Helpful Tips

hissy

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A sealed envelope - Put in the freezer for a few hours, then slide a knife under the flap. The envelope can then be resealed. (hmmmmmm...)
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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.
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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 40 years!)
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To remove old wax from a glass candle holder, put it in the freezer for a few hours. Then take the candle holder out and turn it upside down. The wax will fall out.
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Crayon marks on walls? This worked wonderfully! A damp rag, dipped in baking soda. Comes off with little effort (elbow grease that is!).
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Permanent marker on appliances/counter tops (like store receipt BLUE!) rubbing alcohol on paper towel.
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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!
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Blood stains on clothes? Not to worry! Just pour a little hydrogen peroxide on a cloth and proceed to wipe off every drop of blood. Works every time! Now, where to put the body? LOL
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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.
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Spray a bit of perfume on the light bulb in any room to create a lovely light scent in each room when the light is turned on.
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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.
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Candles will last a lot longer if placed in the freezer for at least 3 hours prior to burning.
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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!
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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.
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Spray your TUPPERWARE with nonstick cooking spray before pouring in tomato based sauces and there won't be any stains.
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Wrap celery in aluminum foil when putting in the refrigerator and it will keep for weeks.
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When boiling corn on the cob, add a pinch of sugar to help bring out the corn's natural sweetness.
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Cure for headaches: Take a lime, cut it in half and rub it on your forehead. The throbbing will go away.
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Don't throw out all that leftover wine: Freeze into ice cubes for future use in casseroles and sauces. Left over wine? What's that?!

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To get rid of itch from mosquito bites, try applying soap on the area and you will experience instant relief.
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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.
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Use air-freshener to clean mirrors. It does a good job and better still, leaves a lovely smell to the shine.
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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.
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Now look what you can do with Alka Seltzer.
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Clean a toilet. Drop in two Alka Seltzer tablets, wait twenty minutes, brush and flush. The citric acid and effervescent action clean vitreous China.
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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.
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Polish jewelry. Drop two Alka Seltzer tablets into a glass of water and immerse the jewelry for two minutes.
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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).
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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.
 

sar

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Great tips, MA!
I think I might try a couple of those!


Another good jewellery cleaning tip is to line a tupperware with foil, put your jewellery in and add boiling water and bicarbonate of soda - the dirt sticks to the foil as opposed to the jewellery!
 

cheeseface

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I think the celery storing tip will be most helpful for me. That, and cleaning crayon marks. I'm always getting crayon all over everything.
 

fwan

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I have no idea what alka setzler is.

But i will try some of the other tips! good one MA!
 

ugaimes

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Thank you so much MA- especially for the tip on spraying tupperware when storing tomato-based itemas; I get to sick of staining my tupperware!!!
 

maverick_kitten

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you can also use alka seltzer to explode pigeons and seaglls as the urban legend says. if you feed it to them they cant release the gas so they explode! nb. dont try this at home!

my mum and i always laugh at the handy tips in the magazine she buys. the best one was: when polishing glasses hold them over the bed that way if you should drop them they wont break
 

deb25

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Well, the hydrogen peroxide on blood stains thing worked for me today!
 

pinkdaisy226

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Can I just add... I've recently learned about the many uses of aspirin:

You can grind it up and mix it with diff. ingredients to make a toner (for the face), a mask (which I LOVE and I think really works), to treat a pimple, and to prevent ingrown hairs. I've tried all of them... very cool.
 

misstorri

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I love any kind of home remedies and tips like this.I guess I'm gonna have to stock up on akla seltzer!
 

sanctie

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Thanks a bunch MaryAnne, I always love to hear these new helpful hints~
 

catherine

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I've used some of these before. They really do work!


For crayons on walls, I use WD-40. It removes the crayon very easily with just a wipe. (I know, I have a 4 yr old!)
 

hermoine

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You can also use Listerine mouth wash on itchy bites.

Alfalfa meal fertilizer works well on ice and doesn't hurt pets or concrete and does help the grass.
 
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