HOME REMEDIES – Homeowner Rx
Vinegar and what!! My wonderful wife told me the other day that it was time again to clean the walls of our fiberglass shower stall. I’ve spent many Saturday afternoons scrubbing with all sorts of cleansers, creams and contraptions mostly to no avail. This time was different. She had a home remedy for shower scum. 1 cup of vinegar (warmed in microwave), 1 cup blue Dawn dish soap, Mix well. Spray down the shower and let set for 1 hour and rinse off. No way, my mind told me, remembering all those hours spent scrubbing in the past. But guess what? It worked! And it worked big time!
So I decided that I would share some of the home remedies that I have tried, read about, or learned from my customers over the years.
In one of my previous articles I wrote about the mixture of 1 part Borax and 1 part corn syrup or sugar that really worked in the war with ants. They can’t resist the sweetness, but the combination with Borax, which is a derivative of boric acid, will get ‘em. And Borax mixed with flour works great against roaches.
It’s a fact that cinnamon, vinegar, citrus, peppermint, and yes, chalkboard chalk, all can be used to keep ants from coming into your house. These items can disrupt the trail scent that they use to find a food source that a previous ant had found. So maybe try spraying or sprinkling some of the above products around doorways or under windows and see what happens. And don’t forget why you have those little ants in your house in the first place. They are attracted to sweet, sugary, and greasy foods, as well as dampness and moisture. So cleanup and dry up and that should help too!
Over the last few years we have been selling more and more diatomaceous earth to combat fleas and bedbugs. Diatomaceous earth is the microscopic remains of fossilized algae, called diatoms. It’s a very fine powder, which is non-toxic to humans and causes dehydration in the insects it touches. Great for many crawling bugs.
Also for fleas is a plate of dish soap and warm water. Seems to work especially good at night when the fleas are most active.
Got fruit flies? A little vinegar and dish soap in a small dish is suppose to draw those little buggers right in.
Have you ever tried sprinkling baby powder or powdered graphite on squeaky wood floors or stairs? It works its way into the cracks and keeps the squeaks from squeaking.
The most popular home remedy that I’ve heard is for cleaning windows. Good ‘ole 50% vinegar and 50% water. I’m going to guess that almost everybody that reads this article has heard of or even has tried this one. I even remember my mom trying this with newspaper instead of paper towel.
Don’t forget outside your home. Something as simple as pouring boiling water on your sidewalk and driveway weeds and grass will do them in. But be careful with that hot water! Vinegar and a little water is another way to eradicate sidewalk weeds.
Cayenne pepper is a great deterrent for mammals. Many of the animal repellents that we sell have some sort of pepper in them. It has also been said that birds are not affected by cayenne pepper. So supposedly it works great keeping squirrels off your bird feeder, and critters out of your garden and flower bed.
Now sure, we sell Ortho and Scotts lawn and home insecticides and herbicides, and they work well. And I also totally stand behind our Formula 409, Windex, Terro, and Raid. But guess what? We also sell vinegar, Borax, and blue Dawn Dish Soap! So whichever way you want to go on the attack around your house, just remember that your local hardware store can help. One way or the other!
> More Articles Written By This Writer
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