Mind-Blowing Chemistry Tips That Save Time & Money Around the Home

by Alexis @ Chemistry Cachet

Our goal here at Chemistry Cachet is to share fun chemistry hacks to help you live better.
I came across a post on pinterest a few weeks ago, claiming to be the BEST homemade cleaner out there. When I clicked on the post to read it, I was shocked that the main ingredients in a plastic bottle were hydrogen peroxide and vinegar. What concerned me even more was it had been repined over 100K times with people saying that used it.
Why does that bother me?
Peroxide and vinegar in a bottle together are very toxic. You might not realize it, but making your homemade solutions are a chemical reaction. It is important to be super careful, which is why I am here to help you! As a chemist, I can look at the science behind something and see if it is safe or not. One of the reasons everyone is loving Chemistry Hacks for Home and Outdoors is they are safe and effective

mind blowing chemistry tips that save time money around the home, home decor

One. Make Your Own Chalk Paint

Chalk paint is very trendy right now, but it is also more expensive than regular paint.

You can easily make your own thanks to the chemistry of chalk paint.

Simply use 1 cup of latex paint, add in 3 tablespoons of cool water and ½ cup of baking soda. This will alter the latex paint to be more of a chalky paint. I have used this before and it is a good substitute.

Two. Treat Black Spots on Leaves

I get this question from readers ALL the time. Black spots are a fungal disease that can be so hard to get rid of. Organic sprays can work, but are costly.

You can try my treatment for roses in this post, or utilize the chemistry of aspirin.

Aspirin is chemically known as acetylsalicylic acid. Mix 2 tablets in 1 quart of water, then spray on the leaves. It will prevent and treat the current black spots thanks to the chemistry behind acetylsalicylic acid.

Use every every 2-3 weeks for bad black spots.

Three. Use Red Cabbage to Indicate pH

You might be thinking what?? Say you need to know if something is an acid or base, like a liquid or even your soil, you can use red cabbage instead of litmus paper.

Red cabbage has a chemical called anthocyanin which is a pigment that will change color depending on the acidity of something.

To make the indicator simply boil 2-3 cups of cabbage in a pot of water. Once it reaches a boil, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Since cabbage can really stink, strain out all the purple liquid into a jar, then pour into ice cube trays. Freeze it, now you can use non-smelly indicators.

For soil testing, add a few tablespoons of your soil to distilled water. Drop one of those cabbage ice cubes in there and let it dissolve.

Acids turn pink, while bases turn blue. Be sure to click here to read exact details on determining the pH

Four . Deep Clean Your Bathroom for a Few Cents

I had readers send me an email saying how much they enjoyed this homemade bathroom cleaner. They couldn’t believe how well it worked and for super cheap.

Mixing an acid with a salt allows for some heavy-duty cleaning power. Adding in a dish soap and you have a great cleaning trifecta.

This recipe is straight from the eBook Chemistry Hacks for Home and Outdoors!

Find the link to this bathroom cleaner here.

Bread is another chemistry tip we use! Be sure to click the blog post below to see the rest of these fun tips to save you time and money around your home (like using bread for moisture).