Everyone is familiar with Grandma's household tips. This article is about good household tips just like in grandmother's time, but with a modern twist. Grandma's household tips in a modern jacket part 2. Nowadays we are almost thrown to death with one promising household product after another, but few of these products actually do what they promise. In most cases, it is also completely unnecessary to work with all kinds of expensive products, because everything you need to solve your household problem is probably lying around somewhere in your kitchen (drawer) or house. In this article you can read what you can do with:aluminum foil, vinegar, apples, ash, and ammonia.
An article that everyone has at home, if not, it is quickly bought in any supermarket for little money. The possibilities that aluminum foil offers are very extensive.
Make a cake plate
If you don't feel like taking your precious or fragile cake plate with you to a party or to school, you can easily make a cake plate yourself. Cut a circle from a very sturdy piece of cardboard, cover it with aluminum foil and you have a beautiful cake plate. The cardboard can also be cut/cut into a different shape. Ideal if you want to make a cake with a different shape. With a large cake it is better to use something firmer such as a piece of plywood sheet.
Cover a bald spot in the mirror
Do you have a mirror somewhere with a bald spot in the reflective layer? Then stick a piece of aluminum foil on the inside of the mirror and you can get rid of your problem in no time.
Let your chrome shine
Rust is easily removed with the shiny side of aluminum foil. Then polish with a cloth dipped in alcohol and you have shiny chrome again.
Cheap solution for cleaning pans and pots
No scouring pad at home? Don't worry, take aluminum foil, tear it into a number of strips and make a ball out of it. Now you can easily sand your pots and pans clean.
Iron twice as fast
What woman or man doesn't want that? It is possible to halve the ironing time with a simple trick. Place a piece of aluminum foil between the ironing board and its cover. The foil will absorb the heat and reflect on the clothing. You can easily use the time that you have left for an extra cup of coffee or something else fun/useful.
Create more light
If you want to create more light (both indoors and outdoors) you can do the following:place some aluminum foil behind the lamp. The light will now reflect more strongly, resulting in more light.
Keep food warm for longer
If you want to keep food warm for longer, I recommend placing a piece of aluminum foil underneath. The same principle applies here:the heat reflects and the food retains its heat longer.
Save cleaning time when painting
You don't have to clean the brush every night after painting. You wrap the brush in aluminum foil and place it in the freezer. The next day the brush has to thaw for about an hour and then it can be used again for painting.
Prevent annoyances when painting
This is another use of aluminum foil when painting, using the foil instead of painter's tape. Cover everything that cannot be painted, such as door handles, door knobs, etc. with aluminum foil and you have the perfect protection against paint (splatters). Easy to shape and also very easy to remove after painting.
A natural remedy to keep insects away from plants
Wrap small pieces of aluminum foil around corn, cucumbers and gourd (or pumpkin) plants and keep insects at a safe distance with the reflected light. Can also be tried with other garden plants.
Get more heat from your CV
Take an insulation board or a large piece of cardboard and cover it completely with aluminum foil. Now place this plate between the central heating system and the wall and you have a homemade insulating reflector that will reflect the heat in your room.
More sunlight for your houseplants
For houseplants that love a lot of sunlight, such as geraniums and cacti, you can create more sunlight by sticking a piece of foil on the windowsill. Sun shining on it will reflect back to the plants more strongly.
Grow seeds easily and quickly
If you like to grow vegetables yourself, it is a good idea to grow the seeds first and only transfer them to the garden when they have grown into reasonable plants. To speed up the germination process, you can do the following: Take a small box and line the inside with aluminum foil. Let the foil protrude 1-2 cm from the top. Make holes in the bottom of the box and aluminum foil and finally put the soil in the lined box. Now the seeds can be planted in it. Place the whole thing in a sunny spot and the rest will take care of itself. The heat reflected will allow the seeds to germinate quickly.
Create a unique baking pan
With a little dexterity you can make a unique baking pan from aluminum foil, so that you can present a different cake or pie for every occasion. Very nice for a cold buffet, for example.
Correct an untrained kitten
Cover the spot where the kitten had an 'accident' with a piece of foil and the kitten will stay away from there. Replace each time with a smaller piece until it can be removed completely.
