DISCLAIMER
Should you choose to try any of these ideas, hints and tips, you do so on your own free will with no retaliatory action taken towards me if you get unfavorable or negative results.
Under no circumstances am I responsible for the outcome.
A LITTLE OF THIS AND A LITTLE OF THAT
Stuff a miniature marshmallow in the bottom of a sugar cone to prevent ice cream drips.
Use a meat baster to squeeze your pancake batter onto the hot griddle for nice shaped pancakes.
To keep potatoes from budding, place an apple in the bag with the potatoes.
To prevent eggshells from cracking, add a pinch of salt to the water before hard-boiling.
To get the most juice out of fresh lemons, bring them to room temperature and roll them under your palm against the kitchen counter before squeezing.
To easily remove burnt on food from your cookware, add a drop or two of dish soap and enough water to cover bottom of cookware and bring to a boil on the stovetop. It will be much easier to clean now.
Spray your plastic containers with nonstick cooking spray before pouring in tomato based sauces. It should prevent stains.
When a cake recipe calls for flouring the baking pan, use a bit of the dry cake mix instead. No white mess on the outside of the cake.
If you accidentally over salt a dish while it's still cooking, drop in a peeled potato. It absorbs the excess salt for an instant fix up.
Wrap celery in aluminum foil when putting in the refrigerator. It will keep for weeks.
Brush beaten egg white over piecrust before baking to yield a beautiful glossy finish.
Place a slice of apple in hardened brown sugar to soften it.
When boiling corn on the cob, add a pinch of sugar to help bring out the corns natural sweetness.
To determine whether an egg is fresh, immerse it in a pan of cool, salted water. If it sinks, it is fresh. If it rises to the surface, throw it away.
If you have a headache, take a lime, cut it in half and rub it on your forehead. The throbbing will go away.
Don't throw out all that leftover wine. Freeze into ice cubes for future use in casseroles and sauces.
If you have problem opening jars, try using latex dishwashing gloves. They give a non-slip grip that makes opening jars easy.
Baby oil has many uses. Try using it to remove tar, oil, grease, paint or varnish from your hands, paint from furniture and tape residue from skin.
Potatoes will take food stains off your fingers. Just slice and rub the raw potato on the stains and rinse with water.
To get rid of itch from mosquito bite try applying soap, vinegar or plain white toothpaste on the area for instant relief.
Ants do not like chalk. Get your chalk out and draw a line on the floor or wherever ants tend to march. See for yourself.
Use air freshener to clean mirrors. It does a good job. In addition, it leaves a lovely smell to the shine.
When you get a splinter, reach for the scotch tape before resorting to tweezers or a needle. Simply put the scotch tape over the splinter and pull it off. Scotch tape removes most splinters painlessly and easily.
Here's a way to clean a toilet. Drop in two effervescent tablets, wait twenty minutes, brush and flush.
To remove a stain from the bottom of a glass vase or cruet, fill with water and drop in two effervescent tablets.
To polish jewelry, drop two effervescent tablets into a glass of water and immerse the jewelry for two minutes.
To clean a thermos bottle, fill the bottle with water, drop in four effervescent tablets and let soak for an hour (or longer, if necessary).
To unclog a drain, clear the sink drain by dropping four effervescent tablets down the drain followed by a cup of white vinegar, wait a few minutes and run the hot water.
To stop a compact disc from skipping, rub the CD with lip balm and wipe off the excess with a soft cloth.
To remove scratches from a compact disc, rub car wax on the area of the CD, let dry and wipe off the excess with a soft cloth.
Remove a bloodstain with hydrogen peroxide. Most commercial bloodstain removers contain hydrogen peroxide. Apply the hydrogen peroxide on the object, let it bubble and blot after each application.
Remember which way to turn with this easy rhyme. Left loose, right tight. This applies to all those items that twist on and off.
If you have a small hole in your wall, i.e. after moving pictures, take a wax crayon as near the color of your wall as possible. Rub the hole with the crayon, polish with a dry cloth and the hole is invisible.
When cooking, if you get a burn from a grease splatter, spray immediately with hair spray. It seals off the air and takes away the sting.
