Natural Solutions for Household Problems

When my daughter was born, I started looking for some natural solutions. We had ant problems and I did not want to spray chemicals particularly since she was born prematurely and we had to be very careful. I found many great solutions for household problems and here are the ones that worked the best.

Ants and Bugs

While this will not kill them, it does prevent ants from coming in. Sprinkle ground pepper, cayenne, or cinnamon in the path of the ants. They hate anything spicy so it will turn them back. I found it worked well when I caught them coming in by the doorstep. I sprinkled cinnamon and they headed back outside. It is a great alternative to spraying when you cannot because of a premature infant.

Do you get those nasty little fruit flies that seem to constantly fly around your face? Set out a glass of orange juice or lemonade- or anything with a good sugar base- and watch the bugs head to that instead. Every spring for a couple of weeks when I lived in Texas, we had to do this. The juice was a great alternative to trying to spray or fumigate the house.

Deodorizers

Apples & Coffee

Have you recently loaned your car to a smoker? If you have problems getting the smoke smell out of your car, use this simple solution that my car dealer husband uses. All you need is an apple and a small can of coffee. (Use as dark a roast as possible.) Slice the apple in half and place them peel-side down on a plate. Sprinkle the coffee over the slices and put them in the car. Make sure windows are rolled up tightly and doors shut. Leave the apples with coffee in the car overnight. It should absorb most of the odors by morning. If it is particularly strong, you can leave the coffee can in the car too.

Apples & Cinnamon

If you need to refresh the odors in your home, take a sliced apple and a few cinnamon sticks and simmer them in water on your stove. Your house will smell like apple pie. This works wonderfully in the winter when you cannot open windows to lessen the stuffiness.

Tarnished Silver

This works well for silver jewelry as well as tarnished silverware. First, line a large cake pan or casserole dish with aluminum foil. Fill with 8 cups of warm water (150°) mixed with ¼ cup of baking soda. If the tarnish is advanced, substitute boiling water for the warm water. In ten minutes, you should see the tarnish transfer to the foil and your silver is shiny again.

Carpet Stains

If you have kids or pets, your carpets are prime targets for spills. The closest thing we had to a towel in the living room one day were baby wipes. When my toddler knocked over my glass of iced tea, I grabbed a few wipes and stains disappeared. They are not ideal for soaking up spills but they do help with mild stains if you catch it before they dry.

Sharpen Dull Blades

Coffee Grinder

If your coffee grinder blades are dull, run a small handful of dried white rice through. The rice sharpens the blades.

Garbage Disposal

You can also use dried rice on the garbage disposal blades to sharpen or you can drop a handful of ice cubes down. Both work very well.

Microwave Grit

Do you have a lot of dried on food splatters in the microwave? Instead of scrubbing hard, start by microwaving a half a cup of water on high for two minutes. The steam will loosen the dried on grit and you can easily wipe it out.

Nail Holes

Moving and need to fill in nail holes? Or are you like me, and constantly change the stuff on the walls? Nail hole filler or putty is not very easy to use or spread. I also hate to buy a whole jar when all I need is a little to fill in one or two holes. Instead use a little cornstarch and water and form a putty consistency. It works just as well as nail hole filler and you can mix up just the amount you need.

Leftover Soap

Do you just toss the scrap pieces of bar soap? They are too small to use in the shower but do not throw them out just yet. Dry them thoroughly and put them into a ventilated plastic bag. When you store your seasonal clothes, put the bag of dried soap in with them and you will not only keep out moths, but your clothes will smell much better.

Squeaky Doors

Petroleum Jelly

This is probably my favorite solution. I use this all the time. If your doors are squeaky, use petroleum jelly instead of oil. It is a great, drip-less solution.

Cooking Oil & a Q-tip

If you are out of petroleum jelly, another quick fix is vegetable or cooking oil. (Even shortening will work in a pinch.) If you are using cooking oil, dip a Q-tip into the oil and spread it onto the offending hinge. Some have said to just spray it with cooking spray but I found that makes a huge mess and in the long run looks very dirty. The Q-tip works better since you can target the area.

Sticky Doors

If your wooden doors or gates are sticking, take a hair dryer on high heat to the area where the wood is sticking. The heat dries up the moisture and the swelling goes down.