Anything but dusty: Make your own household cleaner
One for every stain: Supermarkets and drugstores offer an overabundance of cleaning products, and the industry preaches that every application and every surface needs a different cleaner developed specifically for that purpose. There's a simpler way, too, because the basic ingredients of household chemistry are actually the same as they were 50 years ago, and the eternal "now with a new formula" is based on advertising rather than chemical brainstorms. Here come the basic ingredients (liquid dish soap, orange oil, lemon oil, linseed oil varnish, calcined soda, citric acid), true all-rounders for the most diverse and - in combination with substances you already have in the house anyway (e.g. vinegar, salt and spirit) - also for very special purposes.
And always free of unnecessary fragrances and other additives. These basic chemicals can be used individually, but also form a kind of construction kit. In the following, we mention in each case only a part of the always very wide range of applications.
As an analog reference book, this book offers recipes and application tips for cleaning the house. But it also shows possible applications in the garden, garage and kitchen: skinning carrots instead of peeling them, eliminating odors, caring for plants, gently cleaning flower pots or pavement joints, freshening up seat covers and car upholstery, sterilizing canisters, making your own glue ... the list is long - and surprising, because most of the time the ideas and recipes are quite simple.
Food residues, grease and other soiling can be easily removed with pure vinegar.
There are water-, alcohol- and oil-soluble adhesives, which can be removed accordingly with water, alcohol or (cooking) oil.
Pure vinegar decalcifies sinks, bathtubs, faucets and plumbing fixtures. For regular cleaning and to prevent lime deposits, add a cup of vinegar to the cleaning water.
If the hairs and bristles on a broom have become soft, they can be strengthened again by a water bath with a dash of alcohol or ammonia - If brooms are occasionally placed in salt water, this will increase their service life - Brooms should be washed from time to time in soft soap solution. Then rinse the bristles very well, let them dry hanging and comb them out.
An effective remedy for aphids and powdery mildew: mix 60 g liquid soft soap, 10 g alcohol and 900 ml water. Just before use, add 1 g of salicylic acid and spray on the affected parts of the plant. With salicylic acid mixed in, the remedy cannot be stored; the soap-alcohol solution, on the other hand, can be prepared in larger quantities.
Used clay flower pots often have deposits that can harm the plants (e.g. fungal spores). The pots become hygienically clean if they are soaked in warm soapy water (2 to 3 tbsp. liquid to 1 l of water) for 15 minutes and then scrubbed out well - Lime and moss deposits can be brushed off vigorously with a mixture of ¼ l water, ¼ l vinegar and 2 tbsp. salt and then rinsed with hot water.
Sprinkle scorched (ironed) laundry with vinegar water or lemon juice, leave for a few hours and rinse well with clean water.
Rub off the sticky film of dirt with a paper towel soaked in alcohol.
Stainless steel is inherently easy to clean and durable, but stainless steel objects easily get stains and scratches. The following remedy can be used to remove stains and even polish out minor scratches: Mix 1 tablespoon soft soap and 1 tablespoon whiting (e.g. Viennese lime) until a homogeneous mass is formed. Apply to a cloth, rub the moistened stainless steel with it and polish again.
Lime deposits can be removed with vinegar essence.
Slight rust stains can be removed by rubbing the affected areas with the cut surface of a lemon.
Stainless steel that has become dull will regain its shine if treated with citric acid.
Dirt and stains are usually easy to remove from enamel surfaces, e.g. with a little liquid soft soap dissolved in water.
Lime deposits can be removed with vinegar essence.
Slight rust stains can be removed by rubbing the affected areas with the cut surface of a lemon.
Stains from fruit, coffee, tea, paint, ballpoint pens, felt-tip pens, etc. can be treated with a mixture of gall soap and apple cider vinegar.
Wash out fruit juice stains with soft soap solution, treat strongly colored stains with citric acid and rinse well.
Stains from grass, alcohol or lipstick can be removed if they are rubbed in and then washed out thoroughly with hot water (add vinegar if necessary).
Grease stains in textiles can be removed with alcohol or dabbed off, then washed with soft soap solution and rinsed thoroughly.
For grease stains on wool, sparkling mineral water helps.
Coffee, tea, cocoa and chocolate stains should be coated with glycerine and washed off after a few hours with lukewarm water or soap solution.
Remove blood stains from textiles: soak in cold soda water (in hot water, the protein contained in the blood coagulates and bonds firmly to the fabric). Soda breaks down the protein structures so that the blood stains can be washed out. Successful for cotton, linen, viscose, wool.
1 part water to 1 part alcohol.
Dirt can be easily removed with a soft soap solution (about 1 tsp liquid soft soap to 1 l water). Remove heavy stains with soda: put soda on a wet, wash the tiles with it and rinse with plenty of water.
The shine of tiles and tiles can be maintained by rubbing with alcohol, then polish with a dry cloth. Alternatively, diluted vinegar essence (1 part vinegar essence to 2 parts water) can be used.
The grout between the tiles will become white again if the entire surface is coated with a slurry of whiting, left to act for a short time and then rinsed with clean water. Alternatively, mix 3 cups of soda and 1 cup of water and scrub out the grout with it. Rinse well.
Dark shoe soles can leave streaks on floors. To remove, put some sodium bicarbonate on a slightly damp sponge and rub gently over the dirt.
After defrosting freezer compartments and freezers, the (dry) inner walls should be rubbed thinly with glycerine. New layers of ice will then form much more slowly and will be easier to remove during the next defrosting.
Sodium bicarbonate is a versatile helper in dealing with unpleasant odors. In the refrigerator, a bowl of 50 g of baking soda is enough to bind them.
