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Homemade Remedies Do you have a problem with ants or a stain on your rug? This is where you will find things you can do with household items to solve problems in an earth friendly way. Give these remedies a try. Do It For Earth.
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Tips from the U. S. Enviromental Protection Agency |
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HOUSEHOLD CLEANER |
ALTERNATIVE |
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| Drain cleaner | Use a plunger or plumber's snake. | ||||||||
| Oven cleaner | Clean spills as soon as the oven cools using steel wool and baking soda; for tough stains, add salt (do not use this method in self-cleaning or continuous-cleaning ovens). | ||||||||
| Glass cleaner | Mix 1 tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice in 1 quart of water. Spray on and use newspaper to wipe dry. | ||||||||
| Toilet bowl cleaner | Use a toilet brush and baking soda or vinegar. (This will clean but not disinfect.) | ||||||||
| Furniture polish | Mix 1 teaspoon of lemon juice in 1 pint of mineral or vegetable oil, and wipe furniture. | ||||||||
| Rug deodorizer | Deodorize dry carpets by sprinkling liberally with baking soda. Wait at least 15 minutes and vacuum. Repeat if necessary. | ||||||||
| Silver polish | Boil 2 to 3 inches of water in a shallow pan with 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of baking soda, and a sheet of aluminum foil. Totally submerge silver and boil for 2 to 3 more minutes. Wipe away tarnish. Repeat if necessary. (Do not use this method on antique silver knives. The blade will separate from the handle.) Another alternative is to use nonabrasive toothpaste. | ||||||||
| Plant sprays | Wipe leaves with mild soap and water; rinse. | ||||||||
| Mothballs | Use cedar chips, lavender flowers, rosemary, mint, or white peppercorns. | ||||||||
| Flea and tick products | Put brewer's yeast or garlic in your pet's food; sprinkle fennel, rue, rosemary, or eucalyptus seeds or leaves around animal sleeping areas. | ||||||||
| DO NOT mix anything with a commercial cleaning agent. | |||||||||
| If you do store a homemade mixture, make sure it is properly labeled and do not store it in a container that could be mistaken for food or beverage. | |||||||||
| When preparing alternatives, mix only what is needed for the job at hand and mix them in clean, reusable containers. This avoids waste and the need to store any cleaning mixture. | |||||||||
Tips from here and there. |
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| Repellents | Ants can be repelled by vinegar, cayenne pepper, citric extracts, bone meal, cinnamon, cream of tartar, salt, and perfume. You will have to keep trying different repellents to find the one your ants aren't willing to tolerate. Place lines of the selected repellent at points of entry and at various points along their path. | ||||||||
| Insecticides | There are two ways to kill ants. The first is to dehydrate them by laying out piles of instant grits ( a corn product usually located in the cereal section of the grocery store) at the point of entry and along their trail. They will think of the grits as a food source and consume the pellets. The grits will in turn absorb moisture from the ant's body, thus killing it (instant grits are specially formulated to absorb water more rapidly that regular grits, thus they are more effective). The second method to kill ants is to feed them a mixture of 1 part active dry yeast, 2 parts molasses, and 1 part sugar. They will be attracted to the sugar in the mixture and will eat it readily. Once consumed the yeast will produce gas in the ant, and because they can't expel the gas, it will kill them. | ||||||||
