This may have happened to you quite a few times. It did happen to me – and I think I am being careful how I store my baking and cooking supplies. I was just about ready to go and bake cookies  and my bag of brown sugar that I put into a basket of baking supplies instead of an air-tight container is rock hard. Not a huge problem, since I do know what to do – even when I need to soften it quickly. But it gave me an idea as to what to share with you today – just in case you find yourself in same situation.

Ten Ways to Soften Brown Sugar:

If you need to do it fast – like I did this morning:

1.       Place the hard sugar in a microwave safe container and put it in your microwave with a bowl of water beside it. Microwave for about 1 minute – then check it. If it still hard, repeat for another 30 seconds. Keep repeating this until your brown sugar is soft – but be careful not to melt the sugar!

2.       Place the hard sugar into a baking pan and put in the over at 250F – check it after about 5 minutes. If it is still hard, leave it in for couple more minutes and keep checking it until it is softened and ready to use

3.       Place the hard sugar in a plastic bag, Moisten paper towel (don’t make it dripping wet) and place it into the bag with your sugar. Microwave for about 30 seconds and then check if it is as soft as you need it to be. Repeat in shorter time periods if the sugar didn’;t soften on the first try. And again – be careful not to melt it!

 If you have time to soften your hard brown sugar:

4.       Place your hard brown sugar in an airtight container with a slice of bread on top. Close the container and let it sit overnight. If it didn’t soften enough, leave it in the container for another day or two – it will soften eventually.

5.       Sprinkle a little bit of water over the chunk of hard brown sugar, place it in an airtight plastic bag and leave overnight.

6.       Place the hard sugar into any container and cover it with moistened cloth (paper or cloth) and let it sit until it softens.

7.       Wrap the sugar in plastic or foil, place dampened paper towel over the top of it . Place in airtight container and let sit for at least overnight.

8.       Buy a clay disc that is being sold for the purpose of softening hard brown sugar – or if you have a piece of pottery handy, it will work as well. Soak the disc or pottery in water for about ½ hour, pat it with a towel to remove excess water, place it into airtight container with your hard sugar and let sit overnight.

9.       Place the hard sugar into airtight container with a few apple slices on top of it. Close the container and let it sit for a few days – then remove the apple slices.  

And this is the quickest way to get rid of the hard lump –

10.   Place it in a food processor or blender and pulse/chop until it is usable.

Hope this was helpful to you – please send in your comments, suggestions and experiences. Your input is always welcomed and very much appreciated

Tips for Setting Your Thanksgiving Table

Thanksgiving Table Decorating Ideas

Top 10 Tips for Setting Your Thanksgiving Table

How to Set Your Thanksgiving Buffet Table

Make Your Own Thanksgiving Tablecloth

Hope you have enjoyed all the information – please send in your comments, suggestions and experiences, your input is always welcomed and very much appreciated

Soothe a Jellyfish Sting Fast:

Steadily pour a can of cola overr the affected area. The high acid of the beverage will help to deactivate unfired nematocysts (stingers left by the tentacles) That will prevent further injection of venom into the skin and reduce the severity of symptoms until youa re able to seek medical treatment.

Clean corrosion From Car Battery Terminals:

Harsh cold weather can rust  car battery posts, pouring a can of cola over the terminals will ensure that your car starts right up. After you pour the cola over terminals, let it sit for about 15 minutes, then scrub with a wire brush. To finish, wipe leftover residue with a damp paper towel and tighten the battery cable ends.The fizzing bubbles and acid work together to eat away at the corrosion.

Remove Bloodstains From Clothing:

It is best to do this before the stains set in – pour a generous amount of cola over the spot and let sit for about 5 minutes, then launder as usual. The carbonic acid seeps into the fabric fibres and loosens blood particles so they easily dissolve in the wash.

Pest Proof Your Garden:

Use leftover cola to deter snail and slugs from your garden. Fill wide, shallow jar lids with the cola and place them strategically around your plants. The creepy crawly creatures will be attracted to the sugary scent. And once they slitther into the lid for a sip, the acid content of the cola will poison them.

