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Surprising Reasons Why You Should Use Apple Cider Vinegar Every Day 1. Home Detoxification A clean home helps to keep you and your family healthy. You can ditch the chemical cleaners and use apple cider vinegar to clean most surfaces and to eliminate germs and bacteria in your home. 2. Whiten Teeth So many things can stain your teeth, such as dark-pigmented fruits, wine, coffee, smoking and age. You can use apple cider vinegar to whiten your teeth by simply rubbing it on your teeth and then rinsing with lukewarm water. 3. Stop Hiccups Hiccups result when you protein digestive is slowed or you overeat. You need to ease the spasms in the diaphragm and restore acid balance in the stomach to alleviate them. Apple cider vinegar is beneficial for all of these and you simply need to sip on a mixture of apple cider vinegar and water to ease your hiccups. 4. Shiny Hair shiny-hair-1Shiny hair is healthy hair and when your hair is shiny, it is not being weighed down by product buildup. After you shampoo your hair, use apple cider vinegar as a rinse before you condition to add shine. Then, simply rinse with cold water after the vinegar and after the conditioner. 5. Flea Repellant You do not have to tolerate fleas and you can ensure your pet’s comfort by getting rid of them. Simply take one part water and one part apply cider vinegar, mix this in a spray bottle and spray your pets to eliminate fleas. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Easy Home Made Play Dough You will need: 1 cup of plain flour 1 cup of water 1/4 cup table salt 1 tablespoon of cooking oil 2 teaspoons of cream of tartar food colouring (I found we needed between 6 – 8 drops to achieve good intensity of colour) *Optional The cream of tartar does NOT smell good at all, but this is easily fixed! We simply added some coconut essence to our purple play dough, and lime essence to both the green and orange batch. It smelt divine! Directions 1. Pour everything into a saucepan…. and stir. 2. You want to stir all of the ingredients together BEFORE you turn on the heat. 3. When the ingredients are combined, cook the mixture over a medium heat, stirring constantly. It will become smooth and runny at first. Within a couple of minutes, the mixture will form a ball and stick to itself, and then it’s done! 4. Simply transfer it to your counter top to cool. Once it has cooled down, knead the mixture to make it lovely and pliable and that’s it! Beautiful smooth home made play dough! *TIPS *Try to mix all of the ingredients as thoroughly as possible before heating it up on the stove. The smoother you can make the mixture before heating it up the better. Enlist the help of the kids. They’ll love it! *Be aware that this cooks quickly! Don’t take your eyes off it and do stir continuously. *Scrape down the sides of your saucepan while you are stirring – this will prevent build up of cooked on gluey flour/water mixture and will make the clean up of your saucepan much easier. *When you are leaving the play dough to cool before kneading it, try spreading it out a little rather than leaving it in a ball. The play dough will hold its heat inside the ball which will not be fun when you try to knead it and you think it has cooled down! Spreading it out will also help it to cool more quickly. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Baking Tips of a strawberry–then push the stem out. least 2 or 3 inches long–cannelloni and cut ziti work well). The juices will bubble up the pasta ‘pipe’ and back down into the pie–instead of running all over your oven. Once pie has finished baking, remove pasta. been chilled or thoroughly set before cutting. The process is fast and easy and the result is nice, neat squares. each of your hands in a clean plastic bag (or baggy) and dig in. The plastic bags will still give your hands and fingers free movement , yet keep them free from raw meat contamination. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Today's Tips Utilising these little pieces of soap that are always left over. Add a little glycerine and mash them up with a little warm water and you will have a liquid soap that is gentle and economical. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Easy uses for baby Powder Never waste time desperately tugging at tangled jewelry again. Loosen the knot with a little baby powder and use a pin to pull it apart. Most dry shampoos are starch-based, so baby powder has a similar effect in a pinch. Sprinkle some on your hands and massage it through your scalp to soak up excess oil. Crawling into a hot, sticky bed is no one's definition of nighttime relaxation. Dust powder between your sheets to help absorb sweat and keep things cool. Don’t stress over spilt salad dressing. Dab any oil-based stain with baby powder to absorb the grease before laundering like usual. Pack a travel size bottle of baby powder in your beach bag. At the end of the day, rub it on your skin and sand will come right off. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Homemade Mosquito Repellents 1 #1. 1/4 cup vegetable oil mixed with these essential oils (mix and store in a spray bottle) 8 drops cedar 5 drops eucalyptus 4 drops lavender 2 drops rosemary 2 drops juniper 1 drop peppermint 1 drop cinnamon 1 drop clove #2. 2 cups witch hazel 1 teaspoon vegetable glycerin 20 drops citronella essential oil 20 drops lemongrass essential oil Instructions: Mix in a spray bottle and shake well before use. #3. Mix pure vanilla flavoring with water, and spray on. Very effective, and smells good too! Also it keeps those pesky no-see-um’s from bothering you. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Homemade Ant Killers Clean counter tops and surfaces well with one of the cleaners below, these can also be used to spray them directly. plus water–per spray bottle ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Home Remedies Bee Stings ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Little-Known Uses for Skin-So-Soft® Outdoor Life, Field and Stream, and advice columnist "Dear Abby." Soften finger nails. Warm Skin-So-Soft and use as a hot oil treatment to soften nails. flies, and mosquitoes. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ over the wart, and cover with a bandage. Within a couple of days the wart will be gone. with a splash of Apple Cider Vinegar after cleansing -- it balances out the ph of your skin. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Little Known Uses For Bounce® Dryer Sheets eliminate static cling, wipe your television screen with a used sheet of Bounce to keep dust from resettling. cling on the thread before sewing. and sponge clean. The antistatic agents apparently weaken the bond between the food and the pan while the fabric softening agents soften the baked-on food. dust from resettling. bag or hamper. they'll smell great in the morning. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ your hands then rinse. (bleach is alkaline, vinegar and lemon are acid, so they cancel each other out and balance the pH of your skin.) This is suppose to cut down on the amount of dripping. