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Do you like handy hints? I sure do. I have a couple of really good household hints. The first one is a wall cleaning solution. I have washed a lot of walls in my time; my parents owned several apartments and until a short time ago, my husband and I owned a duplex for more than 16 years. The solution that I use to wash walls is very effective, very easy to make, very inexpensive, and the ingredients are all in my food storage – and hopefully yours.
Wall Cleaner 1 cup ammonia ½ cup white vinegar ¼ cup baking soda 1 gallon of warm water
Mix together and get washing. An additional hint: when washing walls, start at the bottom and work your way up, they say that it works better that way. I say you are washing the whole wall, and it doesn’t matter. I prefer the top down. Please, do not use a mop to wash your walls, I have seen people do that and it is just WRONG, not to mention that it doesn’t do a good job – just trust me. My daughter disagrees and she uses a mop. One thing we both agree on is to dust your walls before washing. That way your water and rag (or mop) will stay cleaner longer.
My friend gave me a really good recipe for getting rid of the weeds that grow in the cracks of your sidewalks and driveway. I can’t wait to try this recipe, she swears by it, and it only has three ingredients that should be in your food storage.
Sidewalk Weed Killer 1 tablespoon liquid dish soap (It doesn’t matter what brand) 1 gallon white vinegar 1 cup salt
Do not spray this on your weeds. Only pour the solution directly on the weeds that you want to get rid of and only where you don’t want anything to EVER grow – like the cracks in your sidewalk or driveway. Then just sit in your lawn chair and watch the weeds in the sidewalk cracks DIE! I’m going to use it as a preventative measure next year.
In areas where you want to kill one particular plant, but not bother the others plants (like morning glory – which isn’t so glorious), I just pour boiling water directly on the plant. You might need to do it multiple times, but eventually they will give up and DIE! This is how I keep my morning glory at bay without using chemicals.
Last tip. Homemade window wash solution. If you want to try this solution, to make sure that it works before using it on your own windows, I’ve got a bunch of windows you can practice on. I’m willing to sacrifice just so that you can make sure that this solution is something that you find high quality enough to use in your own home. The friend that gave me this recipe swears by it and has been using it for years. She stores it in a hard plastic gallon jug with the recipe written right on the jug so that she won’t forget it.
Window Wash 1 pint rubbing alcohol 1 tablespoon VO5 shampoo (I don’t know why VO5 and neither does she, but I has to be VO5 shampoo) Water
Put ingredients in a 1-gallon container and add water to make one gallon of solution. She also adds a little food coloring just because. Sometimes it will be blue, sometimes red, other times green – or whatever she feels like at the time. The key to really making this effective is to apply the solution, wash it with a rag and then use a top-of-the-line good quality squeegee to finish it off. She says that it works every time, and believe me, her windows are clean all the time! Mine on the other hand, are not.
Remember that the right tool for the right job really makes a difference. You can pick up a good squeegee at any janitorial supply place. Another good tip when washing windows is to use a clean old-fashioned dry chalkboard eraser to go over your windows when you have finished. If you “erase” your windows after drying them, it will get rid of any streaks and residue that you can’t see. Now you can get cleaning right away or better yet just be prepared in advance for your big spring-cleaning ritual. You can put off your cleaning, but don’t procrastinate when it comes to your water storage. Two gallons per person, per day, for a two week period. Get it done!
Dawn