Keep Drains Running Smoothly:

When you get a drain cleaner from the store, you are not only paying a good dollar for it, it is also containing chemicals (sulfuric acid and lye) that can wear and damage old pipes. A safer, more cost-effective way to reduce clogs is to pour a 2 litre bottle of cola down your drain and let it sit for about an hour. Then run hot water for about 1 minute to flush and repeat this process once a month, As the cola travels through the pipes, the combination of effervescence and phosphoric acid in the it scrubs the residue to prevent blockages.

Make a Great Barbecue Sauce:

In a saucepan over medium heat, combine 1 cup of ketchup with 1 cup of cola and stir until thick. You can double this recipe of you need alrger quantity of sauce. Brush onto meat , grill and that’s that.

Give Compost Bin an Instant Boost:

If you compost pile looks like it could use a boost, you can give it a jump start. To speed up the breakdown, give your bin a doze of 1 litre flat cola every two weeks. If you have a small bin, reduce the cola to just a can. the cola will enhance the compost’s acidity while the sugar in the beverage will increase organic matter of the soil.

Erase Smudges From Sunglasses:

Do you have sunglasses that have lenses covered with dirty fingerprints? You can simply pour a few drops of cola onto a paper napkin or towel and wipe the lenses. The citric acid in the cola loosens dirt and grime for spotless, finger-print feww eyewear. Then just go over the lenses with a clean napkin dampeped with water to remove any residue.

Make Skunk Odor Disappear:

It can happen to anyone – your dog decides to chase a cute looking creature with white striped on its back – and you end up with a problem. You can always use the proven tomato juice, but what if you don’t have it on hand? Pour a can of cola directly onto your dog and massage it into the fur. Keep him outside for about 30 minutes to allow the cola’s acids to break down mercaptan (the odor-causing substance). Then shampoo and rinser as usual. Just one word of caution – use this method on darker coat dogs since cola colouring can be hard to get out of lighter animal fur.

Turn Wilted Grass Green Fast:

This happens all the time – kid’s pool left sitting on the lawn or any other object that will result in grass under it to wilt. To help the grass blades bounce back to life, combine a can of cola, cup of ammonia and 1/4 cup of dish soap in a spray bottle. Shake well to blend the ingredients and then thoroughly spray the faded spot. The high level of carbon dioxide give the lawn much needed food and water. Meanwhile, the ammonia enriches soil with nitrogen to promote speedy plant growth and the dish soap softens the soil to allow the roots to absorb the nutrients.

For detailed information about Coca-Cola, visit:

Coca-Cola Website

I hope you have enjoyed this information – please send in your comments, suggestions and experiences, your input is always welcomed and much appreciated

Hand sanitizers have become a regular item in many households – putting precautionary measures into place to avoid germs and bacteria. You can purchase them from a selection of hand sanitizers just about anywhere, but like with lots of other items, there is an easy way to make your own. The advantage is that you know what you are putting in and you can adjust strength and effectiveness as you need to.

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup Isopropyl alcohol 91%
• 1/3 cup aloe vera gel
• Essential oil in your choice of fragrance (optional)
• A bowl and spoon
• An empty container

What To do:

• Mix the aloe vera and Isopropyl alcohol together until well blended.
• Add 8-10 drops of essential oil to the mixture for fragrance (if desired), and stir well.
• Pour the finished hand sanitizer into an empty container and seal.

Contains 65% Alcohol

Tips:

1. Many essential oils like tea tree oil and lavender have antibacterial properties. Use one of these to boost the germ-zapping power of your hand sanitizer.
2. Save the bottles from store-bought hand sanitizer, and refill them again and again.
3. A little goes a long way with this recipe. Once applied, just rub your hands together until the moisture evaporates and the stickiness vanishes.

Hope you have enjoyed this information – please send in your comments, suggestions and experiences – your input is always welcomed and very much appreciated.

