Homemade Household cleaners

Homemade Household cleaners from natural items around the house

Vinyl floors can be cleaned with 1/2 cup of white vinegar to 1 gallon of warm water. Wood floors should be damp mopped with a mild liquid soap.

Use mineral oil and a damp cloth as a furniture polish. To remove mildew, scrubarea with baking soda if stubborn use TSP, a cleaning agent found in home improvement stores like Home Depot.

To make your own oven cleaner mix 2 tbsp of baking soda or TSP in 1 gallon of warm water and scrub with a very fine steel wool pad, use gloves when using this mixture.

Use 2-3 cups spray bottle with 1/2 tsp. of liquid soap, 3 tbsp of white vinegar and two cups of water to create a window cleaning agent. If the windows are very dirty, add liquid soap.

To clean toilet bowl use 2-3 alka seltzer tablets and wait 20 minutes then use stiff brush to remove calcium/rust stains. To remove hard water deposits; pour white vinegar or citric acid bowl cleaner into toilet and leave it to sit overnight before scrubbing. To remove ring around toilet, use dry pumice stone moisten with water and lightly rub along the stain. Pumice stones work on bath tubs too; to remove water rust stains, rub lightly, it will renew these items without glazing them.

These tips are from a book titled Grandmother's Kitchen Wisdom 10th anniversary edition.


 

Homemade Household cleaners

Homemade Household cleaners from natural items around the house

Vinyl floors can be cleaned with 1/2 cup of white vinegar to 1 gallon of warm water. Wood floors should be damp mopped with a mild liquid soap.

Use mineral oil and a damp cloth as a furniture polish. To remove mildew, scrubarea with baking soda if stubborn use TSP, a cleaning agent found in home improvement stores like Home Depot.

To make your own oven cleaner mix 2 tbsp of baking soda or TSP in 1 gallon of warm water and scrub with a very fine steel wool pad, use gloves when using this mixture.

Use 2-3 cups spray bottle with 1/2 tsp. of liquid soap, 3 tbsp of white vinegar and two cups of water to create a window cleaning agent. If the windows are very dirty, add liquid soap.

To clean toilet bowl use 2-3 alka seltzer tablets and wait 20 minutes then use stiff brush to remove calcium/rust stains. To remove hard water deposits; pour white vinegar or citric acid bowl cleaner into toilet and leave it to sit overnight before scrubbing. To remove ring around toilet, use dry pumice stone moisten with water and lightly rub along the stain. Pumice stones work on bath tubs too; to remove water rust stains, rub lightly, it will renew these items without glazing them.

These tips are from a book titled Grandmother's Kitchen Wisdom 10th anniversary edition.

 

Veggies growing this winter in Ocala

This winter has been the warmest on record, usuaully vegetables that don't grow during the fall season are still growing in my garden.



Including hot peppers, kumquats,  and green peas.



Find these still growing, although a lot smaller in size than normal.

Veggies growing this winter in Ocala

This winter has been the warmest on record, usuaully vegetables that don't grow during the fall season are still growing in my garden.

Including hot peppers, kumquats,  and green peas.

Find these still growing, although a lot smaller in size than normal.

Home made heating pad out of a cotton sock

Make a heating pad out of a cotton sock

When my mom had physical therapy for her chronic osteoarthritis condition, the physical therapist that had her do simple exercises gave us a great tip of making a home made heating pad. Instead of purchasing heating patches that are disposable, take a single cotton sock and fill it with uncooked rice about 3/4 filled; then tie the end of the sock. Place the cotton filled sock into the microwave and heat for 30-40 seconds. This will keep the heat on the sock for about fifteen to twenty minutes, this can be applied on the sore area such as the back, the neck and the shoulders. This really helps to remove aches and pain and I use it til this day  after a day of gardening or home improvement chores. If you need more applications, then reheat in microwave as many times as necessary.

