WHEN it comes to chores like cleaning the house, removing stains from clothes, washing the dishes or even eliminating household pests, there is an amazing array of products to choose from.
Most people choose products that promise to do everything and usually without knowing whether they are earth-friendly. Our grandparents and great grandparents accomplished these everyday tasks with readily available ingredients, like garden herbs.
Dusting always seems to be a never-ending chore. No sooner have you finished dusting furniture and shelves than the dust resettles. A simple solution is to soak your dusting cloth in a brew of ordinary cold tea, squeeze out excess liquid and wipe over the surface with the damp cloth.
If you need to polish you can do so without dust collecting in the polishing cloth.
Eucalyptus oil is ideal for spot cleaning and will remove spots and stains and other substances, including perspiration marks, oil and soluble grease, glue, tar, chewing gum and unknown sticky substances, from fabric.
Place a few drops of on the stained area, leave for two minutes or until the oil has evaporated and then wash. Stains can also be removed from fabric by placing an absorbent cloth under the stained area, moistening another cloth with eucalyptus oil and gently yet firmly brushing towards the centre of the mark. Eucalyptus oil is also ideal for work overalls, socks, soiled nappies and sportswear. Add two teaspoons to each wash load.
Cloths and sponges that are used for washing dishes can quickly become dirty, smelly and slimy and a haven for germs, if they are not cleaned and disinfected regularly. At least once a week, soak them for half-an-hour, or until clean, in a strong Epsom salts and water solution, then rinse well.
Hands also suffer when doing household chores, especially when cleaning. To remove unpleasant or strong odours from hands, work half a lemon into the skin. For dish pan hands mix equal parts of lemon juice and glycerine and keep in a container.
