Helpful Hints

 

Flies or bees bothering you? Spray them with hairspray

and they will take a

quick dive.

Sealed envelope - Put in the freezer for a few hours,

then slide a knife

under the flap. The envelope can then be resealed.

(hmmmmmm...)

Use Empty toilet paper roll to store appliance cords.

It keeps them neat and

you can write on the roll what appliance it belongs

to.

For icy door steps in freezing temperatures: get warm

water and put Dawn

dishwashing liquid in it. Pour it all over the steps.

They won't refreeze.

(wish I had known this for the last 60 years!)

Crayon marks on walls? This worked wonderfully! A damp

rag, dipped in baking

soda. Comes of with little effort (elbow grease that

is!).

Permanent marker on appliances/counter tops (like

store receipt BLUE!)

rubbing alcohol on paper towel.

Whenever I purchase a box of S.O.S Pads, I immediately

take a pair of

scissors and cut each pad into halves. After years of

having to throw away

rusted and unused and smelly pads, I finally decided

that this would be much

more economical. And now a box of S.O.S pads last me

indefinitely! In fact,

I have noticed that the scissors get sharpened this

way!

Opening brand new jars can be a feat in itself. Well,

I have found a way to

make it the easiest thing to do. Instead of banging a

jar of jam, pickles,

etc., with a knife until it loosens up, I simply reach

into the drawer and

pull out the handy nutcracker. It adjusts to the size

of the jar and I

simply give it a good twist and off pops the lid!

Blood stains on clothes? Not to worry! Just pour a

little peroxide on a

cloth and proceed to wipe off every drop of blood.

Works every time!

Use vertical strokes when washing windows outside and

horizontal for inside

windows. This way you can tell which side has the

streaks. Straight vinegar

will get outside windows really clean.

Don't wash windows on a sunny day. They will dry too

quickly and will

probably streak.

Spray a bit of perfume on the lightbulb in any room to

create a lovely light

scent in each room when the light is turned on. Place

fabric softener sheets

in dresser drawers and your clothes will smell freshly

washed for weeks to

come. You can also do this with towels and linen.

Candles will last a lot longer if placed in the

freezer for at least 3 hours

prior to burning.

To clean artificial flowers, pour some salt into a

paper bag and add the

flowers. Shake vigorously as the salt will absorb all

the dust and dirt and

leave your artificial flowers looking like new! Works

like a charm!

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.

Spray your Tupperware with nonstick cooking spray

before pouring in tomato

based sauces and there won't be any stains.

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.

Wrap celery in aluminum foil when putting in the

refrigerator and it will

keep for weeks.

When boiling corn on the cob, add a pinch of sugar to

help bring out the

corn's natural sweetness.

If you've read down this far, you deserve a good

laugh, so go look in a

mirror.

Cure for headaches: 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.

To get rid of itch from mosquito bites, try applying

soap on the area and

you will experience instant relief.

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.

Use air-freshener to clean mirrors. It does a good job

and better still,

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, then

pull it off. Scotch tape removes most splinters

painlessly and easily.

Now look what you can do with Alka Seltzer.

Clean a toilet. Drop in two Alka Seltzer tablets, wait

twenty minutes, brush

and flush. The citric acid and effervescent action

clean vitreous China.

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 tablets.

Polish jewelry. Drop two Alka Seltzer tablets into a

glass of water and

immerse the jewelry for two minutes.

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).

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.