This works like a charm, no scrubbing required! Cut a lemon or lime into 4 pieces. Fill the kettle with water up to the maximum level, squeeze and put the lemon slices inside, and boil the water. Let the water cool down for 1 hour and boil the water again. The kettle will be as clean as new.
Remove stains
Tips contributed by Barbara Trumbull
- Hair spray (not pump) will remove ballpoint ink. Spray area with hair spray and toss in the wash.
- Hydrogen Peroxide (household strength) will remove blood from a garment. First test on inconspicuious place, if no color change, dab the stain with peroxide and toss in the washer.
Clear blocked drain pipes
To clear blocked drain pipes, pour 1 cup of baking soda into the drain, followed by 1 cup of vinegar. Let them sit for 10 to 15 minutes or until they stop bubbling. Then flush the drain with a lot of hot or boiling water. You may need to repeat the process several times if your drain is severely blocked.
Homemade kitchen cleaner
Dirty kitchen counter, especially one made of wood, is a breeding ground for bacterias like E.Coli and Salmonella. Cleaning the surface using water is not enough to kill those nasty bacterias and commercial cleaners may have harmful effects to our health. So what are we to do? Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University offered a solution based on research conducted by Susan Sumner. The research proved that a mixture of vinegar and hydrogen peroxide is highly effective to kill both bacterias. Here is how to make it at home:
- Prepare 2 spray bottles
- Fill 1 bottle with white vinegar. If no white vinegar is available, you can also use apple cider vinegar.
- Fill another bottle with 3% hydrogen peroxide. Hydrogen peroxide of this strength can be found in your local pharmacy as wound disinfectant or mouth gargle.
- To use, spray the surface you want to clean with 1 solution, followed by the other. You can spray vinegar first then hydrogen peroxide or vice versa, it doesn’t matter. What kills the germs is the combination of both.
- Do not mix both solutions in one bottle as it will be less effective than spraying one after another.
This mixture can also be used to disinfect wooden cutting board.
Cleaning silver jewellery
- Soak it in soapy water and wipe dry using lint-free cloth, or
- Soak it in the water used to boiled potato and wipe with lint-free cloth.
Crisp vegetables
To crisp up vegetables such as lettuce or celery, soak them in cold water and add a few slices of raw potato.
Prevent color fading
Prevent new garments from fading by soaking them in cold, salty water before washing for the first time.
Laundry tips
- Wash similar colours together to minimise colour runs.
- Wash clothes inside out to preserve colors.
- Separate laundry according to its weight. For example. heavy laundry (bedsheets, quilt covers, blankets), delicates (lingerie), etc.
- Metal teeth of zips and button can snag clothes in a wash, so zip up the pants and button up all shirts before throwing them into the washing machine.
- It’s better to wash clothes in cold water as hot water tends to loosen the threads.
- Wash bed linens in hot water to kill germs.