Posted on 09/02/2015 5:33:16 PM PDT by Jamestown1630
I suspect that everyone who keeps a recipe box or binder has, as I do, a section for favorite homemade concoctions for household use. I thought this week I'd share some of mine.
I've collected some nice old copper pieces on thrift-store forays; most of them aren't used often, but look lovely hanging in the kitchen - my favorites are a set of copper mixing bowls. Usually when I find these items, they have spots of tarnish or are completely tarnished. Here is the best recipe for copper cleaner that I've found:
Copper Cleaner
1/4 Cup White Vinegar
1/8 Cup Coarse Salt
White flour to make a paste
(Increase proportionally, if you have a large item or multiple items to polish.)
I usually rub this on with a sponge, let it set for awhile, and then rub it off. I sometimes lightly use the abrasive side of one of those yellow sponges with the green textured side, for stubborn spots.
This works wonderfully for bare copper; if you have pieces that have been lacquered, it doesn't work; you must remove the lacquer first.
Here is a recipe for removing lacquer from copper; after removing it, the Copper Cleaner above should work to remove any spots and polish it up:
http://fleamarket.about.com/od/diyrepairsrestyling/qt/removelacquerfromcopper.htm
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About twenty years ago, there was a facial mask recipe going around the Usenet fora, and the ladies raved about it - it was made of crushed aspirin. I tried this, and for me it is a really nice exfoliating mask that leaves my skin very soft and 'glowy', without drying it. (I don't have very sensitive skin; if you do, you will want to try it on a small patch to make sure you don't have any kind of reaction.)
You want to use aspirin without the enteric coating. I usually buy a big bottle of cheap store-brand, throw it in the blender until it's a fine powder, and keep it in a pretty jar in the bathroom.
All you do is wet your face with warm water after cleansing, put a couple of teaspoons of the aspirin powder in your palm, and add enough water to make a spreadable paste. Apply this paste gently over your face, and let it dry. When it is dry, rinse it off with warm water, rubbing very gently to remove the stubborn bits.
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I once had a beautiful woolen Irish Fisherman-type sweater. I made the mistake of washing it, and the sweater shrank down to child-size - I couldn't believe that big sweater shrank so much! Fortunately, I had a little godchild to give it to, and it fit her perfectly.
Later, I discovered that usually, you can UNshrink sweaters. The first recipe I found used Epsom salts to soak the item; but the suggested method today appears to use baby shampoo or a cheap, mild hair conditioner for some items; or borax and vinegar.
After soaking, you want to 'block' the sweater back to its original size and shape, which can be done with pins on a thick towel on top of layers of heavy cardboard (I usually use a sewing pattern-cutting-board to block things like knitted or crocheted items, and put waxed paper on top of the board to protect it from moisture).
Here's a good link with numerous methods for different fibers:
http://www.wikihow.com/Unshrink-Clothes
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Last year we found some beautiful heavy, half-sheet aluminum pans at the Costco store. I thoughtlessly put one in the dishwasher, and the aluminum oxidized horribly. (In my defense, I have previously put aluminum in the dishwasher with no ill effects: it seems that some brands of liquid detergent will not do this to your aluminum; but others, and especially powdered ones, will always do it.)
I found a solution on the Internet, and tried it: make a paste of Cream of Tartar and water, and rub it on the item and scrub. This works; but it requires a great deal of elbow grease, and the main benefit is that you'll remember all of that hard work and NEVER put aluminum in your dishwasher again.
If you have a small, very special item to restore, it may be worth the work. But for a sheet pan - just resolve to never make that mistake again, and buy a new one :-)
-JT
This week: Things from the kitchen that aren’t Food!
(And if anyone has a good solution for the perennial problem of discolored bathroom tile grout, please post ;-)
-JT
So you’re making fun of the stuff growing in my fridge? ;^)
If you have sealed hard floors, ie. tile, sealed hardwood vinyl, etc, get a scooba. Let the damned robot mop your floors. I have 3 roombas and they are so so, but the scooba rocks. Mops better than me, my wife, or a maid.
Take a dab of honey on your damp skin and gently rub in.
It should vanish into your skin healing any small lesions and drawing water into your skin.
If you end up sticky you used too much honey.
Sold the robot mower last weekend. They are not ready yet. Soon ... soon .... It mowed well but had terrible up front cost and can not mow hills over 20 degrees. Got lots of those. Replacement batteries were outrageous in price too.
/johnny
personal relationships: Wife keeps telling me she can rent a chipper shredder. ;-)
Um....what is a ‘robot mower’?
Is that like those ridiculous robot vacuum cleaners? I’ve never figured out how those get anything clean. But they look like fun for (some) cats....
-JT
When installing tile use a color for the grout work that is not going to show stains.
Hi, Johnny. Obviously you are in fine fettle!
-JT
No; but there’s definitely stuff ‘growing’ in my tile grout...
-JT
+1,000,000 for your s/n alone.
Some of the aspirin mask recipes include honey. I just like to use the plain aspirin; and, as you say, honey later as a humectant.
-JT
It helps to keep my eczema under control.
My husband would love it - he wants nothing to mow, and wants all our future land planted in square-foot gardening.
But to me it doesn’t look as much fun as a ride-on.
-JT
I’m still suspicious.
Old saying from my Grandma:
‘A new broom sweeps clean; but the old one knows where the dirt lies’.
-JT
/johnny
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