Other Home Remedies

Here are a few favorite cleaning hints.

If you have a flower vase or some other container that is too narrow to clean with a brush or sponge, add a little soapy water and uncooked rice grains and shake!. The rice acts as tiny little scrubbers. The key is not to let it soak too long or the rice softens.

If a guest spills red wine on your grandmother's white tablecloth, try this cleaning idea. Rub a generous amount of salt on the spot and then pour hot water on it — helps if you do this over the sink or wash basin :-)

To clean pots and pans with really baked on grease, put them in a heavy duty plastic bag with a half a cup of ammonia. Seal and let soak over night. The grease practically falls off by itself.

Ouch! You're in the kitchen, taking something out of the oven and Zap! — you burn yourself! What to do? Here's a home remedy from Mary in Alabama

"After a tip from my sister, I have started to put mustard (same kind we use for hot dogs) on minor burns like you sometimes get from the stove or the iron. It has worked very well for me and my kids, much better than cold water or ice. The pain is much reduced, almost gone instantly, and the wound is less severe, less likely to bubble up, and heals much more quickly."

Note from the editor: Make sure you use plain yellow hot dog mustard. Spicy mustards may irritate as much as they help. One of the ingredients that gives mustard its characteristic yellow color is tumeric. Tumeric has been used in Ayurvedic remedies for cenuries to heal all kinds of skin disorders.

If you are looking for an environmental-friendly disinfectant try vinegar! A straight 5% solution of vinegar — like the one you buy in the supermarket — kills 99% of bacteria, 82% of mold, and 80% of germs (viruses).

Keep a spray bottle filled with straight vinegar in your kitchen near your cutting board, and in your bathroom, and use them for cleaning. You can spray the vinegar on your cutting board before going to bed at night and let it set overnight. The smell of vinegar dissipates within a few hours.

To relieve itchy skin - whether from allergic reactions or insect bites, try this Ayurvedic home remedy.

Coarsely chop a small bunch of washed cilantro and put it in the blender with about 1/3 cup of water and blend. Drink the juice and apply some of the pulp to your skin for quick relief. Cilantro is also great for detoxification. So don't wait for itchy skin to add cilantro to your diet.