 Nature's Way
with Alan Hayes
Dealing with Stains
I've recently received a lot of email from readers on how can they treat grease and food stains. Whether you're buying and eating takeaway food, or just dining at home, it is quite easy to spill food and stain clothing. Food stains, especially if they're greasy, can ruin clothes and need to be dealt with as soon as possible.
To remove grease from clothing, place the garment flat and smother it with talcum powder. Leave the talcum powder for at least an hour and then remove it from the garment. Cover the stained area again with talcum powder and place a couple of layers of paper towel under the greasy mark and more paper towel over the top of the powder. Then hold a hot iron over the top of the powder, but do not press down on the garment. The heat from the iron will draw any remaining grease into the powder. Shake the powder off and lightly sponge any residual mark with eucalyptus oil.
Grease stains and food spills on woolen carpet can also be a disaster and should be treated as quickly as possible. Grease stains respond well to a thick paste made from water and China clay (available from pharmacies and pottery suppliers). Spread the paste over the soiled area and leave until completely dry – usually about 24 to 36 hours. After this time, reduce to a powder using a stiff broom, then vacuum up. Rub any faint residue with a rag dipped in natural turpentine, working from the outside to the centre.
Food spills and other stains can be removed from carpet with this all-purpose stain remover. Dissolve half a cup of pure soap flakes or grated soap in boiling water, let it cool, and then whip until stiff. Apply to a small area at a time – allow it to dry, then remove the residue and wipe with a damp cloth. When the carpet is almost dry, brush up the pile.
Carpet stains that have gone unnoticed can often be removed by rubbing glycerin into them. Leave overnight, then sponge lightly with a solution made by dissolving 1 tablespoon of powdered borax in one and a half cups of warm water. Work from the outside in and keep mopping up so as not to get the carpet sopping wet.
Another reader also inquired about a natural product for cleaning a linoleum floor, and how to make a natural disinfectant.
You can make an environmentally safe floor cleaner by dissolving 1 tablespoon of eucalyptus oil with 1 tablespoon of methylated spirits, and then combining this mixture with 5 tablespoons white vinegar, 280 grams bicarbonate of soda, 5 tablespoons household ammonia* and 4 litres water. Store in a tightly sealed, labelled bottle.
This floor cleaner will not only clean linoleum, but will strip floor wax, dissolve dirt, grease and resinous substances.
(*Household ammonia contains about 3.7% ammonia and when diluted further, as in this cleaner, it is environmentally safe. Once dispersed it converts quickly to neutral salts.)
For a natural disinfectant, simply dissolve 20 to 30 drops of a pure essential oil of your choice in 5 millilitres of methylated spirits and mix this with 2 litres of distilled water. Store the mixture in an airtight plastic or glass bottle.
penroyal@itssonatural.aust.com
Alan on the Web - www.itssonatural.com
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