But WTF does this have to do with rust? As you may remember, I'm turning into a total Craigslist whore. I can't stop myself - the excitement is beyond palpable. In an effort to prepare my daughter's old trike for sale, I wanted to spruce up the rusty chrome on the wheels to ensure that I can fleece the buyers out of as much money as possible. Well, not really, I just wanted to make sure it looked perty.
So, I went online to find out how to clean rust off bikes. Of course, there is a litany of toxic rust cleaners one can purchase that will do the job. As well as remove enough of your fingertips to render you untraceable by the authorities. Hmmm...
Anyway, I stumbled across a recipe using salt and lemon juice. I fingered I'd give it a try. At first it didn't look like it was doing anything until I scared my 90-year-old neighbor who was out in his yard spraying pesticides for the 18th time this week with my exclamation of "Holy Shit!".
At that moment, I knew I could not keep this little secret to myself and had to spread the Good News. Behold... the before and after pictures.
Recipe
3 Tablespoons salt
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
Mix into a paste and go to town on those rusty thangs of yours.
Am I the only retarded person out there who hasn't heard of this? Oh yeah, you didn't see this post. Shhhh.....
37 comments:
OK - I just sent you an e-mail telling you to keep your chin up and I know we'll hear from you soon. I didn't realize how soon! LOL.
Please take care.
I would suspect that any acid would work
I would also suspect that the salt has hardly any function here except for a neutral cheap thickening
I remember my mom using "sorrel acid" (literal translation from russian) to remove rust spots from clothes - this was not a sorrel juice but a pure chemical, but from eating sorrel and as the name implies - I would think that it could have been plant derived.
That is why I think any acid might work.
But yes - the most easily accessible natural acid for us is our mire lemon tree *grin*
TJ
Oh ya! Salt in the sink is a miracle. Ever leave a tin can sitting in the sink, or is it only me? Salt will rub the rust right out. Sweet.
same formula shines up copper
Growing up, I always used steel wool to clean the rust from my bike.
Crunch --
One day. Seriously. You crack me up.
But no, I didn't know about the salt and lemon juice.
Scuse me, I'm off to find something rusty. (and wait for tomorrow's post!)
LOL!
Was that even a whole 24 hrs? LOL.
Great tip!
I second Chile's thoughts! Maybe the key is for bloggers to post what they want when they want and to let go of any expectations. Welcome back! For however long you decide to stay.
I love the way you snapped right in to share. Good for you girl. Just do what you feel is right. That sparkly handlebar deserves extra dollars for sure.
Suze
Arduous has you on her blogroll, and she has a feature that shows how long since everyone's last post, so I had to come running to see what you posted after the "goodbye" post. Since I've got some rust on my car, this post made my day!
I hope you do continue to impart these occasional pearls of wisdom even though you don't have time to maintain the regular blog postings.
Hello again, I think green beans comment is great, let go of expectations and do what you want to do.
Wow 140 comments! fantastic supporters out, out, where ever we all are.
I might try a salt bath, I'm a bit old and rusty.
Hey and I have sorrel growing maybe I could become a greeny!
heh heh - ah, the flicker of the old Crunch on the Google Reader. Almost snorted my ice water through my nose to see that you came back to give us a green cleaning tip. *this* is so totes why you are one of a kind, missy. LOVE that you are so comfortable in your own skin. See you when we see you! ;)
Chile - another suggestion for a scrub is made out of brown sugar, oil and some vanilla essential oils.
I wouldn't recommend soaking in it. Unless you want a full body yeast overgrowth. Which most likely won't increase your value on Craigslist.
Unless you are purchased by a baker.
I got alot of my cleaning tips from the British show "How clean is your house" which I watch sometimes on youtube. All their cleaning tips are based on natural ingredients: water, lime juice, salt, bicarbonate soda, etc.
Beany - add some tequila or rum to the mix and you can have a cleaning party
Wow. Wouldn't that be a sight for the boyfriend? Comes in, I'm nekkid, in the bathtub, drunk on tequila shots, lime hanging out of my mouth, and covered in salt and oil.
Wait. Is this a green blog?
