Handy Helpers – Common Household Items
Friday, April 27, 2012
This is the fourth in our five part series, “Handy Helpers - Common Household Items with Different Uses”.
Enjoy!
Liquid Soap
1) Get a better manicure by soaking fingernails in a soapy solution; rinse; apply polish. (This will cause the polish to adhere better to the nail and spread smoother.)
2) Pre-treat oil-based laundry stains such as lip-stick and grease.
3) Soak grimy tools in soapy water to soften dirt; then rinse/wipe off.
4) Kill pet fleas by washing pets in soapy bath water.
Marshmallows
1) Prevent ice cream drips from a cone by placing a marshmallow in the bottom of the cone before adding ice cream.
2) Keep brown sugar soft by adding a few marshmallows to the bag before closing it
Mayonnaise
1) Condition your hair by massaging mayonnaise into your hair and scalp; put on a shower cap; wait several minutes then wash out with shampoo.
2) Relieve sunburn pain by smearing mayonnaise liberally over the sunburned area.
3) Remove bumper stickers, pin sap and road tar by rubbing mayonnaise over the entire sticker or area; let it sit for several minutes and wipe off!
4) Clean/brighten/whiten yellowing piano keys by wiping the keys with a little mayonnaise (using a soft, clean cloth); waiting a few minutes; wiping with a slightly damp, soft cloth and buff dry.
Milk
1) Clean patent leather shoes by rubbing them with a soft cloth moistened by a little milk. Let dry then buff to a brilliant shine.
2) Remove ink stains on clothing by soaking the stained area in milk. (It can happen quickly or may take an overnight soaking.)
3) Repair fine cracks in china plates by boiling them in milk. Place the damaged plate or cup in a pan; cover in with milk; and bring to a boil. As soon as it starts to boil, lower the heat and simmer for about 45 minutes.
4) Use milk if you have nothing else when shaving.
Oatmeal
One of the best poison ivy and chicken pox itch relievers is an oatmeal bath. Grind 1 cup oatmeal into a powder. Put oatmeal powder into a clean, old stocking or cheese cloth; tie into a knot and place the bag under the faucet as warm water fills the tub.
- Scott Askew
Posted in: Intown Living
Handy Helpers – Common Household Items Part Three
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Here is the third in our five part series of “Handy Helpers - Common Household Items” that have additional, beneficial, properties/uses!
Enjoy!
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); 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 ¼ 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
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 ¼ cup of fresh lemon juice to ¾ 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
Handy Helpers – Common Household Items part two
Wednesday, April 04, 2012
Here is part two of our series of common items…and how to use them differently around the house!
Enjoy!
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 ½ 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 ¼ 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 ½ 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
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