Do not mix bleach with other cleaning products
Certain chemical combinations can result in a toxic gas — and the results can be fatal
Q In a recent issue of the paper, you shared a recipe for laundry stain remover. At the end you specified not to combine the recipe with any bleach products. My question is: Why not include bleach products? What is caused by this mixture? If I make my own soap, would not including bleach products stand true for this as well? Again, why?
A The problem with combining bleach with other products, especially ammonia, is that it creates a toxic gas called chloramine gas. This can be fatal.
Once when I was speaking at a show, a woman told me a story about how her daughter was planning to wash the floor. She saw a bucket filled with what she thought was water, so she added bleach. The water turned out to be ammonia, and when she added the bleach, she ended up paralyzed for three days. Some chemicals are safe to combine, such as baking soda and vinegar.
Q How can I reduce the fat in the ground beef I buy without buying the expensive lean and extra lean cuts?
A The answer is a snap! Cook your beef until crumbly and brown. Pour it into a strainer in the sink and rinse with hot water. Blot with paper towels or a clean cooking rag and move onto the next step of your recipe.
Say … Why are hamburgers called hamburgers when they do not contain any ham? Because the first hamburgers were made in Hamburg, Germany.
CONTRIBUTORS SHARE
Re: Keeping brown sugar soft
In order to keep brown sugar soft, I advise that we go back to the old method, which really works. I put a whole slice of bread (I had regular brown whole wheat), broke it in four and put it in with the hardened brown sugar in a large square plastic Tupperware container and the result was very soft, just-likenew brown sugar.
Re: Potluck labelling
Since I have been self-isolating, I have been going through articles you have written over the years. Yesterday I came across a question where someone was asking how to label their dishes for a potluck.
I have found that when I use my address labels, they stick to the dishes very well, even after being washed. I peel the label off and put it on my lid, and if the food is in a slow cooker, I also label this.
I find that way there is no confusing when there are a bunch of lids that are similar, and people automatically put everything together and I can find my pieces with ease.
Hope you find this helpful. I have been doing this for years.
Safe and healthy.
FANTASTIC TIPS OF THE WEEK:
You would not believe how often people come up to me at the end of one of my shows and share the following tip that they learned from their grandmother. When someone in your home is sick, cut an onion in half and put it on a plate beside their bed. The onion is said to draw out the bad germs in the room and turns black within a short period of time. If you can stand the smell of onions, why not give it a shot?
When choosing healthy bread in the store, reach for whole grain not whole wheat. Whole-wheat flour is put through a refining process that removes some of the nutritional value of the end product, but whole grain flour does not go through that refining process and therefore has oodles more nutrition.
Note: Every user assumes all risks of injury or damage resulting from the implementation of any suggestions in this column. Test all products on an inconspicuous area first.
Reena Nerbas is a popular motivational presenter for large and small groups; check out her website: reena. ca. Ask a question or share a tip at reena.ca