FABRIC SOFTENER SHEETS
REPEL MOSQUITOES: Attach a fabric softener sheet on your clothing when outdoors.
ELIMINATE STATIC ELECTRICITY FROM YOUR TELEVISION SCREEN AND COMPUTER MONITOR: Since fabric softener sheets are designed to help eliminate static cling, wipe your television screen and computer monitor with a used fabric softener sheet to keep dust from resettling.
DISSOLVE SOAP SCUM FROM SHOWER DOORS: Clean with a used fabric softener sheet.
FRESHEN THE AIR IN YOUR HOME: Place an individual fabric softener sheet in a drawer or hang one in the closet. Put one on the exhaust on the vacuum cleaner. Put one with your heater and air conditioning filters.
PREVENT THREAD FROM TANGLING: Run a threaded needle through a fabric softener sheet to eliminate the static cling on the thread before sewing.
ELIMINATE STATIC CLING FROM PANTYHOSE: Rub a damp, used fabric softener sheet over the pantyhose.
PREVENT MUSTY SUITCASES: Place an individual fabric softener sheet inside empty luggage before storing.
FRESHEN THE AIR IN YOUR VEHICLE: Place a fabric softener sheet under the seat.
CLEAN BAKED ON FOOD FROM COOKWARE: Put a fabric softener sheet in the cookware, fill with water, let sit overnight, and sponge clean. The antistatic agents apparently weaken the bond between the food and the cookware while the fabric softening agents softens the baked on food.
ELIMINATE ODORS IN WASTEBASKETS: Place a fabric softener sheet at the bottom of the wastebasket.
COLLECT CAT HAIR: Rubbing the area with a fabric softener sheet will magnetically attract all the loose hairs.
ELIMINATE STATIC ELECTRICITY FROM VENETIAN BLINDS: Wipe the blinds with a fabric softener sheet to prevent dust from resettling.
WIPE UP SAWDUST FROM DRILLING AND SANDPAPER DUST: A used fabric softener sheet will collect sawdust and sandpaper dust like a tack cloth.
ELIMINATE ODORS IN DIRTY LAUNDRY: Place an individual fabric softener sheet at the bottom of a laundry bag, basket or hamper.
DEODORIZE FOOTWEAR: Place a fabric softener sheet in your footwear overnight so they'll smell fresh in the morning.
BOOKS AND PHOTO ALBUMS: To keep them smelling fresh, put a fabric softener sheet between the pages.
SUBSTITUTIONS
AIR FRESHENER: Strike matches.
TOILET BOWL CLEANER: Bleach or vinegar. Do NOT combine these ingredients.
CRÈME RINSE: Fabric softener diluted with water. Use with caution.
DENTAL FLOSS: Coarse thread.
DEODORANT: Baking soda.
FACIAL MASK: Shaving cream.
GLASS CLEANER: Alcohol, ammonia, or vinegar, but NOT together.
NAIL FILE: Sandpaper.
SHAMPOO: Mild liquid dishwashing detergent diluted with water.
SHAVING CREAM: Baby oil
TALCUM POWDER: Cornstarch, or cornstarch and baby powder
TOOTHPASTE: Baking soda with salt. Flavoring optional.
WD-40
Attract fish. When sprayed on fishing bait, WD-40 covers up the scent of human hands on the bait to better lure fish, according to USA Today. The WD-40 company receives hundreds of letters from consumers confirming this use, but prefers not to promote WD-40 as a fishing lure since the petroleum-based product could potentially pollute rivers and streams, damaging the ecosystem.
Cure mange. While spraying a dog with WD-40 gets rid of parasitic mites, according to USA Today, the WD-40 company, feeling that the potential misuse of the product is too great, refuses to condone using WD-40 to cure mange on animals.
Prevent squirrels from climbing into a birdhouse. Spray WD-40 on the metal pole or wires.
Remove a ring stuck on a finger. Several medical journals claim that WD-40 is the perfect cure for a toe stuck in the bathtub faucet, a finger stuck in soda bottle or a ring stuck on a finger.
Remove chewing gum, crayon, tar and Silly Putty from most surfaces. Spray on WD-40, wait and wipe.
