Household Hints

( Things your mother should have told you but didn't.)

1. Stuff a miniature marshmallow in the bottom of a sugar
cone to prevent ice cream drips.

2. Use a meat baster to "squeeze" your pancake batter
onto the hot griddle and you'll get perfectly shaped
pancakes every time.

3. To keep potatoes from budding, place an apple in the
bag with the potatoes.

4. To prevent egg shells from cracking, add a pinch of
salt to the water before hard-boiling.

5. Run your hands under cold water before pressing Rice
Krispies treats in the pan and the marshmallow won't
stick to your fingers.

6. 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.

7. To easily remove burnt on food from your skillet,
simply add a drop or two of dish soap and enough water
to cover bottom of pan, and bring to a boil on stovetop.

8. Spray your Tupperware with nonstick cooking spray
before pouring in tomato-based sauces and there won't
be any stains.

9. When a cake recipe calls for flouring the baking pan,
use a bit of the dry cake mix instead and there won't be
any white mess on the outside of the cake.

10. If you accidentally over-salt a dish while it's still
cooking, drop in a peeled potato and it will absorb the
excess salt for an instant "fix me up".

11. Wrap celery in aluminum foil when putting in the
refrigerator and it will keep for weeks.

12. Brush some beaten egg white over pie crust before
baking to yield a beautiful glossy finish.

13. Place a slice of apple in hardened brown sugar to
soften it.

14. When boiling corn on the cob, add a pinch of sugar to
help bring out the corn's natural sweetness.

15. To determine whether an egg is fresh, immerse it in a
pan of cool, salted water. If it sinks, it is fresh, but
if it rises to the surface, throw it away.

16. Cure for headaches: Take a lime, cut it in half and
rub it on your forehead. The throbbing will go away.

17. Don't throw out all that leftover wine: Freeze into
ice cubes for future use in casseroles and sauces.

18. If you have a problem opening jars: Try using latex
dishwashing gloves. They give a non-slip grip that
makes opening jars easy.

19. Potatoes will take food stains off your fingers. Just
slice and rub raw potato on the stains and rinse with water.

20. To get rid of itch from mosquito bites, try applying
soap on the area and you will experience instant relief.

21. Ants, ants, ants everywhere ... Well, they are said
to never cross a chalk line. So get your chalk out and
draw a line on the floor or wherever ants tend to march.
See for yourself.

22. Use air-freshener to clean mirrors. It does a good
job and better still, leaves a lovely smell to the
shine.

23. 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, scotch tape removes the
splinters painlessly and easily.

24. Now look what you can do with ALKA Seltzer. Clean a
toilet. Drop in two Alka-Seltzer tablets, wait twenty
minutes, then brush and flush. The citric acid and
effervescent action clean vitreous china.

25. Clean a vase. To remove a stain from the bottom of
a glass vase or cruet, fill with water and drop in two
Alka-Seltzer table

26. Polish jewelry. Drop two Alka-Seltzer tablets into a
glass of water and immerse the jewelry for two minutes.

27. Clean a thermos bottle. Fill the bottle with water,
drop in four Alka-Seltzer tablets, and let soak for an
hour (or longer, if necessary).

28. Unclog a drain. Clear the sink drain by dropping three
Alka-Seltzer tablets down the drain followed by a cup of
Heinz White Vinegar. Wait a few minutes, then run the hot
water.