Domestic tips and tricks

YESLORDIWILL · Sep 3, 2017

Stravinsk said:
http://urbansurvivalsite.com/washing-clothes-without-washing-machine/

I've been using that laundry soap recipe for over 10 years, works great. 1 bar fels-naptha, grated and melted in a pan of water on stove...keep the burner low or it will boil over, uggh 1 cup super washing soda & 1 cup borax. Put it all into a 5 gallon bucket of hot water, mix ...it will be nice thick laundry soap in the morning! Oh and now that they sell those laundry smell beads I stick 1/2 container of those in...smells amazing!

Oh and magic erasers (or the generics) are magic indeed. Just make sure you get them a bit wet before you use them.

Stravinsk · Sep 3, 2017

tango said:
You write about dehydration quite a bit. Can you recommend a dehydrator for someone (like me) looking to start out that isn't going to cost the earth but isn't something I'm likely to outgrow in the first few weeks? If not a specific make, any tips for things a good dehydrator should have and things to avoid?

(Feel free to take the credit for inspiring me to actually get started rather than looking at them with a little intrigue )

YESLORDIWILL said:
You can just use your oven. 140° is ideal, but most ovens only go down to 170°. Just use a wooden spoon to prop the door a bit to vent, works like a charm.

It depends on what you are dehydrating and what kind of nutrients you want to retain in it. You can use your oven - but a setting that will dehydrate meat is not the setting that is suitable to dehydrate fruits and veggies - unless one does not care about nutrient loss through over heating.

Off the top of my head I couldn't tell you what the temperature ranges are (or if you could achieve all of them with a standard oven, which I highly doubt), but most basic dehydrators come with 3 temperature ranges. The lowest for delicate items like sprouts/herbs/flowers, medium for fruits and veggies and high for meat.

The dehydrator I use at the moment is just a basic model with 3 temp settings. It fit my budget at the time and serves me well.

ImaginaryDay2 · Sep 4, 2017

Imalive said:
Bring it to a laundromat.

It's ruined. Going to donation

ImaginaryDay2 · Sep 4, 2017

Imalive said:
The landlord only allows cold water washes. What is this?? May you shower warm or also only cold?
Gosh some people. My brother used to live in a house w a hospita and after 5 mins showering she was like: so, that's enough already and turned the hot water off.
:=D:

I know. The thing is, the guy's hot water is scalding! If he really wanted to save, turn down the temp on the hot water heater.

ImaginaryDay2 · Sep 4, 2017

tango said:
Buy a hose and connect the hot tap?

ETA: In England it's increasingly common for washing machines not to have a hot water intake at all - they draw cold water and heat it as required.

The guy was recently gone for over a week, overseas somewhere. I contemplated it, but the two younger kids that are here really aren't all that fond of me and might have turned me in

Lamb · Sep 4, 2017

YESLORDIWILL said:
I've been using that laundry soap recipe for over 10 years, works great. 1 bar fels-naptha, grated and melted in a pan of water on stove...keep the burner low or it will boil over, uggh 1 cup super washing soda & 1 cup borax. Put it all into a 5 gallon bucket of hot water, mix ...it will be nice thick laundry soap in the morning! Oh and now that they sell those laundry smell beads I stick 1/2 container of those in...smells amazing!

Oh and magic erasers (or the generics) are magic indeed. Just make sure you get them a bit wet before you use them.

My friend who lives on a sailboat makes her own laundry soap!!

The magic eraser is great but it can take the sheen off things so beware. I use them in the tub to get rid of stubborn dirt stains on the bottom.

YESLORDIWILL · Sep 4, 2017

Stravinsk said:
It depends on what you are dehydrating and what kind of nutrients you want to retain in it. You can use your oven - but a setting that will dehydrate meat is not the setting that is suitable to dehydrate fruits and veggies - unless one does not care about nutrient loss through over heating.

Yeah, I've only used the oven to dehydrate meat...wasn't thinking about delicate fruits and veggies :•)

Lämmchen said:
The magic eraser is great but it can take the sheen off things so beware. I use them in the tub to get rid of stubborn dirt stains on the bottom.

They do work great in the tub also on fingerprints around light switches and on walls...I've never noticed them removing sheen, but I believe it. I've ruined a few things with goof-off, which can also be a valuable product if used on the right surfaces.

Stravinsk · Sep 5, 2017

I put together a slightly varied version of this, same ingredients, just somewhat different quantities in relation to each other. Got it off a website, but I can't find that website now. This recipe uses the same ingredients, just slightly different ratios:

https://www.slowfood.com/homemade-lemon-dishwashing-liquid/

Homemade dishwashing liquid (for use in sinks with hot water - for a dishwasher one will need to strain out any lemon chunks).

Note: It is doubtful to me that refrigeration would be needed to keep product, as the relatively high sodium content is going to prevent bacteria and fermentation from happening for a fairly extended period - that being said - there is no harm in refrigerating it.

This worked well in getting dishes clean. Smells nice too.

