Filed under: Savings Experiment, Home & Garden
No kitchen is complete without a well stocked pantry, but did you know that a lot of the items in there can also help clean your house? Here are some of the surprising uses.If you want to rejuvenate your scuffed-up wooden countertops and furniture without the pricey wood polish, just grab a bag of walnuts. Simply take a few nuts out of their shells and run them firmly across small scratches. Let it sit for five minutes to let the natural oils from the nuts absorb into the wood. Then polish it off with a soft cloth to reveal like-new finish.
As for the persistent odors in your fridge, try a little vanilla extract. Believe it or not, this common ingredient can easily get rid of those stubborn smells. Simply soak two to three cotton balls with 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract and leave it in the refrigerator overnight. Not only will the odor be gone the next day, but you'll have a nice, fresh scent there instead.
Lastly, if you have any thin-necked bottles or vases with some hard-to-clean spots inside, a little uncooked rice can go a long way. To start, place a handful in the bottle. Then add a small amount of dish soap and fill it up about halfway with water. Cover the top and shake it up. Empty, rinse and repeat, if needed. If your bottle or vase has a stubborn white film inside, try adding vinegar instead of the soap. It will clean it right off.
Use these easy tricks to make the most of your pantry items. You can clean your home while saving a few bucks, too.
