10 unexpected natural cleaners

[oneh2obabe]

White Bread
Use it to dust an oil painting. Gently dab a slice of white bread over the surface to pick up dirt and grime. See More: The Worst Cleaning Jobs Made Easy

Ketchup
Use it to remove tarnish from copper and brass cookware. Squeeze ketchup onto a cloth and rub it on pots and pans. They should go back to their coppery color in minutes. Rinse with warm water and dry with a towel.

Oatmeal
Use it to scrub very dirty hands. Make a thick paste of oatmeal and water; rinse well.

Rice
Use it to clean the inside of a vase or a thin-necked bottle. Fill three quarters of the vessel with warm water and add a tablespoon of uncooked rice. Cup your hand over the opening, shake vigorously, and rinse.

Tea
Use it to scour rusty garden tools. Brew a few pots of strong black tea. When cool, pour into a bucket. Soak the tools for a few hours. Wipe each one with a cloth. (Wear rubber gloves or your hands will be stained.)

Glycerin
Use it to remove dried wax drippings from candlesticks. Peel off as much wax as possible, then moisten a cotton ball with glycerin and rub until clean.

Club Soda
Use it to shine up a scuffed stainless-steel sink. Buff with a cloth dampened with club soda, then wipe dry with another clean cloth.

Hydrogen Peroxide
Use it to disinfect a keyboard. Dip a cotton swab in hydrogen peroxide to get into those nooks and crannies.

Cornstarch
Use it to clean grease spills on carpets. Pour cornstarch onto spots and let sit for 15 to 30 minutes before vacuuming.

Rubbing Alcohol
Use it to erase permanent-marker stains from finished wood floors or solid-surface countertops. Pour rubbing alcohol onto a cotton ball and apply.

[mee-mo87]

Ok, now lets hear what others use for natural cleaners (or cleaning tools). I know we are all very creative when it comes to making housework better, so what do you use? Green Product Favorites? Homemade Solutions (<--would love to see these!!!)

Mine:
-Vinegar to polish the tub
-I always use a "used" piece of cloth (socks, face cloths, towels) etc. to clean. Paper towels cost too much.
-I like the GreenWorks line of cleaners... they work really well (Yes I know they are not 100% all natural, but they are better than others)

What about you?

[Graphite]

You can clean your whole house with vinegar pretty much. Its good with mirrors too. I just found a good green cloth to use called The Ultimate Cloth and it is made with "MiraFiber", whatever that is. Seems pretty good.

[Nasturtium]

I am always on the look out for eco-friendly household cleaning.
A few months ago I began cleaning our vinyl floors with 1/4 cup of 3% hydrogen peroxide (available everywhere for about $1.00 a bottle) diluted with 1/4 cup of water (I add a few drops of essential oil which is optional) and pour this into a "Vileda Promist spraymop" (the mop and pad(s) are more expensive to purchase than the average mop, but it was well worth my initial investment), and spray the floor as I mop. I then soak the "pad(s)" in hydrogen peroxide, hot water and dish soap, just enough to cover the pad(s) for about 15 minutes. Doing this will clean off the heavier soiled dirt off the pad(s) prior to machine washing.
I have tried several floor cleaners over the years and nothing has been as effective.

[Bpeep]

I get 35% hydrogen peroxide at any garden store and mix my own 3.5 and 4%. Much cheaper and I never run out.

In the summer I open all the doors and windows, put a big fan in each of two windows and use an electric leaf blower instead of the central vacuum.
It's quicker than vacuuming and gets all the nooks and crannies that the vacuum doesn't.
Sounds weird but it works great.

To repel human pests, rub your clothing with raw fish.
Good for private seating at theaters and restaurants.

[flamingfingers]

Got 'ring around the toilet bowl?' Happens if you seldom use a toilet or 'they' don't flush...

On with the rubber gloves and use fine sandpaper to sand off the ring. Easy and less expensive than harsh chemicals.

[Bpeep]

A vacuum cleaner should be more aptly called a "partial vacuum cleaner" since there is no thing as a complete vacuum.
I guess they don't call them partial vacuums coz if they did there'd be no way to differentiate the complete ones from the disassembled ones.
And a corn broom should be labelled as it really is- a cordless broom.
What a confusing world.

[Nasturtium]

I get 35% hydrogen peroxide at any garden store and mix my own 3.5 and 4%. Much cheaper and I never run out.

Hi Bman,
I made some calls to our local Buckerfields, Lee Valley, Art Knapps, Rona, Home Depot and Canadian Tire asking if they sold hydrogen peroxide. None of them do.
I was wondering where you puchase your hydrogen peroxide 35% locally?

[looking4one]

I get 35% hydrogen peroxide at any garden store and mix my own 3.5 and 4%. Much cheaper and I never run out.

Hi Bman,
I made some calls to our local Buckerfields, Lee Valley, Art Knapps, Rona, Home Depot and Canadian Tire asking if they sold hydrogen peroxide. None of them do.
I was wondering where you puchase your hydrogen peroxide 35% locally?

Almost any drugstore. Ask the pharmacist.

[Bsuds]

Or here

https://www.amazon.ca/s/ref=nb_sb_noss? ... n+Peroxide

[looking4one]

$30.00 for H2O2...? Are you kidding?

[Bsuds]

$30.00 for H2O2...? Are you kidding?

That's 35% strength which is over 100 times stronger than the 3% you normally buy.
Mix it with enough water to make it 3% and you are paying .30 for an equivalent amount.

[looking4one]

How many of you want to buy this stuff? I will make a bulk purchase and sell it to you at that price.

[Bpeep]

Every indoor garden store carries it.

[Nasturtium]

I purchased 1 lite of 29% hydrogen peroxide Food Grade (02XY-Plus) made by Vitality Plus (Kaslo, BC) for $24.00 (on sale) at Choices Market (Hwy 97 near Spall).
The instructions read: For 3% solution mix 1 part to 10 parts water. This should last at least a year!
Added bonus: 10% of all proceeds (on this brand) are donated to survivors of sexual abuse.
Thank you Bman for your money saving tip while also reducing my plastic recycling!

Edited to add: http://www.using-hydrogen-peroxide.com/ ... aning.html