Household items you can use in place of 10 necessities
Talia Lakritz
- Some household necessities may be sold out in stores and online during the pandemic due to high demand.
- Mashed bananas, apple sauce, and peanut butter can replace eggs in recipes.
- If you don't have weights to exercise with, use bottles of soda, cans of food, gallons of milk, or bags of flour.
- You can make your own disinfecting wipes by dipping paper towels in any solution that has at least 60% alcohol.
- Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.
Widespread panic-buying during the coronavirus pandemic has left stores struggling to keep shelves stocked and suppliers rushing to meet the demand. Products like toilet paper, yeast, and disinfecting wipes can be difficult to track down.
If you're unable to find these 10 necessities in stores, here are some simple substitutions using household items you probably already have on hand.
Read the original article on InsiderIf you run out of garbage bags, line your garbage can with newspaper.
Newspaper can be folded into garbage can liners, plus the material absorbs moisture.
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If you're out of multisurface cleaner, vinegar mixed with water works in a pinch.
Vinegar and water is usually used to wash hardwood floors without damaging the wood. Since cleaning supplies could be out of stock in many stores, this homemade alternative is a good one to have on hand. Vinegar can also replace Windex for streak-free windows.
Other pantry staples can help you keep your home clean. For example, you can combine baking soda and vinegar to clean your toilet.
For homemade disinfecting wipes, simply dip paper towels in any solution that has at least 60% alcohol.
Disinfecting wipes are in high demand, but homemade versions are easy to make, Miryam Wahrman, a biology professor at William Paterson University and the author of "The Hand Book: Surviving in a Germ-Filled World," told Insider's Anna Medaris Miller. Rubbing alcohol, or any solution that has at last 60% alcohol, is the main ingredient.
No weights to work out with? Try using bottles of soda, cans of food, gallons of milk, or bags of flour.
Many pantry items can work as weights.
If you're taking virtual yoga classes but don't have a yoga mat, a carpeted surface or a towel works just fine.
Thick books also make excellent yoga blocks.
If grocery stores are out of yeast, you can use baking powder, baking soda combined with an acid, or a sourdough starter.
Many people are trying their hand at making homemade bread during the pandemic, and yeast makers are ramping up production to meet the demand.
Healthline writes that baking soda can be combined with acids like lemon juice, buttermilk, cream of tartar, or a mixture of milk and vinegar to have a yeast-like effect. If you have extra time on your hands (and you probably do), sourdough starters take at least five days to prepare but can be maintained for years.
When butter is in short supply, you can use avocado, oil, or shortening instead.
If you don't want the avocado to turn your baked goods green, you can disguise the color with cocoa powder or in chocolatey batters like brownies or cake, Cynthia Sass, MPH, RD, and virtual plant-based performance nutritionist, told Insider's Gabby Landsverk.
If a recipe calls for milk, you can substitute water, yogurt, or a plant-based milk.
Yogurt adds creaminess and richness, and soy or pea milk packs in extra protein. If you have oats in your pantry, you can even make your own oat milk.
If you can't find eggs in the grocery store, other pantry items can work in a pinch.
Deana Karim, expert baker and CEO of Good Dees, told Insider's Gabby Landsverk that mashed bananas, apple sauce, and peanut butter can work as egg substitutes in sweet recipes.
For more neutral-tasting substitutes (if you don't want sweetness or fruit flavor), you can use a tablespoon of chia or flax seeds, mixed with three tablespoons of water and left to sit for 5 minutes, according to Karim.
There are many options if you run out of toilet paper.
People all over the world rushed to stockpile toilet paper as the coronavirus pandemic worsened, even though suppliers reminded people that there were no actual shortages. Experts attributed the panic-buying to the very human need to feel in control in uncertain times.
If the toilet paper frenzy left you unable to replenish your stock, there are many household items you can use instead, including baby wipes, tissues, paper towels, newspapers, scraps of fabric from an unused piece of clothing, or cloth towels — just don't flush them.
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