10 Great Money Saving Tips:

1. No-stick Baked Goods:

If you stack fresh-baked cookies or brownies on a plate, they can stick together. To prevent this, put a coffee filter or paper doily in between the layers. It will help you having to discard broken pieces of your baked goods.

2. Keep Drains Clean:

Once a month, drop three antacid tablets, followed by a cup of plain vinegar down your drains. Wait a few minutes and run hot water to rinse the drains. The combination of acid and bubbles will dissolve any food or grease stuck in the pipes and prevent potentially costly plumber assistance with plugged drains.

3. Washable Party Decorations:

For glowing wall decorations, use liquid laundry soap to paint designs on the walls. Once it dries, turn out the lights and turn on a black light. The phosphates in the soap will glow, creating a great effect and the wall washes right off when your party is over!

4. Laundry Saver:

If you run out of fabric softener, plut a few drops of hair conditioner on a washcloth and toss it into your dryer with the clothes. Your clothes will come out soft and fresh-smelling.

5. Guaranteed Delivery:

If you are sending a get-well card to someone in the hospital, use that person’s home address as the return address. If the person is discharged before the card is delivered, it will be automatically forwarded to them at home. With the cost of greetings cards – this prevents a waste and allows your intended recipient to enjoy your good wishes.

6. Portable Sewing Kit:

Use an old lipstick tube to create a portable sewing kit. Once the tube is totally cleaned out, put a cotton ball in the bottom and stick needles threaded with various colours into the cotton ball. Then just put the cap on and toss it in your purse.

7. Button Saver:

To keep buttons from falling of your children’s clothing, put a layer of clear nail polish over the threads. It will harden the threads and “glue” them to the button.

8.Fun Punch Ice:

This works well at Halloween – but you can use it anytime! You can make some “handy” ice cubes by filling new, clean,clear rubber gloves with mixture of water and food colouring. Tie off the ends and place the gloves into your freezer. When the water is frozen, peel off the gloves and you are ready to surprise your guests!

9. Bathing Fun:

To make very inexpensive fun bath toys for your children, try making your own soaps. Mix 1-3/4 cups of soap flakes with water and dye it with food colouring. Pour soap mixture into candy molds, let it dry and you have your own customized mini soaps.

10. Save on Show Polish:

Use creamy cleanser with abrasives to clean white shoes. Pus a few dabs on a cotton rag and wipe shoes with it. It works as well as shoe polish!

I hope you enjoyed these tips! Please send me your comments, suggestions and experiences – your input is always welcomed!

Cleaning windows is of my least favourite housekeeping chores – and I don’t really know too many people who look forward to the task. But – somehow – it has to be done! And this is the time of the year for spring cleaning inside and outside of your house – thought I put in some tips on how to make that not-so-favourite task of window cleaning just a little bit easier.

1.Squeegee

Good squeegee is an absolute must – that is what professional window cleaners will not do without. Do not be fooled into thinking that a cheap, plastic one or the one you use for your car windshields will do the job. Because they won’t! The best size to start with is a 12 – 14 inch one. This size will work well on most windows and once you have mastered this size, you can move to a larger one to make the job easier and faster. There is also a 6-inch one available, and that one is ideal for small or French windows.

2.Scrubber

A good scrubber is a definite plus. This tool looks like a squeegee but has a fluffy cover. It is used to wet and clean the window before using the squeegee. If you don’t want to run out and get a scrubber, you can use a good natural sponge instead

3.Rag or Chamois

It is a good idea to use dry rag or chamois for drying the squeegee rubber blade and edges of glass.

4.Scraper

You need a scraper to remove paint, concrete and other stubborn debris. If you don’t have a scraper or don’t want to go buy one, you can also use a good medium to fine grade steel wool pad. If that is what you decide to do, make sure the pad and the the window are soapy wet. Never use one of the pads you use for dishes – they will scratch the glass. And never use steel wool on tinted glass.

5.Extension Pole

You will need an extension pole of you have high, hard to reach windows. You can get an extension pole made for a squeegee – this will allow you to stand on the ground and reach the high windows without a ladder.

