Hints and Tips

Are electric cords starting to take over your catch drawers, and you can't figure out which one goes to what appliance? Use an empty toilet paper roll to store appliance cords. It keeps them neat and you can write on the roll what appliance it belongs to.

To remove crayon marks from the wall dip a damp rag in baking soda. The marks will come off with a little effort rubbing. Or if you have permanent ink on appliances or counter tops (like store receipt blue), use rubbing alcohol on a paper towel.

If you use scouring pads in the kitchen, you can make the box last a lot longer by cutting each piece in half with scissors. Not only will the pads last longer, the scissors get sharpened at the same time. And it will eliminate the need to hang onto half rusty scouring pads.

Are tightly sealed jars and bottles giving you a hard time? Don't bang the lid with a knife try using a nutcracker. Just about everyone has a nutcracker sitting in a utility drawer waiting for the holidays, but they come in handy all year round. A nutcracker adjusts to the size of almost any jar and with a quick twist the lid will usually pop off.

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. Use air-freshener to clean mirrors. It does a good job and better still, leaves a lovely smell to the shine.

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.

Next time 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.

For whiter whites, wrap the peel of one lemon in cheesecloth or muslin and tie securely. Add to the wash cycle. Or you can dilute a quarter cup of hydrogen peroxide with a cup of water add at the beginning of the rinse cycle.

To remove melted plastic or starch buildup on your iron, open a paper grocery bag and spread it on your ironing board, printed side down. Sprinkle generously with table salt. Heat the iron to medium-high and iron over the salt until the gunk adheres to the salt. Use an old, thick towel to rub salt off iron. To remove rust stains apply a dab of petroleum jelly to the stain and rub with a soft cloth. Follow with a clean cloth moistened with isopropyl alcohol to remove all traces of petroleum jelly.

Scorch marks from your iron? If the scorch is not too bad treat with 1 part water and 1 part hydrogen peroxide dabbed gently on the mark. Also you can try a borax solution (1/4 cup borax to 1 quart of water) on the scorch. And if the fabric permits, it can be soaked in a bleach solution. Be sure to rinse thoroughly and wash as usual after treatments. If the scorch is too dark you might be able to "decorate" over it by adding a pocket or doing embroidery over the scorch.

If you get rust in your stainless steel sink, rub the sink with lighter fluid. After the rust disappears wipe with a regular kitchen cleaner. Spots on stainless steel can be also removed with white vinegar. Use a cloth dampened with rubbing alcohol to remove water spots from stainless steel. And club soda will shine up stainless steel.

To save time and money while providing the best shine possible to bathroom fixtures, use an old cloth dunked in kerosene. Kerosene removes scum quickly and the odor will only remain for a short while. Spray the fixtures liberally with Spray and Wash laundry soil and stain remover. Rub with a cloth for an excellent shine. To keep the sink and fixtures shining, apply auto polish, this helps keep the water spots off.

Are you having trouble lighting your candles because the wick is hard to reach? Light one end of a dry spaghetti noodle and use it to light candles in deep votives, etc. This also works for lighting the pilot on a gas hot water heater.

Before adding a new votive to a candle holder add a few drops of baby oil in the bottom of the candle holder. When the votive is burned up simply take a butter knife and lift up one edge and out comes all of the wax to discard.