Sandy - sometimes it's green, but usually it's verging on pornographic.
holy shit is right! and LOL at you scaring your neighbor. if he's spraying pesticides for the 18th time this week, i'd say he deserves it.
thx for sharing the wealth.
we are such addicts, seriously... she's gone for A DAY, and we're all back, fiending for another hit.
of course, i'm just as guilty. i've been here, what... 3 times since yesterday, lol
unbelievable - need to hunt for something rusty now :)
In defense of your neighbor, may I say WTF is she up to now? Thats not how you make lemonade Chicky!
Good God woman, if you're going to go away, GO AWAY!!!!
Have a little bike that was my oldest and now for #4. I am totally going to add this to my list of things to do. It has lots of rust. Thanks for the sneak post. There will be no rust and no post.
good one- hadn't seen that before- wil try it out....
re: blogging- how about you just blog when you feel like it and don't stress about it?
Seems to me like you were just hitting a real low point there- had to have had some hope that maybe, just maybe the stem cell transplant would work and when it coulddn't happen- well that was a real blow to be sure. So I'm guessing that the alwful reality of the situation is dawning on you....not sure how to express all this well, but I think most of us do understand what you are feeling right now. So- no need to worry about blogging or not- just write what you want when you want to and don't worry about it-
be well-
Old restaurant trick for cleaning out those nasty glass coffee pots - ice, salt, lemon, swish!
Hi Crunchy! We are going to need to do an intervention and send you to some sort of methodone clinic for bloggers. Or maybe it would help for you, Chile, Greenpa and whoever else was interested to have some sort of "blogging celibacy" competition to see who could keep from posting the longest. It would be a kind of Seinfeldian master of my (online) domain contest. My money's on Greenpa. I give you about 13 minutes -- perhaps a little longer if you’re in the middle of starting up another charity or single-handedly freeing a beached whale or something.
Okay, I missed ya -- glad you're back. Just write when you feel like it, and don't when you don't. Do it for yourself, without any sense of obligation or commitment.
What a great tip, I'll have to try it on littlest girl's tricyle. Then to get myself down to the bike shope for new handle bar grips.
So glad to see you back. I understand how much you need a break. However, like many others, I was already having Crunchy Chicken withdrawl and wistfully clicked the link today. You are the first thing, I read when I get on the computer to start my contract work sessions. Please post when you feel like it and don't worry about posting daily.
--Ave
I do need to try this tip out. I acquired two red wagons that were lying at the curbside for the trash. Good shape, just a little rust, and perfect for either my child or for simply holding onto mulch for my 100th redo of the garden.
So if my kids ever sleep today, I'll try it out!
ROTFLMAO!!!!!!
DC - I totally can go for at least 14 minutes. And that beached whale is getting sourced for fuel oil and food. I think I've taken one too many Pacific NW Native American classes.
I think Chile would last about 2 days. And with Greenpaps doing all these double posts of late, I'm not sure he has the stamina he used to.
That reminds me of a contest I was thinking of holding fairly soon...
Chile - I thought we were talking about laying drunken in a tub of salt and oil?
we used to use that on the copper bottoms of revereware and the brass backplates on the doors of my parents old house. Looks good though - you could do an infomercial :0)
I love reading your blog, and usually remain silent, but did you have to use the word retarded. My son is 28 disabled and mentally handicapped, it bothers me when others use this word so freely and in a not very nice way.
Look, if everyone is going to be drinking tequila, covered in oil, and laying in a bathtub (presumably cleaning it) I doubt very much ANY of you would last 13 minutes. DC included.
Course Chile has Fartsy. That could put a damper on things.
My money is on Chile.
Wow, it worked like magic!
Thanks for throwing us Crunchy addicts a bone. :)
~Heather
thanks! i, ahem, am one of those people that forget to bring her gardening tools inside. i'm getting better...but still, there is evidence. :(
I used lemon juice and salt to clean my cruddy tea pot. It was AWESOME. My tea pot had all sorts of caked on oil splatters and general kitchen funk. I didn't think anything would ever work.
Salt is awesome for soaking stains out of old porcelain sinks too.
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