Clean decorative snow from windows. Spray windows with WD- 40 before spraying with artificial snow so the decorative spray will wipe off easier.
Prevent dead insects from sticking to your car. Spray WD-40 on the hood and grill so you can wipe bugs off easily without damaging the finish.
Make hangers glide over a clothes rod. Spray WD-40 on the clothes rod so hangers can be pushed back and forth easily.
Clean clogged spray paint can nozzles. Remove the nozzles from the spray paint can and the WD-40 can, place the nozzle from the spray paint can on the WD-40 can, give it a couple of quick squirts and replace both nozzles.
Remove oil spots from driveways. Spray with WD-40, wait and blot. The mineral spirits and other petroleum distillates in WD-40 work as a curing agent.
Thread electrical wire through conduits. Spray WD-40 on the electrical wire to help it glide through winding conduits.
Prevent grass clippings from clogging up a lawn mower. Spray WD-40 on the underside of lawn mower housing and blade before cutting the grass.
Clean sap from gardening equipment. Spray with WD-40, wait and wipe clean.
Prevent mud and clay build-up on bicycles. Spray the bicycle with a thin coat of WD-40.
Remove baked on food from a cookie pan. Spray WD-40 on cookie pan and wipe clean. Then, wash with soap and water.
Remove dirt and grime from barbecue grills. Remove the grill from the barbecue, spray with WD-40, wait, wipe clean and wash with soap and water.
Remove chewing gum from the bottom of a shoe or sneaker. Spray on WD-40, wait and pull off the gum.
Keep dogs, maggots and flies out of trash cans. Coat the trash cans with a thin layer of WD-40.
Take squeaks out of new shoes. Spray WD-40 into the leather and shine.
Remove grease stains from linen. Spray WD-40 directly to the stain, rub it in, let is soak for a few minutes and wash through a regular cycle.
Take squeaks out of a box spring mattress. Remove the fabric covering on the bottom of the box spring mattress by removing the staples and spray the springs with WD-40. Staple the fabric covering back in place with a staple gun.
Polish wood furniture. Spray WD-40 on a cloth and wipe.
Clean crayon from a blackboard. Spray WD-40 on the crayon marks, let soak for 10 minutes and blot clean with a cloth.
Free a tongue stuck to frozen metal in winter. Spray WD-40 on the metal around the tongue.
COFFEE GROUNDS
DYE FABRIC: Turn an article of clothing into a brown color by soaking it in some strong coffee.
COVER SCRATCHES ON WOOD: Form a paste by mixing a teaspoon of instant coffee with two teaspoons of water. Rub on the wood surface to hide the scratches.
ABSORB ODORS: Place an open container of grounds in the freezer or refrigerator to absorb odors.
RINSE YOUR HAIR: A quick dousing will bring out the shiny highlights in brunettes.
HOME REMEDIES
PUFFY EYES: Rub a dab of Preparation H carefully into the skin avoiding the eyes. The hemorrhoid ointment acts as a vasoconstrictor, relieving the swelling instantly.
SKIN BLEMISHES: Cover the blemish with a dab of honey and place a bandage over it. Honey kills the bacteria, keeps the skin sterile and speeds healing. Works overnight.
NAIL FUNGUS: Get rid of unsightly toenail fungus by soaking your toes in Listerine mouthwash. The powerful antiseptic helps your nails looking healthy again.
EYEGLASS SCREW PROTECTION: To prevent the screws in eyeglasses from loosening, apply a small drop of clear nail polish to the threads of the screws before tightening them.
RUST: Phosphoric acid in cola will remove rust.
PESTICIDE: If menacing bees, wasps, hornets or yellow jackets get in your home and you cannot find the insecticide, try a spray of Formula 409. Insects drop to the ground instantly.
SPLINTER REMOVER: Pour a drop of Elmer’s glue all over the splinter, let dry, and peel the dried glue off the skin. The splinter sticks to the dried glue.
BOIL: Cover the boil with tomato paste as a compress. The acids from the tomatoes soothe the pain and bring the boil to a head.
BRUISES: Soak a cotton ball in white vinegar and apply it to the bruise for an hour. The vinegar reduces the blueness and speeds up the healing process.