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ How to Repair a Hole or Leak in an Air Mattress Instead of using unsightly or hard-to-find patches, try applying crazy glue to seal the hole or the leaky valve. If you happen to have a tire patch kit in the garage, this works very well for holes in air mattresses. Homemade Ice Packs Rubbing Alcohol combined with water in a freezer bag also works great as an ice pack because the alcohol keeps the water from freezing. Simply mix one cup of rubbing alcohol with three cups of water in a gallon Ziploc bag and freeze. for quite awhile. (Be sure to use regular rice however, not the short cooking type.) You don’t even need a Ziploc for this remedy, as a plain old sock will do. Simply fill the sock about 2/3 of the way full, tie it securely and stick it in the freezer. The rice will easily shift so you can shape around the needed area. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ An easy homemade beauty product to craft at home is conditioner. Use natural ingredients that nourish the hair. Mash together 2 tbsp. of olive oil and one banana. Slather the mixture all over the hair. Put a shower cap on your head and let the conditioner sit for 30 minutes. Rinse out with warm water. Use this deep-conditioning treatment once per week. Nourish dry skin with honey. This is a quick and inexpensive homemade beauty product. Honey is a humectant that draws moisture to the skin. It is exceptionally easy, as this mask contains only one ingredient. Use your fingers to spread honey all over the face. Leave it on for 20 minutes. Rinse off the honey with warm water and then with cold water. The cold water closes and tightens the pores. An easy eye treatment to make at home can reduce puffiness. Start with two thin slices of cucumber. Spray a bit of rose water on the cucumbers. Put one slice over each eye. Let the cucumber slices sit on the eyes for 15 minutes. After removing them, dip cotton balls in water and wipe the eyes clean. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  DIY Spoon Planter Hooks Looking for a creative way to hang some small plants either outside or indoors? Check out these DIY Spoon Planter Hooks. Learn How to bend the spoons properly from WikiHow HERE. Then hang in desired location and display small plants around your house! What a wonderful idea. May be a great way to display your herbs in the kitchen! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Fill the bathtub with hot water. Add 3 scoops of a product called OxiClean an unbelievable environmentally safe cleaner. Place mini blinds in tub for about 30 minutes. Rinse and dry. Even the cord is clean; and your porcelain tub is sparkling as a bonus! Why pay expensive prices for silk plant cleaners? Just spray them with Dow bathroom cleaner and let them dry. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ (don't cut into the 'sealer') and you will find it easy to gain access without the frustration. them in your lingerie drawer, handkerchief drawer, closet or linen cupboard. It makes everything smell divine, finishes off the last few drops of oil productively. the sponge. We have found that a spray of Febreeze (or any fabric odor remover, I would imagine) keeps that nasty odor away ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 5 Things To Do with Beer 1. Soften Up Tough Meat Who needs powdered meat tenderizer when you have some in a can? You guessed it: Beer makes a great tenderizer for tough, inexpensive cuts of meat. Pour a can over the meat, and let it soak in for about an hour before cooking. Even better, marinate it overnight in the fridge or put the beer in your slow cooker with the meat. 2. Polish Gold Jewelry Get the shine back in your solid gold (i.e., minus any gemstones) rings and other jewelry by pouring a bit of beer (not dark ale!) onto a soft cloth and rubbing it gently over the piece. Use a clean second cloth, and then off with another dry cloth. 3. Remove Tea and Coffee Rug Stains Getting that coffee or tea stain out of your rug may seem impossible, but you can literally lift it out by pouring a bit of beer right on top. Rub the beer lightly into the material, and the stain should disappear. You may have to repeat the process a couple of times to remove all traces of the stain. 4. Clean Wood Furniture Have you got some beer that’s old or went flat? Use it to clean wooden furniture. Just wipe it on with a soft cloth, and then off with another dry cloth. 5. Use as a Setting Lotion Put some life back into flat hair with some flat beer. Before you get into the shower, mix 3 tablespoons beer in ½ cup warm water. After you shampoo your hair, rub in the solution, let it set for a couple of minutes, then rinse it off. You may be so pleased by what you see, you’ll want to keep a six-pack in the bathroom ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ then fill the fireplace with crumpled newspapers (non-glossy pages). Leave the newspapers for a couple of days, then discard. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ speeding up the ripening process of other items in your produce drawer, store them in a plastic or brown paper bag. lemon zest or rind, just pull it from the freezer. Sprinkle a little sugar over citrus zest or fresh ginger before chopping. The sugar not only dissolves and absorbs the juices but also helps spread the flavor. (it extracts painful vapors). Remember, the spice comes from the white membrane inside the pepper, not the skin or seeds. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Rub it into the nicks and scratches. at least 24 hours before using. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Homemade 3-Ingredient Toilet Bowl Cleaner A lot of people use bleach or other cleaners in their bathroom, but some feel that they want to control the ingredients they use around their families. By combining the fizzy power of baking soda and tea tree oil in this toilet bowl cleaner recipe from All You, you can clean your toilet naturally, in about 2 minutes, and spend almost nothing (only $.48 per cleaning)! What You’ll Need: Measuring cup Toilet brush 1/2 cup baking soda 10 drops tea tree oil 1/2 cup distilled white vinegar Directions: 1. Pour baking soda directly into the toilet. Immediately add oil then vinegar—in that order exactly. 2. Let water fizz for several minutes. 3. Scrub bowl with brush until clean. 4. Flush. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ then twist open. Works like a charm. assembly and turn on your opener for about 30 seconds. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Household Uses For Baking Soda over top–-enough to dissolve the soda without making it run all over. Let soak for about 30 minutes then scrub clean. and soak for a couple hours. Try boiling for a few minutes first if the mess is bad. with bicarb. If the stains are stubborn, soak overnight in hot water and baking soda. grime when wiping the tub down. