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Pantry staples like vinegar and baking soda have proved to be heroes around the house for cleaning and accomplishing other household tasks. Aside from being a fraction of the cost of chemical all-purpose cleaners, they’re also nontoxic and 100% natural.
But did you know there’s another edible essential that also falls in the same category? Coconut oil is an extremely versatile raw material that can help you around the house with even the most tedious tasks (like erasing your kid’s new work of art from the wall).
“While coconut oil is most widely used in cooking and beauty routines, it can also be used in a variety of ways around the home for cleaning and quick fixes,” says Heather Smith, healthy living trends expert with theHAUTEbar.com. “Coconut oil is great to use around the home because it’s natural, unprocessed, nontoxic, and antibacterial.”
So crack open a coconut—or reach into your pantry—and get ready to go nutso over the many ways this oil can be used in your home.
1. Condition and restore wood
Want to keep your wood furniture looking shiny and polished but don’t want to use chemical-based furniture polishes? Coconut oil can bring out the beauty in natural wood, help repel dust, and leave a soothing scent behind.
Smith says you can create wood furniture polish with a small amount of lemon juice and coconut oil. She says coconut oil can also lift scuff marks off floors.
2. Prevent water stains
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If hard-water stains left on your windows or shower glass doors irk you to no end, don’t worry. Coconut oil can make it all better.
Mix the coconut oil with lemon juice. Dip a towel in the mixture, and rub it into your window or shower glass door in a circular motion. Then use another clean towel, and buff it into what will look like a cloudy mess. Mix equal parts white vinegar and water, dip a towel in that, and use it to get your glass streak- and stain-free.
3. Halt rust and fix squeaky hinges
No one likes to hear their hinges making annoying squeaky noises. Coconut oil makes a great lubricant, silencing the squeaks and treating the rust that’s likely causing it.
“Just rub a little coconut oil on the hinge,” says Traci Kantowski, certified health coach and communications director for Coconut Coalition of the Americas.
It also unsticks zippers!
4. Keep appliances running strong
Give your appliances a jump-start with a little dab of coconut oil.
Coconut oil can be used to keep the motors of all your electronics and appliances, like your lawn mower, running smoothly. Think of it as an alternative to grease spray.
Coconut oil also works as a polish on stainless-steel and bronze appliances around the home. Be sure to do a test patch before applying the oil to the entire appliance.
5. Remove sticky labels
Have sticky labels that refuse to budge? Or gum stuck on the bottom of your shoe? If it seems like nothing will remove these messes, try coconut oil.
“Rub coconut oil on the sticky item, let it sit for a few minutes, and then scrub it off,” says Kantowkski.
For very sticky items, use a mixture of baking soda and coconut oil.
6. Remove crayon marks from the wall
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What little kid doesn’t like to write on walls? You can remove crayon and other marks from walls with your magic eraser, otherwise known as coconut oil.
“Apply coconut oil on a rag or cotton pad, rub it onto the mark, and wipe away. Make sure to test an inconspicuous area of the wall first,” says Kantowski.
7. Clean and moisturize leather
A little coconut oil will do wonders to clean and condition leather, and make it more supple.
First, use a damp cloth to wipe the leather down. Dip a dry cloth into a small mixture of coconut oil and lemon juice, and rub it gently into the leather. Wipe away excess oil, and then buff. You can use it on leather couches, jackets, and boots to prevent any type of cracking.
8. Clean showers
“Coconut oil contains lauric acid, which has natural antimicrobial properties,” says Kantowski. That’s why it’s a great all-natural shower cleaner.
“Mix coconut oil with baking soda to form a paste that can be used on bathroom and kitchen grime. Spread it, wait around 10 minutes, and then scrub,” says Kantowski.
9. Repel mosquitoes
While everyone and their neighbor will talk up the many benefits of coconut oil, guess who doesn’t like it? Mosquitoes!
Topical application of coconut oil can repel mosquitoes as well as other bugs like flies, ticks, and bedbugs.
A study published in the journal Scientific Reports found that coconut oil is a better and more effective insect repellent than DEET.
So quit swatting at mosquitoes, and consider whipping up a batch of homemade DIY coconut oil bug repellent, courtesy of Tiffany Pelkey of the blog Coconut Mama.
The post 9 Brilliant Ways To Use Coconut Oil for Cleaning and Household Chores appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com®.
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