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Worth your salt PDF Print E-mail
Written by Geek Mad Scientist   
Wednesday, 18 February 2009 16:20

Here's just a few uses for salt:

Salt as a polish

By mixing salt and vinegar into a thick paste, it can be applied to brass silver and copper as a polish. Use a soft cloth to apply and buff, then rinse thoroughly in water and dry well.

Cleanups

This is one I learned as a kid working in a supermarket - for oil and egg spills, cover the area with salt - it's a lot easier to pick up.

Salt drain cleaner

Equal quantities of salt and hot water poured down a drain can help get rid of nasty smells and dissolve grease, plus help slow future buildup. This probably shouldn't be used in blackwater systems too often as it may upset the good bacteria that are crucial to breaking down solids.

Frost free windows and windscreens

Wipe down the inside of windows in your home and car with a sponge dipped in a saline solution, then dry. This will help prevent ice forming during freezing weather. Also, by rubbing a small cloth bag of moistend salt on your your car's windshield, this will help prevent ice from forming.

Scouring pots and pans

Pour rock salt onto greasy cookware before scouring to help cut through the grease

Removing tea and coffee stains

To remove tea and coffee stains on cups and decanters, sprinkle salt onto a sponge and use a circular motion when rubbing over the stains.

Sterilizing sponges

Kitchen sponges are the perfect breeding ground for all sorts of nasty bacteria. By soaking a sponge in a heavily saline solution, it will help kill these bacterial.

Pest deterrent

Where ants frequent, pour a line of salt to prevent them from crossing.

Earth friendly weed killer

A mix of 1 part salt to 3 parts boiling water can be poured directly onto weeds to kill them.

Mouthwash and gargle

I use this quite frequently - dissolve around a quarter teaspoon of salt into the equivalent of half a mouthful of warm water. Swish it around your mouth and gargle. I've also found this really helpful in dealing with toothaches.

Smelly cutting boards

A smelly cutting board simply means bacteria are present - and this is not only a whiffy problem, but a health issue. Bacteria are killed by salt, so by rubbing salt into your cutting board, let it sit for a little while and then rinse, your board will smell fresh and be bacteria-free!

Fire extinguisher

Keep a box of salt close at hand as an emergency fire extinguisher for grease fires. While it shouldn't replace a proper fire extinguisher, it makes for a good backup.

Iron cleaner

Over time, irons pick up bits of junk that cause them to stick when you iron your clothes. To remove the gunk buildup, sprinkle salt onto a sheet of paper and then run the iron over it. Ensure you use a shot of steam to clean the jets after doing this and also wipe down the plate with a damp cloth once it cools.

Preventing creasote buildup

If you use a wood burning stove or heater, soot and creosote can build up in the flue, reducing performance and also increasing the risk of a flue fire.  A handful of salt thrown on the flames occasionally will help loosen the soot.

Here's a particularly interesting tip I came across a few times - by adding a pinch of salt to  milk, it will keep for a lot longer without noticeably altering the taste!

This only just scratches the surface of the various uses for salt - there's so many, you could go through many pounds of it a year. One thing to bear in mind though - while plentiful and cheap; too much salt winding up in our waterways or even in your yard can damage the environment; so as with all things, use it in moderation.

 
Greener cleaning part 1 PDF Print E-mail
Written by Geek Mad Scientist   
Wednesday, 11 February 2009 11:29

I have to admit that I love using less chemicals in my house. My wife, has been slowly removing the everyday cleaning chemicals from our house in favor of more basic 'green' cleaners, not the one made by some company somewhere, but things she makes at home.

The latest cleaning agent has been vinegar. This stuff is awesome! Currently we use it in the house to clean the windows, clean the bathroom, and getting rid of those nasty tea stains in the cups. So here we go...

Windows: We use about a tablespoon of white vinegar in a standard spray bottle and fill the rest up with water. If you use an old newspaper (bonus!) to wipe the window with you will get a streak free shine!

Bathroom: We use the same spray bottle in the bathroom as we use for the windows. Mirrors do not fog as quickly, and the counters are much cleaner than before. Also, the room doesn't have that nasty chemical smell after your done.

Cup stains: We just pour about a tablespoon of vinegar into the offending cup, wipe it around with a paper towel and presto the stains are gone!

I learn a lot from my wife, so as she green's up the cleaning supplies I will post it up here.

 
Vampires in your house PDF Print E-mail
Written by Geek Mad Scientist   
Monday, 02 February 2009 10:49

By now most people have heard of the vampires that are hanging out in their house. Vampires? Yes, vampires. While they do not suck blood like those pesky vampires of the movies, they do suck power and money. Most any electronic equipment in the home uses power even when 'turned off' or in 'stand-by mode'. The power used for each individual electronic item is not that great in and of itself, but put them all together and you get a money drain that most people can do without right now. So go to the store and get some power strips so when you are done with whatever the electronics item is, you can completely turn it off using the power strip.

Want an even cheaper method? Just take the time to unplug the electronics from the wall. Simple, but the savings will add up over the course of a year.

 
Hold the Stir Stick PDF Print E-mail
Written by Geek Mad Scientist   
Tuesday, 20 January 2009 15:02
Consider putting the cream and sugar in first, before you pour your coffee, they will mix themselves in. If you really must stir, consider using a reusable stirrer (such as a non-plastic spoon). This will help save some of the 100+ billion straws and stirrers each year from going into the landfill.
Last Updated on Friday, 06 March 2009 11:15
 


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