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Household: General Uses For...

Source of Recipe

Kim Tilley
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AMMONIA: Good grease-cutter, wax stripper, and window cleaner. NEVER MIX WITH BLEACH!

BLEACH: Great for whitening anything, removing molds and mildews, and general cleaning. Best used diluted with water. DO NOT MIX BLEACH WITH VINEGAR, TOILET BOWL CLEANER OR AMMONIA. The combination of bleach with any of these substances produces a toxic gas which can be hazardous.

BAKING SODA: Extremely versatile, baking soda is an all-purpose, non-toxic cleaner. It cleans, deodorizes, scours, polishes, and removes stains. There are entire books written about the zillions of uses of baking soda, and the best thing about it is that it's cheap!

BORAX (sodium borate): It deodorizes, removes stains and boosts the cleaning power of soap. It also prevents mold and odors. Great alternative for those who do not want to use bleach. (Keep out of reach of children.)

CATSUP: Great for cleaning copper.

CORNSTARCH: Cleans and deodorizes carpets and rugs. You can use this to replace expensive "baby powders" also.

LEMON JUICE: Great for whitening items, but vinegar is cheaper. It also cuts through grease and stains on aluminum and porcelain.

PURE SOAP: Cleans just about anything and is mild.

SALT: Believe it or not, regular table salt makes an abrasive, but gentle, scouring powder. Who would have known?

WASHING SODA (sodium carbonate): Cuts grease and disinfects. It will also increase the cleaning power of soap.

WHITE VINEGAR: Very cheap and versatile, great for whitening, also fantastic for cleaning hard surfaces, windows, and shining up metal surfaces. Removes mildew, stains, grease and wax buildup. This is another natural cleaner that whole books have been written on!