Outdoor Cleaning
Car Care
Car Soap
55ml (1/4 cup) vegetable oil based liquid soap, and hot water. Simple mix in a bucket and wash.
Natural Car Wax
225ml (1 cup) linseed oil
4 tablespoons of caranuba wax
2 tablespoons of beeswax
115m (1/2 cup) vinegar
Put all the ingredients in the top half of a double boiler or saucepan. Heat slowly until all the wax has melted, stir and pour into a heat resistant container.
Once the wax had hardened, rub it into your car body with a lint free cloth, and polish to a deep shine.
Chrome Cleaner
Rub vinegar on chrome to clean and bring it to a shine.
Removing Stickers
To remove bumper stickers or the residue from internal stickers, soak a cloth in vinegar and lay it over the area to be removed. Allow to soak for
a few minutes, and then it should peel of with ease. For sticky residue just run a little with vinegar.
Anti Frost Solution
Mix 3 parts vinegar to one part water and coat the windscreen with the solution. This mixture will keep your windscreen ice and frost free.
Outdoors
Bird Droppings
Clean bird droppings by spraying them with full strength apple vinegar, or pour the vinegar onto a rag and rub.
Brickwork
To remove build up of calcium and other minerals on bricks, spray with a solution of half white distilled vinegar and half water. Just spray and leave it.
Compost
Coffee grounds are an ideal source of nitrogen. Mix coffee grounds with compost
or soil for a great natural slow release fertiliser.
Concrete
Remove stains and unsightly marks by pouring full strength white distilled vinegar over the area. Repeat as necessary until the stain is removed.
Decking
Clean decking the easy way by mixing a solution of:
225ml (1 cup) ammonia
110ml (1/2 cup) white vinegar
60g (1/2 cup) of baking soda
Mix with 4 litres of water. Use a stiff brush to work the solution into the decking to remove dirt, grime and mildew.
Drains
The green way to clean drains is to pour 60g (1/2 cup) of baking soda down the
drain followed by 110ml (1/2 cup) of white distilled vinegar. Once the fizzing
has stopped, pour a bucket of boiling water down the drain.
Garden Furniture - cane or wicker
Mix a solution of one part white vinegar and one part hot water. Sponge the furniture with this mixture and allow to dry naturally.
Garden Furniture - plastic
Spray with neat vinegar and wipe. This will remove dirt, grime and mildew and step the mildew coming back again.
Garden Furniture - wooden
It is easy to clean by mixing a solution of:
225ml (1 cup) ammonia
110ml (1/2 cup) white vinegar
60g (1/2 cup) of baking soda
Mix with 4 litres of water, soak a sponge and wipe it down - this will remove mildew, clean dirt and grime.
Insect Repellant
There are a number of green and nontoxic substances you can use to help repel
insects. Generally they do not like strong fragrances or volatile herbs and spices.
Powdered red chili, pepper, peppermint, bay leaves, cloves, citrus oil, lavender,
rosemary, tobacco, peppercorns and cedar oil can all be used to repel insects.
Natural and Organic Weed Killer
If weeds or unwanted grass comes up between patio bricks or paving, or between
stones carefully sprinkle salt between them, then sprinkle with water or wait
for it to rain. For really tough weeds like dandelion, pull the leafy head off
and pour a few teaspoons of salt on the exposed root and then carefully douse
with boiling water.
