We all multi-task don’t we? But, what I love better than multi-tasking is using products that are multi- purpose. It saves time and is cost effect too! Here are three unexpected uses for common household products.
Baking Soda
Baking soda is the king or should I say queen, of multi-tasking. Not only can you use it for baking things like the oatmeal raisin walnut cookies I baked last night (yum), but it works wonders on removing rust stains and keeping your stainless steel kitchen sinks sparkling. Don’t forget to throw some inside of your garbage disposal and inside of the trash can to keep things fresh.
Bleach
Adding just a few drops to the water of your next floral arrangement will help the bouquet last longer. Just a few drops though. Adding to much can have the opposite effect. Yes, I’ve done that. According to Clorox, only ¼ teaspoon is needed for every quart of water.
Denture Tablets
I have to admit, I did not find out about this one until a few days ago. Just drop a few denture tablets into hot water to whatever you want to clean, leave it sit, rinse and you are done. You don’t have to buy the fancy name brand stuff either. Some generic denture tablets will do the trick.
Some uses that you may want to try include:
Kids Bath Toys– 3-10 tabs in a pan of hot water with the toys. Rinse really well.
Porcelain sinks– Add 4-10 tablets to hot water and soak for 30-60 minutes (or overnight depending on the degree of the stains). Scrub lightly.
Tower labs, the a leading manufacturer of generic effervescent denture cleansers has also noted that the tablets can be used to clean things like:
Make-up brushes, toothbrush holders, cosmetic trays and pen and pencil holders. The options seem to be numerous.
Although I do not recommend using the denture tablets on fine gems or precious stones, I did use them to clean my favorite pair of “custom hoops” recently.
Here is what happened:
Before the tablets:
After:
 |
| No more gunk! Not a great pic. But, they were sparkling! |
I added two tablets to hot water and after 30 minutes the earrings were still dirty. After lots of house chores and tending to a sick child all day (an astounding 9.5 hours later), I finally remembered to check the earrings and they were like brand new!
But don’t take my word for it. Buy your own effervescent denture tablets and see what messes you can tackle.
Or, if you don’t want to buy it just yet…Tower labs wants to give one of my readers a large box of 84 tablets.
Enter the contest below:
Comments ( 12 )
Sue Ellison
I use a mixture of vinegar and water for cleaning.
suebee05@gmail.com
Stephen Saunders
Since I usually forget to buy specific cleaners, I’ve used plain glass cleaner to clean just about everything.
KB
I like to use clorox anywhere surface cleaner!
smilekisses
Kaboom
tnrina
I like to use vinegar to clean things and remove odors.
tnrina|at|gmail|dot|com
rachel b.
i like to use pine sol
beckytag
I love vinegar & water for windows/mirrors – so cheap, works so well, and you can mix it to any strength you want.!
beckytag618 at gmail dot com
07violet
vinegar
alterna7 at hotmail dot com
Lynette
Steam. It works wonders on caked-on junk or grease.
Breanne
Baking Soda
susansmoaks
comet
Pat Krewe
It’s actually crazy that you could probably pretty easily clean your entire house with DIY materials and cleaning solutions. Vinegar has a million and one uses, and you can even mix it with orange peels for a scented green cleaner. I used to use a St. Louis house cleaning service in my area, but now money is a bit tight and I have to fend for myself again, and I end up using a lot of these DIY tips.