6.Bucket and TSP

A bucket of water and TSP (trisodium phosphate) or dishwashing detergent (2-3 squirts to the bucket)

And now – how to proceed:

First – fill your bucket with warm water and add the TSP or dishwashing detergent.

Be sure you have all your equipment laid out so that you don’t have to be searching around for what you need.

Dip you scrubber or sponge into the cleaning solution and wash the windows thoroughly, using very wet steel wool pad to remove any stubborn spots – such as bug stains. You don’t have eto press to hard on the steel wool. Rewet the window so you will have time to squeegee it before it starts drying out. Try not to clean in a direct sunlight – that will cause streaking and spotting.

Tilt the squeegee at a angle so that 2 inches of rubber blade touches the glass. Start aqt the top corner and draw the squeegee along the top edge of the window.

Wipe the squeegee blade on a sponge, start on the dry surface close to the frame and draw the squeegee down to within about 3 inches of the bottom of the glass.

Repeat this stroke until you have squeegeed all of the glass. Be sure you overlap each stroke and wipe the squeegee blade after each stroke.

Have a rag or chamois handy to wipe the window edges if needed. If you see a streak on your window, use poly/cotton rag (like an old t-shirt) to polish it out.

If you prefer to wash your window the spray and wipe way – here are a few good cleaning tips as well:

To polish glass or remove screen and bug stains – make a thin paste of baking soda and water, rub onto glass, rinse well and dry with a soft cloth.

To make an easy window cleaner – combine 2 quarts of warm water with ½ cup of corn starch. Apply to window with a sponge and buff dry with paper towels or soft, lit-free rags.

For tough window cleaning jobs – combine 1 pint of rubbing alcohol, 2 tablespoons of clear ammonia and 2 tablespoons of dishwashing liquid. Apply to your window using a nylon covered sponge, rinse and buff dry. This work especially well on hard-water spots.

Cleaning your screens:

Most people just hose down their screens to clean them. This actually just moves dirt from one part of the screen to the other. Better way to clean the screens is to soap them with a sponge dipped in a pail of warm water mixed with 2 tablespoons of dishwashing liquid, ¼ cup of ammonia and 2 tablespoons of Borax. You can really suds up the screens, then pay a rag on the ground and gently tap the screen on it. Most of the soapy water containing the dirt will come off this way. To finish, rinse the screen with the hose and stand to dry.

And a little note – no matter what you have heard about cleaning your windows with a newspaper – don’t do it! It is a dirty way to try to do a clean job and it can leave newsprint all over white window trim and paint.

Hope you enjoyed these tips and please send in your comments, suggestions and experiences – your input is always welcomed!

If you are anything like me, you continuously wonder if your bathroom is clean enough. I was thinking why that is – after all – I do clean it regularly and thoroughly! Then it dawned on me: It is the one room where people who come to visit have time to look around and check out the details! So if there are dust bunnies in corners or behind the toilet…. You can pretend you don’t care – I just know you do! I have tried just about every product on the market in the effort to have the ultimate clean bathroom – and here are some good tips for you from what I have learned:

Cleaning Fiberglass Showers and Tubs:

Heat white vinegar until it is hot (but not too hot to pour into a spray bottle and work with) Spray it on the shower and tub heavily. Wait for 10-15 minutes and then moisten scrubbing-type posnge with more vinegar and scrub. Rinse well and dry.

Stubborn Spot Remover for Showers:

For shower spots and scum buildup, use a soap=filled steel wool pad on a dry shower. Do not allow water to be involved in this process -= it would cause the steel wool pad to scratch. Follow up with the vinegar process described above and you should not have any stubborn spots left!

