Real Simple Solutions

When one of our readers (thanks Alysia!) passed along a link to an interesting article over on realsimple.com, we just had to share the wealth of info that they tossed together. The article, entitled “Ten Unexpected Natural Cleaners” includes everything from ketchup and oatmeal to tea and rice that can be used to make your casa gleam. We always love the idea of dodging dodgy chemicals (and working with what you already have to save some moolah). So without further ado, here are those amazing unexpected ingredients that they recommended for everything from removing tarnish to cleaning the inside of a bottle:

Use ketchup to: Remove the tarnish from your brass and copper cookware. Just squeeze some ketchup onto a rag and rub it on your pots and pans. They should revert back to their original coppery color within minutes. Then rinse them with lukewarm water and dry them with a towel.

Use white bread to: Remove dust and dirt from an old oil painting. Using a slice of white bread to dab the surface of any oil painting will help to absorb grime and dirt.

Use oatmeal to: Thoroughly scrub super dirty hands. Just make a nice thick paste with water and oatmeal, rub your hands together, and rinse well.

Use rice to: Clean out a dingy thin-necked bottle or vase. First, fill the vase or bottle about three quarters of the way up with warm water and drop in a tablespoon of uncooked rice. Then cover the opening with you hand and shake things up for a while (letting the rice rub any interior stains away). Rinse things out and you’re good to go.

Use tea to: Scour your rusted garden tools. Start by brewing a few pots of strong black tea. Wait for it to cool and then pour it into a bucket or bowl. Soak the tools in the cooled tea for a few hours. Wipe each one with a rag to reveal their “new” look. Note: wearing rubber gloves will keep your hands from getting stained.

Use glycerin to: Get rid of dried wax drippings on candlesticks. Begin by peeling off as much of the wax as you can. Then dab some glycerin on a cotton ball and rub until the remaining wax is gone. YHL Note: another great way to get candle wax out of glass or ceramic holders is to stick them in the freezer for a few minutes so the wax shrinks up and pops right out. And olive oil makes great all-natural Goo Gone if you have sticky spots on ceramic or glass containers.

Use club soda to: Shine up any scuffed and grubby stainless-steel sink. First buff the sink with a club-soda dipped cloth and then wipe it dry with a clean cloth.

Use hydrogen peroxide to: Disinfect your germy keyboard. Just dip a cotton ball or q-tip in hydrogen peroxide (just a dab- not too much) and be sure to get into every nook and cranny that you can.

Use cornstarch to: Clean a daunting grease spill on the carpet. Just pour cornstarch onto the spot, let it sit there and be absorbed for fifteen to thirty minutes and then vacuum everything up. The grease should be absorbed by the powder and disappear once you vacuum.

Use rubbing alcohol to: Remove permanent marker stains from both solid-surface countertops and hardwood floors. It’s as easy as pouring rubbing alcohol onto a cotton ball and applying it to the stain.

We also noticed a link to a similar article (66 All Natural Cleaning Solutions), so be sure to check that out for even more easy and economical cleaning ideas. But because you know we love a bulleted list, here are a few of our favorite tips from that second article right here:

So there you have most of the tips and tricks that we took away from those two Real Simple articles (peruse the rest of the suggestions from the second article here). What do you think? Do any of them sound especially appealing to you? Do you have any all natural cleaning ideas to toss out there into the mix? Oh and don’t forget that we compiled a super thorough list of easy all-natural homemade cleaning potions that you can whip up on the cheap right here so be sure to check those out as well. Your sparkling (and totally fume free) house will thank you- along with your wallet!

All images courtesy of realsimple.com

  Leave a comment


   

 

 

 

If you enjoyed this post, please leave a comment or subscribe to the feed and get future articles delivered to your feed reader.

106 Comments


1 2
1 2

Leave a Reply

We love hearing from ya. We try to keep it light & fun (it's only decorating), so we'll nix comments that are snarky/spammy (our moms are reading).

If you don't see your comment it's because they're manually approved (it should pop up soon-ish). Occasionally our spam filter eats one. Boo spam filter.