General
- Wet towel against cigarette smoke
If your place is full of cigarette smoke after a party simply moisten a big towel with water and swing it through the air like a fan. First you should open your window, of course. The air will be fresh pretty soon.
- Get nails in easily
If you have to use nails with very hard wood you should rub them with soap or candle wax and they'll go into the wood easily.
- Polishing Tin
Do you own things which are made out of tin? You should clean them from time to time. To do that you'll best use some scrubbing cleaner that's mixed with some olive oil. Rinse well afterwards.
- Ice cube maker won't freeze on
Pretty sure you had to pull off your ice cube maker when it was frozen on in the freezer compartment. That won't happen if you put some aluminium foil or parchment paper underneath.
- Candle in a deep candleholder
Did you ever burn your fingers while trying to light a candle that's sitting in a deep candleholder. Lighten a spaghetti and you'll reach down to that candle very easily.
- Vodka for your binoculars
Dirty glasses can give a unwell feeling and are bad for your eyes. A few drops of Vodka - yes Vodka will help you see clearly again!
- Fresh up Game Cards
Do you know how to clean dirty game cards? Cologne is the secret. Moisten some cloth with it and rub the cards carefully - let dry and polish with some soft dry cloth.
- Peppermint oil against Mice
A not "bloody" way getting rid of mice is to place paper stripes, which have been soaked in peppermint oil, on the floor. Mice hate the smell of peppermint and will leave immediately.
- Paintbrush in vinegar and water
If a paintbrush got hard you'll get it soft again if you place it in boiling water in which you added some vinegar. Rinse the soft brush in soap-suds.
- Nail-varnish remover against all-purpose glue
Anybody who ever used all-purpose glue knows it can be a pain in the butt getting it off where it's not supposed to stick. Spots from all-purpose glue can be rubbed off easily using some clean cloth moistened with nail-varnish remover.
- Window cleaner for your BBQ-rack
Cookouts are a lot of fun. Less funny is the cleaning of the BBQ-rack afterwards. Two hints: Spray some window cleaner on the grill as it's still warm. It'll be much easier to clean. Or: wrap some wet newspaper around the grill - that'll soften the carbonized food stains.
- Getting rid of paint smell
There can be a smell for days after painting a room's doors or windows. Place a bucket filled with water and a coffee spoon of liquid ammonia inside that room overnight. Or: cut two onions in pieces and place in a pot filled with water. That helps.
- Stamps that are stuck together in the freezer compartment
Did you ever have stamps that got wet and stuck together? Simply put them in to the freezer compartment of your refridgerator. Now they can easily be separated.
- Stamps: how to get them off an envelope
How can one get the stamp off an envelope without damaging it? A pretty easy way is to moisten the envelope from the inside then the stamp will go off easily.
- Cold water on hot fat
If you ever spill hot fat - don't get upset: Pour some cold water on the hot fat. It'll get hard immediately and you can pick it up easily.
- Turpentine for cleaning the floor
If one cleans the floor with plain water sometimes a bead smell comes into being. You can prevent that if you pour a shot of turpentine into your cleaning water.
- Keeping curds fresh
Of course you'll place curds immediately into your refridgerator after getting home from shopping. But if one places the package (if not opened yet) in there upside down it'll remain fresh much longer.
- Splitters of glass on cotton pad
If a glass breaks there are thousands of little splitters one can barely pick up without cutting oneself. It can be dangerous - not only if one has kids or pets. Moisten a cotton pad with water and you'll be able to pick up all those little splitters without any danger.
- Freezing parsley
One can freeze parsley like many other fresh herbs into ice cubes. Simply add some water before putting them into your freezer compartment. So you'll always have a "dice of herbs" for cooking tasty meals.
- Shrinking a cork
How often did you get a cork out of a bottle but never got it back in? It just is too big. Dip into boiling water! It'll shrink and will fit into the opening again. Because it'll extend while cooling down again it'll tighten especially good.
- Rice for cleaning tight vases
Tiny or very tight vases sometimes can't be cleaned with a brush because they're just too small. Simply take some water and soap and add a tsp. of rice. Shake well and the vase will look as new again.
- Sew on buttons with dental floss
If you want a button to "stick" to your clothes simpy use some dental floss when sewing it on next time. Then you won't have to do it as often.
- Glycerine for your duster
If you wash your dusters in warm water and add a few drops of glycerine they'll pick up the dust much better than usual.
- Glycerin in rinsing water - wool won't shrink
If you don't like it when your wool clothing shrinks while washing - just add some glycerine to the rinsing water.
- Lemon on sugar
A cut lemon will dry out pretty soon. Pour a little bit of sugar inside a cup and place the lemon (cut edge down) inside the cup. It'll stay fresh up to two weeks!
- Flour makes chrome shine
Parts out of chrome can be polished with something you'll find in any household: flour. Yes! Pour some flour on a dry cloth and a bright shine will be the result.
- Tomatoes against moskitos
Did you know that moskitos hate the smell of a tomato plant? Simply place a tomato plant in your bedroom window and the "suckers" won't even come in.
- Protection against Moskitos
Moskitos can be a pain in the butt. If one sprays the curtains with bug spray after washing them no moskito will show up for a couple of weeks. Also a lot of other nasty little insects will be kept out.
- Vinegar steam against flies
Very unpleasant and insanitary are flies in the kitchen. Here a very simple way to keep them out: a few drops of vinegar on the stove and the flies will be gone.
- Salt binds smells
After painting you can't get rid of the paint smell in weeks. Place a few bowls with salt inside the rooms. That will bind the smell.
- Are the Berries muddy?
Before buying a basket of berries you should check the bottom and if it's wet the berries down there won't look pretty good anymore. I wouldn't buy them then.
- Lemon binds fish smell
Lemon does not only taste good if served with sea food - it also binds fish smell. Just try it: If you'll clean the pan you cooked the fish in using some lemon juice the fishy smell will be gone.
- Blotting paper in salt
If the can or glass one keeps his salt in won't close airtight simply put a few stripes of blotting paper inside. That'll soak all the humidity and the salt won't get lumpy.
- Rhubarb lets pots out of aluminium shine
Do you own pots made out ouf aluminium? Do you want them look shiney? Simply cook some rhubarb in it. That'll work.
- "Disinfecting" old food cans
Do you own a storage of food cans? Good. But of course they'll get dusty after a while. That's why one should wash the can using hot water before opening a can and transferring bacteria to the food with the can opener.
- Hot-plate as toaster
If your toaster is broken or you if no toaster is available simply place some aluminium foil on a hot-plate.
- Preparated Ashtray
One should use some furniture polish on all ashtrays that aren't made of glass. They'll be much easier to clean then.
- Protect pearls from scratches
One shouldn't store pearls in the same box together with other ornaments because this could cause some ugly scratches on the pearls.
- Rub drawers with candle
If one of your drawers got stuck there's no need to get angry. Rub a candle over the gliding plane and it'll open easily again. Never use soap! Soap draws humidity and it'll get worse.
- Parsley in dogfood
Dogs also need vitamines. That's why you shouldn't throw stems of parsley away - mince them and add them to your dog's food.
- Perfume on your light bulbs
You can have a pleasant smell in your appartment if you pour a few drops of your favourite perfume on some of the light bulbs. If you turn on the light the light bulbs wil get warm and the smell will fill your whole appartment.
© 1997 Michael Bouska