Home made heating pad out of a cotton sock

Make a heating pad out of a cotton sock

When my mom had physical therapy for her chronic osteoarthritis condition, the physical therapist that had her do simple exercises gave us a great tip of making a home made heating pad. Instead of purchasing heating patches that are disposable, take a single cotton sock and fill it with uncooked rice about 3/4 filled; then tie the end of the sock. Place the cotton filled sock into the microwave and heat for 30-40 seconds. This will keep the heat on the sock for about fifteen to twenty minutes, this can be applied on the sore area such as the back, the neck and the shoulders. This really helps to remove aches and pain and I use it til this day  after a day of gardening or home improvement chores. If you need more applications, then reheat in microwave as many times as necessary.

Home made remedies to restore wood furniture

Home made remedies to restore wood furniture



Remove water stains from wood furniture using white wax and olive oil, melt the wax in olive oil over low heat then rub the stain with the solution on a soft cloth. Hide scratches in dark wood by mixing 10 days of vinegar and four drops of iodine. First place vinegar in bowl and add iodine one drop at a time to match wood color, mix it then dab with cloth on the scratches. Wipe off quickly with soft cloth.



 

Home made remedies to restore wood furniture

Home made remedies to restore wood furniture

Remove water stains from wood furniture using white wax and olive oil, melt the wax in olive oil over low heat then rub the stain with the solution on a soft cloth. Hide scratches in dark wood by mixing 10 days of vinegar and four drops of iodine. First place vinegar in bowl and add iodine one drop at a time to match wood color, mix it then dab with cloth on the scratches. Wipe off quickly with soft cloth.

 

Keeping ants out of the screen porch

For years, the screen porch was used as a catch all and greenhouse for plants. I am starting to design a morroccan style room for the porch area to make it an extension of a small kitchen. The first step is to make the room ant and insect proof so I caulked the open cracks along the floor and the walls connected to the metal frame for the screen room with silicone caulking. On the screen door, I placed a self stick draft guard to keep drafts and small insects out. Every two weeks, I spray ortho pest control spray to get rid of ants. The room is now insect proof because the screen was repaired too. Morroccan room is on going project and this is the first step before painting. This is an ongoing project that will will take many blog entries.

Keeping ants out of the screen porch

For years, the screen porch was used as a catch all and greenhouse for plants. I am starting to design a morroccan style room for the porch area to make it an extension of a small kitchen. The first step is to make the room ant and insect proof so I caulked the open cracks along the floor and the walls connected to the metal frame for the screen room with silicone caulking. On the screen door, I placed a self stick draft guard to keep drafts and small insects out. Every two weeks, I spray ortho pest control spray to get rid of ants. The room is now insect proof because the screen was repaired too. Morroccan room is on going project and this is the first step before painting. This is an ongoing project that will will take many blog entries.

Donate and recycle to keep out of landfills

"One man's trash is another person's treasure", if you have items that are no longer being used consider donating to charity or recycling items. 



Here are some places that accept donations and recyclables; even swap or trade them. Electronics, cell phones and old PC computers should have personal information erased from hard drive before recycling them to companies that take these such as Dell, Apple, and some retailers like Staples, Best Buy, and Radio Shack. Some charities like Goodwill and Collective good take cellphones, pdas and mp3 players. Sports equipment donate to schools, youth programs, salvation army, and goodwill or trade it in for new year. Recycle cds, dvds, video games at Best Buy. Greendisc is a company that recycles cd cases. Swap music with a company named Swap Tree; these companies can be found online.



Donate old toys at nearby hospitals, daycare centers, and charity shops. There are companies that trade used childrens clothing such as Tots swap store, swap baby goods, and Hand me downs. Books can be donated at libraries, schools, or sold online on half.com, amazon and eBay.com.

Donate and recycle to keep out of landfills

"One man's trash is another person's treasure", if you have items that are no longer being used consider donating to charity or recycling items. 

Here are some places that accept donations and recyclables; even swap or trade them. Electronics, cell phones and old PC computers should have personal information erased from hard drive before recycling them to companies that take these such as Dell, Apple, and some retailers like Staples, Best Buy, and Radio Shack. Some charities like Goodwill and Collective good take cellphones, pdas and mp3 players. Sports equipment donate to schools, youth programs, salvation army, and goodwill or trade it in for new year. Recycle cds, dvds, video games at Best Buy. Greendisc is a company that recycles cd cases. Swap music with a company named Swap Tree; these companies can be found online.

