How to Make Your Absorbent Towel Last Longer (and Save Money)
Did you know that the absorbent towel in your kitchen may be harboring germs? According to a recent study by NSF, bacteria such as Salmonella and Campylobacter can hide out on up to 97 percent of tea towels after just 30 minutes.
“Soak up those spills and save some money too.”
If you’re like most people, then at least once a day you use your kitchen dish towels or hand towels to wipe down counters and clean up little messes. The problem with this is those germs we mentioned… yikes! Bacteria love porous materials so they can breed and thrive there. But here’s an easy way to keep those nasties from touching your skin or being spread around your kitchen.
Do you have a “junk drawer” in your kitchen filled with mismatched bottles? If so, then you don’t need to spend money on expensive cleaners and antibacterial sprays since vinegar is a natural disinfectant and deodorizer and baking soda is powerful enough (and cheap enough) to clean almost anything. With these two items at home, you can make your own inexpensive cleaning products that will save you time and money! Plus they’re not full of harmful chemicals like bleach… because we remember what happened when we used to play with it way back when… (Don’t worry—we won’t tell Mom if you don’t!)
Soak up those spills and save some money too by following these easy steps.
DIY Cleaning Supplies to Keep Your Towels Germ-Free
1. Mix 1 tablespoon of baking soda in a small bowl with about 6 tablespoons of water. It should form into a paste that looks like a cream of wheat cereal.
2. Dip your dirty dish towel into the mixture and wring out any excess liquid so it’s not dripping wet, but just damp enough to clean your countertops or stovetop.
3. Clean the surface with the dampened towel… You’ll be surprised at how quickly dirt dissolves when you use this cleaning trick! If there are stubborn messes, let the baking soda mix sit on them for 30 minutes before scrubbing again (this also helps deodorize).
4. Rinse the towel in a sink of hot water and dry it off on a clean surface, either outside or hung up inside.
5. To make sure your towels are really germ-free, be sure to wash them with warm water and soap after using that method for cleaning any part of your kitchen. Be sure they’re completely dry before you put them back where you use them.
To give your towel a fresh scent without sprays, add drops of lavender essential oil when you’re washing the towels or hang a couple of drops in a plastic baggie with your damp hand towels overnight. This will keep them smelling fresh all day long!
Now go does something fun so it doesn’t feel like “work.” But… if you do want to do something “work-like” then check out our website or contact us so we can send you our free monthly newsletter with something fun like this included! Have a great week.
Your friends at Healthy Child Healthy World
This article was reprinted with the kind permission of Merritt Clifton, editor of Animal People. Please see his original publication here. We highly recommend subscribing to the excellent newspaper, Animal People, which is available both in paper and digital format. To subscribe, click here. You may also follow Merritt Clifton on Facebook by clicking here or on Twitter by clicking here.
People who refuse today or neuter their dogs, purebred or mixed, are helping stop the overpopulation of dogs who end up at shelters and in rescues–and about half of those will be killed. According to the ASPCA, 3.3 million adoptable dogs are euthanized yearly because they can’t find homes for them. It’s better to have your pet spayed or neutered so he doesn’t contribute to that statistic.
We’re all crazy about our pets these days—the average U.S. household has 2.6 dogs and 2.4 cats, according to APPA. There are more than 80 million pet dogs in this country, but still. Millions of them are homeless because people just don’t want to take care of them. If you’re not going to spay or neuter your pet, at least get him chipped and make sure he’s wearing a collar with ID tags so someone will take him in if he’s lost—or better yet, don’t let him roam!
Conclusion:
If you’re a pet lover, spay or neuter your dog. And if you’ve been considering adding a dog to your family—please adopt from a shelter or rescue. Instead of buying one from a breeder, who may have bred more dogs than he can find homes for.