Home Keeping 101

Milk Scum

Cream sauces, custards, and other cooked-milk mixtures nearly always adhere to pans. To fix this problem, fill the pot with warm water and add several tablespoons of baking soda. Bring to a boil and let boil until the scorched milk loosens and floats to the surface.

Refrigerator Spills

For liquids such as pickle juice and milk, simply place a microfiber cloth on the spill and wipe it up. Even better, the microfibers are slightly abrasive, so if the jam jar has left a ring on the refrigerator shelf, wet the cloth with warm water and gently scrub the jam away. To get rid of meat and poultry juices, use paper towels soaked with a diluted solution of bleach and water, since juices from meats can carry bacterial contaminants that can remain trapped in cloth dish towels and microfiber towels.

Stains on Plastic Storage Containers

Tomato sauce and other acidic foods leave stains on plastic that even the dishwasher won't remove. Set those plastic pieces out in the sun to naturally bleach the stains away. (Rub lemon juice on especially stubborn spots first. Baking soda also works well in bleaching color out of plastic, and it helps get rid of strong odors.)  A great way to prevent stains is to spray with PAM first and then put the food in.

Keep out the ANTS

To avoid a household of unwanted guests who come looking for food and water, make a nontoxic, homemade repellent.

 

Pour equal amounts of water and white vinegar into a spray bottle, and shake to mix. Then spritz the solution in water-resistant areas where ants are common, such as kitchen floors or the crevices in painted baseboards from which the pests often enter. You can also use the repellent outside, spraying patios, porches, and picnic tables before family and friends gather.

 

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