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Simple Summer Skin Care Tips Drink a lot of water and liquids and your skin will stay soft and moisturised as well. of lemon and apply and leave it on your face till it’s dry. The citrus properties of the lemon are very effective in removing the tan. and milk or yoghurt. Mix it into a paste and use it to exfoliate your face. Follow it up with a facemask and moisturiser. Cleansing and moisturising your skin before sleeping is an absolute must. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ HOW TO RECOGNIZE HEAT STROKE If they have a body temperature above 103 degrees Farenheit, red, hot dry skin, and there's no sweating -- which means that the body's sweating mechanism is failing, and the body is unable to cool down. If the person has a rapid strong pulse, headache, dizziness or nausea -- call 911 and get the victim to a shady area in the meantime. Try to cool the victim rapidly using whatever methods you can like spraying them with cool water from a hose. SYMPTOMS • Body temp > 103°F • Red/hot/dry skin • No sweating • Rapid pulse • Headache/dizziness/nausea ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ It takes about a year to go thru a bottle of (small) Downey fabric softener. Add more Downey about every 15 loads or just when you notice a little static. It helps to use a towel that is distinct from the other laundry. then launder as normal. dish soap overnight. Then, wash the shirts as usual. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ liquid, mix well. You will find those flies drawn to the cup and gone forever! It's that time of year when we all need to get rid of the "Winter Skin!" DRY!!! Here are some easy homemade recipes to get our skin ready for summer!!! 1. Green Ambrosia Body Scrub 1/4 cup uncooked white rice 1/2 cup Epsom salts 2 Tbls. oatmeal - ground in blender 1/4 cup cornmeal 1/8 cup glycerin 5 drops baby oil 1/2 bag green tea 1 tsp. poppy seeds 5 drops china rain essence oil -Grind rice in the blender. -Combine all ingredients with a whisk. -Pour in bottles or Ziploc® bags to store. 2. Ultimate Dry Skin Treatment 2 Tbls. real mayonnaise 1 tsp. baby oil -Combine both ingredients. -Smooth onto face, neck, rough elbows and knees, or anywhere you need it. -Leave on for 20 minutes. -Rinse thoroughly with tepid water. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ or stops spraying from all holes, the holes could be clogged with lime buildup. You can soak the nozzle in vinegar, or what I do is just spray it with the bottle that's always right there on my counter, then take a toothpick and poke the holes a bit. Spray water through it a bit to release any of the deposits that you've dislodged, then repeat the process. Your sprayer should spray good as new! It exfoliates all the dead skin and makes them smell good!!! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ while cutting through that nasty grease. cut it in half. Next, sprinkle the fruit with salt, wet your shower and bathroom surfaces, and cover them in salt as well. Finally, use your new handheld grapefruit scrubber to wipe away the grime and dirt. safely killing odor-causing bacteria. a few seconds. Empty it, rinse it, air-dry. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ dissolve and clean w/ brush. Works great every time! deli container with a clear lid, in a warm sunny place, and remember to water pods. After seeds sprout, remove lid. Ready to transplant in a few weeks and when warm enough outside. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ It works well in a pinch. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ let stand for 20 minutes. Rinse with cold water...for easier peeling, peel while still warm. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Correct tire pressures can be found in your owner manual and on the driver's-side door jamb. The same trick works for TV and monitor screens. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ palm against the kitchen counter before squeezing. They get caught up in the sheets and help keep them from wadding up. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ and you won't need lotion afterwards. Bring to a boil, then turn off the burner. If you have a fan in your range hood turn it on. Smells yummy! and clean w/ brush. Works great everytime! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ into a gallon of hot water & scrub clean. Rinse. absorb the liquid and you simply have to vacuum it up. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Citric Acid in Coke removes the stains. tablet. Works like a charm! The chrome will sparkle like new! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ hand to loosen, then gently shake out onto your hand, or just tear away the paper cup, plant, and throw away the cup! Easy!! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Easy Tips Works like a charm. minutes and then flush with cold water. It keeps your drains free of odors. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A Couple of Tips vinegar in the machine and wash the clothes in hot water. Then run a normal cycle with detergent. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Todays Tips ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Buying Bread When you buy bread in the grocery store, have you ever wondered which is the freshest? Many people "squeeze" for freshness or softness. Did you know that bread is delivered fresh to the stores five days a week? Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Each day has a different color twist tie. They are: Monday = Blue Tuesday = Green Thursday = Red Friday = White Saturday = Yellow So if today was Thursday, you would want a red twist tie -- not a white tie which is Fridays (almost a week old)! To remember the colors of the twist tie, they go alphabetically by color - Blue-Green-Red-White-Yellow, Monday through Saturday, skipping Wednesdays. Very easy to remember. I thought this was interesting so checked it out. I looked in the grocery store and the bread wrappers DO have different color twist ties; and even the ones with the plastic clips DO have different colors. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Todays East Tips Wipe the blinds with a fabric softener sheet to prevent dust from resettling. Disinfect and deodorize the toilet bowl in a flash. Sprinkle the sides with baking soda, let sit for a few minutes, then drizzle with vinegar. Scrub with a toilet brush and flush. To make windows sparkle, spritz glass with a solution of 3 tablespoons white vinegar and 1 gallon cool water. Avoid streaks by wiping panes with newspaper. Get rid of excess suds when hand-washing garments in the sink or doing the dishes by sprinkling them with a pinch of salt. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Simply Easy Tips Keep socks that you have lost the matches to. Slide them on your hand to dust with. To cover scratches on dark wood furniture, make a thick paste of instant coffee and a little water. Rub it into the nicks and scratches Clean your dryer lint screen with hot soap and water about every tenth time you use it. This decreases drying time and increases the lifetime of your dryer. Put a few folded pieces of newspaper in the bottom of your kitchen trash can to absorb odors. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Today's Tips To freshen rooms, carpet, shoes, trash cans, diaper pails and other sprayable surfaces: Simply fill a spray bottle with white vinegar, and spritz wherever a freshening is needed. It'll neutralize the odor, so that your home smells like your home. the potato from the inside. You can make your own ice packs by mixing 2 parts water to 1 part rubbing alcohol. Keep in the refrigerator at least 24 hours before using. To keep bread from spoiling keep the loaf in the freezer only take out what you need. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Todays easy tips Drop a Cascade Dishwasher Action Pac into the toilet, watch it dissolve and clean w/ brush. Works great every time! If you spill wine, juice, coffee, etc. on a carpet pour regular table salt in a heap on top of the stain and it will absorb the liquid and you simply have to vacuum it up. When you break glass if you use a cotton ball it will pick up all the little sliver's of glass. They stick right to it. To make sure your baking soda, baking cocoa, or baking powder is still good, put a teaspoon of it into hot water, if it fizzles it is still ok. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Simple Tips If you get a splinter, pour a little "Elmers" glue over it, let dry, then pull the dried glue off and the splinter will come out with it. Clean bathroom and kitchen fixtures with rubbing alcohol, they will be shiny and spot free. Alcohol kills germs too! To keep potatoes from budding, place an apple in the bag with the potatoes. Wipe off your TV screen with fabric softener sheets. It really does help repel the dust. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Easy Tops Add a teaspoon of baking powder when mashing potatoes, and beat them vigorously to make them extra light and creamy. If you have the misfortune of running out of coffee filters, don't worry. Try using a paper towel instead. It works well in a pinch. Less than thrilled with a conditioner you bought? Don't throw it out! You can use it as shaving cream and you won't need lotion afterwards. Instead of salt, create your own de-icer by mixing a teaspoon liquid dishwashing detergent with a tablespoon of rubbing alcohol and a half gallon of warm water. The mixture will melt away several layers of ice and the alcohol in the solution will prevent the water from refreezing. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Simple Tips Write out your frosting message on wax paper, then freeze the message on the wax paper for about 30 minutes. Then remove the letters from the paper with a short metal spatula and transfer to your cake! If you need to clean your electric can opener, soak an old toothbrush in vinegar, hold it under the wheel/blade assembly and turn on your opener for about 30 seconds. If you cut yourself while shaving, dab a little honey on the cut to help it heal. Treat stubborn bathtub stains with a mixture of cream of tartar and hydrogen peroxide. By the time the paste dries, the stain should be gone. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Simple Tips Line the bottom of your veggie/crisper drawer in the fridge with a paper towel to absorb liquids that make veggies wilt. Perk up soggy lettuce by soaking in cold water with some lemon juice. To store place in a zip lock bag with paper towel to absorb moisture. Prevent lint from clinging to clothes by adding 1/2 cup white distilled vinegar to the wash cycle. To grease your cake pans put a plastic sandwich bag over your hand and use it to get into even the tightest corners. When through just turn inside out and throw away for easy cleanup! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Simple Tips To clean mineral deposits, boil the shower head once a month in a mild solution of white vinegar and water. To get ink out of clothing, spray with hair spray let set a couple of minutes then dab with a damp cloth. Rub in a bit of hand cream and buff with a tissue. If your towel looses it's absorbency then toss in 1/4 cup white vinegar into the wash with them. It helps to make your towels absorbent again. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Kitchen Tip's Once a week, shake baking soda on a damp sponge and wipe around the machine's edges to remove stuck-on food or stains. To clean the inside, run an empty cycle with Dishwasher Magic, a product designed to kill bacteria like E.coli. "During cold and flu season, add a quarter-cup of bleach to the regular dish cycle to kill bacteria," says Laura Dellutri. The dishes will be safe and sanitized after the rinse cycle is finished. Keep the heart of your kitchen clean by lining the bottom with a nonstick ovenliner. It can be wiped with a paper towel, put in the dishwasher, and reused over and over. To get rid of odors, drop in a cut-up lemon, some salt and a few ice cubes. The lemon deodorizes, and the ice and salt clean away residue. We all know that sponges can be a breeding ground for bacteria. Disinfect yours every night by squeezing it out and microwaving it on high for a minute. When it's shredded and smelly, replace it. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ How to Remove Oil Stains from Clothes the stain as possible. Liberally cover the oil stain with baking soda and rub it in gently with your fingers. Let the baking powder sit for approximately ½ hour then gently brush it clean. Launder as usual. Saturate the stain with Club Soda – let it sit for a few minutes – then blot as much as you can. Launder as usual afterwards. Dish washing liquid is known for being a powerful degreaser. Rub a few drops of dish washing liquid onto the oil stain, rub it in gently, let it sit for a few minutes then rinse out or launder as usual. Believe it or not this delicious treat works great for removing oil stains. Simply smear some cheese wiz into the stain and throw in the washer. Baby Powder is also great for absorbing oil on clothes. Rub some baby powder into the stain and then brush clean. Wash as usual. Hair Spray is also known to take out oil or grease stains. Simply spray stain with a decent amount of hair spray then toss in the wash and launder as usual. This cleaning tip is perfect for gentler clothing items. Simply rub a few drops of Baby Shampoo into the stain, then soak in some warm water for a few minutes. Afterwards, launder as usual. Corn starch works similar to the Baking Powder remedy mentioned above. It works really well for absorbing the oil in the stain. Simply sprinkle an ample amount of Corn Starch on the stain, rub it in gently and then let i t sit for about ½ hour. Then gently brush the corn starch off and wash item as usual. Strangely enough, white bread will absorb oil as well. Simply rub the stain with some white bread or heavily blot to get stain out. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 31 Surprising Uses for Baking Soda 31 Surprising Uses for Baking Soda Baking soda can do a lot more than just sit in the back of the fridge. Try these easy tips and put baking soda to work in every room of your house! