Joan Wilen and Lydia Wilen
Joan Wilen and Lydia Wilen are folk-remedy experts and home tipsters based in New York City. They have spent decades collecting “cures from the cupboard” and are authors of several books, including Secret Food Cures.
The kitchen is the heart of the home. It’s where food is cooked and where a home’s inhabitants run into each other to grab a snack, and where they convene to have their meals. The result is a new mess being created daily and—in a well-run home—those messes being cleaned up daily. Kitchen cleaning tips and tricks make keeping the heart of the home a clean and safe place where the whole household wants to come together much easier.
In this excerpt from the book Household Magic by Joan and Lydia Wilen the authors share tips for homemade cleaners to clean your kitchen and some tricks to keep your cleaning gear fresh.
Don’t you just hate it when you run out of a cleaning product—especially when you get that overwhelming urge to clean? We hope that doesn’t happen to you, but if it does, there are suggestions in this section for several make-it-yourself substitutes.
And while you’re here, there’s helpful information on using some of the tools of the trade—sponges, steel wool, rubber gloves, our beloved baking soda and more. So don’t let us keep you. Get to it!
In a covered container, mix one cup of baking soda, one cup of borax powder (available at supermarkets and drugstores) and 3 ⁄4 cup of table salt. Make it easy to use by keeping a portion of the mixture in a large salt shaker. Sprinkle some on whatever surface you need to scour, like sinks and bathtubs.
CAUTION: Make sure you label the salt shaker clearly so that nobody mistakes the mixture for regular table salt! And be sure to keep the shaker in a cupboard along with your other cleaning supplies—out of the reach of children and pets. Borax can be dangerous if ingested.
In a plastic squeeze bottle, combine one part liquid dish detergent with one part distilled white vinegar and three parts water. Shake it a few times before using. The detergent cuts the grease, the white vinegar disinfects and helps clean, and the water acts as detergent-extender making it last longer.
If you have a sinkful of dirty dishes and no dish detergent, use shampoo (make sure it’s the non-conditioning kind) to clean them. If you have oily hair and use shampoo specifically formulated for it, all the better. It will cut right through the oily pots and pans and greasy dishes.
◆ After using a steel-wood pad, if there’s still some scrub left in it, place it in a little plastic bag and store it in the freezer. It will stay rust-free. When you’re ready to use it again, put it under warm water and it will thaw in a few seconds.
◆ To avoid getting metal splinters, wear rubber gloves when you use steel wool. If you don’t have them, you can protect your fingers by cupping the steel-wool pad in the rind of a lemon, orange or grapefruit.
Deodorize and Disinfect Sponges
We don’t mean to gross you out, but it’s important to know that the average kitchen sponge contains more germs than the average toilet seat. The good news is that it’s easy to disinfect the sponge.
◆ Each time you run your dishwasher, toss the sponge on the top rack and let it go along for the ride.
◆ Rinse the sponge and zap it (while it’s still wet) in the microwave for one minute. (Be sure there aren’t any metal fibers in the sponge.)
◆ Soak the sponge overnight in a solution of one cup of hot water, 1 ⁄2 cup of distilled white vinegar and three tablespoons of table salt. In the morning, rinse the sponge and use as usual.
◆ If you’re having a hard time taking off rubber gloves, hold your hands under cold water— they’ll glide right off.
◆ Next time, before you put on the gloves, sprinkle a bit of baking soda or cornstarch on your hands or into the gloves for easy removal.
◆ If a glove has sprung a leak and your fingers are wet after using it, throw the gloves away and put on a new pair.
If your fingers are wet because water seeped into the gloves while you were wearing them, thoroughly dry the outside. Then, take each glove off by grabbing onto the cuff and pulling it over the fingers, turning the glove inside out. Let them air dry.
When you’re ready to wear them again, turn them right side out—and don’t forget to sprinkle your hands or the gloves with a little baking soda or cornstarch.
◆ If plastic wrap gets unmanageable because of the way it sticks to itself, keep the box in the freezer. Cold plastic wrap will behave the way you want it to.
◆ If you have a hard time finding the beginning of the plastic wrap roll, take a piece of tape (any kind), and dab at the roll until it picks up the loose edge.
◆ If plastic wrap doesn’t stick to the bowl or dish you’re wrapping, dampen the outer edge of the bowl or dish, and then put the plastic wrap on.
◆ When aluminum foil touches acidic foods— tomatoes, onions, lemons—a chemical reaction takes place that can affect the taste of the food. Also, foil may rust when it comes in contact with salty foods. So, if you think a food is acidic or salty, use plastic wrap on it instead of foil.
A Freshness Test for Baking Soda
If not for baking soda, this book would be a pamphlet. In order for baking soda to perform to the peak of perfection, it must be FRESH.
To test the powers of your baking soda, pour ¼ cup of distilled white vinegar in a little bowl, then add one tablespoon of baking soda. If it fizzes, it’s fresh enough to u
If there is no reaction when the baking soda combines with the vinegar, forget it. Just pour the contents of the box down the drain. Stale or not, it’s always good for the drain.
Learn more tips for keeping your home clean and in good repair with your own copy of Household Magic from Bottomlineinc.com.
