Alternate Uses for Everyday Items
Cleaning The Green Way
Lemons, baking soda, coffee grounds, and soda. These are items the average person keeps in their home daily, but what do they have in common? They, along with a variety of other everyday household items, have many other uses for typical household chores and tasks. Discovering the uses behind these items can not only save time and money, but oftentimes they can be environmentally friendly and a better alternative to the items we're used to buying.
When it comes to cleaning and sanitizing, simple foods can be put to work to accomplish a chore that we usually buy chemicals and cleaners to perform. Lemon Slices can be rubbed along a chopping block to sanitize it after use, as well as remove tough food stains. Adding half a cup of lemon juice to laundry can brighten whites, as well as remove ink spots and other stains when added liberally to the spot before washing.
Baking Soda is also another excellent tool for cleaning. Baking soda can be used to clean and deodorize garbage cans, cloth diapers, stained clothing, and kitty litter pans. Sprinkling baking soda directly into kitty litter or garbage can eliminate nasty odors without the expense of plug-in deodorizers and sprays. Baking soda is also a great tool in emergencies with its ability to put out a grease or electrical fire without causing any additional damage itself.
Toilet bowls can be cleaned by pouring a can of Soda into the bowl, letting it sit, and then flushing. Combining it with a wrap of aluminum foil can help remove rust from a car's bumper, or corrosion from a car battery.
Vinegar can also be used as another handy household cleaner. Vinegar is knows for killing mold, germs and bacteria. It can be used to clean everything from counter-tops to cleaning the lime deposits left in kettles and coffee makers. You can also clean hardened paint brushes. Simmer white distilled vinegar with equal parts water then let the brushes soak for about an hour, rinsing with water afterward.
Used Coffee Grounds are ideal for plants. They make an excellent fertilizer for both indoor potted plants and outdoor garden plants. Working coffee into the soil before planting can not only enrich the nutrients, but keep such pests as snails and slugs at bay. The grounds can also work as a repellent for ants and cats who wish to use your garden as a personal litter box.
There are also many creative double uses for items you might find in your bathroom or bedroom. Hairspray, when sprayed onto a child's artwork, can preserve it to keep it long-lasting, and will work especially well at sealing in chalk or pastel drawings. Suede clothing and shoes can be revived using an Emory Board. Running the board over a stain and then holding it above steam should remove the spot. Dental Floss is a strong alternative to thread when it comes to repairing a button or items such as tents, tarps, or backpacks.
One can even save money by being creative with the items they often throw away! Plastic Cups make great storage for childrens' craft supplies, such as paintbrushes, crayons or chalk. Old Newspapers can be used in combination with window cleaners to remove extra-tough streaks. Newspapers are absorbent, and can be crumpled into a wet shoe to dry overnight, or to be placed by a door as a spot for wet boots and shoes. Those same shoes can be kept smelling fresh by placing a Dryer Sheet inside. Dryer sheets also make excellent dusters, especially for tough spots such as fans or venetian blinds.
When it comes to re-using everyday items, the old adage has never been truer, another person's trash is indeed, another person's treasure!
