by Debbie Walker

It finally happened. I got a little too curious! No, I am not trying out a new recipe that just won’t happen. However, I did decide to try something I have written about, without personal experience!

My son-in-law was looking at some old woodworking tools that were just loaded with rust. Before he could put them away again, I asked if I could have them for a couple of days. These were old wood planers he and my grandson were interested in.

I had read about boiling vinegar and soaking the rust covered tools in for overnight. It was interesting to watch for a few minutes. I actually saw rust bubbling off the tools.

The next day there was still a considerable amount of rust so this time I poured room temperature vinegar over them. I didn’t see any rust flaking off the tools this time. The combination did make a big difference and I was able to brush away some of it.

Well, I looked up “Cleaning rusted tools” on YouTube. I found a couple different men talking about using baking soda and lemon juice. Make a paste and spread it over the rusted tool. I was a little disappointed with this application.

But I’m not done yet. I did have a problem when there were no more rusted tools to experiment with. But Deana, my daughter, saved the day. She found an old rusted lawn mower blade. That will do. I still wanted to try a bottle of Coke on the rust. I will let you know how my last test turns out.

A little info:

Most cleaning and laundry chores call for white vinegar. Apple Cider vinegar is a good choice that calls for giving the air a pleasant, apple fresh scent.

Vinegar will tarnish silver. Never soak pearls in vinegar, it will dissolve them. Be careful also with opal, coral or ivory.

If you ever got white-out on your clothes you know its not easy to get it out. A quick dab of white vinegar will melt it away. For the stubborn one reapply or soak for a few minutes. Wish I knew that when I was working in an office!

Remember always be careful. Not all fabrics like things like vinegar!

More than once I have glued my fingers together with super-glue. It’s kind of a scary thing when you are alone and have no idea how to get your fingers free. I wish I had known then to just soak the affected digits in full strength vinegar.

Stripping wallpaper is quite a job, but your helpful item is once again vinegar. 1 cup of vinegar, one tablespoon of liquid detergent. Spray or wipe solution on wall and let set a few minutes. Scrape off.

As usual I am just curious, this time what ya’ll use to clean rust off tools Contact me at DebbieWalker@townline.org with your comments or questions. Have a great week and thanks for reading!

P.S. Joan emailed me with her go-to all time cleaner: one cup clear ammonia, 1/2 cup white vinegar, 1/4 cup baking soda, one gallon hot water. Mix together and pour into a spray bottle. Thank you, Joan for sharing!

by Debbie Walker

Hi! For a few minutes let’s make believe you can’t get any of your cleaning products. Oh, my whatever will we do? If this really happened and all you had was kitchen supplies, your home would not be without hope. Think about all those years before we had Mr. Clean and the following generations of cleaners, “the best cleaner ever” can be replaced by vinegar, baking soda, peroxide, alcohol, etc.

I have not tried all these hints and would love it if you would let me know what your “go to’s” are. I remember Mom using some of the household products when I was a child. In fact, I remember her using ammonia and bleach together to strip wax off the old vinyl flooring. That didn’t work out very well, she was quite sick. You can check any one of these hints on the computer.

Streak free window cleaner: 1-1/2 cups water, 1-1/2 tablespoons white vinegar, 1-1/2 rubbing alcohol, three drops essential oil. Pour everything into a spray bottle.

Natural air freshener: You can put a drop of your favorite scent on a cold light bulb. When it is on and heats up, ta-da, air freshener! You could soak a cotton ball in vanilla and put in potted plants throughout your home. If you are into essential oils you can use them as well.

Lightening and whitening, naturally: Soak your whites in a bucket of hot water with lemon juice for a couple of hours then hang out to dry in sunlight.

Use pillowcase to clean ceiling fan: I will be trying this one this week. Use a pillowcase. Slip the pillowcase over the blade, then wipe the dust into the pillowcase. Hopefully this will make it relatively mess-free.

Toothpaste to clean silver: toothpaste, not gel. Rub it on, rinse and let it dry. I plan to try it out on some of my jewelry. I’ll let you know my results.

Remove sticky adhesives with a little oil: Put some olive oil on a cloth and rub the adhesive off.

