Home remedies that work

When it comes to home maintenance and upkeep – not to mention your car – there are several ways to get things shining.

By the same token, there are some concoctions that you were told work well that may not be as effective as you were taught. For example: Club soda works wonders on stains. The truth is that club soda is just plain water with carbon dioxide gas. The carbon dioxide has no cleaning properties and the bubbles don’t either. In fact, be careful not to use either liquid on a tablecloth unless you are absolutely sure that it is a washable fabric. If you aren’t absolutely positive, have it dry-cleaned.

Stainless steel sink

Here’s how to use one thing in your home to clean another. You can use a crumpled-up ball of tin foil to scrub-a-dub your stainless steel sink. You won’t need any soap or cleaner.

And there is another use as well. Do you have a dirty, rusty old chrome bumper on your car? That crumpled-up piece of tin foil will work great there, too. Your bumper will shine like new. But, be prepared. A lot of elbow grease is involved.

Toilet bowl

Here’s an easy way to deal with toilet bowl rings. Once the toilet has been cleaned, pour in one or two quarts of vinegar. Let the toilet sit for at least 24 hours. Wipe away the mineral build-up with a bowl brush or a sponge and flush your problems away. A quart of vinegar in the toilet overnight once a month will prevent the “return of the ring.”

Before trying this, you need to find out how much liquid you can pour into your toilet before it flushes automatically. Pour in one quart of plain water. If the toilet doesn’t flush try a second quart. If after the second quart is added there is still no flush, change to vinegar. If the second quart of water flushes the toilet, then change our recommendation of two quarts of vinegar to one quart.

Squeaky garage door

Does your garage door squeak and creak as it opens or closes? If so, you need white lithium grease. Why grease instead of silicone or oil? Besides lubricating, the grease reduces door-wheel vibration. And white lithium doesn’t cake or drip. (And it comes in a spray can making it easy to apply.)

Polish silver

Toothpaste is great as silver polish, buy keep in mind that it is more abrasive than regular silver polish. If you are in a pinch and decide to go for the toothpaste, be sure to add a bit of water. Diluting the toothpaste will reduce its abrasive nature.

Shower head

Got a wobbly shower head? Get a can of expanding spray foam, the kind that is used to fill holes. Then, pull the shower arm cover away from the wall. With one hand push and hold the shower arm so that it is firmly in place. With the other hand spray in the expanding foam.

Use the whole can or until it comes oozing out of the hole. Don’t wipe the excess – don’t touch anything – just continue to hold the shower head in place for at least five minutes. After 15 or 20 minutes, any excess can be easily removed with a kitchen knife or a putty knife. Replace the cover and enjoy a wobble-free shower.

Clean fingernails

Out in the garden, but can’t stand all that grit and grime under your nails and don’t want to wear gloves? Well, before you go outside, dig your fingernails into a bar of soap. When the job is done, scrub out the soap instead of the dirt. If you do decide to wear gloves, rub your hands with a thick coat of hand cream. When the gloves are removed, your skin will be soft.