Dissolve 1 tablespoon cornstarch in 1 pint cold water in pump spray bottle. Shake before using.
Use a steam iron instead of a dry iron.
Add ½ teaspoon vinegar to water in steam iron.
Mold and Mildew Cleaner Recipes
Put a piece of charcoal in bookcases to absorb dampness.
Put musty books in a low temperature oven for a few minutes.
Combine borax or vinegar with water in a spray bottle. Spray on mold and wipe off.
Mildew – Pour 1 cup hydrogen peroxide in spray bottle and spray on stains then scrub with a thin paste of lemon juice and borax to inhibit.
Wash bathroom walls with borax solution, leave it on, or sprinkle borax under sinks.
Oven Cleaner Recipes
Combine 2 tablespoons liquid soap and two teaspoons borax in spray bottle and fill with warm water. Spray in oven close to the surface and avoid inhalation. Wear gloves and glasses or goggles. Let sit for 20 minutes. Scrub with steel wool and non-chlorine scouring powder.
Metal Polish Recipes
Brass and Copper
Apply lemon juice, lemon juice and salt paste, or lemon slice sprinkled with baking soda. Rub with a soft cloth, rinse, and dry.
Make a paste with lemon juice and cream of tartar. Apply. Let sit for 5 minutes. Rinse with warm water. Dry with a soft cloth.
Apply a salt, vinegar, and flour paste. Apply. Let sit for 1 hour. Rub off, rinse, and polish with a soft cloth.
Rub with hot buttermilk, sour milk, or tomato juice.
Rub with olive oil after each polishing.
Tarnished copper - boil item in water with 1 tablespoon salt and 1 cup vinegar for several hours. Wash with soap in hot water. Rinse and dry.
Chrome
Wipe on cider vinegar a soft cloth.
Rub with lemon peel. Rinse and polish with a soft cloth.
Gold
Wash in warm, soapy water. Dry with a cotton cloth. Polish with a chamois cloth.
Silver
Submerge item in salted water and aluminum (either aluminum pan or strips of aluminum foil). The aluminum attracts the tarnish off silver. Let sit for a few minutes, remove items, and wipe dry. Repeat as necessary.
Large items – fill a sink with hot water. Add a sheet of aluminum foil and ½-1 cup salt. Let sit for 2-3 minutes. Remove, rinse, and dry.
Silverware - Place a sheet of aluminum foil in the bottom of a pan. Add 2-3 inches of water, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon baking soda. Add silverware and boil for 2-3 minutes. Remove, rinse and dry.
Jewelry - Fill a glass jar half full with thin strips of aluminum foil. Add 1 tablespoon salt. Fill jar with cold water. Keep covered. Drop jewelry in for a few minutes, remove, rinse and dry.