Oily Rag Column for 17 June 2013 - Fire starters and cleaner

Oily Rag Column for 17 June 2013

Fire starters and cleaner

By Frank and Muriel Newman

It’s getting cold, so it’s not surprising we have had some tips recently about a problem that has occupied the minds of mankind since fires were invented – how to start them easily!

M.S from Maungaturoto has this idea which they picked up from a friend. “We collect our used toilet rolls and use them to light our log burner. It saves kindling and helps us get rid of waste cardboard, one less box to the recycling station!”

Other fire starting ideas we have received include dried orange peel, dried tea bags, and dried cabbage tree leaves.

We have also received lots of comments about fire bricks.

O R writes, “To make firebricks tear up old newspapers, junk mail, etc, soak in water until a pulp, then squeeze dry, either by hand or using a firebrick cradle. Leave in the sun or a warm place to dry.”

K.B. from Kerikeri says, “My daughter and I, as well as making fire bricks from soaked newspaper, also save toilet roll inners; we use cardboard rolls from different products and some small cereal boxes and stuff them full of squeezed out soaked paper for the fires in winter. They take a little longer to dry but make great fire starters.”

Dave from Opotiki has taken fire brick making to a new level! “From humble beginnings - I was making bricks by hand, shredding paper into strips and mixing in a bucket of water before pressing into timber moulds; this was time consuming and not worth the effort so I picked up an old ringer washing machine. I now had a mixer to make paper mache on a larger scale. I then purchased a quality shredder and two plastic garden sieves to drain the excess water from the mache pulp.

“After the mache has been draining for a few hours (overnight) I them toss into two-litre ice cream containers with a 12mm hole drilled in the bottom of each. This is then pressed in by hand, pushing the mix into the corners of the containers (moulds).”

Once pressed Dave leaves his bricks in the sun to dry. In winter that may take months so some forward planning is required! He also has a word of caution: “Once completely dry they can then be stacked in a back shed or garage but must not get wet as they - like hay bales - can combust and burn down your shed along with the saved up bricks for your winter fires and we don't want that do we?” No we don’t, Dave - so please be careful when stacking fire bricks. Each brick when dry weighs between 300g and 350g - using two litre moulds.

Aliza from Dunedin has some cleaning tips. “This works well to clean silver jewellery. Put your pure silver bracelets, rings etc in a bowl lined with tin foil. Soak them in a mixture of 1/2 cup white vinegar and 2 tablespoons baking soda for two to three hours. Rinse them under cold water and dry thoroughly with a soft cloth. For a toilet bowl cleaner, mix 1/4 cup baking soda with 1 cup vinegar, pour into the bowl and leave for a few hours or overnight. Scrub with brush and rinse.” 

Marion from Auckland has this tip for a natural weed killer. “Add 1/2 cup salt and 8 drops of liquid dish soap to 4 litres of white vinegar. Put all in spray bottle and apply. It will kill weeds in 2 to 3days.”

Do you have a favourite money-saving tip? If so, please send it to us at www.oilyrag.co.nz or write to Living off the Smell of an Oily Rag, PO Box 984, Whangarei, so we can share it with others.

*Frank and Muriel Newman are the authors of Living Off the Smell of an Oily Rag in NZ. Readers can submit their oily rag tips on-line at www.oilyrag.co.nz. The book is available from bookstores and online at www.oilyrag.co.nz.

ENDS

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