Easy Household Tips You Can Share
If you have any household tips, ideas, helpful household cleaning tips or any other pointers we may be interested in, please send them to us! If we like and include yours, we'll give you credit, if you wish! You don't have to be a good writer, either. Just send your tips and we'll take care of the rest. Click HERE. HOUSEHOLD TIPS #1CLEANING & FRESHENING• Smell the clean - Use air-freshener to clean mirrors. It does a good job and leaves a nice subtle fragrance behind. • Removing old wax from a glass candle holder - Place the candle holder in the freezer for a few hours. Take the candleholder out , turn it upside down and tap gently. The wax should fall right out.  • Circumventing sauce stains - Spray your Tupperware® type containers with nonstick cooking spray before pouring in tomato based sauces and there won't be any stains! • Crayon marks on walls - Dip a damp rag in baking soda and gently rub in circular motion. Increase pressure if needed, but don't rub the wall paint off! • Spotting streaks on windows - Use vertical strokes when washing the outsides of windows and horizontal for inside. This way you can tell which side has the streaks. Straight vinegar or vinegar and water is a great window cleaner or use water from a spray bottle (lightly spray) and a micro fiber cloth. • Cleaning artificial flowers - Shake a little salt into a paper bag and place the artificial flowers, upside-down, in the bag nearly touching the bottom. Shake the bag vigorously, but not so much as to harm or dislodge the petals. Do this once or twice a year to keep your artificial flowers looking like new! • Removing burnt-on food from your skillet - Add a drop or two of dish soap and enough water to just cover the bottom of pan and bring to a boil on stove top. When water temp is cool enough to touch, wipe soiled area with dish cloth or brush. • Removing blood stains on clothes - Hydrogen peroxide on a cloth and gently rub entire blood stain until all traces are gone. Rinse area with cold water.  • Clean your toilet - Plop in (no kidding) two Alka Seltzer tablets, wait twenty minutes, brush and flush. Great for cleaning your vases, too. Fill vase with water and drop in a tablet or two. Or, to put it another way; citric acid and effervescent action clean vitreous china.• Polish jewelry - Drop two Alka Seltzer tablets into a glass of water and immerse the jewelry for two minutes. Rinse. • To unclog a drain - Drop three Alka Seltzer tablets down the drain followed by a cup of White Vinegar. Wait a few minutes and run hot water. • Cleaning a thermos - Fill the bottle with water, drop in four Alka Seltzer tablets, and let soak for an hour or two. Rinse thoroughly. • Removing permanent marker on appliances or counter tops - Use a paper towel with rubbing alcohol. Drip alcohol on section of towel and rub on a small, inconspicuous area first to see if there are any negative effects. HOUSEHOLD TIPS #2MEDICAL & SAFETY• Cure for headaches - Take a lime, cut it in half, and rub it on your forehead. The throbbing will (hopefully) go away.  • Mosquito bite - Nobody knows exactly why, but apply soap to the bite area and you will experience instant relief.• Removing a splinter - Transparent adhesive tape (like Scotch® brand) removes most splinters painlessly and easily. Press the tape over the splinter and then firmly pull it off. Repeat if needed. • Leg Cramps - Nothing hurts like a "Charley Horse" as they're sometimes called. Especially when they wake you up at night! Put a spoonful of regular mustard (yeah, the yellow stuff) on your tongue and swallow. In no time the cramps will be gone. And there's no residual pain the next day. No kidding. I keep a few of those packets you get at fast food places in my nightstand. HOUSEHOLD TIPS #3PENNY PINCHING FRUGAL TIPS• Stretching the steel wool - With a pair of scissors cut your SOS pads in half. Well, duh . . . But, if you think about it, don't you either throw away a pad that's at least still half good or you keep the icky thing until your next need?  A box of S.O.S pads should now last . . . well, twice as long! This is not confirmed, but, reports are that scissors may actually get sharpened this way, as well.• Cheap ambience - Spray a bit of perfume on a light bulb in any room to create a lovely light scent each time the light is turned on. • Extending candle power - Candles will last much longer if placed in the freezer for at least 3 hours prior to burning. This is a household tip I never considered! • Extending your celery life - Wrap it in aluminum foil when putting in the refrigerator and it will keep for weeks. HOUSEHOLD TIPS #4MISCELLANEOUS TIPS• Opening a sealed envelope - Place the unopened envelope in the freezer for a few hours. Take it out and gently slide a knife under the flap from end to end. Reseal by moistening the flap and pressing it closed. • Icy outdoor steps - Mix warm (nearly hot) water with a quarter to half cup liquid dish washing detergent in bucket or large container. Gently, using side-to-side motion, pour liquid over steps starting from the top, working downward. Not only does this get rid of the ice on the steps, but it also inhibits refreezing. • Freshen your fabrics - Fabric softener sheets (cut in half or thirds) in your dresser drawers will make your clothes smell freshly washed for weeks. And in the linen closet for your towels and linen.  • Corn sweetening - When boiling corn on the cob add a pinch of sugar to help bring out the corn's natural sweetness.• Storing appliance cords - Finally a household tip for the lowly toilet paper roll! Wind up the appliance cord so that it slips into the cardboard roll and fits somewhat tightly. Also, you can write important identifying information (like "For Outdoor Christmas Lights") on the cardboard roll. HOUSEHOLD TIPS #5COCA COLA TO THE RESCUE!• To clean a toilet - Pour one can of Coca-Cola directly into the toilet bowl and let it sit for one hour. It’ll look pretty icky, but when you flush your bowl will be clean.  • Windshield road haze - Lightly dampen a soft cloth with Coke and gently wipe windshield. • Rust spots from chrome bumpers - Crumple a piece of aluminum foil dipped in Coca-Cola and rub the bumper gently. • To bake a really great ham: Empty a can of Coca-Cola into the baking pan, wrap the ham in aluminum foil, set in the Coke and bake. 30 - 45 minutes before ham is done, take away the foil. Then baste every few minutes. The drippings will mix with the Coke and make a delicious brown gravy. • Corroded car battery terminals - Pour a small amount of Coke over the terminals and allow it to bubble. Wait a few minutes and wipe with a paper towell. Repeat if necessary. • To loosen a rusted bolt - Apply a Coca-Cola soaked rag around the rusted bolt for several minutes making sure the Coke has penetrated the rust. • Grease on clothing - Here's one household tip you probably never thought of! Empty one can of Coke into the load of greasy clothes (no kidding), then add detergent, and run through a regular cycle. The Coca-Cola will help loosen stains.
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