Clean up for hardwater stains: For shower head, faucet, etc.: Use vinegar to lift stains right off. For extra tricky like shower head, if you can’t get it off just put vinegar in a baggy and seal around shower head. Next morning rinse it off.

Just for a little change:

Did you know you can use your crock pot for a humidifier? Wish I knew this before I bought my humidifier!

I read that drinking two glasses of Gatorade can relieve headache pain. I haven’t tried this, but I hope it works.

Did you remember to get a bottle of 91 percent alcohol and a spray bottle this winter? I used it the last winter I was up there, and it worked like a charm on ice and snow, on windows and windshield. Spay on windshield, move around the car spraying windows, side and back windows. Get to your door again, your vision should be cleared.

I’m just curious about how many of these you remembered as your read through them. Happy cleaning! Contact me at DebbieWalker@townline.org.

by Debbie Walker

Let’s see what I can come up with tonight. This doesn’t mean I have tried them; I am seeing some of them for the first time myself. So let me know what you think?

Do you have any problems with pet hair? It is suggested you get out your hairspray. Spray it onto a clean cloth and run it over in an area of pet hair.

Did you ever get makeup like mascara on your clothes? You guessed it, hairspray to the rescue. Spritz it with hairspray and let sit for 10 minutes. Rinse.

Need to remove an ink spot from fabric? Spritz hairspray onto the area. Rub away the stain with a clean cloth. (Tried it, it works!) One I haven’t tried is using hand sanitizer to remove ink.

Spraying a zipper with hairspray may help it to stay up. Let me know please.

Sticky labels or price sticker; spritz a layer of hairspray and wipe it away.

Runs in your pantyhose. Try spraying them with hairspray along the run. (or stop with clear nail polish).

Ever get a razor burn? Place a wet tea bag over the cuts. The tannic acid in the tea works on the inflammation.

Before potting a plant, place tea bags on the drainage holes. They will help retain water and add life to your plant.

Shine your mirror? Brew a pot of strong tea and let it cool. Then dip a cloth into the brew and clean your mirror and buff to a shine.

If you have cooked on food to remove, fill the pot with warm water and drop in a tea bag. The acids help break up the food.

Want to keep your skin soft? Place a few green tea bags under the running water next time you take a bath. The green tea will help with dehydrating your skin.

Ever get a coffee or tea stain on clothing? Wet the area with cold water, put a pea-sized amount of whitening toothpaste on it. Wait minutes then rinse with cold water.

Did you ever hear of soaking a stiff paint brush in a pan of hot vinegar? Do it for about 15 minutes, then wash with dish soap and warm water. Let me know how it works, please.

Fly proof a picnic. Yes, you will have the weather for another picnic eventually! Set out vases of mint and basil down the center of the table. Flies dislike the odor and keep on traveling.

After cooking or cleaning have you had strong smells from your hands? I love this one. Put a dime size drop of toothpaste in each hand, rub together and rinse!

Unscented, hypoallergenic baby wipes make great makeup removers.

Use the baby wipes in your gym bag to clean off exercise equipment.

Clean your keyboard with baby wipes.

Got a bleach spot on your black pants? Use a black permanent Sharpie and try your coloring skills. Now this one I have tried, and it works well. And those markers come in about 50 different colors.

I’m just curious how you do with these new thoughts. Contact me with any questions at DebbieWalker@townline.com. And as usual, thanks for reading. Have a great week!

by Debbie Walker

Have you ever been surprised when someone you know ends a relationship because of abuse and you had no idea? It’s hard to believe there was anything wrong because you ‘didn’t see or hear it’. This is the role of the silent abuser.

The silent abuser has had years to wear down the confidence of the abused. When we are told abusive, down grading, negative, and belittling words long enough it becomes real to the abused. That makes the abused weaker and easier to control.

After the surprise you begin to question a few things? Those questions are answered now. Now you know why she never questioned what he said. You understand her lack of confidence, why she had to miss group or couples activities. Many things become clear now.

The definition of ABUSE I chose for this column is: language that condemns unjustly or angrily.

