HOME REMEDIES

Why do I love articles about home remedies? I remember being like 12 years old and being obsessed with an advertisement in readers digest about a book called 1001 Home Remedies. I wanted it so bad that during our weekly stupid family meetings that my mom forced us to have (sorry mom), I used to bring the advertisement to the table and when it was my turn to speak at the meeting, my only request was that we buy the book because I felt that it would be very beneficial for our family. (My mom and brother remember this well). Everyone just sort of laughed at me – but I truly wanted that book. 

I remember the infomercial on TV back then – it would have the announcer talking as scenes played out - “Baby crying?? Run the vacuum cleaner! Have an ear ache? Massage your hand with oil! Gum in your hair? Use peanut butter to remove it!”.  Oh that infomercial just tantalized me and no one would buy me the damn book – despite the 3 easy payments (installments) of $9.99.  (No CODs). 1001 home remedies people..just think about it. 1001.

Now, in the day of the internet and giant bookstores, home remedy ideas are everywhere – not just in the 1001 Home Remedy bible sold on TV. (I’m laughing at myself right now, this is so dumb). But in all seriousness – who doesn’t like a good home remedy – how often have you shared these sort of things between you and your friends or been ecstatic that you actually buffed out the water stain on your coffee table with coffee grounds? I mean seriously! We love home remedies! 
Well you can thank me later – but I have put together a little list of my favorite home remedies. Not all have been tried and proven yet personally but just the thought of them makes me happy. So here are 21 Fabulous DIY Home Remedies for your reading pleasure!

Beauty and  Skin Treatments
1) Strawberries, which contain salicylic acid, can be mashed up and applied to your face for 15 minutes to combat acne and sun damage.
2) Shrink your pores with an egg white mask.  Whisk up some egg whites and apply to your face overnight.
3) Rose water is a great tonor for your skin. Make your own by pouring boiling water over rose petals or just buy it at the middle eastern market – lord knows they have enough of it there.
4) To help weak, dry hair – use coconut oil as a deep treatment either overnight or with a sexy shower cap or just for a quick conditioning. It’s been shown to actually strengthen strands.
5) Don’t pay $35 for Origins Salt Scrub! Make your own with one cup brown sugar, one cup olive oil, and 1 cup oatmeal
6) Brush your teeth twice a week with Salt and lemon juice paste to whiten enamel and get rid of stains (not for sensitive gums/teeth)

Jewelry/Metals
7) Untarnished your silver jewelry all at once (not steel, just silver).  Place all your jewelry into a glass baking dish covered in aluminum foil. Sprinkle everywhere with baking soda, then pour boiling water on top. Let sit for 10 minutes then rinse with WARM water and pat dry. Might take 2 times for some really tarnished stuff.
8) Shine your brass stuff. Put your things in a bucket - Mix half a cup of white vinegar with a tablespoon of salt and pour in the bucket, then fill will water. Let it sit for 15 minutes, rinse with warm water and dry.

General Health
9) Rub the inside of a banana peel on your bug bit to relieve itching.
10) Sooth heartburn with some cinnamon toast. Cinnamon can provide relief for acid reflux

Furniture
11) Remove candle wax from wood tables by applying a freezer pack until it hardens completely and then using a credit card to chip away.
12) Remove white water marks on wood by laying cloth on the mark and ironing briefly and repeating until the mark is gone.

General Household
13) Prevent your cheese from molding by spreading some butter on the exposed part
14) Ant problem? Squirt the source with a 50/50 mixture of peppermint oil and water
15) Keep ice cubes of your basic wall paint color in your fridge. When you need to do some quick touch up or cover up work, you can just thaw out the paint cube and roll.
16) Clean your microwave easily by mixing lemon juice with 1 cup water in a microwave safe cup and then microwaving it for 3 minutes. Then wipe down the walls.
17) My favorite thing of all – THE MAGIC ERASER! Have you guys tried this thing. It works to get anything shiny again. I’ve used it for jewelry, scratches in cars, bathtub scum, anything.
18) Use mayonnaise to get sticky adhesive residue off things. You price tag residue from picture frames, etc.
19) Use a bit of butter to untangle knotted up jewelry

Car
20) If you see your car about to overheat, turn your heater on FULL BLAST (open windows). This pulls out some of that hot air from the engine. My dad taught me this one and it’s confirmed on popular mechanic website.
21) To prevent your doors from freezing shut in the winter, spray silicone around the door edges. I wonder if cooking spray would work though??

Feel free to share your favorite home remedies with me by leaving comments!