jump to navigation

Projects and Money-Saving Tips September 24, 2008

Posted by Diane Bird in : All Posts , 1 comment so far

My project of the year was to paint our kitchen. I knew I needed to wash down the walls first, but wasn’t sure what to use. Mother used ammonia and water, and being the dedicated housekeeper she was, she “did” the walls every year. One of the reasons she used ammonia was probably because of the residue from cigarette smoke, and she needed to cut through the accumulated brown ick. I use ammonia for some of my routine cleaning around the house, like the oven and the grill racks, but it’s very hard on my hands and I never got the knack of wearing rubber gloves. So, utilizing the great resources on the internet, I found the following tips, and I can attest to the fact that they work wonderfully. For the kitchen walls, I used the GENERAL CLEANING “recipe”:

1 gallon water

One-half of 1/3 cup borax

One teaspoon liquid dish soap

1-1/2 teaspoon ammonia

My delight had no bounds, though, when I tried the WINDOW WASHING SOLUTION. After years of trying ammonia mixtures, vinegar mixtures, Windex and other store bought wonders (all supposedly “streak-free”) I will now use nothing except the following recipe:

One quarter cup corn starch dissolved in two quarts warm water

Now, I know it’s hard to believe, but it works equally well inside and out, leaving no streaks and no residue on the windows. It easily removes dirt, grease, bug juice, even bird-do. Fast, efficient, and cheap! That’s another great side benefit of these tips, that they will save money and we all surely need that with the economy continuing on its slide down the slippery slope. Large boxes of both soda and borax are available in your local supermarket (or WalMart, if you want to spend the money on gas to get there).

SINK CLEANER (replaces Comet, etc.): Mix one-half cup borax and one cup baking soda.

TOILET STAIN CLEANER: Drain the bowl to the lowest level; make a paste of vinegar and borax; apply to stains and scrub with very light sandpaper.

VERY GREASY POTS & PANS: Add two tablespoons vinegar to soapy wash water.

Try this FACIAL, and wonder why you spent $16 on your last jar of “stuff”! Mix 1 part olive oil with 3 parts baking soda. … or this simple, easy MAKEUP REMOVER: Baby oil!

And the kitchen got painted semi-gloss “Country White” and looks great, if I do say so myself.