Keeping Plastic Showers Clean:

To make shower upkeep simple, apply a coat of car wax. Do not use on the floor of the tub or shower. After showering, use a sueegee to wipe the shower door and walls – if you do that you will not see any problems with mildew

Cleaning Porcelain Tubs:

To clean and polish a porcelain tub and remove stains, make a paste of powdered alum (you can get it in drugstores) and water. Rub well, as if you are using a cleanser. For stains. make a paste of powdered alum and lemon juice; apply and let dry, then moisten with more lemon juice and rub well. Rinse thoroughly. Borax and water also works well on porcelain – make a paste, rub well and rinse clean.

Keeping Tile and Grout Clean:

The way to stay ahead of getting the grout clean is to use a dry typewriter eraser on dry grout to remove any mildew or stain as soon as they appear. For bigger problems, make a paste of baking soda and chlorine bleach and apply to the grout. Let dry and then rinse well. Do this in a well-ventilated area and watch out for carpets and fabrics near by! Even fumes of chlorine bleach can remove colour from towels hanging in the tub area.

Cleaning Soap Scum and Mildew off Plastic Shower Curtains:

Put the shower curtain in washing machine with one cup of white vinegar, 1/2 cup of your laundry detergent and several old, light coloured towels. Fill the washer with warm water nad run through complete wash and rinse cycle. Remove from water and hang on shower rod immediately.

Cleaning Mineral Deposits from the Shower Head:

Fill a plastic sandwich bag with undiluted white vinegar. Tie this around the shower head and leave overnight. In the morning, remove the bag, scrub the head with a brush and you are ready to use your shower again!

Cleaning Chrome Faucets:

Use white vinegar on a cloth or sponge to remove water spots and soap scum. Dry and buff with a soft cloth. Rubbing alcohol is also a great spot remover. Apply, then dry and buff. To shine chrome or any metal fixtrue in a hurry, use a used dryer fabric softerner sheet on a dry fixture.

Removing Hair Spray Residue:

You can use this formula to remove hair spray residue from any surface – vanities, floors, walls, etc. Mix a solution of 1.3 fabric softener and 2/3 water in a spray bottle. Spray on surface to be cleaned and wipe. Not only does this remove the hair spray, it will also act as a dust repellent and shines vanities beautifully!

Removing Bathtub Decals:

Lay a sheet of aluminum foil over the declas and heat with blow dryer on high. Work up the edge of the decal with a straight-edge ( credit cards work well) adn keep applying the heat as you pull. If the decal is stubborn, lay down the foil as necessary and heat well and peel again. To ermove the residue, try petroleum jellu, alcohol or nail polish remover – but test these products on a small area first before applying.

Cleaning Shower Door Tracks:

Plug the drain hole in the door track with a little bit of paper towel made into a ball. Pour in undiluted white vinegar. let this soak for about 30 minutes, unplug the holes and rinse track with a spray bottle of water and run a rag down it. This will flush the accumulated build-up out of the track.

Toilet Tips:

Here is a good one for you – especially if you have a pet who likes to visit for a refreshing drink!

Pour several tablespoon of Tang Breakfast drink in the toilet in the morning before you leave for work. You can also do this before you go to bed. let soak, use your toilet brush to swish under the rim and flush.

To remove hard water rings. shut off the water at the toilt tank and flush. Spray undiluted vinegar around the inside and then sprinkle borax onto the vinegar. Let soak for about 30 minutes and then scrub with a piece of fine drywall sandpaper. If you have an old water ring, you may need to repeat this several times.

One more good idea – you can drop couple of denture cleaning tablets into the toilet and let it sit overnight.Then just brush under the rim with your toilet brush and flush

Hope these tips have been helpful to you and I will appreciate any comments or suggestions you may have!

