Vinegar is an amazing and versatile cleaner for all kinds of applications around the house. However, because it is acidic it has limitations. Vinegar has the potential to harm certain surfaces. To prevent any damage, avoid using any strength vinegar on the following surfaces and household items. No. 1: Hardwood Floors Even regular, supermarket plain…
7 Ways to Use Borax
A recent letter from a reader who used borax to solve her dishwasher woes got me thinking about all the ways I use this handy product to clean and fix problems around the house. What Is Borax? Borax is actually a salt that is found naturally in evaporation lakes. It is used as an ingredient…
These 7 Plants Are Natural Repellents to Keep Fruit Flies Out of Your Home
Fruit flies are perhaps the most annoying of household pests. They barge right in and make themselves quite at home. With a knack for gravitating toward ripe fruits; veggies; and even stagnant drains, fruit flies are causing quite a nuisance this time of year. While not on anyone’s list of devastating catastrophes, fruit flies are…
7 Simple Ways to Go Green With Your Cleaning Routine
As “green” cleaning becomes increasingly popular, more and more eco-friendly products are lining the shelves at retailers. Not only are they better for the environment, but cleaning products sans harsh chemicals and fragrances are also safer to use around children and pets, as well as anyone in your household with sensitive skin (or a sensitive…
8 Surprising Ways Lemons Can Make Your Life Easier
Several years ago, my son gave me the bounty from the two fruit trees that pretty much rule his backyard. My Mother’s Day gift of Meyer lemons weighed in at 124 pounds. I know, lucky me! I had to figure out ways to use, share and preserve lemons in a big hurry. I juiced, cooked…
Favorite Household Cleaners You Can Make Yourself for Just Pennies
It pretty much kills me to spend money for things I know I can make myself for less than their pricey commercial cousins. Take cleaning products for example. Knowing how to make things for pennies that cost dollars at the store just makes me happy. It’s a no-brainer. Here are three handy recipes to help…
Ask Me Anything: Dip-It for Percolators, Laminate Floors, Unscented Dawn
Growing up in Boise, Idaho (shoutout to all my Gem State readers), my parents had a percolator. I can still hear that coffee pot perking away in the mornings. My mom used something called Dip-It powder to keep the thing clean. That’s a memory that sent me into research mode, prompted by today’s first reader…
Vinaigrette on the Coffee Table
Not long ago I got a request from reader Kelly R., for a DIY recipe for furniture polish. She said that she uses a lot of it and it is so expensive. My first thought was, of course, to suggest she time her purchases for when furniture polish goes on sale, and then to stock…
How to Clean Grout and Eliminate Grime Between Tiles Using Pantry Staples
Grout is porous, making it tricky to keep clean. And because the grout lines between tiles are often slightly deeper than the surface, simply wiping down your tiled surface often isn’t enough for tough stains or grime. On tile floors, crumbs, dirt and other debris can be left behind along the grout lines, even after…
Surprising Ways to Use Cornstarch to Save Time and Money
Cornstarch is a low-cost, readily available, humble miracle found in the baking aisle of just about every supermarket and grocery store in the country, and online. Extracted from corn and then processed into a very soft, white powder, cornstarch is sold in boxes and canisters. Usually, we think of cornstarch as a pantry ingredient used…
US News
RSS Error: A feed could not be found at `https://www.theepochtimes.com/c-us/feed`; the status code is `200` and content-type is `text/html; charset=utf-8`