Kitchen-Ready Household Cures
"Good Morning America" unveils the hidden talents of household items.
June 28, 2008 — -- Along with summer fun comes summer bumps, burns and bites — and all those ointments and salves you pick up at the store to treat them. But what if you're nowhere near a drugstore?
There are some remedies right in your own kitchen that can help take the itch out or soothe that sunburn. "Good Morning America" brought along Frances Largeman Roth, senior food and nutrition editor at Health Magazine, to shed some light on some of your household items' secret talents.
Baking Soda: Itchin' to Stop Your Itchin'
Roth: Baking soda mixed with a little water is great for reducing swelling and itch. It's great for kids because it doesn't sting.
Sugar and Lemon: Smells Like a Winner
Roth: Sugar and lemon are great. Sugar works as a natural exfoliant. Use the raw kind: The grain should be bigger than processed and scrub. Afterwards, apply lemon for a fresh scent.
Garlic: Keeps Away Vampires and Athlete's Foot
R: Garlic is actually an antifungal. It's very easy to pick up athlete's foot in the summer walking around barefoot at the pool or wearing a tight shoe where our feet sweat. So take a clove of garlic and slice it up. Put [it] in inside a long sock. Put that sock on and go to bed. Do this for seven to 10 days, and it should be cleared up. But if it's not, then see a doctor.
Honey: Be Sweet to Your Scrapes and Blisters
R: [Honey] is soothing, and it also seals the area so bacteria can't get into the wound. Apply it with a Q-Tip or a tongue depresser, and you don't have to cover it, either.
Milk: Does a Sunburned Body Good
R: Whole milk is great. Add some water, [and] either draw a bath or apply with a washcloth. The vitamins A and the lactic acid, believe it or not, help soothe burns.
Related Stories
ABC News Live