Cool Cleaning tip

Ok, today's cool cleaning tip is Baking Soda and Lemon Juice.  These two common household ingredients can be combined into a scrubbing paste.

We set a metal colander in a bowl this weekend to hold ice (the colander holes let the melted ice drip through so that the ice doesn't sit in a puddle) and left it for too long.  As Brian was doing dishes tonight, he commented that the colander legs had left rust spots in the bottom of the bowl.  I poured a bit of baking soda on the spots, dripped some lemon juice (bottled is fine) on the soda and then scrubbed with our normal dish-washing sponge.  After a few minutes, the spots were gone.

I've also used this combo in our bathroom.  We have a toothbrush holder and soap dish mounted on the wall of our bathroom, both 50 years old.  They were looking kind of grungy, and I'd just read about the baking soda-lemon juice paste, so I decided to give it a try.  I mixed the paste in a small container lid, applied it to the holders and let it sit for a few minutes.  I came back in a couple minutes and scrubbed and was rewarded with a shiny set of holders.

So, next time you have a stubborn spot, say in your kitchen sink, your bathtub, or a bowl, give the baking soda-lemon juice team a try!