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Take scissors and snip a fair sized "V" in one side of the top strip (don't cut into the 'sealer') and you will find it easy to gain access without the frustration. Also if you find it difficult to fill small freezer bags you might try putting them inside a measuring cup, folding a small flap down over the edges of the cup. Then it's easy to fill with foodstuffs and prevent the bag collapsing and the resultant spills. Same holds true for larger bags if you find a suitable sized bowl or can to place the bags in. When your Airwick scented oil refills are empty, instead of throwing them away, put them in your lingerie drawer, handkerchief drawer, closet or linen cupboard. It makes everything smell divine, finishes off the last few drops of oil productively, makes a few less glass containers for the landfill. Regular cellulose kitchen sponges tend to get smelly, and the odor transfers onto your hands when you use the sponge. Just use a spray of Febreeze (or any fabric odor remover) keeps that nasty odor away. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Did you know? Tips Place a fresh slice of bread (uncovered) in the freedge. It will absorb most of the bad odor. Placing two-three tablets of camphor in a hot iron vessel keeps the flies away. Divide vinegar into two parts and keep separately in different bottles. Add boiled water and leave for a week. You will have twice the quantity original strength vinegar. Cut a piece of sandpaper into strips. This sharpens the scissors. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Easy Tips To Use Around The House Have a bunch of wicker baskets that are old and tired looking? Lightly wash them then dry thoroughly. Once dried, give them a fresh new look with a coat or two of spray paint. Perfect use for that little bit of paint left in a can. You can also clip off any broken ends and pieces of wicker before painting. Dust your hands lightly with baby powder before putting on rubber or latex gloves (or even flour if you don’t have baby powder). This will help you remove the gloves easily without having to take them off inside out. Buying special clips to keep food bags closed and snacks fresh isn’t necessary. You can keep a jar or baggy of clothespins on hand and they do just as great a job! Here are a couple ideas to try to keep small throw rugs and mats from slipping and sliding around: Sew rubber jar seal rings on each corner of the mat (underside); Cut and sew rubber shelf liner strips along each edge (underside–a few inches wide per strip is fine–or cover the whole back). ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Laundry Tips Wet the fabric and then sprinkle with powdered dish detergent. Scrub gently with a toothbrush. Rinse the item and launder normally. To make a zipper slide up and down more smoothly, rub a bar of soap over the teeth. Place a fabric softener sheet in the bottom of your laundry basket (remember to change it weekly.) You can also simply sprinkle some baking soda in the bottom of your basket and that will help absorb the odors as well. Include a few tennis balls in each dryer cycle. The tennis balls not only cut drying time by 25% - 50%, but also fluff the clothes to a delicate softness, and towels with be especially fluffy ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Tips and Tricks for Cleaning Eyeglasses Cleaning your eyeglasses with a clean used Bounce Fabric Softener sheet is not only a great way to clean your glasses but it is also a great way to repel future dust for awhile. The antistatic element of the sheets prevents dust from sticking in the eyeglasses for some time. (It is also a great way to reuse a fabric softener sheet.) Baby wipes work great in a pinch. They will help clean off any grime on eyeglasses. Coffee Filters are great for cleaning eyeglasses because they will not leave any lint behind. They are also inexpensive enough that you can use them daily if you choose. Defogging Eyeglasses Strangely enough you can create a thin film on eyeglass lenses that will rebel precipitation by rubbing a dab of Colgate toothpaste (the regular flavor paste variety) then wash them clean with water. Shaving cream in another great deterrent for foggy eyeglasses (works well for defogging bathroom mirrors as well). Simply rub a small dab of shaving cream on both sides of lenses and gently wipe clean in circular motion. Another way to keep eyeglasses fog-free is pledge. Gently spray a little pledge on lenses then gently wipe clean. Repairing Broken Eyeglasses in an Emergency Toothpicks work great is you lose a screw from your eyeglasses. Simply place a toothpick in the hole to hold them temporarily until you can get them fixed. To keep eyeglasses screws from loosening, or if you have screws that are already loose, simply apply a small drop of clear nail polish on them to hold them in place. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Clean Costume Jewelry Toothpaste works great when it comes to cleaning Costume Jewelry. Simply squeeze some toothpaste (the paste kind – not the gel) on an old toothbrush and lightly scrub the costume jewelry. Then rinse well and pat dry. Place costume jewelry in a container or bin. Pour a little rubbing alcohol over the item and let jewelry soak for three or four minutes. Then remove and wipe dry with a clean cloth. Denture tablets such as Efferdent or Polident can also work wonders when it comes to cleaning costume jewelry. Simply fill your sink or a basin with hot water, drop in two denture cleansing tablets followed by the jewelry. Let the jewelry sit for 30 minutes – rinse and pat dry. In many cases simple water with a couple of drop or two of dish detergent will do it (not too much detergent though because it can leave jewelry looking dull). Fill a basin halfway with warm water and add a drop or two of liquid detergent. Let costume jewelry soak for about 20 minutes then remove and gently pat dry with a clean cloth. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Easy Toilet Cleaning Tips Baking soda works great for cleaning toilet bowls. Simply pour in ½ cup of baking soda into the toilet, brush with a toilet brush and flush. Bleach will not only help get rid of tougher toilet bowl stains, but will help deodorize and sanitize the bowl as well. (Do NOT use bleach however if you have a toilet cleaner attached to your bowl that cleans each time you flush because the combination can cause toxic fumes. Also do not use this if your bowl has rust because chlorine bleach can actually set rust stains.) For other users however, bleach works extremely well. Simply add about ¼ cup of bleach to your bowl, let sit for about 10 minutes, then use your toilet brush to clean. Stains and marks come off easily. Then flush. While this might sound strange, Coca Cola also makes a great toilet cleaner. Just pour a can of Coca Cola into the bowl, let it sit for about an hour, then brush it and flush it. 2 denture tablets work well for cleaning toilet bowls as well. Drop in 2 tablets, (be sure to close the lid) and let the tablets sit in the bowl overnight. The next morning a quick brushing and flushing will finish the job. Gatorade is another strange but true remedy for toilet cleaning. Pour 2 cups of Gatorade into the toilet and let sit for about an hour. Then brush with a toilet brush and flush it clean. It is the citric acid in Gatorade that does the trick. A Mr. Clean Magic Eraser is great for removing mineral rings from toilet bowls. Simply dampen a medium sized piece of the eraser and rub on stain till it easily disappears. Tang Strangely enough, the citric acid in Tang make a great toilet bowl cleaner. Dissolving 3 tablespoons of Tang Powder in the toilet and leaving it sit overnight will clean rust and stains. The next morning simply brush and flush. White Vinegar works great for tougher stains in a toilet bowl. Pour about a cup of white vinegar into the bowl and let sit for at least an hour. Then use your toilet bowl brush to clean the bowl as usual. When done, flush it away. An added benefit of using white vinegar is that it also works to clean out drains on the way down. Another easy to use toilet cleaner is 20 Mule Borax. Simply pour one cup into bowl, close lid and leave to sit overnight, The next morning brush and flush. