Handy Helpers - Common Household Items
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Here is ‘Page Three’ of our series on common household items that can do much more than you may think!
Dryer Sheets
1 ) Repel mosquitoes by hanging a dryer sheet in the outdoor area you will be enjoying.
2 ) Repel bees and bugs by tucking dryer sheets in your picnic basket or under lawn furniture. You can also rub a sheet directly on your bare skin.
3 ) De-stink your pets by rubbing them down (especially when wet) with a dryer sheet.
4 ) Freshen the air by placing a sheet in a drawer; in the waste basket; under the seat of your car; inside your luggage (especially when stored away), or where ever needed.
5 ) Eliminate static electricity by rubbing a sheet over your computer monitors and TVs. Also, lightly rub or pat clothes, stockings, hair to eliminate static ‘cling’.
6 ) Remove soap scum from shower door and tile by rubbing the surfaces with a sheet when shower tile and door are wet; then rinse.
7) Soak cookware with freshly burnt or baked-on food in warm water with a dryer sheet -or- two. Makes clean-up easier. Also works on cook tops and dingy cabinet doors.
8 ) Run a sewing needle through a sheet before sewing to prevent the thread from tangling.
Epsom Salt
1) Ex foliate skin by massaging handfuls of Epsom salt over wet skin. Rinse well.
2 ) Help draw out a splinter by soaking in Epsom salt.
Honey
1 ) Treat minor skin abrasions with honey to hasten the healing process with it’s antibacterial and anti-fungal properties.
2) Soak in milk and honey bath to smooth skin and give it a honey-milk scent. Combine 1/3 cup of honey with two and a 1/4 cup of milk. Mix thoroughly. Enjoy!
3 ) Help a hangover by spooning a few tablespoons of honey on toast for breakfast. The fructose speeds up the metabolism of alcohol.
Ketchup
1) Get rid of chlorine green hair with a ketchup shampoo. Massage into hair; let stand for 15 minutes; rinse, then wash hair again with baby shampoo.
Lemon
1) Relieve a sore throat by cutting a lemon in half; roast in an oven or on cook top until the peel is golden brown. Let cool enough to pick up; squeeze juice in a cup with 1 teaspoon of honey.
2) Whiten fingernails by rubbing a wedge of lemon on the surface of your nails.
3) Create blonde highlights by adding 1/4 cup of fresh lemon juice to 3/4 cup of water and rinse your hair. Do not rinse; sit in the sun until your hair dries.
4) Remove soft cheese or other sticky foods from a grater by rubbing both sides of the grater with the pulp side of a cut lemon.
- Scott Askew
Posted in: Intown Living