Essential oils mask smell of vinegar cleaner
Dear Heloise: I love your vinegar and water kitchen spray and use it all the time. But, my husband strongly objects to the vinegar smell. Can you suggest a way to make it smell better? Pauline Sterin, Harwood, Md.
I sure can, Pauline. Just add a few drops of essential oil to 1‚Ñ2 cup of white vinegar and 1‚Ñ2 cup of water, and you’ll have your own custom-made, pleasant-smelling kitchen cleaner. My favorite essential oil is lavender, but you can use orange oil, peppermint, eucalyptus or whichever fragrance you prefer. You usually can find essential oils in the pharmacy or health-food section at the store.
Just pour the mixture into a labeled spray bottle and you’re ready to clean your countertops (not marble), refrigerator, microwave and other appliances. I have many easy-to-make homemade cleaning solutions that you can have the formulas for by sending $5 and a long, self-addressed, stamped (59 cents) envelope to: Heloise/Cleaners, P.O. Box 795001, San Antonio, TX 78279-5001. These formulas use products you probably have on hand. Replace all of those expensive store-bought products that might contain harmful chemicals and aren’t environmentally friendly. Heloise
Dear Heloise: When the shower curtain needs to be washed/bleached, unhook the rod and slide it off, rings and all. Everything goes through the wash intact. It’s so much easier than struggling to unhook each ring. (Metal or decorative rings may rust or break. Use a gentle cycle and put a rubber band around the rings to keep them from banging around. Heloise)
Another hint: To remember to take my cloth bags to the supermarket and other stores, I clip my shopping list to a bag. Judy Ingram, Kezar Falls, Maine
Dear Heloise: For those who fear falling in the shower when traveling, buy a roll of skid-free, rubberized shelf liner and cut it as needed to fit the tub. It takes up no room in your suitcase, can be used to cushion things like a camera and can be tossed or reused. Judy Logan, Lyman, Maine
Dear Heloise: I was baking a pie with my grandson, had prepared the pastry and was letting it rest in the fridge when I realized I had loaned my rolling pin to a neighbor. I pulled out a roll of plastic wrap and used this as a rolling pin. It was sturdy, and when I was finished, I just tore the used plastic wrap off the roll and put it away. Ann Long, via e-mail
SBlt Send a money-saving or timesaving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, TX 78279-5000, or you can fax it to (210) HELOISE or e-mail it to Heloise@Heloise.com.
King Features Syndicate