Household Tips that save money and time ~ who knew...?
(my youngest son passed this along)
How Many of These Did YOU Know About? 
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..).
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 dish washing liquid in it. Pour it all over the steps. They won't
refreeze. (Wish I had known this for the last 18 years!).
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.
Crayon marks on walls? This worked wonderfully! A damp rag, dipped
in baking soda. Comes off 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. Now a box of S.O.S pads last me indefinitely!
In fact, I have noticed that the scissors get 'sharpened'' this way!
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
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 light bulb in any room to create a lovely
a 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 stove top.
Spray your TUPPERWARE with nonstick cooking spray before pouring
in tomato based sauces and there won't be any stains.
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.
Cure for headaches: Take a lime, cut it in half, and rub it on your
forehead. The throbbing will go away. (I prefer to soak the lime in
Gin and rub it on my tongue first)
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? :)
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, and
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.
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).Baking Soda works just as well!
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, and then run the hot water.
Do your friends a favor. Pass this timely (and some not-so-timely)
information on to a friend! I know I just did.
Makes you wonder about ingesting Alka Seltzer, doesn't it?
Household Tips that save money and time
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Hi Kat, thanks for sharing lot to digest in one blog so I book marked for future use :-)
I'm all about saving time and $$$
Barbara: True. My fav' is that Dawn dishsoap thing on icy steps.
Thanks Kat for sharing these money and time saving tips! Some I knew, a bunch I did not.
Janice: Same here!
Great tips Kat - you have a very smart young man in your household!! Another one I'll add to the list - unwrap bars of soap before you put them away. Letting them dry out a bit helps them last longer in the dish!
Lee & Pamela: Thanks for that. Who knew?
Great tips --- This one makes me think I will NEVER take alka seltzer again! "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, and then run the hot water. "
I just printed this out....we usually give the dog the toilet paper roll to beat up...but it will do us good for those cords stuffed in a drawer.
Joan: I know! Can you beleive that? I'm going to try it! :-)
Woo-hoo: Some of these tips I had never heard of....love it when I learn something new. :-)
Yes, who knew? The empty toilet paper rolls in our house go to the gerbil :) ~Rita
Rita: Well, I know the gerbil thinks that is a perfect solution!
Some of these or just too funny, "sealed envelope" . I think alot of these have been used in my day. But I enjoy these little tidbits of information.
Charles... I found all those things Alka Seltzer can do to be amazing,