Keeping a home clean and spotless doesn't necessarily require purchasing expensive or harsh chemicals. With a few simple everyday ingredients like baking soda, white vinegar, toothpaste or even aluminum foil, it is possible to easily descale, strip and renovate many objects in the home. Here is a selection of the best practical tips for maintain your kitchen, your laundry, your toilets and your household appliances.
1. Renovate a completely burnt pan with baking soda and Coca-Cola
Stoves covered with a thick layer of exterior charred grease are not irrecoverable. A natural and particularly effective method allows them to restore all their original shine effortlessly.
Start by disassembling the pan handle using a screwdriver so you can treat all the items separately.
Dismantling the handle of the burned stove
Dismantling the handle of the burned stove
Place the pan body upside down in a large basin. Generously sprinkle the entire burned surface with baking soda, then pour Coca-Cola directly on top. The combination of the two ingredients creates a foaming reaction that loosens carbon deposits.
Pan sprinkled with bicarbonate and Coca-Cola
Pan sprinkled with bicarbonate and Coca-Cola
To keep the active ingredients in permanent contact with dirt, cover the entire surface with sheets of absorbent paper, then rewater everything with Coca-Cola to soak the paper well.
Stove covered with soaked absorbent paper
Stove covered with soaked absorbent paper
Repeat the same operation inside the pan as well as for the handle and its metal ring. Leave on for 30 minutes. Then remove the absorbent paper: the burnt black layer comes off very easily. Rub with a scraping sponge to remove any remaining residue.
To finish, apply a drizzle of toothpaste to the metal bottom, spread it with a toothbrush and rinse under running water using light steel wool. Toothpaste acts as a soft polish that makes the metal shine.
Applying toothpaste to the bottom of the pan
Applying toothpaste to the bottom of the pan
Rinse the handle and its screws, then reassemble the assembly. The pan has an absolutely new appearance.
Stove cleaned and sparkling like new
Stove cleaned and sparkling like new
2. Shine tarnished metal door handles
Over time, door handles accumulate sebum from the hands, oxidize and lose their shine. A foaming preparation combined with aluminum foil restores their mirror finish.
In a bowl, mix a spoonful of cleansing gel or dishwashing detergent, a spoonful of toothpaste and beat everything using a mini-whisk until you obtain a dense foam. Soak a sponge with this foam and apply it generously to the door handle.
Then wrap the handle in a sheet of aluminum foil, then rub firmly, enclosing the metal. The aluminum reacts with the product to eliminate oxidation.
Wrapping the door handle in aluminum foil
Wrapping the door handle in aluminum foil
Wipe thoroughly with a dry cloth. The traces of wear fade to give way to a perfect shine.
Metal door handle like new
Metal door handle like new
3. Clean the bottom of the pans with an aluminum ball
If you don't have a metal sponge to strip the underside of a greased pan or saucepan, cut out a piece of aluminum foil and roll it into a very compact ball. Use this crumpled ball as an abrasive pad under a stream of water: it strips cooked grease without scratching the surface.
4. Prevent limescale and rust in the toilet tank
The flush tank often accumulates scale deposits and traces of rust which end up staining the toilet bowl.
Aluminum balls placed in the toilet tank
Aluminum balls placed in the toilet tank
To avoid this problem, shape two or three tightly packed balls of aluminum foil and place them directly at the bottom of your toilet tank. Aluminum helps reduce oxidation of metal mechanisms and slows the attachment of limescale to the walls each time the toilet is flushed.
5. Restore a vibrant white to yellowed laundry and socks
White socks and light laundry tend to tarnish and turn grayish after several washes. A specific preparation helps dislodge the dirt embedded in the fibers.
In a container, mix a dose of laundry gel, a tablespoon of toothpaste and a spoonful of coarse salt. Whisk the mixture to obtain a homogeneous and foamy liquid.
Preparation of the cleaning mixture to whiten laundry
Preparation of the cleaning mixture to whiten laundry
Pour this mixture into a basin of hot water, add white vinegar and a dishwasher tablet, then mix well. Immerse the tarnished white laundry in this solution and leave to soak for 30 minutes.
Soaking laundry with dishwasher tablet
Soaking laundry with dishwasher tablet
Mix the laundry by hand to penetrate the ingredients well, wring it out slightly then carry out a classic machine wash cycle. The laundry comes out perfectly bleached and free of all its stains.
6. Clean a fabric sofa thoroughly with a saucepan lid
Cleaning textile elements like cushions or armrests on a sofa can be tricky without an injection-extraction device. This clever tip allows you to carry out effective dry cleaning.
Soak a microfiber towel in a warm cleaning solution, then wring it out carefully so it just stays damp. Spread the towel flat and place a round glass saucepan lid in the center.
Fold the four corners of the fabric over the lid handle and hold them firmly attached to the handle using an elastic band.
Lid wrapped with a towel to scrub the sofa
Lid wrapped with a towel to scrub the sofa
Grasp the lid by its handle and rub the surface of the sofa vigorously using circular movements. The uniform pressure exerted by the flat surface of the cover allows the microfiber to absorb dust and encrustations deeply without soaking the padding.
7. Maintain and unclog pipes with coarse salt and boiling water
Soap and grease residue regularly accumulates in the sink drain, slowing the flow of water and causing bad odors.
