$.99 Solutions: WD-40

This one blew my mind. I have only used WD-40 for squeaky hinges and such. Oh and I forgot to mention in my last post on Tea that the reason this book is called $.99 Solutions is because you can find everything I mention at the Dollar Store. (Dollar tree is my FAV)

WD-40:

-Clean tough stains on clothes: WD-40 famously doesn't share its recipe, but its easy enough to smell a petroleum product. Normally, that would suggest a potential grease stain if spilled on clothing, but, in fact, WD-40 is great at getting out a wide range of stains. As always, stains come cleaner when treated fresh, but if you can spray spots of tomato, tea, coffee, or blood with WD-40, then wash as usual, you may just get it out--with no grease spot remaining!

-Remove spots from carpets and floors: Black scuffs and heel marks on linoleum, ink or wine on carpets and rugs, all can be difficult to remove to varying degrees. Spray with WD-40 and rub the floor or scrub the carpet, rinsing well with soap and warm water once the spot is gone.

-Take dark stains off countertops: Spilled some blueberry jam? Let coffee or tea dry in? Dark colors can set into your countertops to stay, no matter how you rub with a sponge or scrubbie, they won't budge. Try a spritz of WD-30 and they'll wipe right up. Be sure to wash it off and rinse well.

-Make a blackboard look new (we don't really use these anymore...): Wiping down a chalkboard with a wet sponge will certainly remove all the chalk, but it will leave a dusty residue over the board. Instead clean a chalkboard with WD-40, and the whole thing will gleam like new.

-Make a "dead" pen write again: Is your ballpoint truly out of ink, or is the tiny ball in the tip gunked up with dried ink? Before you toss it in the trash, find out by wiping the tip with a little WD-40 and paper towel. There's a good chance your pen will live to write again.

-Lubricate pins and needles: When you're sewing with a dense, heavy material, such as denim or tweed, it can be difficult to force the pins through the thick fabric. They'll slip through much more easily if you lubricate them first with WD-40. Dampen a cotton ball or crumpled paper towel with WD-40 and then wipe your pins on it.

-Brighten lawn furniture: Faded plastic lawn chairs and tables may seem like a lost cause, but if you spray and buff them with WD-40, they'll not only look smoother and shiny, but the color actually appears to regain its luster.

-Tell rabbits and rodents to bug off: If rabbits and other critters are digging and wriggling under your chain link fence to reach the tasty stuff in your garden, let them know their presence is highly unwelcome by spraying a fence, directly on the metal.

-Un-stick gluey fingers: Accidentally sticking your fingers together with superglue can make anyone panic. Don't hop around in frustration, and don't slap your forehead with your gluey hand. Spray your sticky fingers with WD-40 and let them sit for a few minutes. They'll soon come unstuck. Use a bit more to remove any remaining residue and be careful next time!

-Loosen up a vertical blind: Vertical blinds should swing easily open at the lightest touch of your fingertips on the plastic or wooden stick that attaches to the mechanism. If you find you're having to twist hard, spray WD-40 directly on the mechanism at the top of the stick (or on the roller that holds the chain).

-Help doors run in their tracks: Sliding glass doors look beautiful leading out onto a patio or deck, but any homeowner who's ever dealt with sticking doors knows that it ruins the illusion of a glass wall if you always have to put your back into it and force the door back and forth. Use WD-40 to keep your doors freely moving. Spray it generously all along the tracks, being careful to stay within the metal grooves, and then push the doors vigorously back and forth several times to distribute the lubricant.

-Lubricate locks and deadbolts: You may not realize how much effort it takes when you struggle with a sticky lock. Spritz your key and the inside of the lock with WD-40, then insert the key and jiggle it. Also spray WD-40 on bolts and hinges so that every time, your doors will open and swing smoothly.

-Silence a bed: Does your bed frame squeak, jingle or rattle every time you roll over at night? Get a peaceful night's sleep with WD-40. Reach under the bed frame and spray all metal joints, screws, or hinges, then lie on the bed and roll and bounce until the lubricant works it way through each joint.

-Take marks off car paint: With spray of WD-40, you can remove the paint smear where another car bumped against yours in a parking lot, and you can get ride of dead bugs and road tar, both of which can damage paint if left unattended.

-Repel wasps and hornets: In the spring, mist the undersides of eaves and the corners of your porch roof with WD-40 so that wasps and hornets don't build nests there.


Now, go buy some and see how it works!
-Kelli