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Dish soap a miracle worker? You decide

Jell-O. Kleenex. Onesies. mere nano-second for showers and spoons of Dawn and one quart of
Popsicle. Q-Tips. Sharpie. bathtubs to become filthy. And the water in a spray bottle, then shake
We might not realize it, but we more time between scrubs, the more well. While you might see a film on
use proprietary eponyms—when a difficult tiles and tubs are to clean. your plants, experts insist it won’t
brand name becomes synonymous But here’s the hack: Microwave harm the plants—just the insects.
with a particular item—all the time. equal parts Dawn and vinegar, pour The soapy water is thought to wash
It doesn’t seem to happen so much the mixture into a spray bottle, and away a bug’s protective coating, so
anymore—then again, we hear Just then spray on the surfaces. They say the pest dries out and dies. Once the
google it a lot these days. you’ll never go back to conventional soapy water has dried, it no longer
Grocery store shelves, however, do is apply Dawn to the gum and products again. has any effect on garden pests and
are full of products that have at- then wait for it to start breaking the should then be rinsed off the plant.
tained the kind of cult-like status piece down. Full disclosure: I’ve Banish paint stains
that makes marketing executives never tried this—thank goodness, I Man, I wish I had known this Stubborn stain removal
weak in the knees. haven’t had to. But rest assured, back when my husband and I were Kids come home with the darnd-
Which brings us to a famously should my daughter (or I) find our- painting our children’s rooms sev- est stains. And sometimes, we adults
blue product launched in 1973 selves with this particular conun- eral years ago. We tried mightily not are no better (hello, red wine!). Once
called Dawn. Maybe you’ve heard of drum on our hands, I’ll be desperate to get paint on our hands, but again, Dawn, they say, can save the
it. The dish soap has launched a enough to give this remedy a try. mishaps of this kind are an unfortu- day. Applying the dish soap directly
thousand lists for an endless array nate inevitability. And as you proba- on the stain and then scrubbing with
of uses. Moldable Ice Pack bly know, removing paint from your a toothbrush, prior to laundering as
Think I’m overreacting? Just Make a moldable ice pack that hands can be a pain in the you-know- usual is all it takes. I haven’t tried
google it. doesn’t completely freeze by simply what. But evidently, it’s not when you this one, either, but I wholeheartedly
This column was not sponsored mixing equal parts Dawn and water. wash your skin with Dawn. plan to the next time I run out of my
by Procter & Gamble, Dawn’s parent Then put the solution in a Ziploc bag usual stain remover.
company; I promise. This column and stick it in the freezer. I haven’t Garden protection
was, however, inspired by the whop- tried this one, either, but I figure it’s They say that Dawn even works Courtney Conover is wife, mom,
ping variety of ways consumers worth a shot. (I would double my Zi- as a spray for killing bugs. Who yoga instructor, and Chicken Soup
claim that Dawn has saved the day— plocs, though, just in case.) knew? To protect your garden’s for the Soul contributor who has
some of which I’m not sure I believe. fruits and vegetables, put two tea- called Wayne home since 1995.
You be the judge. All I know is, Make Spectacles
spring is on the horizon and the act
of deep cleaning may find its way on Spectacular
many of our to-do lists. For this problem, Dawn works in
Aside from its most popular job two unique ways. First, you can
of dishwashing, Dawn has also been clean your glasses by rubbing a
highly touted for its grease-removal small dab of soap onto the lenses
capabilities: Remember how Dawn and then wiping it off with a soft, dry
cleaned up the cute little ducks who cloth—which I totally stand by; I’ve
fell victim to the Exxon Valdez and done this. It works! The second perk
Deepwater Horizon oil spills many of this tip is that the invisible film
years ago? created by Dawn will apparently pre-
But wait, there’s more. Like, a lot vent your eyeglasses from fogging up
more: in the future.
Remove Gum from Hair Showers and tubs
It’s been said that all one has to We all know it seemingly takes a

12 · April 2023 · The Wayne Dispatch