HELPFUL HINT SATURDAY - BAKING SODA USES

Here's a bunch of uses for baking soda. I'm sure there's lots more, so feel free to add yours to the comments! Some of these may be new to you, some may not.

Do you have some great old pieces of graniteware/enamelware that is stained? Try cleaning it by soaking for an hour or two in a bath of one tablespoon of baking soda added to a sinkful of HOT soapy water.

To remove pencil, ink or crayon marks from walls or painted surfaces, rub with a damp cloth dipped in dry baking soda.

Coffee or tea stains on china cups? Use the same method as for pencil marks above.

Want to test your carpet or upholstery for color fastness before cleaning? Use baking soda to test a hidden area for color-fastness by mixing 1/2 tablespoon in 1/2 cup of water and apply a small amount to the carpet or upholstery. Let dry, then vacuum and check area.

Baking soda is a safe and effective cleaner for kitchens and bathroom surfaces - countertops and sinks, tub and tile, chrome, steel, enamel or plastic throughout your home. When it is not fully dissolved, like when it is sprinkled dry from a shaker onto a clean damp sponge, baking soda is perfect to use as a gentle scouring powder - it won't scratch your shiny appliance surfaces, but it's abrasive enough to lift dirt and stains for easy removal.

In the laundry baking soda works with your liquid laundry detergent to make it work harder for you (it's a pH thing!). Just add 1/2 cup of to your wash with the usual amount of liquid detergent. It can also help your chlorine bleach work harder for you… add 1/2 cup of baking soda with a 1/2 cup of bleach (instead of the usual 1 cup) to get whites whiter without smelly harsh chemicals that can damage clothes.

Deodorizing Clothes—Freshen any smelly laundry—work shirts, baby bibs, musty towels—by adding 1/2 cup baking soda in the rinse cycle to neutralize and eliminate odors.

Freshen Sink Drains any time with 2 sprinkled tablespoons baking soda while running warm water from the tap for 1-2 minutes. Of course, it's a great odor absorber in the refrigerator, too. You can even purchase special boxes for just this purpose.

Calm that rumbly in your tummy with baking soda. It's is safe and effective as an antacid to relieve heartburn, acid indigestion, sour stomach, and upset stomach due to these symptoms when used as directed.

SUNDAY NEWS

Boy, have I got NEWS to post today! In our efforts to expand our business here on the farm, we have decided to use the buildings we have rather than "add on". These have more character & will make use of what's already here. Only problem, they need help and lots of it.

Building #1 Project
OLD SMOKEHOUSE
Move & Fix

 We just decided today to MOVE this puppy, and got right to it! We'd used to to store our kids' bicycles, flower pots & what not over the years. Now, transformation is happening! What a job, though! It wasn't on blocks, just setting on the ground, so around the bottom the boards were all rotting. We will be doing some restoration work to help keep it lasting a lot more years yet, but at least we got it into place and in one piece.

Per usual, I forgot to take pictures from where it was located before, and while precariously on the trailer moving, etc. Sheesh! You'd think I'd learn. When we got it by my shop, Tim removed the chain and the building just FELL off the trailer and landed like this. It scared me at first as it hit so hard I thought it was going to fall apart into a million pieces, but thank God it held up! Here's how it looked when it landed. Notice the bucket on the front of our tractor is holding the building up!

Tim got busy. The front of the building was very much busted up from the move. After a bit of thought, I decided to remove the front & have it open, at least for now. We can go back later and put a front back on if & when needed.

Here it is now setting straight and on some bricks, etc. to sit as best we could get it until we get the concrete blocks and new foundation boards attached. I set some of my plants that require shade inside for now as they were getting a little bit too much sun. My plans are to use this for dried flowers, dried floral wreaths I make for the fall, and for whatever I need for the flower & garden part of my business. Looks like we may get a few more years of service out of this old fellow after all!

HELPFUL HINT WEEKEND TIP - Removing Beverage Rings

Finally made it back to my helpful hint weekend post. This is one that so many of us have had to deal with over the years. If you have successfully fixed this problem in another way, please post take a minute to post it to the comments for this blog entry. This weekly feature is all about us helping each other.

Do you have some of those ugly old white old rings left from condensation of a glass or vase that once sat upon your table? There's hope!

Now. I'm not a smoker and have no friends that are, but this remedy would actually get me out to buy one pack and just let some burn into a tray outside. Collect and mix cigarette ash with some beeswax furniture paste. Rub on lightly on your piece of furniture and buff with a dry soft cloth.

Rewax your item if needed.

