Fairground Neighborhood Association

25 helpful household tips

May 16, 2008

Helpful household tips can be used to full advantage when working on anything from menial tasks to tasks that require a little elbow grease. The following household tips will help with everything from personal hygiene to keeping infestations to a minimum. Remember, a little soap and water go a long way!
1. Apply a topcoat of shaving cr?¨me to the bathroom mirror. This practice keeps mirrors from steaming up.
2. Applying mud to a bee sting will take away the sting, as well as the stinger.
3. Use fabric sheets to pick up that unsightly dust on the TV, end tables and other areas.
4. A cup of vinegar goes a long way to reduce tangles and keep your hair soft and shiny. Apply as a final rinse.
5. Another good hair rinse and hair lightener is lemon juice. Again, use the lemon juice as a last rinse, then stand in sun for a sun-kissed look.
6. Toothpaste applied to a wet washcloth is a good ink remover, especially on walls and wallpaper. But, be careful with wallpaper. It will still work, but don?’t press too hard or you?’ll rub the wallpaper finish off, as well.
7. When reheating a slice of pizza, run the bottom under the faucet. The water will cause a small amount of steam in the microwave, which will keep the crust from becoming hard and brittle.
8. Dip hands in bleach to get out ground in garden stains or vegetable and fruit stains caused when peeling fruits and vegetables for home preserves.
9. Baking soda dumped into carpets takes out odor. The recommended method is to sprinkle the baking soda thoroughly throughout the carpets, leave for several minutes, and remove with a carpet sweeper.
10. Sprinkle cinnamon and cayenne pepper along house exterior to prevent ants from entering your home. Ants will not cross the line.
11. Dish soap and water sprayed on flowers is an excellent bug deterrent. This is particularly useful with roses, hollyhock, and daisy. It also will depend on what kind of bugs. Some aphids are resilient and will return. Japanese Beetles, also can be a deadly foe to your flowers, act quickly and drench thoroughly for several days until problem is resolved. You may have to repeat the process throughout the summer months. If the soap and water trick doesn?’t appear to be working after a week, call a Master Gardener. Removing some bugs is a big task.
12. Cola poured on a car battery will eat away the corrosion.
13. Pour beer?–any kind, they don?’t appear to be choosy--into a plate and leave it in the garden to attract slugs
14. Another way to corner slugs is to place boards in the garden. In the morning the slugs will have congregated on the undersides.
15. To find out if you have fleas, and then to attract them quickly before they breed to intensively, spread a white sheet on the floor. Set several shallow dishes of warm water on the sheet, and then light a lamp. The warmth will attract the fleas and drown them. A nightlight will also work, but remember to put a dish of warm water right underneath it.
16. Place a slice of white bread inside the cookie jar to keep cookies soft. An apple slice also is effective, but it can attract fruit flies.
17. Never cut lettuce with a metal blade?–it will turn the edges brown?–use a plastic knife or tear the lettuce leaves off of the head. The tearing method is preferable.
18. Use old crumpled up newspaper and vinegar to wash windows, but be careful around light colored paint on windowsills
19. Never use ammonia on urine stains?–it strengthens the smell. Blot the spot with plenty of soap and water, then let dry. When completely dry, use baking soda and vinegar as a scrub. This should eliminate the odor.
20. Plant marigolds in your garden to keep bugs away.
21. Use applesauce in place of oil when baking. This will cut down on the fat content.
22. Boil cinnamon to eliminate house odors. But watch the pot, it boils over very easily!
23. Sprinkling salt into a pot before boiling eggs prevents the eggs from cracking open.
24. Dab perfume on light bulb to scent a room.
25. Place fruit in a brown paper bag with a ripe banana for quicker ripening.