an off-cut. This method is
not for the faint-hearted! However, it can be like invisible
mending if done with utmost precision. You need to match the
pattern and fit the size exactly (make the patch slightly
larger than the hole to start with, then trim it back
millimetre by millimetre as required). You need good tools
and endless patience. If possible, have enough spare carpet
ready to have a second go if at first you don't succeed. You
can, of course, use a contrasting patch as well, e.g. in a
child's or teenager's room. - Thirties
Depression Baby, Auckland.
-
Household Cleaner. This
solution also lasts forever. Household cleaner used to cost
me $80 per month, but now I buy detergent every three
months, vinegar once a year at $1.50, washing soda every 18
months at $0.98c and eucalyptus oil once every eight months
at $3.50 - a saving of $880 a year minus $20 for the few
items I do buy. In total I've saved around $2640 over three
years.
Mix
all ingredients together, and it's ready to use. Use 60ml of
solution in warm water to wash your floors. Fill a spray
bottle and use it to clean your table, benches and bathroom.
- B.R
- For those with fireplaces/woodburners who do not know what
to do with their ash: Ash can be dumped in the garden to add
alkalinity. I use it to absorb oil from pots and pans and
then wash, also on stovetops to absorb splatters, then just
wipe clean. I got this tip from an Indian lady who says for
places with no water, this is how they clean their kitchen
utensils. - Joan, Wellington.
-
Through six children I cleaned many sweat-tops and
most clothing of oil, food or grease stains by hand-washing
(scrubbing the old fashioned way before there were washing
machines) with a cake of sunlight soap and moderately hot
water before putting them through a normal wash.
Alternatively you can just soak them in a bucket of hottish
water with a double dose of your normal washing powder prior
to washing or do a hot wash! - as long as you know the
material or garment can tolerate it and most can despite
what the labels say. (Don't go overboard and use boiling
water!) - EMS, Wellington.
- Buy
the cheapest two-litre container of dish washing liquid. Tip
half into a one-litre container. Top up the now half full
container with water. Use the full strength solution for big
washes and greasy dishes. Use the diluted mix for light
everyday washes and small amounts of dishes.
-
Have a “bought-by” date. This is the opposite to a used
by date. When you buy cleaning liquid, such as dish washing
liquid, write the purchase date on the bottle. Challenge
yourself to see how long the bottle lasts.
- I
use a tablespoon of soda with the detergent, which decreases
the grease, and the detergent goes further. I also use soda
to soak my toothbushes and combs, which gives them another
lease of life! Or in the bath as bath salts. I only use a
fraction of toothpaste of what they advertise; I have a
theory, that if toothpaste falls off your brush while
cleaning, you don’t need it. If I need warm water in the
basin, I fill a small bucket with water till it runs hot and
use that for other needs. I use old soap to put in a
stocking, but I use
it to wash myself with, no different to other soap! –
J.O., Christchurch.
Grease
- I have found that Sugar Soap
can be great for getting oily stains out of clothes.
It might be an idea to test it on an area that isn't
visible in case the dye bleeds but I have found it to be
quite successful. -Cheryl
M, Greymouth.
-
Grease
stain remover. Try making a paste of baking soda and
a few drops of water. Work the paste into the grease stain
and rinse with warm water. Repeat a couple of times if
needed. The baking soda will help remove the grease while
also removing any smell. - Twin Mum, Masterton.
Oven
-
Magic Oven Cleaner - In
a roasting dish put 3 tbsp ammonia, 3 tbsp washing powder
and then fill with 2 litres od boiling water. Place in the
oven, block all vents and leave overnight. Switch oven off
at the wall. Next day use the water to wipe out the oven and
clean the racks. So easy and baked on gunk comes off with
very little effort. - Nora, Rangiora.
Scuff marks
- Got black scuff marks
on walls. Use a dab off toothpaste on a damp cloth.
Brilliant!! Can be used on any wall paint unlike expensive
cleaning cloths or "white aways" which will remove
matt paint... - J.M. Christchurch.
Shower
- To keep a shower clean
without harsh (and expensive) chemicals, get the last person
to use the shower to hose down the walls (if you have a
handheld showerhead), then wipe the walls and floor with a
microfibre cleaning cloth. These cloths are indispensable
for cleaning without much more than soap, baking soda, or
vinegar for tough cleaning. Hosing and wiping down the
shower prevents the build-up of soapy scum. - Wellington
Sugar soap
- I use sugar soap for cleaning walls, ceilings, floors and to
wash the car. It is really good at getting road grime off
the car and does not leave waxy marks on the windows. In
fact, it has been removing the wax spots that were already
there. I also use it in the window washers of the car. It is
cheaper than car wash products and does a better job. It is
also great in the house and you don't need several different
products. It removes mould and grease from walls and
ceilings with ease and leaves everything looking nice. Spray
and Wipe unusually bleaches the patch where it is sprayed
and the walls end up looking blotchy. Sugar Soap is not too
expensive and is available at supermarkets. - Sue
Lunjevich, Kaitaia.
Toilet
cleaner
-
Toilet bowl cleaner.
You need: 1/4 cup baking soda and 1 cup white vinegar.
Combine ingredients, pour into clean container and let it
set for a few minutes. Scrub with brush and rinse. - B.W.,
Auckland
Washing
soda
-
Most bulk stores and
supermarkets sell washing soda but if you live in a small
town with only one store, mobilize your friends and get
everyone to urge your local store to stock it. If enough
customers ask for a product, the store is sure to respond.
An excellent alternative for cleaning burnt pots is a
thickish paste of water and baking soda (bicarbonate of
soda). In bulk stores this is very much cheaper than the
packaged product. Apply and leave to stand, rub gently.
Repeat, many times if necessary! Burnt pots are notoriously
hard to clean. Some never come right, but most do with
gentle, patient treatment. - Thirties
Depression Baby, Auckland.
Windows
-
Clean windows with scrunched up newspaper and vinegar. Wipe
off with a dry cloth. Works every time! - D., Culverden.
- A reader
from Russell says for years she has cleaned windows with a
scrunched up damp newspaper.
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