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Kitchens are gross. “Not mine,” you think. Of course. You clean your kitchen and keep it spotless. 

 

Unfortunately, your kitchen is gross too. Even when it looks pristine, it’s crawling with microbes, and many of them are dangerous. Unless you’re using a good disinfectant, you aren’t getting rid of those microbes.

 

And, for someone who is into self-sufficiency or homesteading, powerful disinfectants aren’t always easy to come by. Fortunately, you can make your own disinfectants that are safe for the kitchen and won’t hurt you if you use them on cooking tools or preparation surfaces.

 

Now, both of these disinfectants do require ingredients that are hard to make from scratch, but you can get them in bulk and still maintain your self-sufficiency.

 

Mix Bleach and Water

 

This is one of the easiest things you can do, and when you do it right, it’s a very safe, very effective disinfectant. All you need is regular bleach from the store and tap water (and something to hold your mixture).

 

It all comes down to getting the ratio right. You want to use one teaspoon of bleach for every quart of water. You can scale that up or down as long as you keep the ratio right—just like adjusting the size of a batch of cookies.

 

With this ratio, you have enough bleach to kill germs, but it’s not enough to hurt you (probably still don’t drink it). You can use this to sanitize dishes, utensils, and cooking surfaces, but there are a few things to keep in mind. In fact, many restaurants use this exact mixture to sanitize everything.

 

First, this mixture only stays potent for about a week, and that’s only if you store it in a sealed bottle. Also, you should store it in a dark place.

 

Second, this is a disinfectant. You don’t use it to scrub the dishes or surfaces. Do all of the scrubbing first. Then, when things appear clean, you apply the bleach mixture, and it kills any lingering microbes.

 

Just Use Vinegar

 

If the last one seems too tricky, or if you don’t have access to bleach, you can use vinegar instead – although you should never mix the two. Specifically, white distilled vinegar can disinfect surfaces. You need a five-percent vinegar mixture, and, fortunately, that’s the standard percentage sold at stores.

 

You don’t have to mix anything with the vinegar; it’s a disinfectant all its own. But, it’s not quite as potent as the bleach mixture. The bleach mixture can kill germs in about a minute. Vinegar will need to stay in contact with the surface for around 10 minutes to really be effective.

 

If you can add heat, that’s a lot better. Above 130℉, white vinegar becomes more potent. It kills more germs and does it a lot faster.

 

That covers it. These are two disinfectants that are perfectly safe to use in a kitchen, and you can make them at home. If you’re looking to make your own bleach or vinegar from scratch, that’s a lot more complicated and a lot riskier. So, take advantage of modern conveniences, and you can keep your kitchen perfectly clean.

 

Facebook can be a powerful way to build your personal brand or promote your business. But to be effective, your profile needs to be seen by lots of people, and it needs to draw in new followers. Whether you’re using this social media site for work or play, the tactics to get more attention are the same. Use these tips to raise your profile. 

 

1. Post consistently but not too much. 

 

To raise your Facebook profile, you need to increase engagement. This requires you to post regularly, but not too much. Facebook posts are like basic economics. You need to get the balance right between supply and demand. 

 

Ideally, you need to provide just enough information to entice and engage your followers. But you also need to ensure that you don’t dilute demand by over posting. 

 

2. Post when people are online. 

 

No one wants to engage with a dead thread. To get people to engage with your posts, you need to post when they’re online. As a general rule of thumb, people tend to engage with social media the most during school or work hours — that’s Monday through Friday from 9 am to 3 pm.

But the time frame can vary based on your friend group or your industry. Learn when the people you want to target are online, and kick off the conversation then. 

 

3. Keep the conversation going. 

 

Don’t just post and leave. Engage with the people who comment on your posts. Find ways to keep the conversation going. Also, make sure that your profile is public.

If it’s private, only you and your followers will be able to see the conversation. In contrast, public posts will often appear on the pages of friends of friends. This can help you build exposure and expand your network. 