Spring Gardening Checklist:

• Start annuals, tomatoes and peppers from seeds indoors
• Start your summer flowering bulbs like dahlias, cannas, etc. indoors by potting them and setting them up under lights until after the last frost date
• In your garden, clean up your flower beds, picking up fallen branches, twigs, dead plants and other winter debris
• Prune deciduous trees and shrubs – but not the  ones that flower of run sap in the spring
• As soon as you can work the ground, you can plant hardy cool-weather plants like onions, cabbage, radishes, sweet peas and leeks.
• You can also spray scale-infested trees and shrubs with dormant oil before their leaves show up.
• Put slow-release fertilizer to flowering shrubs and vines – that includes clematis, roses and rhododendrons
• And start pulling out weeds as soon as they appear in your garden
• If you have hydrangea in your flower beds, cut it back all the way to the ground
• Spread compost on beds and start adding kitchen scraps and yard waste to your compost bin to start a new batch of compost
• Divide mature perennials and replants them into other places
• Install a rain barrel to collect run offs from eavestroughs and to have water to use watering your plants
• Don’t plant your tomato and pepper plants until soil temperature reaches 17C
• To clean up spring-flowering perennials, cut them back once they finish flowering
• It is a good idea to pinch back seed heads on plants like rhododendron and azaleas – it will leave the plants energy to grow better.
• Fertilize daffodils, crocuses and tulips after they finish flowering – your bulbs will be stronger and will flower beautifully next spring.

Please add your comments, suggestions and tips – your input is as always very much appreciated!

There are 4 cleaning products you should never be without – and most of them you already have in your home. If you don’t, you can purchase large size containers and they will last for months! You can used them alone or in conjunction with other common household products such as salt or dishwasher liquid to help you handle most of your cleaning challenges. These products are especially good for people with allergies and for everyone who doesn’t want to have chemicals in the home.

Here are the 4 products:

White Vinegar

Baking Soda

Lemon Juice

Club Soda

What You Can Do With Vinegar:

• Add 1/4 cup of white vinegar to the washing machine during the final rinse to soften clothes and remove lint from dark clothes
• Add 2-3 tablespoons of white vinegar to hot water along with your regular dish washing liquid to cut grease on dishes and crystal.
• Apply white vinegar – undiluted to the skin with a cotton ball to deter bugs – they hate the way you taste and the odour will disappear immediately from your skin.
• Neutralize pet urine odor with diluted white vinegar (25% vinegar and 75% water) sprayed on carpets
• Clean stainless steel sinks with a paste made from baking soda and vinegar. Don’t let the foaming scare you – that is what makes it work!
• Make a window cleaner in spray bottle with 1/4 cup of vinegar added to 1 quart of water.
• Keep drains free flowing with 1/2 cup of baking soda and 1/2 cup of vinegar poured down the drain on monthly basis. After pouring in baking soda and vinegar, cover the drain for 15 minutes (it will foam), Then just flush with cold water.
• Spray vinegar on underarms of clothes and let soak for 15-30 minutes to deodorize and minimize underarm stains.

What You Can Do With Baking Soda:

• Keep food disposals fresh and free-flowing by putting the stopper in the disposal and adding 3 inches of warm water and handful of baking soda. Turn on the disposal and let water run out.
• Remove perspiration stains and odor by applying paste of baking soda and water and letting soak 30 minutes prior to laundering.
• Mix one gallon of warm water and 1/4 cup of baking soda to soak freshly washed socks in the solution for 30 minutes. Spin out in your washer (d not rinse out the solution), dry and you will have odor-eater socks.
• Remove crayon from hard surfaces with baking soda on damp rag.
• To clean grout (any colour), mix 3 cups of baking soda with 1 cup of warm water and scrub grout with a brush. Then just rinse off.
• To remove burnt food form a casserole, fill dish with hot water, add one tablespoon of baking soda and allow to soak.
• To clean up pet vomit, sprinkle on a heavy coating of baking soda. let it absorb the moisture and dry, then scoop it up or vacuum it up. The baking soda will neutralize acids and help prevent stains.
• Remove heel marks from hard floors with a damp cloth and baking soda.
• Put in the bottom of cat litter boxes to eliminate odor. Put in a thin layer of baking soda and then add the litter. This will work with with clay or clumping litter varieties.

