Stitchnripper

I may have gotten this hint from right here, but can't remember. Anyway, we ran out of Jet Dry and put plain white vinegar into the dispenser in the dishwasher. Wow, everything came out shiny and bright.

also, have been using the powder form of the laundry detergent - I'm pretty sure I found the recipe here. It works great and now I have a friend converted.

On another note, did anyone else notice that the little blue envelopes on the sides of the messages are now blue?

Sweeterthanwine

Wow I will have to try this. I always run out of the Jet Dry stuff and forget to buy it. I always have white vinegar on hand.....Also, white vinegar is great to get the grease off the stove top, even if it is burned on. I got the info from the internet and tried it. It really works. Just spray it on and leave it on for a few minutes. Then use a non scratch scowering pad and it comes really clean.

QuiltnNan

yes, isn't it great that it is easy to determine the status of the thread with the new bright colors!

yngldy

I used vinegar in the dishwasher rinse cycle for years, until the Cascade Complete came on the market. We have 35+ grain of hardness in our water, so the dishes would look dirty after the cycle no matter what brand I tried. Seemed like the jet dry just put a covering over the streaks and would not wipe off. Hate hand washing, takes away from quilting. One time I cut my lip on the edge of a drinking glass. I ran my fingernail over it, it was clear and it scraped off. The glass was not chipped so it must have been the hard water and jet dry combination. Never used it again.

gspsplease

I'm not sure if I read the following hint here or somewhere else. I use washing powder and cold water for clothes but often end up with streaks when the powder hasn't dissolved properly. Now I add a few teaspoons of bicarb soda which seems to help the powder to dissolve and I end up with much better result.

Scakes

Vinegar is a great cleaning aid. I even mop the floors with it. Will have to remember the tip about cleaning the stove top. I'd use it in the dishwasher if I had one. :-(

Just Me...

My three main cleaning items around the house are vinegar, lemon juice and baking soda. If you make a paste out of lemon juice and baking soda, it works like Soft Scrub with bleach. I avoid bleach because of the septic tank...

coopah

Another nifty trick for the stove top is to grab a used dryer sheet (save those suckers, they do 1,000,000 things!), wet it, put it on the burned on area for a few hours (keep it moist). Then use it like a scrubby. No scratches and the goo comes right off. They also work for polishing chrome faucets and also for burned on stuff inside pots and those brown spots on casserole dishes! No one else on this Board probably has any of those issues. LOL!

judykay

I just paid a plumber $175 to snake my kitchen drain and he told me to NEVER use any commercial drain opener in any of the drains, just use baking soda & vinegar and make sure the baking soda is dissolved before pouring down the drain or it will just form lumps and not work. The same for toilets.

hershery

thanks for all the tips.