DOWN TO EARTH

When I am making something special like my favorite spagetti sauce or home made salsa, I buy fresh herbs.  The only problem is that you only may use half of the herb, what do you do with the rest of it?  I put it in a plastic bag and freeze the extra.  You should date the bag and use it within 6 months.  It stays green and is just as fresh as if you just purchased it.  I have frozen cilantro, parsley, dill and rosemary.  It works for me.    

Never mix cleaning solutions.  For instance, bleach and ammonia are deadly.  People have died when mixing these two chemicals.  Always check on the back of the bottle for danger warnings.  Also, make sure that you have plenty of ventilation when using any cleaning products.

Better yet, go “Green.”  Using vinegar, baking soda and a wide range of environmentally safe cleaning products on the market today just makes sense.  They work as well if not better that harsh cleaners and are safer. Clorox Green Works multipurpose cleaner works well also.  I really like the concentrate, if you can find it.

If you do burn something in the microwave oven, immediately take the burned food out.  Soak a small towel in water (make sure it is thoroughly soaked) and put in microwave on high for 3 minutes.  After it has steamed, wipe out inside of oven with a clean papertowel.  If the smell is still apparent, take the juice of one lemon in a small cup cup of water and steam again for 3 minutes.  Put a cup of diluted vinegar (in a bowl with water) in the microwave and steam for an additional 3 minutes. If the smell persists, continue the lemon and vinegar for several days.  You can set a box of baking soda in the microwave overnight, just make sure that you take the box of baking soda out before turning the oven on.

I put this to the test.  I was staying at my sister house when my husband burned a microwave pizza so badly I could smell it in the shower. across the house.  We applied this treatment and the smell really vanished.   

Believe me, I was afraid that I was going to have to buy my sister a new microwave oven.  The next time I visited my sisters home, I made a beeline straight for the microwave, and guess what, no smell at all.

Of course, when you apply this method, be sure and stay with the microwave.  DO NOT leave when the microwave is running.

To get the toilet clean and deodorized, pour 1 cup vinegar and 1/2 cup baking soda in bowl.  Scrub with toilet brush and let sit for a few minutes, then flush.  This solution is “Green” and really does the job.

My favorite washing machine detergent is the Arm and Hammer Essentials concentrate.  The ingredients are:  Baking soda, coconut based surfactants, natural water softener and water.  This detergent is biodegradable plant based soap, no dyes, no phosphates or bleaches, no petroleum based cleaners and safe for septic systems.  It does a great job cleaning clothes and can be used for other cleaning projects such as bathrooms.

Just a caution, I do not use the plant based cleaners on floors.  It tends to make them very slippery.  Vinegar and water does the trick.

Even though you may paint the walls in your home different colors, you may want to use the same white or color for trim, molding and doors throughout.  It is easy to find the green paint can in the garage that you painted the kitchen but which “white” did you use?

If you use the same white paint throughout it will look uniform and you can do touch-ups in a hurry without any guess work.  I even use the same white on the outside exterior.

I always use Sherwin Williams Roman Column.  Whether it is gloss or matte, it is much easier to match.  I also have a file with the color mixtures so if I need additional paint you can take it to the paint store and they can mix it up. When I get a paint can with the color formula label on the top of can, I ask the clerk to print out an additional color mixture label that I can simply stick on the file folder for easy reference.