The quiet abuser is always right. The partner’s opinions have no value. They may even be told repeatedly how stupid they are. Even though on the one hand, the abused know these things aren’t true but over time this eats away at their confidence.

I want to add here that his abuse also pertains to our children, maybe even our parents or co-workers. Quiet abuse is possibly in all their communications.

Sometimes this abuse is generations deep. A person may be verbally abused or physically abused as a child. When given the opportunity to get out of the home they jump at the chance. They may be making the next generation of quiet abuser.

One woman says a few people who witnessed the final couple of years of her life asked, “How much longer can you put up with this behavior?” Her answer was “for the duration, she owed him.” As his abusive behavior intensified beyond anything, she could foresee there came a day… The day came when she had to finalize their relationship. It had become a risk for her own health, bordering on breakdown. She found her voice and left.

Because it was a situation of ‘silent abuse’ some family and friends may not understand their separation. They hadn’t witnessed the behavior. Their disbelief may even cause the abused to wonder, “Was it really so bad?” Hell, yes it was!

I spoke to a few people about this and we came up with some of the categories for a quiet abuser: Yelling (is that ever necessary?), silent treatment, isolation (running your family and friends away), roller coaster of emotions (I promise I’ll never do it again) not being allowed to get medical assistance, destroying personal belongings, insults … Sadly, there are still more categories, but I am running out of space to continue.

One thing I did want to mention is the abused will often defend the abuser. Fear of the unknown is often stronger than fear of the known.

I’m just curious if anyone realizes this is the adult version of “Bully.” Please remember this is not a medical report, it is only my opinion. It is also not a reflection on this paper. If you would like to leave a comment or ask a question please contact me at my new email address: DebbieWalker@townline.org.

Thank you for reading. Have a great week.

by Debbie Walker

I don’t know how many columns I have written, and I just recently realized I have never written anything about our pets. So… here goes:

I came across the most recent Reader’s Digest and it has a great article about dogs and cats titled What Pets Want You to Know.

A professor from British Columbia stated that our average dogs have the mind equivalent to our 2 – 2-1/2 years old child. The average dog can understand about 165 words. They are better with words about things (ex: a favorite toy) as opposed to ‘emotion’ words (good dog).

Before your pup is six months old, they should have met 150 people and they suggest 50 different places (I don’t go to that many!). They should try out different environments, be familiar with different sounds and sights. Dogs that don’t, can grow up fearful and aggressive.

We all know our dogs have different barks. Our dog, in the middle of the night, alerts us to her concerns with the bark. There is no question that she is alerting us. There are also barks that tell you the dog is lonely. The barks may be a single string of barks with pauses.

Dogs also have their own version of body language; they provide you with clues as to what they want. (Ex: pawing at bottom of sofa to alert you there is something under the sofa that they want.)

Dogs are very aware of your stress or tension. Many dogs will feel that tension and can in fact react with aggression. Our energies affect the people around us, don’t think for a minute it doesn’t affect your pet.

Have you ever wondered why dogs chase their own tails? It can be itchy; they can be reverting to their predatory nature or they are just bored. It can also be a compulsive disorder.

When you come home and find your dog has made a mess and she tucks her tail and looks ashamed. She’s just afraid of your anger, guilt is not part of her makeup.

Dogs don’t feel guilt, but they do get jealous. If you have a dog, you know this.

If your dog has light colored or white fur, they have a higher chance of being deaf in at least one ear. The gene that causes the white coat is associated with deafness, just as is blue eyes.

Little dogs have shorter, more frequent dreams than the bigger breeds. This is proven by brain scanning just like with us.

There are studies that have shown some dogs can detect cancer just as there are some who know when a diabetic is going to have a problem.

For those who don’t know there are some wonderful websites of dogs and their antics as well as other animals. They can be very entertaining on these cold snow and ice filled days and evenings.

We have a dog in our house. She is a Walker Hound and Boxer mix. She has been a wonderful friend. She talks. If she wants something, she will carry on quite the conversation. I love it.

I’m just curious about your pal. I would love to hear your stories. Contact me at dwdaffy@yahoo.com with your questions or comments. Thank you for reading. Have a great, healthy, and happy week!