Archive for December 30th, 2008
Uncommon Solutions to Everyday Problems
By Courtney Curtis, About.com
Soap certainly isnât what it used to be. Just a few decades ago the big decision was whether to go scented or not when you bought your bars, but now thereâs a soap
for anything and everything.
From body washes to liquid detergents, itâs hard to know what soap is meant for what. News to you or not, the tried and true bar of soap is just as effective, and much more environmentally friendly than any alternative you might find.
If youâre not yet convinced that solid cleansing is the way to go, though, consider everything else you can do with that miracle bar. Who knows, you might be so impressed youâll start buying in bulk.
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Pack a bar of your favorite scented soap when you store luggage. It will deodorize the insides of your bags and keep them smelling fresh.
Rid yourself of unwanted wallpaper glue by making a solution of soap and warm water and sponging said solution on your goop-covered walls.
You can keep garden bugs from eating away at your plant leaves by mixing soap with water and spraying the solution on the underside of each leaf.
Broken bulbs in your light fixture can be dangerous to remove, especially if they are CFLs. To make the task a little easier, use a bar of soap.
First, turn off the power. Then, slowly insert the corner of a dry bar of soap into the socket. Turn the bar a couple of time and the base will unscrew, leaving you unscathed.
Find gas leaks by creating a soap and water solution and rubbing it on susceptible pipe joints. Bubbles forming indicates a leak.
Faulty zipper? Run a bar of soap along the zipper’s teeth and give that zipper a go. Natural oils in soap will lubricate the piece and get things moving.
If your cabinet, kitchen or dresser drawers are sticking, use a bar of soap to lubricate the bottom of the drawer and drawer supports.
If youâre looking for a cheap, green way to deodorize and freshen your car, hang soap from your rear-view mirror. If you prefer, you can wrap it in mesh or cheesecloth first.
Use a thin sliver of soap to mark your fabrics for sewing. Not only can you skip out on buying special marking chalk, your DIY marks will wash right out.
If youâre going to be using pots and pans over an open flame, a bar of soap can save you from sulking over ruined kitchenware. Rub the bottom of your cast-iron pot with a bar of soap before cooking with it over an open flame to keep the bottom from turning black.