What You Can Do With Lemon Juice

• Apply to clothes, undiluted to remove fruit based stains. let soak for 30 minutes and then launder.
• Remove rust from clothes by applying undiluted lemon juice and laying the garment in the sun. It will disappear like magic.
• Clean brass and copper with lemon juice and salt. Sprinkle salt on a half a lemon and rub metal, then rinse thoroughly. If you don’t have fresh lemon, you can use mix of bottled lemon juice Nada salt.
• Make a cleaner in a spray bottle with 2 cups of water, 2 tablespoons of lemon juice , 1/2 teaspoon of liquid dish soap, 1 tablespoon of baking soda and 1 teaspoon of borax. Shake before using and use to clean any hard surface.
• Remove stains from hands with lemon juice.
• Bleach wooden breadboards or cutting boards by applying lemon juice and letting it sit overnight. Wash and rinse in the morning.

What You Can Do With Club Soda:

• Club Soda is the best emergency spotter there is. Keep it on hand to clean up spills on carpets and clothing. Do it as soon as possible – if you act fast, the spot will not become a stain.
• Club soda will remove red wine, coffee, tea, pop,Kool-Aid and any other spills you can think of.
• If you spill on your clothes in the restaurant, ask for a little club soda and use your napkin to blot the stain. You can blot the spot and soak it with club soda thoroughly when you get home to make sure that stain doesn’t appear.

I hope these tips will be helpful to you – and please send in your comments and suggestions, your input is always very much welcomed!

]]> http://www.mama-knows.com/household-hints-and-tips/top-cleaning-tips.html/feed 1 http://www.mama-knows.com/household-hints-and-tips/top-50-household-hints.html http://www.mama-knows.com/household-hints-and-tips/top-50-household-hints.html#comments Wed, 06 Jan 2010 15:10:15 +0000 Hanna Trafford http://www.mama-knows.com/?p=3343 I love collecting, recording and sharing household hints and tips! Lots of times, my eyes just open wide and all I can say is: “Oh – really???” and then go a try the helpful information I just found. And here I am sharing 50 hints I like – and I promise to keep more coming!

Top 50 Household Hints:

1. Save money by buying the least expensive dishwasher soap, then add a few teaspoons of vinegar to the dishwasher. The vinegar cuts the grease and leaves the dishes spot-free and sparkling.n

2. Keep an empty soda bottles handy, in case you need a hot water bottle. Jusat fill it up with hot water, wrap in a towel and there you go!

3. To slow the tarnishing process of silver, place a piece of chalk in your silver chest or drawer. The chalk will absorb moisture and your silver will not tarnish so quickly.

4. If you place bay leaves in all your kitchen drawers and in the flour and sugar containers, you will keep any crawling critters away.

5. Nice can’t stand the smell of fresh peppermint – so plant it around your house or put some oil of peppermint on a piece of cloth and place it in locations you suspect the mice may be visiting.

6. For a quick ant kill, mix 2 cups of borax with one cup of sugar in a quart jar. Punch holes in the lid and sprinkle around the outside of your house.

7. Another way to get rid of ants is to pour Ivory Liquid Soap around where they are. The apparently is the only soap that works.

8. Empty ketchup of mustard containers are great for decorating cakes or cookies.

9. To unclog plugged drain, try using a cup of salt mixed with a cup of baking soda – no liquid. Pour the dry solution into the drain, followed by a pot of boiling water.

10. To raise the nap of carpeting after heavy furniture has matted it down, place one or two ice cubes on the area overnight. In the morning the carpet should be back up.

11. To remove most coffee stains from fabric, mix egg yolk with warm water and apply until the stain is gone.

12. Corningware cookware can be cleaned by filling them with water and dropping in couple of denture cleaning tablets. Let stand for 30-45 minutes.

13. When postage stamps have stuck together, try placing them them into the freezer for about 10 minutes – they should come apart without damaging the glue.

14. Any cloth material that has chewing gum stuck to it can be placed into the freezer. After about an hour the gum should break off easily.

15. If your white socks are getting dingy, place them into a pot of water, add 2 pieces of lemon or a teaspoon of lemon juice and soak for about 10 minutes. Then wash as you normally would.

