HELP IN IMPROVING YOUR HEALTH
AND THE ENVIRONMENT

CLEANING & HOUSEHOLD TIPS:

All-purpose cleaner: Mix 50 mL baking soda with 100 mL vinegar in 2 L of water.

Carpets: Stains - dampen with water and borax, scrub with sponge. Odours - sprinkle with 1 part borax and 2 parts cornmeal. Let stand one hour before vacuuming. KEEP PETS AWAY. Baking soda sprinkled on the carpet before vacuuming also works.

Car battery: Fix a bad battery connection. Make a paste of three parts baking soda to one part water and brush onto corroded battery posts and cable connectors. Rinse and dry. Coat with petroleum jelly to keep terminals trouble free.

Car windows: Keep car windows frost free by coating windows the night before with a solution of three parts vinegar and one part water. Sponge off bugs and road splatters from windshield using baking soda. Clean dirty wipers with baking soda sprinkled on a sponge to keep windshield streak free.

Glass and chrome cleaner: Dissolve one half cup of cornstarch in two quarts of warm water. Wipe with cloth or sponge. Dry with another dry cloth. (Don't use in direct sunlight or on hot appliances).

Dishwasher: Run a cup of vinegar through the whole cycle once to reduce soap build-up on the inner mechanisms and glassware.

Lint: Get rid of lint in clothes by adding one half cup of vinegar to rinse cycle.

Metal polish: Clean brass, bronze, copper, gold and silver with toothpaste and soft toothbrush. For large amounts of silver sprinkle borax in a pan of hot water with a sheet of aluminum foil on the bottom. Let soak.

Microwave: Boil a solution of one quarter cup vinegar and one cup water in the microwave. It will loosen splattered on food and deodorize at the same time.

Oven cleaners: To remove baked-on spills, scrub with a paste made from baking soda, salt and water. Sprinkle tough spots with baking soda, let stand for 15 minutes, scrub with damp cloth.

Plugged drains: Pour 100 mL of baking soda down the drain, add 100 mL of vinegar and cover if possible. Let set for a few minutes, then flush with hot water.

Shower and tub mildew remover: Mix one part vinegar with one part borax and two parts water. Moisten rag and rub area down. Let stand ten minutes, rinse.

Toilet bowl cleaner: Mix enough borax with lemon juice to make a paste. Flush toilet to wet sides. Rub on paste and let stand two hours. Scrub off.

Wooden floors: Mix equal amounts of oil and vinegar. Apply thin coat and rub in well.

GARDENING AND INSECT CONTROL TIPS:

Ants: Put bone meal or powdered charcoal where ants enter.

Flies: Scratch the skin of an orange and leave it out. Hang out clusters of cloves.

Chinch bugs: Drench the problem area with a mixture of 1 capful of dish washing soap in a bucket of water. Lay a piece of flannel over the drenched area. The bugs will cling to it, trying to get free of the soap. After 15 minutes, hose off flannel in a bucket or vacuum the flannel.

Insecticide: Mix one teaspoon of liquid dish washing detergent with 1 cup vegetable oil. Shake vigorously to emulsify and add a quart of tap water. Use at 10-day intervals as an all-purpose spray for white flies, spider mites, aphids, and various insects on carrots, celery, cucumbers, eggplants, peppers, etc.

Lime: Lime can be used on organic or non-organic gardens. Applied during the dormant period it kills most species of mites, mite eggs and other insects.

Newspaper Mulch: Place several layers of newspaper between plant rows and keep them moist so they won't blow away. Also weigh them down with a few clods of earth. Weeds won't sprout underneath, and when the papers decompose, they enrich the soil.

Tomato leaves: Crushed tomato leaves can treat leaf-spot diseases.

Weeds: Pour straight vinegar on weeds and unwanted grass.

HEALTH AND HYGIENE TIPS:

Antacid: Dissolve one half teaspoon of baking soda in a half glass of water and drink slowly.

Deodorant: Sprinkle baking soda under your arms as a natural alternative to sprays and sticks.

Rashes: Soothe minor burns and rashes with a paste of three parts baking soda with one part water or witch hazel (also good for poison ivy itch).

Skin: Put vinegar on your skin for bites, sunburn or dry, itchy skin.

Sinus infections/chest colds: Add a quarter cup or more vinegar to a vaporizer.

Soften bath water: Add a half cup of baking soda to the bath for a relaxing and deodorizing soak.

Sore throats: Sore throats can be soothed by a teaspoon of vinegar in a glass of water. Gargle, then swallow.

Teeth: A little baking soda on a wet toothbrush not only cleans your teeth, but neutralizes bacterial waste.

Tired Feet: Soothe tired feet by soaking them for 10 minutes in a quart of warm water with four teaspoons of baking soda.

Warts: Apply a lotion made of half vinegar and half glycerin.

Compiled from:
Nature's Alternatives: 70 Uses for Baking Soda. Mother Earth News, Feb/Mar 97, p. 10-12.
Guide to Organic Pesticides. Doc & Katy Abraham, Mother Earth News, Feb/Mar 97, p. 36.
No Scents, PLEASE. Ann Cheyne, AENA Update, Winter 94/95, p. 36.
Environmentally Friendly Alternatives to Household Cleaners (pamphlet). NS Department of the Environment.
The All-Purpose Household Wonder! Mother Earth News, Oct/Nov 96, p. 10-12.
The Care & Feeding of Cast Iron. Angela Jenkins, Mother Earth News, June/July 97, p. 10.

Please note that you should always check with your doctor before undertaking any type of treatment.