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Cleaning Up Pet Hair Don’t waste those used sheets of bounce if you own a pet. Used bounce sheets are great for cleaning pet hair from furniture or clothes. Simply wipe areas with pet hair or fur with the used bounce sheets. The sheets act like a magnet and will attract all of the hair. Playtex gloves are another great way to get rid of pet hair. Simply fill a bucket with water and slip on a pair of the gloves. Dip your hands into the water, wipe the area that has the pet hair, then redip your hands back in the water. The pet hair will stick to the wet rubber of the gloves, and the water in the bucket will rinse them off. Very lightly wet a kitchen sponge and run it over the area that has cat hair or dog hair. If you keep pulling the sponge towards you the fur will ball up making it easier to for to remove the clumps from the sponge to throw away. Using Velcro curlers is another easy way to pick up pet hair. Just as the curlers easily hold human hair in its hook and loop design, it will also pick up pet hair. Reserve one of your Velcro curlers just for cleaning pet hair whenever you need it. Large rolls of packing tape work well for cleaning pet hair as well. Simply wrap the tape around your hand with the sticky side facing out. Then run the tape over affected areas. It picks up the hair easily. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Removing Lipstick Stains Oddly enough, the acetone in hair spray removes oily dye that is found in lipsticks. Simply spray lipstick stain with hairspray, let sit for a few minutes, then blot with a paper towel until the stain is gone. For washable fabrics, rub a few drops of baby oil onto the lipstick stain and let sit for about 20 minutes. Then rub in some dishwasher liquid to break up the baby oil. When finished, launder as usual. Modeling clay such as play-doh is great for getting extremely fresh lipstick stains out. Simply rub the stain with a small ball of play-doh before the oily dye has a chance to set into the fabric. Silly Putty works very similar to the play-doh option above. Flatten a piece of silly putty, then put over the stain and press down again. Fariy fresh lipstick stains will come right up with the Silly Putty. This is perfect for those of you on the go. IF you have hand sanitizer such as Purrell in your purse, simply saturate the stain with sanitizer then blot with cold water and launder as usual when you get home. Toothpaste works great for removing many stains and it also works well for lipstick stains. Simply rub a dollop of the toothpaste (be sure it is past and not gel) onto the lipstick stain and launder as usual. This is another great household remedy for fresh lipstick stains. If you get lipstick on your clothes while dressing – pressing white bread on top of the stain will pick it up. Using a petroleum jelly such as Vaseline can also help to remove lipstick stains. Simply rub stain with some jelly, then wash as usual ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Simple and Easy Tips You can make bandage or band-aid removal painless by simply saturating the band aid and surrounding area with baby oil. The baby oil dissolves the adhesive making band aid removal pain free. If you happen to have a tire patch kit in the garage, this works very well for holes in air mattresses. Charcoal is another easy way to deodorize a room of cigarette smell. Again, simply fill a few bowls with charcoal, place them around the room and leave them out overnight. Blot up as much of the dye stain as possible using a clean white rag or towel. Then saturate the stain with hairspray (make sure to test in a small unseen area first to ensure the acetone in hairspray does not discolor carpet). Let the spray sit for about 5 minutes – then rinse the stain and blot again with clean white towel or cloth. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Tips That Are Nifty! Use chenille socks to clean your floor with your swifter. Works as well as a dry swifter and its a lot cheaper than buying swiffers every month. Just throw sock into washing machine when done. Cleaning your bathroom mirror with foam white shaving cream will stop it from fogging up. Just squirt the white foam on a damp rag and clean the mirror. Gel shaving creme will not work! Use dryer sheets on ceiling fans. Not only does it freshen the air,it reduces the dust. If you have the older paper bag type vacuums, slip a dryer sheet inside the bag. Makes the air smell laundry fresh! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Tip's of the Day It will soften your hands while cutting through that nasty grease. of white vinegar to your next wash. Your dishwasher will smell fresh and clean. vinegar to 1 gallon water. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To speed the flow of ketchup, insert a plastic drinking straw into the bottle, then remove it. To remove stubborn rubber gloves, hold hands under cold water for a few seconds and the gloves will slide right off. Unstick a ziiper by rubbing a pencil along it. The graphite lubercates the teeth. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The best way to clean a microfiber sofa is with rubbing alcohol. Place alcohol in a spray bottle and gently mist the dirty areas, wipe gently with a white sponge or cloth, allow to dry and then brush or vacuum. couch looks new again!! Sprinkle baking soda on my carpet before bed and then vacuum in the morning. All the odors are gone and it will even soak up some of the oily grime that gets in the fibers. If you use aluminium foil to line your pans, but still have a problem with the juices flowing through, line your pan with parchment paper. All you need it one piece of each.trim paper after in pan. Paper doesn't burn,and no matter how messy the dish. All you have to do is dump the pan. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Storing Chiristmas Decorations 1. Storing Christmas Linens Store Christmas linens in a suitcase to keep away the risk of moisture damage. Or keep your Christmas towels, rugs, blankets, etc. on an unused shelf in your linen or personal closet. You can put one or two lavender scented dryer sheets between the linens to keep away moths and keep them smelling wonderful. 