Striving4Zen

White vinegar has been proven to work just as well as chlorine, which kills everything living—the good along with the bad. To clean soap scum off a tub or shower stall, apply hot vinegar with a sponge or rag, then scrub hard with a stiff-bristled scrub brush. For a DIY dusting formula, add a few drops of olive oil to 1/4 cup vinegar. Dampen your dust cloth with the solution and to mop the floor, fill a bucket with hot water, 1 cup vinegar, and a drop of dish liquid or Murphy Oil Soap.

Baking soda is unbelievably useful in every room of your house. Clean greasy stove and drip pans by putting them in a large stock pot and submerging them in a solution of 1/2 cup baking soda per gallon of water. For your kitchen or bathroom drain begins to smell pour 1/2 cup baking soda down the drain and chase it with 1 cup vinegar. When the fizzing stops, pour down a kettleful of boiling water. Also, did you know that you can remove hardened crust from a pot or pan by filling it with a solution of 2 tablespoons baking soda per quart of water, and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat and let the pan cool for awhile and when you return the crust will lift right off.

Lemon juice is a natural odor-eater. Use lemon juice to soften hardened food spills by first putting the lemon juice in a cup of water and boil it in the microwave. Let the boiling water sit for a few minutes before you take it out. Then wipe the interior of the microwave with a sudsy rag, rinse with a clean wet rag, and wipe dry. Lemon is used in store bought products for dusting your furniture here's how you can make your own by mixing one part lemon juice with one part olive oil. Mix in a blender or shake vigorously, then apply sparingly. If the mixture begins to separate, shake it up again before applying. Let the mixture soak into the wood for a few minutes, then wipe dry with a clean soft cloth.

Table salt can be used for more than salting your food, you can clean coffeepots and percolators by filling them with water, adding 4 tablespoons salt, then bringing the water to a boil. Let the water sit and cool, then pour it out and rinse well. You can remove rust from tinware by rubbing it with a peeled potato dipped in salt, you can loosen dirt and kill flea and moth eggs in carpet, sprinkle with salt, work it into the nap with a stiff broom, them vacuum it up. Mix it with lemon juice, it can clean copper; mixed with vinegar, it can polish brass.

Essential oils like the pressed oils of oregano, basil, clove and thyme in particular are highly antimicrobial, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory. There are hundreds of different essential oils to choose from, you can douse cotton balls with your favorite oils, and place them in the air vents of your home. You can place a damp cloth with a few drops of oil on or near the intake duct of your heating and cooling system or make your own potpourri by adding essential oils to cedar chips or place a bowl of water and a few drops of your favorite oil on a wood stove. Wonderful aromatherapy, too.

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