Sentry Page Protection
Dear Cath - November 2019
Q. Hi Cath, I was wondering if there was a way I could wash my car at home without using water and using a homemade cleaning product? Previously I have taken it to be detailed which usually costs around $50 or more but since I am a cheapskate now I would like to find a much cheaper and environmentally friendly option. Thanks, Jane
A. You can't wash your car entirely without water, but you can use the absolute bare minimum and in these days of water shortages and such severe drought, this is a good thing to know.
You can get micro fibre cloths especially for car washing from the supermarket (or an auto store, variety store etc.) for around $8 a pack. You may find one cheaper at a $2 dollar shop if you look. If you follow the instructions on the cloth you'll end up with a clean car.
Basically you wet the cloth and wipe it over the car. Simple. If your car is a little more than just everyday dirty, fill a bucket with cold water and about 1 cup vinegar and use this to wash and rinse. The duco will be clean and shiny and you won't have used hundreds of litres of precious water.
If you do this once a week your car should stay clean and sparkly.
A. You can't wash your car entirely without water, but you can use the absolute bare minimum and in these days of water shortages and such severe drought, this is a good thing to know.
You can get micro fibre cloths especially for car washing from the supermarket (or an auto store, variety store etc.) for around $8 a pack. You may find one cheaper at a $2 dollar shop if you look. If you follow the instructions on the cloth you'll end up with a clean car.
Basically you wet the cloth and wipe it over the car. Simple. If your car is a little more than just everyday dirty, fill a bucket with cold water and about 1 cup vinegar and use this to wash and rinse. The duco will be clean and shiny and you won't have used hundreds of litres of precious water.
If you do this once a week your car should stay clean and sparkly.
Q. I've enclosed my side verandah and small back verandah to make my cat an 'Inside' cat and since the doors are now always open I've been getting a lot of spiders inside. I read somewhere that spiders hate lemon but it didn't mention what one did with the 'lemon'. Could you please help? Olivia
A. I dislike spiders with a vengeance and I absolutely hate having them in the house after a very nasty experience with a spider years ago, funny now but at the time it was terrifying for me. Still, I'd rather not kill them if it 's at all possible as they do have a place in our ecosystem.
Spiders seem to dislike lemon as much as I dislike them. It seems to be the scent that repels them so you can wipe around your windowsills, door jambs etc with lemon juice or leave lemon peel in dishes around your home. You don't even have to use fresh lemons. Bottled lemon juice on a cloth will do. I've found that if I go over the windowsills once a week or so as I'm dusting then I don’t get as many spiders inside. I won't say I don’t get any, but it certainly helps to keep them down to the odd one or two and I can cope with that.
A. I dislike spiders with a vengeance and I absolutely hate having them in the house after a very nasty experience with a spider years ago, funny now but at the time it was terrifying for me. Still, I'd rather not kill them if it 's at all possible as they do have a place in our ecosystem.
Spiders seem to dislike lemon as much as I dislike them. It seems to be the scent that repels them so you can wipe around your windowsills, door jambs etc with lemon juice or leave lemon peel in dishes around your home. You don't even have to use fresh lemons. Bottled lemon juice on a cloth will do. I've found that if I go over the windowsills once a week or so as I'm dusting then I don’t get as many spiders inside. I won't say I don’t get any, but it certainly helps to keep them down to the odd one or two and I can cope with that.