Jump to content
Complete France Forum

Soda crystals


sugarfree

Recommended Posts

I saw on "How clean is your house?" the other night that a good way to clean the pipes of your washing machine is to put some soda crystals in the dispenser and then set the programme for the longest, hottest cycle possible.

Any idea whether soda crystals are available in France and if so, where? 

Ingrid

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You can also use soda crystals to clean silver jewellery. 

Put one tablespoon of soda crystals in a glass bowl  (I use a flat-bottomed gratin dish).  Add hot water to fill, put in your silver, float a piece of aluminium foil (about 2 inches square) in the bowl.  Leave to soak for a couple of minutes.  Remove silver and rinse, no need to polish, your silver will be like new.

Nanny hat on...caution, gives off nasty fumes, don't sniff the mixture, best done by an open window or outside, don't let your children do this, don't pour the leftovers into the goldfish bowl, etc.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Very good for cleaning the inside of Teapot's too.

Don't drink it of course and don't leave it where others may think you have made them a nice pot of Tea and they could drink it, as it tastes really nasty my old flat mate told me years ago. [+o(]

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Add a car battery charger for effort-free rust removal on steel items - fill a plastic bucket with water, dissolve soda crystals into it, use string to supend the part in the middle of the bucket, submerged in the solution. connect the part to the negaitve lead of a 12v car battery charger - place some old clean bits of steel for use as sacrificial anodes around the part, also submerged - the larger these are the better. Make sure they do not touch the piece to be cleaned. Connect them to the positive lead and switch on, leaving it overnight. Ideally the current used should be under 1 amp. too high a current will give off excessive hydrogen and wont work as well. Connecting a low wattage 12v bulb in series in the circuit will limit current if your charger has a higher output.

By morning, the sacrificial anodes will be gunged up and the part will be free of rust - it might take a light brushing to remove stubborn bits.

This gives off hydrogen gas, so no smoking and do it in a well ventilated shed etc.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am still struggling to comprehend why anyone would be remotely concerned to clean the inside of the fill and discharge pipes of their washing machine.

But then I also struggle to comprehend how programs with names like "how clean is your house" get viewing figures.

I watched about a nano-second on French TV of what I think was an English program of this genre, is it the one with the two old bags wearing pink rubber gloves with pink furry trim that have a look of intent in their eyes of giving some poor unwashed sod a colonic irrigation?

Wait a minute, I have a great new idea for a new tele show [:D] or would I be beter off selling sodium chlorate crystals?

I used to use them to decoke the baffles of my moped and have not resorted to them since, maybe my machine does not work as fast as my neighbours but I am no longer 16 [:)]

Link to comment
Share on other sites

No need to buy soda crystals. Just put the washer on its longest, hottest cycle with nowt in it except the normal dose of powder or liquid. Works better with the biological stuff.

In fact, I use cheap bio-liquid in warm water as a substitute for all household cleaners. Works a treat. Just wipe the area over with a clean damp cloth afterwards, or it can smear.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...
[quote user="dave21478"]

Add a car battery charger for effort-free rust removal on steel items - fill a plastic bucket with water, dissolve soda crystals into it, use string to supend the part in the middle of the bucket, submerged in the solution. connect the part to the negaitve lead of a 12v car battery charger - place some old clean bits of steel for use as sacrificial anodes around the part, also submerged - the larger these are the better. Make sure they do not touch the piece to be cleaned. Connect them to the positive lead and switch on, leaving it overnight. Ideally the current used should be under 1 amp. too high a current will give off excessive hydrogen and wont work as well. Connecting a low wattage 12v bulb in series in the circuit will limit current if your charger has a higher output.

By morning, the sacrificial anodes will be gunged up and the part will be free of rust - it might take a light brushing to remove stubborn bits.

This gives off hydrogen gas, so no smoking and do it in a well ventilated shed etc.

 

[/quote]

Anyone lend me a bucket big enough to put our steel double gates in pretty please. I got a battery charger![8-)]

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote user="teapot"]

Very good for cleaning the inside of Teapot's too.

Don't drink it of course and don't leave it where others may think you have made them a nice pot of Tea and they could drink it, as it tastes really nasty my old flat mate told me years ago. [+o(]

[/quote]

DON'T use it on metal teapots, green tea for a week[+o(] and I don't mean the posh Chinese stuff[:)]

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 5 months later...

Look for Biolav Maude, that's Biolav without the Maude, you know, just Biolav. I'm getting confused here?

We use it all the time. Well when I say we? You know what I mean?[8-)]

We get it in the local bio supermarkets here around Carcassonne. We got 3 now!

You can also get Ecovert in the bio shops. They do lots of washing things that wives know all about! Well I'm fully occupied checking various wines, bio of course! Hic!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
[quote user="Jonzjob"]Anyone lend me a bucket big enough to put our steel double gates in pretty please. I got a battery charger![8-)][/quote]

I know this was posted a while ago, but steel reinforcing rods in the ground to support four old floor boards - line with thick polythene and fill with water. You now have a shallow paddling pool. Dose with washing soda (sodium carbonate), and use a DC - repeat DC - welder output. Large scale de-rusting. Tons on Google and Youtube about it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...