Donate old toys at nearby hospitals, daycare centers, and charity shops. There are companies that trade used childrens clothing such as Tots swap store, swap baby goods, and Hand me downs. Books can be donated at libraries, schools, or sold online on half.com, amazon and eBay.com.

Arab Spring is now Arab Winter

My heart breaks for the families of the four Americans killed in Libya and the two marines that were killed in Afghanistan.  These Americans travel overseas to bring Democracy and stability to these countries, but the Arab world will never embrace Democracy.

These Middle eastern countries are Theocracies, meaning that their governments are centralized around one religion. In the middle east, the dominant religion is Islam. These governments control the lives of their citizens by dictating strict moral religious code, and oppressing their citizens by using torture or mass murder to remain in power. An example is Syria, which used chemical weapons against 1500 woman and children.   



Despite America's efforts to bring democracy to this region, the middle east will never have a true democratic society because the people do not understand freedom of expression. If an American makes a comment about Islam or Muhammad, the people riot and kill visiting foreigners in their countries because they think that the citizen speaks for their government.  These countries have blasphemy laws regarding the use of the image or derogatory speech against their Prophet Muhammad.



There are Muslims that want a better life for their families in these countries that have had civil wars and oppressive regimes.  The lack of jobs in these countries for large populations of young Muslims has created a disillusioned class of people searching for a purpose in life.  Terrorist organizations come in and fill the spiritual and economic void that these countries do not. 



When Egypt had elections and voted in Morsy, the people had an opportunity at democracy but they chose the Islamist dictator from Muslim brotherhood. 



Coptic Christians were attacked and crimes against secular minorities went unpunished under Morsy. After a year, Morsy dissolved their new Constitution and placed restrictions on woman and minority communities in Egypt.  In July 2013, the people of Egypt went into the streets to protest and remove the dictator. Despite efforts from President Obama to convince Morsy to make reforms to accommodate his people, he refused.  The military gave Morsy 24 hours to reinstall Constitution he refused, than was thrown in jail.



 The people in the Middle eastern countries want to change their present governments. The people will have their version of democracy which clashes with their Theocratic society.



Anti- American sentiment is strong in the Middle east because of our support of Israel and the support of leaders like Mubarek and Morsi in Egypt.  These leaders ruled and oppressed their citizens when in power, and the aid that the U.S. gave the military helped keep dictators in place.  The Muslim world does not support a democracy in their region because Americans are viewed as immoral and materialistic. Theocracy clashes with democracy and capitalism. Many Arabs sympathize with displaced Palestinians.  The Jewish people are seen as occupiers in that region instead of the nation government of Israel. 



America has to take action against ally countries that that do not protect US diplomats and US citizens. These Arab countries should get ahead of a mob situation by immediately having troops around the foreign embassies when they anticipate an anti Muslim video, or blog being televised on Aljazerra.  



These countries should censor anti Muslim content by blocking You tube or Google.  Since the population does not understand the concept of an individuals right to free speech.  These countries don't understand free speech so they think that anyone  that speaks openly represents the US government or have their consent.  Hard line Islamists use these videos to incite the population to violence, since access to technology is limited. Many in the US media claim that the protestors were only a handful and many were  Islamist terrorists.  In the case of Libya, that may be true; but in Tunisia there were about 5000 protestors at the embassy. Those protestors can not all be hard line Islamists, these are citizens that are anti American. 

American government has to be honest with its citizens and tell the truth, they fear unrest and attacks on Muslims in the US. 



Foreign tourists should send strong message to these countries such as Egypt that depend on tourist dollars.

Since foreign travelers will not be safe in any of these countries until another You tube video comes out, they should not invest their businesses nor their vacations in these countries.   Instead of Western countries constantly reaching out to these supposed allies, economic boycotts should be in place until these governments guarantee the safety of Foreign travelers. 



