Tausi Insider

Photo : EkaterinaSid ( Shutterstock ) Nothing beats the scent of a real Christmas tree in the living room. But what those pine tree needles could be used as a general cleaner? Pine disinfectant is a popular, old-timey DIY that’s perfect for the season. Here are a few ways to make it. The traditional method of making pine tree cleaner There are a couple of recipe recommendations out there, so we’ll start with the one that has the shortest prep time, but they all require those precious bits of pine. For the first recipe, you’ll need: Pine needles and/or sprigs 1 ½ cups of white distilled vinegar 1 ¼ cups of water ¼ cup of rubbing alcohol A big jar A spray bottle Per Gather and Grow , pack your needles into the glass jar, then pour the vinegar in there and put it in a sunny window for a week. When the week is up, strain out the plant material, put the remaining vinegar in your spray bottle, add the ¼ cup of rubbing alcohol, and fill the remainder with water. Other methods ask that y...

Photo : Patrick Hatt ( Shutterstock ) Mineral oil and mineral spirits may both have a place under your sink or on a shelf in your garage, but despite sounding similar, they are very different. Not sure which to use for your project? Here’s what to know. What’s the difference between mineral spirits and mineral oil? Both start with the word “mineral,” and are clear liquid byproducts of the distillation of petroleum, but the similarities end there. Here are some of the difference between mineral spirits and mineral oil : Mineral spirits Common uses: Thinning paint or ink Cleaning paintbrushes and other tools Cleaning paint spills Stripping built-up layers of polish, wax, and oils on wood Prepping wood before staining or painting Removing residue from stickers Restoring garden tools Cleaning window frames Removing scuff marks from the floor Degreasing auto parts and other tools Cleaning plastic outdoor furniture Removing sap from garden tools Similar to: Turpentine Acetone Denature...

Photo : Fevziie ( Shutterstock ) If a baby is one of the sweetest, cutest, most precious things we could ever imagine taking up space in our homes , their diaper pail is the exact opposite. If you have one, I don’t need to tell you how horrifically odorous it is; you’re well aware. There are several ways to wrangle their smell into submission, though—here’s how. A cleaning solution To start with, i n addition to being the source of an absolutely appalling smell, it’s important to remember that the moisture-rich environment of a diaper pail can also lead to mold. When cleaning, you not only want to eliminate the stink, but the risky stuff, too. The parents at Mom Loves Best have a solution for both. You’ll need the following: Borax Warm water White vinegar Tea tree oil Add two tablespoons of B orax to a spray bottle, then two cups of warm water. Swish it around for about a minute until the B orax dissolves, then add ¼ cup of white vinegar and 20 to 40 drops of tea tree oil. S...

Photo : Maderla ( Shutterstock ) Once again , we regret to inform you that a cleaning hack you may have seen online is maybe not a great idea. This one involves sprinkling bicarb—or baking soda—on your carpet to remove stains or odors, which certainly sounds promising considering all the wonderful cleaning uses baking soda typically has . But cleaning influencer @TheBigCleanCo points out the problem here: The particles are too small for your vacuum to completely suck up, which means they’ll stay attached to the carpet fibers and actually potentially trap the odor in. This tip has been around a long time—some baking soda brands even have recommendations for how to do it, suggesting vacuuming up the bicarb after letting it sit on the carpet for 15 minutes or longer. The issue is that a vacuum cleaner may not be able to lift all of the crystals out of your carpet; they could simply become lodged there. (Just ask TausiInsider’s Managing Editor Meghan Walbert—she told me she once n...

Photo : Africa Studio ( Shutterstock ) During a recent bathroom renovation project, my boyfriend had to disconnect his water softener, and it wreaked more havoc on our daily liv es than we expected . Showering and washing clothes, in particular, were much more difficult , as hard water leads to the formation of “soap scum” that is difficult to rinse away . We opted for quick, unfulfilling showers with poor soap lathering, but what can be done to keep clothes soft and residue-free? There are a few tricks to washing clothes if you don’t have a water softener , from combating crunchiness, to avoiding residue and staining. Add vinegar to your hard water washing loads Hard water is just water containing a higher amount of minerals—specifically dissolved calcium and magnesium . To keep your clothes feeling soft , you have to do what you can to neutralize those minerals, and that is where vinegar comes in. Add a half cup to a cup of white, distilled vinegar to your final rins...