I can’t soak clothes in the washer, because we have a front-loader, but I buy gallons of white vinegar and use it instead of fabric softener. It removes any traces of detergent, and the clothes do not smell like vinegar.
This thread is like a “who’s who” of As Seen on TV! If you’re looking for a natural ant repellent-cloves. Sprinkle whole cloves near where the ants are getting in and they won’t come near it. Borax works too, but isn’t necessarily safe for people with pets. The ants won’t cross a line of the stuff though.
On another note-can anyone recommend a good knife sharpener that works with serrated knives and doesn’t cost a fortune? We’ve seen some on TV but the ratings are pretty terrible. Our knives are not expensive enough that we’d pay a professional but we’d like to not have to replace them.
Some knife manufacturers will sharpen serrated knives if you send back to them…it might take a while to get back because they do them in batches. If it is an inexpensive knife maybe just get a new one. The patterns are different on different serrated knives so it might not be easy to get a generic serrated knife sharpener that works on all serrated knives.
@NYMomof2 how much vinegar do you add in place of the fabric softener? Do you use it on everything? Towels, linens, clothes, etc.
Borax works great for ants, (and laundry), but I found a cheaper and safer alternative is baby powder. Brush it anywhere they are coming in, and they won’t cross it.
I use white vinegar with towels and jeans, it makes them feel super clean. I just chug some into the water (maybe a half cup) along with the detergent, I don’t even measure it. I was afraid there would be a “vinegar-y” smell, but there is no smell at all except clean 
The mention of parchment paper made me think of how non-stick aluminum foil has taken an important spot in my kitchen. It works wherever parchment would, and in places where parchment might singe, plus it lies flat and molds to the pan. For cleanup, it’s easy just to fold it up into a packet that won’t leak. I use it constantly and I don’t know how I lived without it!
I depend on Oxiclean powder to remove stubborn stains on clothing, but not using the directions on the container. I make a very concentrated liquid by dissolving a few spoonfuls of the powder into a dish of warm water, then soak just the stained section–sometimes I’ll isolate it with a rubber band to keep the liquid from seeping through the rest of the fabric–for at least 4 hours, sometime even overnight. It works miracles.
I used vinegar to remove rust from some old hand tools.
I also use baking parchment. Sometimes I use this, http://silpat.com
If you have a mouse problem in the garage, peanut butter works great for baiting mouse traps. But it might attract ants, as we discovered! So when Mr. B added some borax to the PB used in mouse traps, both the mice and the ants disappeared!
I use ant bait for ants. They have to take it back to the nest, otherwise you are just diverting them.
Mentioned in the carpet cleaner thread - Bissell’s Ewww product worked like a magic wand to make my cat’s “seals of disapproval” disappear.
Oh! MommaJ, yes, yes, non-stick aluminum foil! I use it for making foil packets to grill, also to cover the grill when making messy stuff…like chicken wings…awesome.
@lizard - we recently sent back our Cutco knives. They sharpened everything and replaced anything even slightly broken. $10 for shipping and they were back in 2 - 3 weeks.
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Carbona is awesome. DD smeared a huge swath of kohl eye makeup loose powder on her beige rug. I tried every product imaginable and I thought the carpet was ruined. Carbona and lots and lots of blotting made the stains vanish. After that debacle that makeup went right into the trash.
They make different formulations for different stains. Smells a bit like dry cleaning fluid but it works!
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This is very good to know!! Thank you!
Today I tried the new (to me) Barilla Pronto one-pan-no-boil-no-drain pasta! Eureka! I hate draining pasta and this solves that!
Some people probably think this is strange, but I love dried vegetable flakes. When I don’t have fresh on-hand, I throw in some veg flakes into soups, stews, pasta sauces, etc. I get them on Amazon…I get both the mixed ones, and the single veggie ones (carrots, bell peppers, etc).
Freeze-dried herbs are much better than dried herbs - when you have no fresh ones on hand!
http://www.litehousefoods.com/content/herbs#menu/herbs
I especially like their dill.
Every load of laundry I do with my front load washer, I put white vinegar in the spot that they say ‘liquid bleach’. The vinegar helps get everything rinsed out well (soap etc) so it leaves clothes good and machine with no soap build up.
@BunsenBurner Yes! Love those! Love the chives because I always had to throw out the fresh ones. Also the basil.
I bought these ceramic knives last year, very sharp and little care needed.
http://www.amazon.com/Kyocera-Revolution-3-Piece-Ceramic-Knife/dp/B00DW4QD0C/ref=sr_1_15?ie=UTF8&qid=1439422760&sr=8-15&keywords=ceramic+knife
Another one who’s heard of vinegar in the laundry. I bought some towels from Nordstrom, and they specifically said I shouldn’t wash them in Tide. They also said if they seemed to get less soft than they should be, to put some plain white vinegar in. I’d never heard of that before.
“Today I tried the new (to me) Barilla Pronto one-pan-no-boil-no-drain pasta! Eureka! I hate draining pasta and this solves that!”
Me too!! I especially hate boiling lasagna noodles, because if I get distracted, they become mushy and fall apart. I used their version of no-boil ones. So much easier.
I use vinegar in the wash every few times I do a load.