That Can't Work!

More Baking Powder Tricks

2011-01-27T06:26:00.000-08:00

Who would have thought that something so simple as baking powder could have so many cleaning uses. Here's a couple more:

poor baking powder and vinegar (in equal parts) down a sink drain to clean and deodorize. (Watch out for any fumes that may be given off and make sure the area is well ventilated)
coffee or tea stains on your counter tops can be removed with gentle rubbing with a baking powder and water paste

Stop Bad Smells WIth Baking Soda (Home or Car)

2011-01-27T06:21:00.000-08:00

Here's another use for our old friend baking soda.

If part of your home or car has a bad smell you could try using some baking soda.

Before vacuuming sprinkle a little baking soda onto the carpets (if in doubt make sure you test an inconspicuous area first). The baking powder "soaks up" some of the smell leaving a fresh clean scent.

Also, a little baking soda disolved in water is great for cleaning your fridge or freezer. Some chemical products can leave a distinct smell in your appliance whilst baking soda cleans and removes smells at the same time.

Cleaning Grout With Baking Soda

2011-01-27T06:12:00.000-08:00

For a mild, safe cleaner for your grout why not try baking soda.

Make a paste using baking soda and water and then using a brush (or even better a toothbrush) rub this in small circles around the grout.

For an even better cleaning effect leave the baking soda paste on for 5 minutes or so before cleaning it off.

I'm told an even better effect can be had by using a baking soda / salt / vinegar mix (1/3 of each).

Stop Your Bathroom Mirrors Fogging Using Shaving Foam

2011-01-27T06:03:00.000-08:00

If your bathroom mirror fogs up a simple but effective tip is to use a little shaving foam.

Apply a little shaving foam to the mirror and then spread it all over.

Clean away with a clean cloth (or even newspaper).

This sounds counterintuative but try adding this to half your mirror and watch the results!

Streak Free Windows Using Newspaper

2011-01-27T05:57:00.000-08:00

I can't believe that this works ... but it does!

Use old newspapers (without coloured ink) to create streak free windows.

Wash or clean your windows as you would normally but then use newspaper to dry them.

Unlike many types of cloth the newspaper will not leave any bits of lint on the windows.

Also, it seems that the ink can actually make the window shine more. (I'd love to find the scientific reason why this happens).

Cleaning With Alka-Seltzer (Not just good for your tummy)

2011-01-27T05:49:00.000-08:00

Alka-Seltzer is amazing for cleaning around the home.

3 tablets put down your sink followed by some white vinegar can clear blocked pipes
3 or 4 tablets in your toilet bowl left overnight can clean up stains and make it shine
1 tablet put into your flask and left overnight can not only clean the flask but also remove any lingering odours.

Removing Wax From Your Carpet or Rug

2011-01-27T05:43:00.000-08:00

This one is an "oldie but a goodie"!

First remove any hard pieces of wax with a butter knife.

Get some newspaper and an iron.

Place the newspaper over the wax and gently heat with the iron.

The wax should melt and soak into the newspaper and can easily be removed.

Be very careful when doing this that (a) you don't burn yourself or (b) that you don't burn/melt your carpet!

Unfreezing Frozen Pipes In Bath Or Basin

2011-01-27T05:17:00.001-08:00

I really did wonder if this one would work!

Here in the UK we've had one of our coldest winters for years and lots of homes have suffered from frozen pipes.

There's variety of ways of dealing with this but this is one way I hadn't hear of before.

Get a bucket of hot water and a lot of salt (over here dishwasher salt can be bough quite cheaply from "pound shops".

Disolve the salt in the hot water. Keep adding salt until it no longer disolves.

Pour the resulting mixture down the pipe.

A little searching on Google would suggest that this works because the freezing point of a saturated salt/water solution is -21.1 degrees Celcius. So, the hot water will start to melt the the frozen pipe whilst the salt will stop the water freezing again once it cools it it doesn't unblock the pipe first time.

If it doesn't work first time, as they say on the shampoo bottles "rinse and repeat".

It's worth also saying that if you're going to try to use this method don't add any other chemicals that may react with the salt.

Unblock A Toilet Without A Plunger (Using A Toilet Brush and Some Plastic Bags)

2011-01-16T14:44:00.000-08:00

This one sounds like a nasty joke you'd play on someone but it really does work.

We won't even discuss how your toilet became blocked in the first place but we've all been there.

We'll join the story where you're looking down at a toilet filled with ... water ... and you want it unblocked as soon as possible. However, if there's no plunger in the house what do you do?

1) Get an ordinary mop or toilet brush

2) Wrap the head of the mop in a plastic bag (like you'd bring your shopping home in)

3) If you have more plastic bags keep adding them until you've used three or four bags to cover the mop head or toilet brush

4) If you have a bit of string tie the tops (the handle end) around the mop or brush handle

5) Proceed to push this down firmly into the blocked toilet bowl

6) Repeat until unblocked

When I first tried this I couldn't believe it would work but trying this was worth it when weighed against leaving the toilet blocked.

It seems that the plastic bags form an air tight seal around whatever's in the bowl and act even better than a regular plunger.

Cleaning/Removing Rust From Chrome With Tin Foil

2011-01-16T14:35:00.000-08:00

We recently sold one our daughters bikes on Ebay. It was in beautiful condition except for a few rust marks on the chrome handlbars.

I wanted to clean off the rust but wasn't sure how to do it. Back when I was a lad (in the late 60s) we'd get out the Brasso but I was sure there must be some better way to do it.

So, I turned to Google and, what should I find, but suggestions that you use tin foil.

That can't work ... can it?!

Well it did! Better, and easier, than I could imagine.

Here's what to do:

1) Get a small ball of ordinary household tin foil.

2) Wet the tin foil.

3) Lightly rub the rust with the tin foil ball.

4) Clean with a cloth.

That's it!

Obviously, the amount and depth of rust may mean that you don't receive the same amazing results that I did but it worth trying this on an unobtrusive part you wish to be cleaned.