Household Hints

Household Hints

1. Spray plastic food containers with non-stick cooking spray to prevent tomato based products like paste or sauce from staining.
2. If your oven racks no longer slide in and out easily, rub the outer edge of the rack with petroleum jelly.
3. To brighten copper pots that have become blackened over open flames, use a mixture of salt and lemon juice and then rinse with tepid water.
4. Turn the lid from a shoe box upside down and set your toaster in it to prevent crumbs from scattering over your kitchen counter. You can cover the lid with a decorative adhesive or wall paper to match your kitchen decor.
5. Remove burned on food from baking dishes by applying a liberal amount of baking soda to the burnt food, then cover with water. Let sit for a few hours, and wipe clean.
6. For an inexpensive copper cleaner, mix 1 tablespoon of salt and 1 tablespoon of vinegar.
7. Use a paste made from baking soda and water to remove coffee and tea stains from china or porcelain.
8. A box of baking soda in the refrigerator or freezer takes away odors and keeps them fresh. Replace box about every two months.
9. Don't throw out "old " baking soda. Use it to refresh sink drains and old garbage cans. Pour in the baking soda, then rinse with hot water.
10.Make silver polish with 3 parts baking soda to 1 part water. Rub into silver with a clean cloth. Rinse thoroughly and dry with a soft clean cloth.
11.Place a piece of chalk in your silver chest to prevent tarnishing.
12.Rust marks on linoleum can be removed with lemon juice.
13.A paste made of salt and olive oil will remove heat rings from furniture. Apply this to the ring and allow to stand for at least one hour.
14.Use a drop of baby oil to add shine to a stainless steel sink or chrome appliances.
15.Use ketchup to clean copper. Rub it on, then rinse off the residue with warm soapy water.
16.To remove crayon marks from walls and painted furniture, sprinkle baking soda on a damp cloth and rub gently. Wipe dry.
17.Attach a stick-on air freshener to one of the blades on your ceiling fan. Turn the fan on to a low setting, to circulate the fragrance.
18.Try rubbing furniture polish on the top of your ceiling fan blades to minimize dust from settling on these hard to reach places.
19.To remove the smell of cigarette smoke or cigar smoke from a room within minutes, dip a small towel in equal amounts of vinegar and water. Ring out the towel and wave it around the room.
20.Pour a small amount of clean fine sand-like cat litter into ashtrays to extinguish cigars and cigarettes quickly. Clean-up will be easier and odors will be reduced.
21. Put a small amount of petroleum jelly on the tip of your glue gun to prevent long annoying glue strings from forming.
22. Q-tips are great for cleaning in small crevices like telephone keys and other small spaces.
23. When packing shoes for travelling, place each shoe inside an old sock to prevent them from being scratched.
24. Clean the grease and buildup from your electric can opener by running a piece of paper towel through the cutter. It will wipe off the grease as it passes through.
25. To clean your coffee pot, fill it with water and add a denture tablet. Leave it overnight, then rinse as usual.
26. To keep beverages in vacuum bottles hot for a longer period, pre-heat the vacuum bottle for an hour or two by filling it with boiling water. Empty and add your beverage.
27. To keep unused glass jars from developing a musty smell, wash and dry the jar, then insert a piece of paper towel into the jar before replacing the lid.
28. Clean an oven spill by covering it with salt. Once the oven has cooled, wipe it clean.
29. Use glass wax to whiten a fridge that has turned yellow.
30. Secure an old sock to the end of a meter stick with a rubber band, and use this skinny mop to clean under and around fridges, stoves, and other hard to reach areas.
31. Barbeque briquettes make a great refrigerator deoderizer.
32. Wet coffee grounds will absorb odor in your refrigerator.
33. To reduce the visibility of a crack in a dish, boil in milk to weld.
34. To remove old nails from a wall, use the tines of a fork if you do not have a hammer. Just slide the nail between the tines and press down on the handle.
35. Add the fingers from old rubber gloves to broom handles, so they don't mark the walls in the storage closet.
36. Coat dustpans with turtle wax. Dirt will slide right off.
37. Stop squeaky floor boards by sprinkling them with talcum powder.
38. To eliminate static electricity when working with foam chips, rub your arms and hands with fabric softener sheet.
39. To prevent costume jewelry from tarnishing, place a piece of chalk in your jewelry box.
40. Clean gem stone jewelry by soaking in club soda.
41. To keep gold and silver chains fron tangling in your jewel case, thread the end of the chain through a plastic drinking straw, then fasten the clasp.
42. Keep eyeglasses streak free by wiping the lenses with a small amount of vinegar.
43. Remove sticky tags from glass, ornaments,or brass by rubbing with vegetable oil.
44. Spray your fall flower arrangements that you've hand picked with hair spray to preserve them.
45. Put crumpled newspaper in suitcases to help prevent musty smells in storage.
46. Rub dark woodwork legs on sofas and tables with Tabasco sauce to repel cats from scratching.
47. Remove scuff marks from wall by rubbing with a little toothpaste. 
48. For patio doors that stick, rub floor wax onto the track. Then slide the doors back and forth to ensure the track is well coated. 
49. Pre-soak candles in salt water beforeusing to make them drip proof. 
50. Add a fresh scent to your home by wiping bulbs with a cloth dampened with vanilla extract. The heat from the bulbs will release the scent. 
51. When moving furniture, put old socks over the legs to prevent marking the floor. 
52. Use a drop of clear nail polish to fill small holes in linoleum.