Coarse salt pours into the kitchen sink
Coarse salt pours into the kitchen sink
To remedy this, pour two to three tablespoons of coarse salt directly into the grid of the drain. Heat water in a kettle until boiling, then pour the boiling water gently down the drain. Salt dissolves grease while hot water thoroughly rinses the pipes.
8. Effervescent action: Baking soda and white vinegar
For weekly maintenance or slight clogging, sprinkle a nice amount of baking soda into your sink drain.
Effervescent bicarbonate and vinegar reaction in the drain
Effervescent bicarbonate and vinegar reaction in the drain
Immediately pour white vinegar on top. A powerful effervescent reaction occurs instantly, removing organic residue stuck to the walls. Leave it on for ten minutes before rinsing with plenty of hot water.
9. Protect and shine the faucet with a paraffin candle
Dried water drops quickly leave whitish traces of limescale on chrome faucets. The use of paraffin creates a durable water-repellent protective film.
Take a small tea light and unmold it to collect the hard wax block. Rub the candle directly onto the entire clean, dry faucet.
Rubbing the tap with a paraffin candle
Rubbing the tap with a paraffin candle
Then take a microfiber cloth and vigorously polish the entire surface until the wax becomes invisible. The paraffin forms an invisible hydrophobic layer: the water immediately slides over the metal without forming drops or leaving limescale deposits.
Water-repellent effect of water on the faucet protects
Water-repellent effect of water on the faucet protects
10. Descale and disinfect the toilet bowl thoroughly
To remove stubborn scale and yellow discoloration from the bottom of the toilet, prepare a powerful homemade descaling solution.
Mix hydrogen peroxide (3% hydrogen peroxide), a spoonful of coarse salt, a spoonful of baking soda and white vinegar in a container. Mix with a mixer until the crystals are completely dissolved, then transfer to an applicator bottle.
Descaling solution passed into the toilet bowl
Descaling solution passed into the toilet bowl
Project the liquid onto the walls and bottom of the toilet bowl. Leave it on for a few minutes, then rub vigorously using a brush. The bowl regains impeccable whiteness and perfect hygiene.
11. Make effervescent toilet cleaning tablets
It is very simple to make your own toilet cleaning blocks in order to always keep the bowl clean with each flush.
Grate a bar of solid soap (preferably Marseille or household soap) into a bowl. Add baking soda and pressure of toothpaste.
Shaping soap beads and bicarbonate
Shaping soap beads and bicarbonate
Mix everything by hand using protective gloves until you obtain a compact and homogeneous dough. Shape into small balls the size of a walnut. Wrap each ball in a square of foil, then drill multiple small holes into the surface of the foil with a toothpick.
Perforated aluminum balls placed in the toilet support
Perforated aluminum balls placed in the toilet support
Place these perforated balls in the case of a wall-hung toilet block holder or directly in the water tank, adding a little hydrogen peroxide. With each flush, the mixture gradually diffuses to clean, disinfect and perfume the bowl.
12. Sharpen and renovate a kitchen knife with toothpaste and ceramics
If the blade of a kitchen knife no longer cuts properly, you can sharpen it at home without a specific sharpening stone.
First coat both sides of the blade with toothpaste. Toothpaste contains very fine abrasive micro-particles which make it easier to polish the steel.
Turn a ceramic bowl or deep plate over your work surface to make the raw, unglazed rim located under the bottom of the container accessible. Sprinkle this edge with a little salt or baking soda and add a dash of vinegar.
Sharpening the knife blade with toothpaste on a ceramic rim
Sharpening the knife blade with toothpaste on a ceramic rim
Slide the toothpaste coated blade to either side over the ceramic border maintaining a constant angle of approximately 20 degrees. Make several regular passes from the base to the tip.
To clean the blade after sharpening, add baking soda and white vinegar directly to the knife, then wipe thoroughly with absorbent paper.
Apple cutting test with the sharp knife
Apple cutting test with the sharp knife
The knife wire is perfectly sharp and cuts very thin slices without resistance.
13. Clean and completely descale your washing machine
Over time, the washing machine accumulates detergent deposits, mold at the seal and limescale in the drain filter, which generates bad odors on the laundry.
Start by opening the bottom hatch of the machine, removing the drain filter and removing the detergent drawer.
Fill a sprayer with white vinegar. Spray the vinegar generously into the filter housing as well as the product tray cavity. Scrub the inner corners with a toothbrush, then wipe off the accumulated dirt with absorbent paper.
Descaling of the product tray and the washing machine filter
Descaling of the product tray and the washing machine filter
In a basin, place the filter and the product tray. Sprinkle them with baking soda, pour in white vinegar and toothpaste foam. Carefully scrub every nook and cranny with a sponge and toothbrush to remove traces of black mold and dried detergent residue, then rinse with clean water and put them back in place.
Gently move the rubber seal away from the drum: spray white vinegar inside the bellows and scrub with the toothbrush to dislodge the hidden grime.
Cleaning the rubber seal of the drum with a toothbrush
Cleaning the rubber seal of the drum with a toothbrush
Finally place two dishwasher tablets directly at the bottom of the empty drum, close the door and start a high temperature wash program (60°C or 90°C). This complete treatment eliminates limescale accumulated in the tank, disinfects the pipes and restores lasting freshness to your washing machine.