2. Storing Christmas Wreaths Whatever container you use to store your wreaths must be able to preserve it's shape throughout the year. 3. Storing Christmas Trees Although the box your artificial tree came in may seem like the perfect one to repack it in for storing, this isn't the wisest idea for preservation. The cardboard boxes begin to deteriorate making them more prone to insect infestation. Try a commercially available Christmas tree bag or Christmas tree box. 4.Storing Christmas Ornaments Special ornaments most often benefit from being stored in the boxes that they came in. You can store smaller ornaments in an egg carton. 5. Storing Christmas Candles Wrap the candles in old socks or knee-high stockings to prevent scratching. Make sure to store the candles away from the heat of the attic or other areas which can melt the candles. 6. Storing Christmas Decorations for Reassembling Before you take down Christmas Decorations for storing, take pictures to remember the way you set up your decorations. Then take everything down in reverse order of the way it was put up. 7. Storing Decorations and Planners Don't pack away your holiday planning notebook. You will need this notebook during the year to keep track of recipes, address changes, gift ideas and gifts purchased. 8. Storing Christmas Lights Do away with the tangled mess of years past by organizing your Christmas Lights before you pack them. Make sure to dispose of any lights that have been damaged or are not working properly. You will save yourself storage space. You can use toilet paper cardboard rolls to keep lights from getting tangled. 9. Labeling Christmas Storage Save yourself time next year by thoroughly labeling your Christmas decorations. Make a detailed inventory on the outside of each box. Number the boxes so that you'll know how many you have (i.e. Box 1 of 12). Labeling the boxes this way, also lets you order them according to how they should be unpacked. Consider wrapping your Christmas decoration boxes in wrapping paper for easy identification. 10. Unpacking the First Christmas Box Be sure to prominently label the first box to be opened at Christmas. Box 1 could contain your advent calendar, tree stand, Christmas cards, or whatever you need at the beginning of the Christmas season. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Spray with WD-40®, then gently wipe, using a paper towel or clean cloth. If the mark is stubborn, sprinkle a little baking soda on a damp sponge and gently rub in a circular motion. If the WD-40® leaves a residue, gently wipe off with a sponge soaked in soapy water; rinse clean; blot dry. To clean mineral deposits from the inside of your dishwasher, pour in a container of Tang® Drink Mix and run the dishwasher (don't put dishes in the dishwasher for this load). After removing the cooked food from the grill, place a paper towel soaked in water on each of the 2 cooking surfaces. Unplug the appliance, allow it to sit for 5-30 minutes (while you eat), then use the paper towels to effortlessly wipe out the grease and food particles. To keep cat litter fresh smelling, mix baby powder in with the litter. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Put a dryer sheet in the vacuum bag. Stick a room freshened in your kitchen trash container. Also, throw orange peels in the trash disposal for a fresh smell. If you have a large gift to wrap, rather than struggle with regular gift wrapping paper, use a paper tablecloth to wrap your large gift. You usually can find one with a holiday, birthday, and other special occasion patterns or solid colors .. and often at the dollar store! To prevent the wax from melting and sticking to the inside of a votive candle holder, pour a bit of water in the holder, then place the candle on top. If you're reading this tip too late, and there's already wax stuck inside your candle holder, pop it in the freezer for an hour. The wax will chip right off. To keep your chimney clean, throw a handful of salt on the fire. To keep cat litter fresh smelling, mix baby powder in with the litter. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ You've probably tried running hot water over your clogged hair spray nozzle, but many times it just doesn't do the trick. Get that bottle of isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol out and dip the nozzle into a little bit of it and let sit for a few minutes. Wipe off and you're ready to spray. We've all been told to wash our hands more frequently. Here is an antiseptic, germ fighting spray to use on cuts and scrapes. May also be used as a room spray. 12 drops Tea Tree 6 drops Eucalyptus Unrectified 6 drops Lemon 2 oz. distilled water Combine ingredients and add to spray bottle. Shake gently before use. Prepare to pucker up. For a smoother finish press the sticky side of a piece of tape to your lips to remove dry skin (that is not cracked) before applying lipstick. Identify plants. Use clear tape to cover seed markers in the garden. You'll be able to read the names all season long rain or shine. Try a new color. Find out what Hot Tamale nail polish will look like on you. Place a small piece of tape on your fingernail then brush on a test coat. Arrange flowers. Clear tape when applied across the mouth of a vase in a grid formation makes an invisible guide for arranging flowers. Seal the frayed end of a shoelace. Create your own plastic end with a wrapped piece of tape. Get hung up. Before hanging a picture on a plaster wall put a small piece of tape where the nail will go. This will prevent the plaster from chipping when you hammer in the nail. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  I just had to share this. You can Pain the rake any color as long as you use paint for metal. Steam will release beneficial oils Benefits of Eucalyptus: Put a Lazy Susan in your fridge to easily access your condiments. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Pour a bit of beer right on top. Rub the beer lightly into the material, and the stain should disappear. You may have to repeat the process a couple of times. When traveling, tie a small piece of bright-colored fabric to your luggage. It makes it a lot easier to spot on the baggage carousel. Lemon and vinegar are THE best antibacterial and cleaning agents. Cut up some lemon and put the slices in the dish soap. You can also use the lemon to rub down your wooden cutting boards to make sure all the nasty stuff is out. It smells great! Pour kitty litter and / or sand over them. It will help soak up the spill. To get rid of fleas in your carpet. Vacuum several times a day. You can use baking soda but best is salt. Finely grained salt. This will dry out the flea larvae and vacuum vacuum vacuum!! Pour used coffee grounds on them. They will get a caffeine shock and die. The sticky edge of a post-it is perfect for cleaning between the keys on your keyboard to collect crumbs, pet hair and dust. