Household/Gardening Tips
By Suzanne

LEMONS

Why Clean With Lemons

Smell
The citrus smell of a lemon is refreshing and invigorating. For many people a lemon smell has come to symbolize cleanliness. Most major cleaners on the market today have a lemon or a citrus scented version for consumers to enjoy.

Acid

Lemons are acidic and can provide some antibacterial and antiseptic properties for cleaning.

How To Clean With Lemons

Copper

Clean copper-bottomed pots and pans with lemon juice. Copper fixtures can also benefit from a lemon juice cleaning. Cut a lemon in half. Dip it in some salt, and clean spots from your copper.

Add To Vinegar

Vinegar can be a great cleaning ingredient, but many people dislike the vinegar smell. Adding lemon juice to vinegar when cleaning can help neutralize the vinegar smell.

Countertops

Countertop stains can be removed by allowing lemon juice to sit on the stain for a few minutes.

Scrub the area with baking soda and watch the stains disappear. Don't leave the lemon juice sitting for too long. It can be powerful stuff.

Drains

Lemon rinds can be ground in the garbage disposal to freshen the drain. Hot water with a little lemon poured down a drain will also freshen the drain.

Bleaching

Lemon juice acts as a natural bleaching agent. Put lemon juice onto white linens and clothing and allow them to dry in the sun. Stains will be bleached away

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BAKING SODA

Baking soda is an inexpensive and natural product that has so many uses around the house in addition to baking. From deodorizing your refrigerator to smothering grease fires, that yellow box of baking soda does a little bit of everything.

Just what is Baking Soda?

Baking soda is a sodium bicarbonate, a natural substance that maintains the pH balance. Baking soda neutralizes both acids and bases, so it actually eliminates odors rather than just covering them up. In cooking, baking soda releases carbon dioxide when heated, and this causes cookies, breads or cakes to rise. Baking soda can also act as a very mild abrasive cleaner perfect for removing stains from sinks, counter tops and even fine china.

Deodorizing

Baking soda neutralizes both basics ("ammonia smells", common in diaper pails) and acidic odors (like the smell from pickles).

Sprinkle baking soda on your carpet before vacuuming to eliminate food and pet odors.

After emptying the garbage, sprinkle some baking soda on the bottom of the garbage can; this will neutralize the food odors.

Keep an open box of baking soda in the back of your refrigerator and in your pantry; replace every 3 months or so.

Pour baking soda down your garbage disposal while running warm water.

Cleaning

Baking soda causes dirt and grease to dissolve in water, so it is very effective in cleaning kitchen counter tops, refrigerators, and stove tops. And sprinkled on a sponge or dishrag, baking soda forms a mildly abrasive scouring powder.

Use baking soda dissolved in water to clean and freshen the inside of your refrigerator.

For stubborn coffee stains in cups, sprinkle baking soda on the stain, wipe with a damp sponge, and rinse.

Baking soda is safe and effective as a paste to remove kool-aid and juice stains from kitchen counter tops.

Here's How:

Sprinkle baking soda on a damp wash rag.

Rub the stained area with the rag in a circular motion.

Repeat if necessary.

If stain is very stubborn, sprinkle baking soda directly on the stain, rub with damp rag.

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Here is a little thing my son Jaden has been doing with baking soda. While playing with his trucks and cars, especially any truck with a plow on it, he uses the baking soda for snow. We just place some on a baking sheet and pretend to be a snow plower.

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BORAX

A Fun Use For Borax

Homemade slime can provide hours of fun for your children. Here's how to make it yourself.
Difficulty: Easy
Time Required: 15 minutes
Here's How:

1. In a glass or ceramic bowl, add 1/2 cup water and 1 cup white glue.

2. Stir in 4 drops food coloring if desired.

3. In another bowl, dissolve 1/2 teaspoon borax in 1/2 cup water.

4. Slowly add the dissolved borax mixture to the glue mixture. Stir well.

* When not in use, store in a tightly sealed jar. Tips:

1. Borax can usually be found next to the laundry detergent in your grocery store.

2. Encourage your children to play with this outdoors as it's messy.

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How To Kill Cockroaches in Your Home

Nobody likes roaches in their homes, but harsh chemicals can be dangerous to use around young children and pets. Here's a homemade, safer roach killer.

Difficulty: Average
Time Required: 15 minutes
Here's How:

1. Mix equal parts powdered sugar and borax in a bowl.

2. Sprinkle in cracks along walls and under cupboards.

3. Keep away from children and pets.

4. Repeat as necessary for one to two weeks until all roaches have died.

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For those of us experiencing hot weather, please remember to check in on neighbors in poor health or the elderly.

People who do not feel well to begin with, don't always recognize extra health problems caused by the heat.