Sherri's Helpful Hints

Cleaning With Ingredients You Have Around the House

Baking Soda (Bicarbonate of Soda)

• Baking soda on a damp sponge removes grease easily from stove, back splash etc.Also works great for carpet deodorizing, just sprinkle onto carpet before going to bed and vacuum in the morning.


• Baking Soda can be used for many jobs around the house, scrubbing sinks, bath tub, stove, refrigerator and laundry. It leaves everything smelling nice and cleans just as good as any cleanser without scratching enamel.


• Also for keeping pipes clean under the sink - pour about one quarter cup of baking soda down the drain with about 1 cup of vinegar, this makes a chemical reaction, then pour some hot water down the drain. Hey Presto!


• Baking soda or Borax is also good for getting rid of unwanted insects, just sprinkle around cabinets and cupboards and other places the insects might run.
  

Alka-Seltzer

• 3 tablets down the kitchen sink followed by a cup of white vinegar. Leave for a few minutes then run hot water - cleans pipes.


• 4 tablets in the toilet will leave your bowl sparkling clean. Leave for an hour and then brush.


• 1 tablet in a cup of warm water. Drop in your jewelery (NOT PEARLS OR OPALS) and leave for a few minutes.


• To freshen up a thermos flask, fill the flask with water, drop in four Alka Seltzer tablets and let soak for an hour (or longer if necessary).


• To remove the stain from the bottom of a glass vase or cruet, fill with water and drop in two Alka-Seltzer tablets.

Dryer Sheets

• When cleaning dust and animal hair from free standing fans, window unit air conditioner filters or venetian blinds, use a dryer sheet. It not only removes dust and hair faster, but after prolonged use it creates a protective coating on the wires of the fan for even easier dust removal.


• Dust your television and computer screens with a used dryer sheet as this will reduce the static and prevent dust resettling.


• Clean shower doors with a used dryer sheet to dissolve soap scum.


• Collect animal hair by rubbing the area with dryer sheets, they will magically attract all the loose hairs.

Make-up and Beauty Tips

• The cost of lipstick is sometimes outrageous. Make sure you use every scrap. When the "tube" has been used down to the bottom, carefully remove what is left of the "wax", mix it with just a little petroleum jelly into a resealable container. Now you have lip gloss!


• If your foundation is too dark mix it with a little of your usual moisturizer on the back of your hand and it will lighten.


• Before applying a face mask cover your face with a piece of damp, fine gauze, making sure it completely smooth and touching everywhere on your face. Apply product. When mask is ready (usually about 10/15 minutes) peel off gauze, leaving skin clean.


• If your nail polish congeals try adding a few drops of nail polish remover to thin it out.


• If you can't get the top of your nail polish bottle? Hold it under a hot tap for 30-45 seconds, the heat will expand the top slightly making it easier to get off.


• Pop your eyeliner pencil into the freezer before sharpening, this gives a sharper point.

If you're concerned about what you're putting on your skin, you need to start by reading the labels on products you're thinking of buying. You'd be surprised at the moisturizers whose main ingredients include alcohol (a drying agent) and things like fruit acids whose main function is to remove minute layers of skin from your face. Additives like camphor, which smells nice but can be an irritant, may be found in skin cleansers, and even cosmetics that claim to be "unscented" are not actually free of added perfumes. In fact, most of them have fragrance added specifically to mask the smell of the other ingredients!

Natural beauty tips can keep your skin healthy by keeping you away from harmful products. One good rule of thumb for buying cosmetics is to buy only cosmetics with ingredients you recognize. Many women are allergic to the artificial colors, scents and flavors in everything from moisturizer to lipstick, and sometimes skin problems will just disappear once the offending chemical is removed from your makeup kit. Many companies specialize in making cosmetics out of natural ingredients like almond oil, beeswax, natural colors and essential oils. In general the simpler and shorter the ingredient list, the less likely it will be to contain inorganic chemicals. If you're looking for makeup without artificial colors, scents, added chemicals and who-knows-what, buy mineral make-up.