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Homemade Scented Bath Bombs 1 1/2 cups baking soda 1/2 cup citric acid 8 drops essential oil - your choice of scent 3 tsp. sweet almond oil 2 drops food coloring - your choice of color -Combine all ingredients. -Press into oiled muffin tin or mold of your choice. -Release from mold. -Wrap in colored plastic wrap and tie with a ribbon. Notes: Fizzes when dropped in water. When selecting an oil for scent, read warnings about use. Some oils are not intended to have direct contact with skin. To ensure your mold comes out okay you should rub the almond oil into your mold first before packing in the bath bomb. You should also leave them in the mold for 24 hours so they maintain their shape. They work really well and make for a lovely bath. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Homemade Scented Bath Salts 1 cup coarse sea salt 10 drops essential oil - your choice of scent 1 tsp. avocado oil -Mix all ingredients well. Notes: This makes a wonderful gift when poured in a decorative glass bottle. When selecting an oil for scent, read warnings about use. Some oils are not intended to have direct contact with skin. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Laundry and Drain Cleaner Mix one cup hot water, 1/2 cup baking soda, and 1/2 cup hydrogen peroxide. Just soak the clothing in it for 20 minutes to overnight and then wash as usual. This cloth can be used over and over. 1 cup baking soda 1 cup table salt 1/4 cup cream of tartar 1 cup boiling water Cold Water. Mix baking soda, table salt, and cream of tartar. Stir each time before using. Keep in a clean, covered jar. When ready to use, pour 1/4 cup of mixture into drain. Immediately add the 1 cup boiling water. Wait ten seconds, then flush with cold water for at least 20 seconds. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Today's Tip Wipes Drying Out In Package Is your wipes drying before you can use them all? One of our readers Bonnie (Not me) was having this problem and she emailed me asking if I could find a remedy for this. I told what I do. I put any wipes of any kind in a Ziploc baggy. They stay wet. If you do find they are drying a little add a few drops of water. * You can also try turning your wipes container upside down when not in use. About half way through your usage add a few drops of water. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Scented Cinnamon Ornaments - The scent lasts up to 5 years. Cut into desired shapes and give as gifts. You will need: 1 cup ground cinnamon 3/4 cups applesauce 2 Tbls. white Elmer's® glue 1 Tbls. ground cloves 1 Tbls. ground nutmeg -In a bowl, fold together all ingredients with your hands until mixed through. -Roll out to 1/8" - 1/4" thick and cut into desired shapes with a cookie cutter. -With a nail, poke holes near the top; this hole will later be used to place a ribbon in. -Allow to dry for 3 days on cookie racks covered with waxed paper, turning once daily. -Pull a ribbon through the hole and tie in a bow. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Simple Tips Place an opened box of baking soda OR an open container of activated charcoal behind the toilet to absorb bathroom odors. Soak the stain in hydrogen peroxide, wash (don't dry), and repeat if necessary. This tip works especially well for caret and clothes. Baby wipes are miracle-workers on carpet stains, from motor oil to blood, they remove almost anything! To prevent the wax from melting and sticking to the inside of a votive candle holder, pour a bit of water in the holder, then place the candle on top. If you're reading this tip too late, and there's already wax stuck inside your candle holder, pop it in the freezer for an hour. The wax will chip right off. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Tips for Today To get rid of itch from mosquito bites, try applying soap on the area and you will experience instant relief. 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 then pull it off. Scotch tape removes most splinters painlessly and easily. Crayon marks on walls? This worked wonderfully! A damp rag dipped in baking soda. Comes off with little effort (elbow grease that is)! To remove water spots on stainless steel, rub area with a clean, soft cloth dampened with white vinegar. Then wipe dry to avoid spots. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Useful Tips When raking leaves work with or avoid the wind. Try to pick a calm day but if you don't have a choice, rake your leaves in the same direction that the wind is blowing. It will save you time and the frustration of the leaves blowing right back into the area you've just finished raking. Soothe a burned tongue. With Domino sugar. Just a few grains relieves the pain. Dye your hair. With Folgers instant coffee. Add a packet with your regular conditioner & mix well. Apply and let set 1 minute, then rinse clean for brown hair. Remove grass stains from clothing. With Karo corn syrup. Rub onto stain & wash as normal. Heal paper cuts. With ChapStick. Rub on paper cuts to stop the pain immediately & heal the cut. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Simple Tips To cover scratches on dark wood furniture, make a thick paste of instant coffee and a little water. Rub it into the nicks and scratches. To pick up cat hair, put on a wet rubber dishwashing glove and wipe your hand over surfaces. The hair will stick right to it. Set a timer for 30 minutes. It helps to stay focused, and I get more done in a short amount of time. Keep cleaning products in a shoe holder over the back of your laundry room door. They're easy to see and access, and it saves space. A dab of foaming shaving cream can help remove many red-wine spills from carpets. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Old dryer sheets can be reused to remove soap residue and mineral deposits from shower and other bathroom surfaces. Simply dampen your old dryer sheet and use it to scrub away the grime! For a fresh and natural way to make your shower surfaces shine, use grapefruit. Grab a fresh grapefruit and cut it in half. Next, sprinkle the fruit with salt, wet your shower and bathroom surfaces, and cover them in salt as well. Finally, use your new handheld grapefruit scrubber to wipe away the grime and dirt. You can prevent your bathroom mirror from fogging up after a steamy morning shower by applying a small amount of car wax to the mirror and buffing it with a soft cloth. As an alternative, you can use shaving cream or non-gel toothpaste in a similar fashion to create a protective fog-fighting barrier. Put a dry towel in the dryer with each load of wet clothes. The towel will absorb dampness and reduce drying time, thus saving energy and money. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Useful Tip's Donate old Halloween costumes to a day-care centers, or family centers. The kids will love playing dress-up with them. Ran out of toilet bowl cleaner? Drop a Cascade Dishwasher Action Pac (or other brand) into the toilet, watch it dissolve and clean w/ brush. Works great every time! Peel a banana from the bottom and you won't have to pick the little "stringy things" off of it. That's how primates do it. Add a teaspoon of baking powder when mashing potatoes, and beat them vigorously to make them extra light and creamy. |