Small-Campbell

There are several cleaning products that are easily replaced by ingredients from the kitchen. I regularly use baking soda, olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice and rubbing alcohol to clean various surfaces at home. Using the products I make, I save money and time. Here are some recipes:

Furniture Polish

Mix in a sprayer bottle:

1 cup olive oil

¹/_² cup lemon juice

Shake well and apply a small amount to a flannel cleaning rag or cleaning cloth. Spread evenly over furniture surface. Turn cloth to a dry side and polish dry.

Home-made Glass Cleaner

Mix in a sprayer bottle:

1 cup rubbing (isopropyl) alcohol

1 cup water

1 tablespoon white vinegar

Use this glass-cleaning spray recipe for windows, mirrors, chrome fixtures and for a shiny finish on hard-surface ceramic tiles.

Drain de-clogging

Pour ¹/_² to ³/_⁴ cup baking soda into the drain, and 'dribble' just enough hot water to wash the solution down. Let stand for two hours to overnight, then flush thoroughly with hot water. (Do not use this method on blocked drains.)

Undiluted White Vinegar

Undiluted white vinegar makes quick work of tougher cleaning problems involving hard water deposits or soap scum.

Use undiluted white vinegar to scrub the inside of the toilet bowl. Before you begin, dump a bucket of water into the toilet to force water out of the bowl and allow access to the sides. Pour undiluted white vinegar around the bowl and scrub with a toilet brush to remove stains and odour. Use a scrubbing pad to remove any remaining hard water rings.

Shower Heads

Clean shower heads that have been clogged with mineral deposits with undiluted white vinegar. Place ¹/_⁴ to ¹/_² cup vinegar in a plastic food storage bag, and secure the bag to the shower head with a rubber band. Let stand for 2 hours to overnight, then rinse and buff the fixture to a shiny finish.

Detergent Residue

Add one cup of undiluted white vinegar to the laundry rinse cycle instead of commercial fabric softener. White vinegar softens clothes and cuts detergent residue - a plus for family members with sensitive skin.

For further info contact: Tamika Small, c/o Executive Housekeeping and Laundry, 48 Burbank Avenue. Phone:924-1721 or email: executive.housekeeping@yahoo.com www.executive-housekeeping.com