A perfect savory pie
The edge of a savory pie often browns quickly, to prevent this you can put foil over the edge. This prevents it from browning faster than the rest. The result:a perfect golden brown edge.
Create a funnel
A disposable funnel is made from aluminum foil in no time and easily.
Make dull scissors razor sharp again
Nothing is more annoying than dull scissors. The solution for this is simple:place a few pieces of aluminum foil on top of each other, fold them again if necessary and cut them with the blunt scissors. Now the scissors are usable and sharp again.
ATTENTION!!!
Foods such as lemons and tomatoes are naturally acidic and should not be wrapped in aluminum foil. Its acid reacts with the aluminum and can adversely affect the taste of the food .
Ammonia is a cleaning agent that can be used in many different ways in the household.
Clean the oven rack easily
Place the grate on an old cloth in the bathtub. Fill the bathtub with warm water and some ammonia and let it soak for a while. The grid is then very easy to wipe and clean.
Replacement cleaner for windows and mirrors
Mix 3 parts water with 1 part ammonia and use it as a cleaning agent. Works just as well as any other commercial, specific cleaning agent, only it is many times cheaper.
Clean carpet without effort
Mix half a cup of ammonia with half a liter of water, then gently mop the stain. It will not take much for the stain to disappear. Warning :test first on an inconspicuous spot and do not use on a woolen carpet or rug.
Ammonia as a stain remover
Removes most non-oil based stains from washable fabrics, including blood, milk, urine and perspiration stains. Make a mixture of equal parts ammonia, dish soap and water. Shake this in a plastic bottle and immediately put some on the stain(s). Leave it on for a few minutes and then rinse it off.
Not applicable to the following fabrics :acrylic, silk, wool. For fabrics that are sensitive to the aggressive ammonia, the following trick works:hold the stain over an open bottle of ammonia. The vapors released will make the stain disappear without affecting the fabric. Then wash gently.
Cleaning wooden garden furniture
Sometimes wooden garden furniture is affected by a green attack. The deposit is easy to remove with the following mixture:take a cup of ammonia, half a cup of vinegar, ¼ cup of baking soda and 4.5 liters of water. This will make it easy to clean your garden furniture.
Let crystal chandelier shine
Mix a few drops of ammonia with water and put it on a soft cloth. Remove all crystal with this and finally wipe clean with another wet cloth. Dry with a soft cloth and the chandelier will sparkle and shine again.
ATTENTION!!!
Never mix ammonia with other agents that contain bleach or chlorine. Ammonia in combination with chlorine forms a deadly gas † Before use, read the instructions for use carefully before mixing things with each other.
Apples are not only tasty and healthy, but also practical to use in the household.
Shining aluminum pots and pans
If you want a shiny aluminum pot or pan (on the inside) you can cook apples, rhubarb or lemon in it. The result will be a shiny pot or pan.
A juicy roasted chicken
For lovers of deliciously juicy and tender chicken:fill the chicken with a whole apple and roast or grill it as usual. Discard the apple and serve a juicy and tender chicken.
A special table decoration
Hollow out an apple from the inside, put a (colored) candle in it and put some green decoration on the outside (eg some pine branches). An original table decoration that many will envy. Also nice to combine with other DIY decorations.
For the following grandmother's household tips with a modern twist, use ordinary ash from the barbecue or wood stove
For bigger and more beautiful flowers
Mix ashes from wood (e.g. from a barbecue) with the plant soil for more beautiful and larger flowers. It is best to do this at the beginning of the growing season. Keep ashes away from plants that like acidic soils such as azaleas and rhododendrons.
Vinegar is a miracle cure in itself and has many uses:from health to cleaning. I wrote a separate article about this:the miracle cure vinegar. After all, vinegar can be used so widely. Think of your health, but also for cleaning and even plants.
I hope you enjoyed Grandma's Housekeeping Tips with a modern twist part 1 on aluminum foil, apples, vinegar, ammonia and ash. But don't worry, there will be many more articles from grandma's household tips with a modern look.
Do you have a great household tip with the above products? Then let me know!
Be sure to read the second part of Grandma's household tips with a modern twist and discover what you can do with beer, bread and butter.
