Do you have baking soda in your home? What about some lemon juice? Or apple cider vinegar? White vinegar, anyone? Yes, those everyday products can do much more than you think.
If you’ve been following my website, you know that I prefer to do things the natural way. And that applies to everything. Cleaning, cosmetics, health remedies, and so on. I’m sure many of you have the above mentioned products in your home. And there are many more.
A common saying is: “The solution costs a dime if you know how to find it.” And that’s exactly what I want to show you these everyday products. Basically, you can do almost anything with them. And unlike expensive cosmetics and cleaning products, it will cost you almost nothing. That being said, let’s take a look at what these products can do. Why spend money on something you have in your home. Right?
Apple cider vinegar
Let’s start with one of the most common products in our homes: apple cider vinegar. I bet every one of you has a bottle at home. If not, go get one now. I’ve written before about the uses of apple cider vinegar, but here are some of the most common uses.
- You can soothe sunburns as well as any skin conditions and irritations. You might think that the acidity would irritate your skin, but it actually helps. You just need to dilute the ACV with some water and apply on the skin.
- In the same way you can use ACV for sunburns, you can also use it to treat acne. Use it as an aftershave to get your skin smooth and silky.
- Last, but not least, use ACV to wash your hair. ACV will help eliminate dandruff. You can add ACV to your shampoo or dilute it with water and use it as a mask/rinse.
- Moving into the home section, ACV is good flea repellent.
- You can also clean your microwave or any other surface covered with dirt and stains.
- ACV is great for deodorizing your laundry. Add some to your washing machine, and your laundry will smell much better.
- The last group of uses is for dietary purposes. Drink a glass of water with some apple cider vinegar in the morning, and you’ll detox your body and lose weight.
- Consuming ACV helps control your blood pressure and sugar intake.
- When you have a yeast infection, drink ACV to get rid of it faster.
- Last, but not least, the common cold will be gone thanks to apple cider vinegar.
Lemon juice
The next item on the menu is lemon juice, another household staple. I keep some fresh lemons in the house because of their scent and because they are very practical. Many use lemons for health benefits. But they can do much more.
- Starting off with dietary uses, lemon juice will help you flush out toxins.
- Lemon juice also improves digestion and soothes a sore throat.
- And, of course, consuming lemon juice on a daily basis improves your immunity. All that vitamin C comes in handy!
- In the home, use lemon juice to clean glasses and mirrors. Spray a little lemon juice solution mixed with water on them, and you’ll have an easy time cleaning the mirrors.
- Due to the vitamin C, lemon juice is also great for disinfecting cutting boards.
- You can use it to brighten the toilet bowl, but also any other white surface.
- For personal care, lemon juice is great for reducing wrinkles and shrinking pores.
- You can also use lemon juice topically for removing sunspots or highlighting your hair.
Baking soda
We are now getting to one of the cheapest, if not the cheapest, home remedy and cleaning solution you can get. Basically, a teaspoon of baking soda can make all your troubles go away. Here are some common uses.
- Use baking soda to scrub toilets and tubs and clean all those stains.
- Use it to clean your oven and grill, or any other device in the kitchen that has dirt, stains, and other residues of cooking.
- Use as a deodorant. Apply some on your armpits, and you’ll take care of that sweaty odor.
- You can also use it as a toothpaste and mouthwash. If you use it as a toothpaste, you’ll also whiten your teeth. But don’t overdo it, as baking soda can be corrosive. One week every two months is more than enough.
- Topically, baking soda can be used to relieve diaper rash in newborns or any other skin irritation.
- You can also use to treat heartburn.
- In the kitchen, you can add baking soda to an omelet to make it fluffier, or to your roasted chicken to make it crispier.
Coconut oil
Yes, coconut oil can be a little pricey, but it’s well worth it. This is the healthiest oil you can use for your cooking and diet. There are many uses of coconut oil, but I’ll list just some of them.
- Use coconut oil to polish wood furniture; it will make your wood furniture look as good as new.
- Coconut oil can also be used in place of WD-40, which has a more offensive odor and scent.
- Use coconut oil in the bathroom to remove shower scum.
- Most of the uses for coconut oil are in the personal care and beauty area. Some of the things coconut oil can replace are hair serum, lip gloss, and deodorant. For your hair, add coconut oil to your shampoo, and you’ll notice results in a week or two. If you use it as a deodorant, just heat it in your palms, and apply on your armpits.
- Another personal care use for coconut oil is in the skin section. Consuming coconut oil will prevent wrinkles, but you can also use it on your skin to nourish it.
- Regular consumption of coconut oil will improve the function of your thyroid gland and reduce migraines.
White vinegar
There are certain areas in which white vinegar is better than apple cider vinegar. And vice versa. White vinegar is less acidic than ACV, for starters. But both are great, and I’d recommend you have one bottle of each at home. Now, let’s take a look at some white vinegar uses.
- In your home, for example, white vinegar is much better for polishing silver and cleaning windows. Of course, you will have to dilute it with some water, but your windows will be as clean as ever.
- If you want to neutralize odors, just put some white vinegar in a spray bottle and top it with water. Use a vinegar to water ratio of 1:3 ratio. Spray any spot that’s prone to odors. Or leave white vinegar in a bowl with water to neutralize odors in the oven, for example.
- Last, but not least, you can use white vinegar for unclogging your drain.
- In the personal care area, white vinegar is better at taking care of an upset stomach. Apple cider vinegar also has anti-inflammatory properties, but an upset stomach can be further irritated by it. White vinegar is a safer solution
- You can also use it topically to soothe a bee sting or any skin rash and irritation.
- For your hair, white vinegar is best suited as a conditioner. After you shampoo your hair, apply some white vinegar, let it stay for 10 minutes, and then rinse with water.
- In the cooking section, white vinegar can be helpful in a number of ways. For starters, it’s a great way to tenderize your meat. Let it marinate in white vinegar for few hours before roasting it.
- White vinegar can also be used to keep vegetables fresh and eliminate garlic odor from the cutting board.
- And for the egg lovers out there, white vinegar will improve the boiling process of eggs, resulting in much better eggs.
Castor oil
I’m sure that when you were a child, your grandmother suggested castor oil for just about everything. My grandma was the same. She gave me castor oil for almost every ailment, and I’d like to share just some of the uses today.
- We start with the fact that castor oil is the best way to treat itchy, dry skin.
- You can use it as a laxative if you have bowel problems.
- For women, castor oil is great for relieving menstrual cramping.
- In the home, castor oil can lubricate kitchen scissors and any other metal object that need lubrication.
- If you are into gardening, castor oil will restore the health of your plants. Don’t worry, it’s not harmful to spray some on them every once in a while.
- And to make sure your home is rodent-free, spray castor oil in the corners and any other problematic spot. Castor oil discourages rodents from entering the home.
- For personal care, castor oil can help strengthen eyelashes and soften cuticles.
- I’m sure women will love this the most. Castor oil can help relieve cracked heels. After walking on high heels, castor oil is the best thing you can give your feet.
Castile soap
Being that castile soap is made from olive oil, you know it can be handy to have it around the house. In addition to being a great soap, castile soap can do much more. Here are some of the basic uses.
- For starters, castile soap is an all-purpose cleaner. That’s its main function and usage in the home.
- You can also use it as a dish soap, and you can mop floors with it.
- In the personal care department, castile soap can be used as a body wash, but also as a pet shampoo. Imagine that – you and your pet washing with the same soap!
- Washing your body with castile soap can not only help soothe eczema, but also prevent it.
- In addition to eczema, castile soap is an effective treatment for acne.