Household Tips (A-Z)

Bathtub:
The film that accumulates in your bathtub, shower tray and washbasin can be removed by soaking and scrubbing with Vinegar.

Brass:
Rub with a lemon half dipped in salt. It will not only clean but also leaves a great shine.

Chopping boards:
Use a scrubbing brush with bicarbonate of soda and table salt and then rinse thoroughly with hot water to clean wooden chopping boards. Also use bicarbonate of soda on plastic cutting boards before washing with dishwashing soap and hot water. Sprinkle with bicarbonate of soda. Wipe with a damp cloth.

Coffee pots:
Use bicarbonate of soda to clean your coffee pot, run dissolved through coffee maker then two more runs with fresh water.

Cooker & tiles:
Use bicarbonate of soda to clean the cooker and tiles behind it. It does a great job on grease!!

Coffee Stains
Use salt to clean your discolored coffee pot.

Copper:
Rub vigorously with half a lemon dipped in mixture of salt and white vinegar.

Cups & Mugs:
Sprinkle bicarbonate of soda directly on coffee or tea stains in cups and mugs, rub gently with sponge or washcloth and rinse. Stains are gone!

Cutlery:
Rub with the cut side of a raw potato, then wash in warm water and polish.

Crystal:
Wash in a solution of 1 part vinegar to 3 parts water.

Dishes:
Vinegar cuts grease and freshens dishes when washing them.

Dishwasher:
Put some bicarbonate of soda in the dishwasher to help eliminate streaks and spots from the extremely hard water.

Drains:
Cover slow drains with bicarbonate of soda and pour a pot of boiling water over it and it cleans the drains. Do this at least twice a monthDrains Use a sink strainer to avoid blocked drains. To unblock, try a plunger and boiling water. Or pour in a quarter cup of bicarbonate of soda and add a quarter cup of white vinegar. Hold the plug in while the drain fizzes.

Fridges:
Put an opened box of bicarbonate of soda in the fridge to absorb odours. Use it with warm water to wash the inside of the refrigerator.

Glassware:
Half fill container with cold water add 1 tablespoon of dry mustard, shake, leave for 30 minutes then rinse. Also removes odours.Mix grated peeled potato with warm water, allow the solution to stand in container, swirl occasionally and rinse.Place raw rice, dash of vinegar and salt with water in the container. Swish , empty, then rinse.

Plastic:
Some bicarbonate of soda on a damp cloth removes dust from the plastic parts of electronic equipment.

Plastic crockery and plates:
Remove stain by rubbing with a paste of equal parts bicarbonate of soda and coarse salt.

Plastic food containers:
To remove odours, fill the containers with scrunched up balls of newspaper, and then place in the freezer for a few days, or soak in a solution of bicarbonate of soda and water, and then scrub with a damp cloth and bicarbonate of soda.

Shower curtains:
Bicarbonate of soda is excellent for cleaning shower curtains - in or out of the washing machine

Silver:
Clean with a solution made from one and a half teaspoons of salt and one and a half teaspoons of bicarbonate of soda dissolved in one litre of water, bring to the boil and drop silver cutlery in, boil for 3 minutes and then polish with a soft cloth. If the silver is badly tarnished, add a piece of heavy duty aluminum foil. This will react with the soda to lift the tarnish.

Sinks & baths
Bicarbonate of soda cleans porcelain sinks and bath.

Stainless Steel
Vinegar cleans stainless steel & Copper pots

Stainless Steel
Use bicarbonate of soda as a pot scrubber. Make it into a paste and scrub stainless steel, iron or copper pots and bottoms with itSurfaces Soapy water or a small amount of bicarbonate of soda. Thermos flask Soak thermos flasks with about 3 tablespoons of bicarbonate of soda and hot water. It takes out coffee and tea stains. Also sprinkle bicarbonate of soda into the dry thermos before putting the cover back on and storing it. It keeps it fresh. JUST remember to rinse out the bicarbonate of soda before you fill it next time

Wallpaper remover
You can use vinegar to remove wall paper. First remove top layer of wallpaper. Then spray vinegar on and let stand for a minute or two. Then pull backing away. Scrape excess glue off wall. Wipe remaining glue off with vinegar and rinse with water.

Washing machine & dishwasher
Add vinegar to the soap container and run through a regular cycle to dissolve detergent residues.Use vinegar in place of rinse aid. Fill powder holder with bicarbonate soda.