How To Charm Christmas Company
An hour or so before your guests arrive boil an apple, an orange and lemon peels along with cinnamon and cloves in a pot half full of water for thirty minutes. Your home will smell delicious and very inviting.
Spice Mix
Two cups of water
One tsp of all spice
Fresh orange peels
Microwave oven odors
Squeeze half of a lemon into a one cup measure and drop the other half in. Fill the one cup measure with water. Place this in the microwave and heat it on high for five minutes. Let it stand in the microwave for an additional five minutes.
Brass Cleaner
Use one cup of vinegar, one tsp. of salt and add flour to the point where you can make a paste. Let this sit for ten minutes. Rinse the brass well with warm water and polish the brass with the paste. Be sure to rinse all the polish off and dry with a soft, dry cloth.
To Clean A Drain
Use one half cup of soda and one to two cups of white vinegar and pour it down the drain. After about ten minutes, turn on the hot water for about one or two minutes. Follow this with lots of cold water.
SUBSTITUTES FOR COMMON HOUSEHOLD PRODUCTS
Cleaner for toilet bowl: Any general household cleaner or even baking soda can work. You can also use one half cup of bleach as a cleaner or use a pumice stone for hard water stains.
Furniture polish: Use light soapy water to clean and a soft cloth to shine. Then mix two parts vegetable oil or olive oil with one part lemon juice for polish.
Floor cleaner: Mix two-thirds cup of white vinegar with one-half gallon of water.
Cleaner for all purposes: A good general surface cleaner is vinegar with salt and water. For the bathroom use dissolved baking soda. This works well on coffee pots, chrome, copper and tile as well. A good general household cleaner is always just well diluted ammonia.
Cleaning glass: An eight to one solution of warm water and vinegar or cornstarch and water or use lemon juice and dry with a soft cloth.
A WARNING ABOUT CHLORINE BLEACH: Never mix with ammonia products!! Baking soda and water is a safer cleaner.
For upholstery and rugs: Sprinkle dry cornstarch on your rug and then vacuum, or use a soap-based non-aerosol rug shampoos. Remember to always wear gloves.
Cleaning copper: pour vinegar and salt over copper and rub.
ANTS!!: Sprinkle cream of tartar in front of the ants’ path.
FLEAS!!: Place eucalyptus seeds and leaves around the area where the pet sleeps. A bandana soaked in penny royal tea will repel fleas.
ROACHES!!: Use chopped bay leaves and cucumber skins, or boric acid, or one part borax and one part brown sugar and set out in dishes.
Remember mothballs? Spread newspapers around your closets or put your clothes in a cedar chest, or place cedar chips around clothes.