 

4. Include visuals with words. 

 

Don’t limit your Facebook posts to words. Play with different visual elements such as photographs and videos. Visual posts tend to get a lot more engagement than posts that are just written. 

 

5. Learn from other Facebook users. 

 

When you’re trying to create anything, you can learn a lot from other people. Look at Facebook posts that get a lot of engagement and reposts. What makes them stand out? Are they edgy? Humorous? Informative? Figure out what they’re doing right and embrace those tactics when you create your Facebook posts. 

 

6. Post polls or ask questions.

 

To get people to engage, ask them directly by posting a poll or a survey. Or ask them to share their favorite recipe, book, life hack, or whatever is topical on your page. People love to share their thoughts and ideas, but they’re more likely to share when they’re invited to do so.  As indicated above, this tactic works best when your profile is public. 

 

7. Put your name on memes. 

 

Reposts are a common way to get more attention to your Facebook profile. But you need to ensure that you get credited for the original post. If you create a meme or make a video, make sure that it has your business or personal name on it. Then, anyone who enjoys the post can follow it back to its source — you. 

 

Most importantly, have fun. People want to engage with people and brands who fill their lives with delight. The more you enjoy posting, the better you will get at it. 

 

From a 500-year flood to devastating tornadoes to a pandemic, disasters can take many forms. And in these instances, a little prep can be the difference between comfortably waiting it out or worrying about where your next meal will come from.

When it comes to prep, realize you’re not planning for the end of the world. In most disasters, having 1-2 weeks of emergency supplies is more than enough. Just make sure you have these 5 fundamentals covered.

1. Shelter

Your home will most likely be your shelter during a disaster. It’s where you store supplies and plan to stay until it’s safe to leave.

Here, you’ll want to make sure you’re prepared for living without electricity or running water. You’ll want to have items like charcoal, candles, flashlights, batteries, walkies, and some kind of generator. 

2. Safety & Hygiene

Safety is anything that allows you to keep your family safe. Whatever that means to you, you’ll want to take those steps.

Having good locks on your doors is a start. During a disaster, even desperate people won’t usually go into a locked home. This is for their own safety and because they don’t want to hurt anyone.

You’ll want windows you can open if it’s hot, and lots of blankets to keep people warm if it’s cold. 

Safety also includes hygiene to reduce the risk of spreading disease. Here, you’ll want to have items like toilet paper, sanitizing wipes, and water-disinfecting tablets.

3. Water

Experts recommend one gallon of water per person per day in your home. If that sounds like a lot, realize you may need this for drinking, cooking, and cleaning. Start by stocking up for 72 hours, which will cover most disasters. Then increase to a 1- to 2-week supply if you have the space. Remember to buy any supplies such as water slowly so that you don’t strain your budget or deprive other local people of these goods.

If you have pets, make sure you have food and water for them too!

4. Food

At the very least, you’ll want to have 3 days of non-perishable food in your home. Canned and dried foods work best here. Sardines, crackers, canned vegetables and soups, nuts, and dried fruit are great for this.

But only buy food you’ll actually eat. You’re going to eat this food eventually, either because it’s about to go bad or you have a disaster.

If it’s part of your emergency stores, make sure you have a way to cook it. Eating uncooked, dried beans will make you sick. Anything canned should be okay cold since the canning process cooks it.

Cycle through your stores periodically to reduce spoilage. Then replenish it.

5. First Aid

During a disaster you may not be able to fill your prescription or see a doctor. So as you continue to prep for a disaster, build out your first aid kit with items to disinfect, tourniquet, bandage, and stitch up. Always try to stay at least 2 weeks ahead of running out of a life-saving prescription like insulin, inhaler, or heart medicine. 

Consider taking an online first aid class and practicing these skills at home. Now, you’re ready to face most disasters comfortably, safely, and with peace of mind.

A final tip, which could be the most important, is to say hi to your neighbours and volunteer once a week at a local charity. Actually knowing, and looking out for, the people around you is the best way to have people you can count on in a tough situation. If the worst does happen, having a community of reliable people who trust you nearby will be the most important commodity of all.