regular household items with surprising uses

A while back I became fascinated with ‘home remedies.’ After seeing countless expensive products, medicines, & cosmetics not work, I thought there must be better, and cheaper, ways to take care of myself.

One of my first discoveries was baking soda, an ingredient for my chocolate chip cookies, as well as a staple air-freshener for the fridge. Did you know that it also is an easy way to freshen breath? Just sprinkle the powder on your toothbrush and brush away. Baking soda doesn’t taste that great, but nothing will leave your teeth cleaner.

In my old apartment, my shower drain constantly got clogged, and I never had any commercial drain cleaning product on hand. I found a remedy online, easy as cake. Just sprinkle a bunch of baking soda in there, pour vinegar on top, and watch the fizzing reaction eat up the hair & soap clogging your drain. Then flush with hot water, and repeat if necessary. It really works, and you don’t have to make an extra trip outside and waste money on thick commercial liquid. On top of that, you can rest assured you didn’t litter your pipes with harsh chemicals.

Speaking of vinegar, some people use it in place of bleach, which is believed to be unnecessarily harsh(on the skin & inhaled) as well as toxic. Vinegar is a good cleansing agent, one that is natural, cheap, and (usually) stocked in your kitchen.

I use apple cider vinegar (okay, you may not have this on-hand…) as a natural AHA cleanser for my face. It doesn’t smell great and stings, but then I just jump in the shower and wash it off. Afterwards my skin glows for hours.

Lemon juice is another good skin cleanser, and I’ve read how some people use it daily to diminish surface wrinkles. If I remember, I try to dab it on before showering as well - the citric acid is a natural ‘chemical peel.’

Cornstarch is another interesting item, used more as a thickening agent for sauces, etc, in the kitchen. However, it is also a natural and less-harsh replacement for talc, and so can be used as a powder on sensitive skin.

A co-worker once revealed to me that she never uses deodorant. Instead, she pats on lemon juice after a shower and lets it air-dry. During the day, she may sweat, but it never smells. I tried this, but after a week or two, I admitted that it didn’t have the same affect for me. Later I found another alternative: pat on baking soda after showering. I tried this, and it works! Not only does the baking soda (in powder form) dry the area well, but my sweat is never noticeable! If any powder rubs off on my clothing (you know, how that happens), just bat it off and it’s gone, no mark whatsoever. If anything, it’s helped you clean it!

Olive oil, the only oil you really should have in your kitchen (okay, maybe one other vegetable oil for baking or gourmet oils if you’re into that), is also an excellent moisturizer. It is particularly soothing, and since it’s very thick, I only use it when I really need it, like after waxing my legs. The extra coverage it gives is perfect for needy(&/or dry) skin.

Milk & yoghurt (& buttermilk & sour cream) also have alpha-hydroxy acids to clean skin. Any of these lactic acids can be used as simple & softening face cleansers, ala Cleopatra.

An egg, beaten, tones the skin when left to dry on it, and I’ve heard of eggs making hair shiny, though I’ve never tried that one.

Do you know of any other great uses for simple, readily-available household items? Please let us know in the comments…