Maxy's Hideout

MAXY'S HOUSEHOLD AND HANDYMAN TIPS

DRAIN CLEANER  (Also preventive maintenance but works on all home drains)

½ cup washing soda (larger super markets carry it in the detergent section)
1 gallon hot water
Turn on hot water faucet to run down the drain for a full minute. Turn off faucet and pour in mix. Wait for 10 minutes and then flush the line with hot water from the faucet for another minute.

WATERPROOFING WORK SHOES AND HUNTING BOOTS
2 ½ oz.. neet's-foot oil (available at leather places, tackle shop and sporting goods
stores)
¾ oz.. mineral oil
½ oz.. paraffin
Caution: flammable mixture! Heat in a double boiler. Stir until wax is melted and entire mix is well blended. Let cool. Rub into boots with rag, paying special attention to area where boot top and sole meet.

DRAIN CLEANER                                                                                                                               

one cup table salt                                                                                                                               

1 cup baking soda
¼ cup cream of tartar
Mix these dry ingredients in a glass jar by shaking well. Use only ¼ of a cup at a time, directly down the drain, followed by 2 cups of boiling water. After a couple of minutes, turn on the faucet for a minute or so. This is a preventive maintenance formula and won't work when the sink is already clogged. Regular use will prevent a grease build up in the trap and make your sink smell better. How often? About once a month. Is it OK for the sink disposer side? No problem. Does it work in the bathroom? Not as well as on grease problems which is the biggest culprit in the kitchen drain. Keep the mix tightly sealed between uses.


WINDOW CLEANING RECIPE
1 cup kerosene*
½ cup ammonia
1 gallon warm water
Sponge on and squeegee off. Then polish the glass with wadded newspaper. To make streaks show up better, do one side of the glass with all vertical strokes and the other with all horizontal strokes. You need not have a stroke over streaks!
*kerosene is flammable and also leaves a slight odor, but not for long.

WINDOW CLEANER #2
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
½ cup ammonia
1 cup white vinegar
1 gallon warm water
Apply the same as above.

ANT FORMULA FOR SUGAR LOVING ANTS
2 parts molasses
1 part sugar
1 part dry yeast powder
After mixing put a dab of this on strings of cardboard near the line of ants. They gather around the feast and later they gather for a mass funeral.


EXTERIOR MILDEW KILLER
3 quarts warm water
1 quart liquid laundry bleach (Purex, Clorox, etc.)
¼ cup any powdered detergent (Tide,Duz, etc.)
2/3 cup TSP (stands for trisodium phosphate, not a brand name, found in paint stores)
Mix well and apply to surfaces with a stiff broom. Let stand for 20-30 minutes. Rinse well with a garden hose to prevent damage to plants. Wear rubber gloves when handling. This mix is also great for general cleaning on outside surfaces.


ROACH KILLER MIX #1
4 Tablespoons boric acid powder
2 Tablespoons of either flour or sugar
1 Tablespoon of cocoa
Mix well and then put in bottle caps or make small trays of aluminum foil. Put these where roaches are likely to be and soon, they won't be anymore.


GREEN-UP LAWN RECIPE
1 cup Epsom salts
1 cup household ammonia
1 can beer
2 cups water
Pour into hose-end sprayer and apply. Covers and peps up about 2000 square feet.


BRASS CLEANER FORMULA
½ cup flour
½ cup detergent
¾ cup vinegar
1/3 cup lemon juice
½ cup hot water


GRANDPA CARRELL'S CHEWING TOBACCO FURNITURE STAIN
1 plug of chewing tobacco
1 pint ammonia
1 quart jar with air-tight lid
Break up and crumble the plug into the quart jar. Pour in the ammonia and seal it tightly. Let the mix sit for at least 10 days. Open the jar outside to avoid the fumes. Apply to totally bare wood. Before applying, wipe the surface with hot water from a well-squeezed sponge. When dry, remove raised grain with super fine steel wool.


A MAGIC MIST FOR HOUSE PLANTS
1 Tablespoon liquid detergent
1 Tablespoon Epsom salts
¼ cup tea
1 can beer
1 pint warm water
Mix the ingredients well and spray your house plants with a mister bottle about every fourth time you mist them.


INTERIOR WALL CLEANER MAGIC
½ cup ammonia
¼ cup vinegar
1 gallon warm water
Use one sponge to apply cleaner. Use another to rinse off with plain water. When cleaning walls, always start at the bottom and work up. Less chance of streaks.


MORE WALL CLEANER MAGIC
½ cup Borax powder
½ teaspoon of dish washing detergent
1 Tablespoon ammonia
2 gallons warm water
Use in the same manner as with the above mix.

one cup table salt                                                                                                                               

1 cup baking soda
¼ cup cream of tartar
Mix these dry ingredients in a glass jar by shaking well. Use only ¼ of a cup at a time, directly down the drain, followed by 2 cups of boiling water. After a couple of minutes, turn on the faucet for a minute or so. This is a preventive maintenance formula and won't work when the sink is already clogged. Regular use will prevent a grease build up in the trap and make your sink smell better. How often? About once a month. Is it OK for the sink disposer side? No problem. Does it work in the bathroom? Not as well as on grease problems which is the biggest culprit in the kitchen drain. Keep the mix tightly sealed between uses.