16. To keep your pizza crust crispy, try placing the cheese on before the sauce.

17. To save leftover wines, freeze them in ice cube trays. They can be used for any dish you would season with wine or can be also used in coolers.

18. Cottage cheese can be used in place of sour cream when making dips. Just place it in the blender until it is creamed.

19. Cream cheese can be coloured with liquid food colouring as a filler for dainty rolled sandwiches. Try a different colour for each layer and slice as you would a jelly roll.

20. Freeze red and green maraschino cherries in ice cubes. You can also do this with cocktail onions, mint leaves or green olives for martinis.

21. To remove a cork from inside of empty wine bottle, pour some ammonia into the bottle, set in well ventilated location. In a few days, the cork will be gone.

22. You can make your own Easter egg dyes – boil the eggs with grass for green, onion skins for yellow and beets for read.

23. For attractive individual butter servings, squeeze butter through a pastry bag or plastic beg onto a cookie sheet, set in refrigerator to harden.

24. If red wine is spilled on a carpet, it can be cleaned with shaving cream, then sponged off with water. Club soda also works.

25. To fancy up the top of a cake, cookies or pie, try placing a wide-patterned doily on top, then sprinkle powdered sugar over it and remove.

26. To peel thin skin fruits and vegetables easily, place in a bowl and cover with boiling water, let stand for one minute then peel with sharp paring knife.

27. For an easy dressing for fruit salad, try a grated orange rind and orange juice added to sour cream.

28. Raisins won’t stick to the food chopper of they are soaked in cold water for a short period of time.

29. Cream won’t curdle when pour over fruits if you add a pinch of baking soda with the cream before serving.

30. If you add a small pat of butter when cooking fruit for jams and jellies, you won’t have any foam to skim off the top.

31. If you have a problem with fruit jellies not setting, place the jars in a shallow pan half filled with cold water, then bake in moderate oven for 30 minutes.

32.   To make ripe olives taste better, soak them overnight in olives, place them in a brown be oil with a clove of garlic added.

33.   To ripen fruit, place it in a brown bag in a dark place for a few days.

34.   If citrus fruits are warmed in the microwave or warm oven for a few minutes, they will yield more juice.

35.   Toss freshly cut fruit in lemon juice and it won’t darken. The juice of half lemon is enough for a quart or two of cut fruit.

36.   Cook cranberries only until they “pop”- further cooking will make them bitter. And always use a teaspoon of butter to each pound of cranberries – it will eliminate overboiling and excess foam.

37.   If you allow grapefruit to stand in boiling water for a few minutes, it will be easier to peel.

38.   Salt will make grapefruit taste sweeter.

39.   If you sprinkle lemons with water and refrigerate them in a plastic bag, they will last a month or more.

40.   Oranges that need to be peeled for dishes should be soaked in boiling water for at least 5-7 minutes before peeling. This will make it easier to peel and remove all the white pulp.

41.   To ripen a pineapple, cut off top, remove skin and slice. Place in a pot and cover with water, sweeten to taste, boil for 5 minutes, cool and refrigerate.

42.   To prevent soggy salads, place an inverted saucer in the bottom of the salad bowl. The excess liquid will drain off under the saucer and the salad stays fresh and crisp.

43.   When cooking onions or cabbage, boil a small amount of vinegar in a pan to remove the odours.

44.   If you sprinkle salt into the water when you are washing vegetables, it will draw out insects.

45.   If you cook your vegetables with a small amount of milk, it will bring out more colour

46.   Use a well-greased muffin tins to bake tomatoes, apples or peppers. They will keep their shape better.

47.   When making pickles, cut off ¼ inch from each end. The ends contain enzymes that may cause the pickles to soften.

48.   Pickle juice should be saved and used for making coleslaw, potato salad, etc.

49.   To revive limp asparagus, try placing them in a tall pot with ice water in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.

50.   To ripen avocados quickly, place them in a wool sock and set in a dark place.

Hope you have enjoyed reading these tips and as always – your comments, suggestions and experiences are most welcomed and very much appreciated!