In the dishwasher, 1-2 tsp of baking soda - sprinkled directly into the machine - ensures that odors disappear. During the next rinse cycle, it additionally cleans the drain.
In plastic containers, odors often persist particularly stubbornly. Washed out with a mixture of 1-2 tablespoons of baking soda or 2-3 tablespoons of vinegar in 1 l of water, they can be eliminated.
Odors in clothing that do not disappear by washing can be eliminated by a solution of baking soda. To do this, add 1 tablespoon of baking soda to 3 l of water and soak the clothes in it for an hour. Test beforehand on a concealed area. Against odors in sponges and cleaning cloths add 4 tablespoons of baking soda to 1 l of water and soak the textiles in it. Then rinse clearly.
Dishes become shinier when washed by hand if less detergent is used and a dash of vinegar or lemon juice is added to the rinse water instead.
Stubborn stains can be removed with salt, vinegar, lemon, soda or baking powder. Then rinse with hot water.
For glass cleaning, mix 1 part alcohol with 4 parts water. Other common degreasers such as vinegar or soda also help.
Stubborn dirt can be removed with citric acid or vinegar essence.
Paint and varnish splashes can be removed with a razor blade or a scraper for glass ceramic hobs.
In general, glycerine protects rubber from becoming brittle.
Rubber seals (e.g. on car doors) do not stick and do not freeze in winter if you rub them with some.
To care for rubber boots, wash them with soapy water, let them dry well and then rub them with a mixture of water and glycerine (1 tablespoon of glycerine to 0.5 l of water).
Rubber hot water bottles are also occasionally cared for with glycerine: rub a thin layer on the outside and swish it out on the inside.
Wooden cutting boards, wooden cooking spoons, etc., become clean and free of grease residues and odors when rubbed with pure (apple) vinegar.
To remove discoloration, place in citric acid solution (1 to 2 tablespoons citric acid, 2 cups water) and let sit for about 15 minutes.
Scrub oiled wooden floors with warm soapy water and clean with clean water. After every third treatment, re-oil with a little linseed oil varnish.
In the closet, a cotton cloth sprinkled with lavandin oil keeps moths away.
Against parasites in the apartment (e.g. mites in upholstery), a few drops of lavandin oil are sprayed with an atomizer.
Other pests and nuisances can also be driven away with orange oil; to improve the indoor air, lavandin and lemon oil can be spread in a diffuser or aroma lamp.
Put 1 tsp baking soda in the coffee or tea pot, fill with water, let stand overnight and wipe out the next day. For cups is enough ½ tbsp.
(e.g. rattan, willow, peddigree, bamboo) - Brush with a mixture of soapy water and salt, then rinse with cold salt water and allow to dry. Occasional rubbing with lemon oil prevents the material from drying out.
Mix vinegar and water in the ratio 1:1 and thoroughly wipe out the refrigerator with it. Then rinse thoroughly with clean water.
Copper becomes bright when cleaned with lemon juice or citric acid dissolved in water.
Marble becomes shiny clean when rubbed with moistened coarse salt.
Knives with wooden handles can be very well maintained with orange oil: It is thin and grease-dissolving, penetrates well into the wood and protects carbon steel blades from rusting.
Mix about equal parts flour and salt, add some vinegar and mix to a smooth creamy mass. Rub brass with it, let it act for a short time, rinse thoroughly and dry. To prevent rapid re-clouding, rub the brass thinly with the mixture, allow to dry and rub bright with a soft cloth.
All formulations should first be tested on an inconspicuous area, as furniture surfaces can be very different.
Mix 1 cup each of linseed oil varnish, alcohol and vinegar. Apply with a cloth and polish well with a soft cloth. For cleaning and maintenance of lacquered, sealed furniture, not for shellac.
For thorough cleaning, mix 1 cup each of alcohol, vinegar and water. Apply with a cloth and polish well with a soft cloth.
Clean natural woods with soft soap solution, for lacquered woods dissolve 1 tsp soda in 4 l water, rinse with clear water.
For diseases such as mildew or gray rot sodium bicarbonate provides relief. Fill a spray bottle with water and 3-5 tablespoons of baking soda and spray the infested areas with it. Repeat if necessary.
Mix sodium bicarbonate with a little water to form a homogeneous paste. Apply to soiling, allow to act briefly and scrub as necessary. Rinse with water and rub dry.
Mix equal parts soda and salt, apply with a damp sponge.
Silverware will not tarnish if you rub it with a very thin layer of glycerine and wrap it in tissue paper and then in aluminum foil for storage.
Dusters washed in lukewarm water with a few drops will pick up dust better.
Sprinkle sodium bicarbonate and work it in with a brush. Vacuum thoroughly the next day.
Limescale deposits on the heating elements and soap residues are less likely to form if you regularly add 1 tablespoon of citric acid or 1 cup of vinegar to the softening chamber of the washing machine and run a wash cycle through it.
A few drops of glycerine in the wash water cause wool sweaters to scratch less and keep their shape better.
Yellowed laundry becomes bright again if you soak it in soda solution (1 to 2 tablespoons to 10 l of water) before washing. When washing with (fragrance-neutral) soap nuts, the cotton bag in which the nuts are filled can be sprinkled with a few drops of essential oil (e.g. lavandin or lemon) to give the laundry a special scent.
Soda and soda decalcify the water and can be used as a fabric softener. Depending on the hardness of the water, add 1-2 tablespoons directly to the washing powder. Not suitable for wool and silk.
Mix vinegar and water in a 1:1 ratio, boil in a kettle, leave to soak for a while, then rinse twice with clean water - Can also be done with the coffee maker.
Tool handles should be rubbed with linseed oil varnish before being put away in winter, as should carbon steel tool heads to protect against rust.