America should remain in the region, to protect our interests and allies in that part of the world, but we have to send a strong unified message with the UN that chemical weapons will not be allowed to be used on  innocent citizens.  The US can not be in every middle eastern conflict the UN has to do its job and not sit back and wait for the US to take action.

Arab Spring is now Arab Winter

My heart breaks for the families of the four Americans killed in Libya and the two marines that were killed in Afghanistan.  These Americans travel overseas to bring Democracy and stability to these countries, but the Arab world will never embrace Democracy.
These Middle eastern countries are Theocracies, meaning that their governments are centralized around one religion. In the middle east, the dominant religion is Islam. These governments control the lives of their citizens by dictating strict moral religious code, and oppressing their citizens by using torture or mass murder to remain in power. An example is Syria, which used chemical weapons against 1500 woman and children.   

Despite America's efforts to bring democracy to this region, the middle east will never have a true democratic society because the people do not understand freedom of expression. If an American makes a comment about Islam or Muhammad, the people riot and kill visiting foreigners in their countries because they think that the citizen speaks for their government.  These countries have blasphemy laws regarding the use of the image or derogatory speech against their Prophet Muhammad.

There are Muslims that want a better life for their families in these countries that have had civil wars and oppressive regimes.  The lack of jobs in these countries for large populations of young Muslims has created a disillusioned class of people searching for a purpose in life.  Terrorist organizations come in and fill the spiritual and economic void that these countries do not. 

When Egypt had elections and voted in Morsy, the people had an opportunity at democracy but they chose the Islamist dictator from Muslim brotherhood. 

Coptic Christians were attacked and crimes against secular minorities went unpunished under Morsy. After a year, Morsy dissolved their new Constitution and placed restrictions on woman and minority communities in Egypt.  In July 2013, the people of Egypt went into the streets to protest and remove the dictator. Despite efforts from President Obama to convince Morsy to make reforms to accommodate his people, he refused.  The military gave Morsy 24 hours to reinstall Constitution he refused, than was thrown in jail.

 The people in the Middle eastern countries want to change their present governments. The people will have their version of democracy which clashes with their Theocratic society.

Anti- American sentiment is strong in the Middle east because of our support of Israel and the support of leaders like Mubarek and Morsi in Egypt.  These leaders ruled and oppressed their citizens when in power, and the aid that the U.S. gave the military helped keep dictators in place.  The Muslim world does not support a democracy in their region because Americans are viewed as immoral and materialistic. Theocracy clashes with democracy and capitalism. Many Arabs sympathize with displaced Palestinians.  The Jewish people are seen as occupiers in that region instead of the nation government of Israel. 

America has to take action against ally countries that that do not protect US diplomats and US citizens. These Arab countries should get ahead of a mob situation by immediately having troops around the foreign embassies when they anticipate an anti Muslim video, or blog being televised on Aljazerra.  

These countries should censor anti Muslim content by blocking You tube or Google.  Since the population does not understand the concept of an individuals right to free speech.  These countries don't understand free speech so they think that anyone  that speaks openly represents the US government or have their consent.  Hard line Islamists use these videos to incite the population to violence, since access to technology is limited. Many in the US media claim that the protestors were only a handful and many were  Islamist terrorists.  In the case of Libya, that may be true; but in Tunisia there were about 5000 protestors at the embassy. Those protestors can not all be hard line Islamists, these are citizens that are anti American. 
American government has to be honest with its citizens and tell the truth, they fear unrest and attacks on Muslims in the US. 

Foreign tourists should send strong message to these countries such as Egypt that depend on tourist dollars.
Since foreign travelers will not be safe in any of these countries until another You tube video comes out, they should not invest their businesses nor their vacations in these countries.   Instead of Western countries constantly reaching out to these supposed allies, economic boycotts should be in place until these governments guarantee the safety of Foreign travelers. 

America should remain in the region, to protect our interests and allies in that part of the world, but we have to send a strong unified message with the UN that chemical weapons will not be allowed to be used on  innocent citizens.  The US can not be in every middle eastern conflict the UN has to do its job and not sit back and wait for the US to take action.