Handy Helpers - Common Household Items
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Continuing our series on Handy Helpers; products you probably already have that can do MORE than you originally thought!
Baking Soda
1) Extinguish a grease or electrical fire by scattering/throwing baking soda, (by the handful).
2) Clean combs and hair brushes in a baking soda and water solution.
3) Wash glass or stainless steel coffee pots, (but NOT aluminum!), in a solution of 3 tablespoons of baking soda to 1 quart of water.
4) For a badly burned, or food crusted, pan - pour a thick layer of baking soda directly onto the bottom of the pan; sprinkle just enough water to moisten the soda; leave the pot overnight; scrub it clean the next day.
5) Sprinkle baking soda on barbecue grill grates in a shallow pan or sink with just enough water to barely cover the grill grates; let soak; then rinse off for clean grates.
6) Oil leak? Sprinkle baking soda on greasy area; let stand; scrub and rinse off.
7) Shower curtain looking grimy and spotted? Soak your shower curtain in water and soda; then rinse.
8) Eliminate odor in shoes, socks, boots, slippers by sprinkling a bit of soda into them.
9) Freshen your carpeting/rugs/upholstered furniture by sprinkling them with baking soda. Allow them to sit, undisturbed for 1/2 to 1 hour, then vacuum.
10) Eliminate water rings on your finished wood furniture with a paste of baking soda and toothpaste. Dip a soft cloth in the paste and rub the water spots away!
11) Soak dried beans in a mixture of baking soda and water to make them more digestible!
Bananas
1) Polish leather shoes/goods by rubbing a de-stringed banana peel onto leather and buffing clean with a dry, soft cloth.
2) Rub scrapes (knees, elbows, etc.) with the inside of a banana peel to promote healing.
3) Remove warts by rubbing the wart with a small piece of the ‘meat’ of a banana every night; covering with a band aid and removing/showering in the morning… for several weeks.
4) Nourish your skin by mashing a medium sized banana with 1/4 cup plain yogurt and 2 tablespoons of honey to make a facial mask; leave on for 20 minutes and wash off thoroughly.
5) Tenderize a roast by adding a peeled banana to the roasting pan.
6) Wipe houseplant leaves with the inside of a banana peel to remove dirt and leave a shine.
7) Detract aphids by burying banana peels a few inches deep around the base of rose bushes.
8) Nourish ferns by the same method.
Beer
1) Beer solves most of the world’s problems unless you overdo it.
2) Use beer instead of water in your batter mix for a delicious flavor.
3) Add body and soften hair by making a beer shampoo with 1/2 bottle of beer, 1 raw egg and massage into your hair; rinse.
4) Fertilize plants with any/all half-empty beer bottles and cans. Plants feast on the yeast.
5) Get rid of slugs in the garden by pouring a bit of beer into a shallow dish; bury said dish so the lip is soil high. Empty the dish EVERY day and replace with new beer.
- Scott Askew
Posted in: Intown Living