Wilhemena · Sep 5, 2017

I am enjoying this thread. I own cast iron skillets and the easiest way to clean them is immediately after use when the metal is still hot and there is fat or grease in them. All you need to do is pour in sea salt which is very coarse and use a brush or even a piece of paper towel will work but it will disintegrate fast so I prefer my brush that is specially made to clean cast iron and scrape off all the residue. Then scrape the sea salt into the trash can and clean the skillet with water, dry it off and add a tiny bit of oil to keep the seasoning good so rust doesn't appear and you will have a skillet that is ready to go the next time you are cooking.

psalms 91 · Sep 5, 2017

Wilhemena said:
I am enjoying this thread. I own cast iron skillets and the easiest way to clean them is immediately after use when the metal is still hot and there is fat or grease in them. All you need to do is pour in sea salt which is very coarse and use a brush or even a piece of paper towel will work but it will disintegrate fast so I prefer my brush that is specially made to clean cast iron and scrape off all the residue. Then scrape the sea salt into the trash can and clean the skillet with water, dry it off and add a tiny bit of oil to keep the seasoning good so rust doesn't appear and you will have a skillet that is ready to go the next time you are cooking.

Yup I do this

Stravinsk · Sep 7, 2017

One of the things I have been reluctant to give up is commercial shaving gel/cream. I know that in most of them there are a host of chemical ingredients that cause cancer, damage/age skin etc. Well, I recently watched a short documentary and it served as a good reminder - I thew out my shaving gel after spotting several of them in it.

Ok so what to use? I've tried just soap before...tried it again and remembered why I had returned to the shaving gel. Bar soap was still harsh to shave with, and it left my skin super dry feeling.

On a whim I looked it up, and it seems I'm not the only one to try shaving with:

Honey

Just a tiny bit of hot water to thin it with and away I went spreading it on. A little bit goes a long way. The shave was very smooth and the residue washed off easily with a bit of water.

It turns out there are numerous benefits for using honey on your skin. To think I've been robbing myself of them all these years.

Imalive · Sep 8, 2017

I need things to keep the wind away on the balcony for the rabbits. They ate the tings I hung there. Tents maybe.

Imalive · Sep 8, 2017

Of course, shopping bags from the grocery store.
I fixed this quite well if I may say so myself. A pity I can't upload a pic.

YESLORDIWILL · Sep 29, 2017

Silicone baking bat, best thing ever! Veggie burgers never stick or crumble! Roast vegetables or potatoes...anything. I have an off brand that works great.

Imalive · Sep 29, 2017

Don't do anything the whole week, wait until one hour before the guests come and in some miraculous way your house gets clean really fast.

Stravinsk · Sep 29, 2017

YESLORDIWILL said:
Silicone baking bat, best thing ever! Veggie burgers never stick or crumble! Roast vegetables or potatoes...anything. I have an off brand that works great.

Have you tried the recipe in the video?

YESLORDIWILL · Sep 29, 2017

Stravinsk said:
Have you tried the recipe in the video?

Yes, I've tried most of her recipes. I usually add some oat bran since I bought the 50# bag, lol. I also like adding cooked barley. The silicone mat really makes it easy, no mess... I usually make'em in bulk and freeze them...pop 2 in the toaster and bam, lunch is done.

Stravinsk · Sep 29, 2017

YESLORDIWILL said:
Yes, I've tried most of her recipes. I usually add some oat bran since I bought the 50# bag, lol. I also like adding cooked barley. The silicone mat really makes it easy, no mess... I usually make'em in bulk and freeze them...pop 2 in the toaster and bam, lunch is done.

Interesting. Adding barley, cooked and/or soaked/sprouted, isn't something I've thought of. I might try that. I have a bunch for sprouting when I was going bonkers buying organic seeds of various varieties. For binding - potato starch is working well for me. It's a free byproduct when I make hash browns (after grating potatoes I squeeze out the liquid into a bowl before cooking them - the starch settles to the bottom and after dumping the water it dries in the sun to a powder in just a few days).

YESLORDIWILL · Sep 29, 2017

Stravinsk said:
Interesting. Adding barley, cooked and/or soaked/sprouted, isn't something I've thought of. I might try that. I have a bunch for sprouting when I was going bonkers buying organic seeds of various varieties. For binding - potato starch is working well for me. It's a free byproduct when I make hash browns (after grating potatoes I squeeze out the liquid into a bowl before cooking them - the starch settles to the bottom and after dumping the water it dries in the sun to a powder in just a few days).

Raw potatoes, great source of resistant starch...oh yeah, the silicone mat is also perfect for making hashbrowns! Just make patties and bake them at a high temp...they turn out great and don't stick. I wonder if I can sprout my plain "store bought" barley, I think I'm gonna try.

Edit to add:

Stravinsk · Oct 6, 2017

I have mentioned this elsewhere, but I just realized this is a great place to place this tip.

If you have a cut or similar external injury that is bleeding, the spice Turmeric is very helpful - applied topically directly to the wound. It will not only stop/slow the bleeding but it has powerful antibiotic and antiseptic properties. I did not just read this online, I tested it myself just over a year ago. I had a very bad finger cut, and while stitches were not necessary - every time I changed the bandage on the wound I would tear it a bit removing the dressing - and it would start to bleed again.

I applied Turmeric paste (pure Turmeric and water to make paste) to the wound. I expected to have to change this after I showered the next day. Surprisingly - the paste did not wash off and I left it. Somewhere in the neighborhood of a week past and when I finally removed the Turmeric, the wound had healed considerably - More healing had taken place in this time period than in twice the time without it.

At the time, I worked with a few migrants who were from India. One mentioned to me that this was common knowledge in India. Now shared with whoever might read this, that they may benefit.

Domestic tips and tricks

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