VINTAGE GOSSIP BENCH

Yesterday I completely refurbished this old gossip bench! The paint color is so pretty (it was a wrong mix because my hubby gave the store the wrong codes) and I told him this was no mistake! You can see the proof is in the pudding!
Looks great, doesn't it? 

It's listed for sale in my
Rag Bag Treasures store.
Sorry, but we will not ship this.
Pick up only.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/46137622/updated-vintage-telephone-gossip-bench

HELPFUL HINT WEEKEND TIP

HAPPY WEEKEND!!!

Use regular isopropyl alcohol to remove glue residue from glossy porcelain. First, very gently remove what you can of the glue with an emery board, then use a clean, soft cloth dipped in the rubbing alcohol.

Also, great for cleaning the crystals on chandeliers! Simpy wipe the crystals with a cloth moistened with alcohol.

A sink full of warm water (not hot) mixed with 1/4 cup of clear ammonia is an excellent glass cleaner. Soak for a few minutes, rinse & dry. In your bathroom sink, use warm water again and a tablespoon or two of ammonia to soak combs & hair brushes to clean them. Use an old toothbrush for scrubbing as needed.

REMEMBER: Never put old glassware in the dishwasher!

Do you have any other uses for alcohol & ammonia? Please share yours in the comments section!

HELPFUL HINT WEEKENDS

As an introduction to my first Helpful Hint Weekend post, a few years ago I borrowed decorating and sewing books & magazines from the library. I gleaned a lot of great helpful hints from them, though I did not write down the names of the sources. So, here's apologies for not being able to pass along reference material names, but I'm sure these ideas were not exclusives of the authors and can be passed along.

Please visit my blog every weekend for the latest hint. I will post one or two per blog. Some weeks the entry may be short, some weeks long. :)

If you have a terrific helpful hint you know about that is not commonly known, please send it to me (you should be able to connect to my email through this blog, but if not, post a comment asking where to send your hint with a way for me to contact you). If I particularly like it, I'll be sure to post it some week and give you credit for the hint, and post a link to your blog, website, selling site, whatever you have and provide in the way of web links as a thank you!

Problem:

MUSTY FABRIC

As a seamstress and crafter, I've come across old quilts & fabric at garage sales or auctions that I couldn't live without; however, it smelled musty and just AWFUL! I took a stab at buying some such pieces and washing them per usual methods, but the smell persisted, thus promising myself I will never buy something like that ever again. What a disappointment my bargains became. It was difficult to pass by those "gotta have it" items that shared that musty odor at times.

GOOD NEWS though!

Vinegar. Who would have thought this could have so many uses?

First, wash the fabric in the method appropriate for the fabric type then simply add 1/2 cup of white vinegar to the rinse cycle. This should be enough to cut the odor and not cause your fabric to smell like vinegar when it's done (and if it does, simply rinse again without vinegar added). Remember to always launder your quilts by hand in the bathtub and hang on a drying rack. Never use automatic machines in order to keep your quilt in great condition for many, many years!

Do you have a quilt or vintage fabric you are concerned about washing with vinegar as it may be harsh? Handwash with Orvis quilt soap and hang up to dry. Here again, you will need a drying rack for larger pieces. There is a product called "QUILTFRESH" that claims to remove odors from fabric that you could try, also. Mountain Mist Ensure is designed for textile care & preservation. Remember to "test" a spot on your item with any product you before laundering to verify color fastness and always follow manufacturer's directions exactly.

I also found another possible remedy the natural way! Again, please spot check your piece before treating. Tea tree oil is known to kill fungus, baceria and germs. Dilute two teaspoons with two cups of water. You'll need a place to spread out your piece so that you can spritz it all over with the solution. This oil has a distinct odor of its own that won't be as strong with diluting, but you may not care to use this method for this very reason. I have never tried this and have no idea if you can or how to eliminate that scent. It makes me laugh because it may turn into trading one scent for another. Personally, I would test this on something old and intended to use for a rag afterwards and see how it smells when done. If undesireable, see how easy it is to get rid of that scent. Perhaps washing/rinsing one or two times would eliminate the problem. Of course, who wants to go through that much work if you are handwashing a quilt in your bathtub? (Makes my back hurt just thinking about it! hehehe!)

That's all for this week. Hope you've enjoyed this article & learned something today. Have a great weekend!

HELP ME NAME THIS "LOOK"

I've been struggling on what to call this kind of "look" for decor. I've been calling them contemporary cottage. Would you folks help me out? Either post your idea or voice your support for the one suggestion you think is just right! I'll enter your name in a drawing for a mini  strawberry embroidery pillow I've made just for you taking time to participate! Taking suggestions for the rest of April. Thanks for your help! (Will send the winner's mini pillow to USA or Canada only.)