Helpful Hints

[Smunkeemom]

It has occured to me recently that there are a lot of pretty intelligent people on here. I thought maybe everyone could share a hint or two that may make someone else's life a little easier.

me first

* in addition to your emergency kit in the car (you know the one with bottled water, jumper cables, a blanket, ect.) every woman should have an emergency kit for everyday stuff, like a hair brush, a detergent pen, static guard, a fresh pair of panty hose (in case you get a run), hair spray, lady stuff (you know ) and $5 just in case you need it.

* when you have a few extra dollars and some extra time, pick up some cute greeting cards to keep just in case someone's birthday, or anniversary sneeks up on you. Get well soon cards are good to keep on hand since people get sick unexpectedly.

* always keep enough change in your purse for 3 phone calls (my grandma taught me this) it gives you back-up in case the phone eats your money or you can't reach who you need to on the first try ( you get an answering machine ect.) I know almost everyone has a cell phone now, but keep the money anyway, cell phone s are famous for breaking when you really really need them.

I will post more if I think of them.

[jerseyangel]

What a great idea for a thread! Can't think of anything right now--it's late in the day , but I'll be interested to see what everyone contributes.

[Guest Robbin]

Hey! Great ideas. I love helpful hints. Here's a couple: Cover your vents( if you have forced air furnaces) with cheesecloth to cut down on dust --After peeling onions, rub something stainless steel all over your fingers (like a spoon) under running water, it attracts the onion oils and leaves your hands smelling fresh--Use newborn baby diapers turned with the absorbant side out on a swiffer-type mop (fits the slots perfect) --Jumbo elasticized cat box liners make nice liners for small wicker trash baskets(the elastic gives a nice looking edge) --If your dog has a urine accident on the carpet, pour a lot of salt on top of it quickly, as it will pull the moisture to the salt pile and out of the carpet. Scoop into a dust pan and repeat it if still wet. Shampoo as usual and you will not have a stain or odor.

I have alot more but my brain went foggy!

[Smunkeemom]

awesome tips Robbin!

some I found out today........(yeah I had a rough day)

rubbing alchohol takes sharpie marker off walls

if your dog stinks you can wipe him down with a dryer sheet and he won't smell so bad ( not that he smells good, but I can bathe him tomorrow LOL)

hairspray can stop a run in your pantyhose if you can't find clear nail polish

[jerseyangel]

I polish all of my copper bottom pots and pans (and tea kettle) with lemon and salt. Put some salt in a small flat plate, cut a lemon in half--dip the lemon in the salt and rub over the copper. Works like magic--and no chemicals!

[Guest Robbin]

Hey, that's a great one for the copper--I use ketchup on them but salt sounds less messy! Also, the pantyhose&hairspray I need to try that one out too. Hairspray also takes out ink pen marks-just spray and soak it good and wipe it off. I also use dryer sheets alot (need to use it on the dog-good one) I stick one in the roller holder of the toilet paper to make a little "freshness" , also put one under the trash bag in the waste basket-and in drawers. Hope these are helpful, too! Keep 'em coming!!!

[tarnalberry]

... a fresh pair of panty hose (in case you get a run), hair spray...

What is this 'panty hose' you speak of? I think I had to wear a pair for a job interview a number of years ago when I wore a shorter skirt...

And this hair spray thing you talk of? Is that what my teacher tried to use on me for the school play when I balked? (Honestly, I have *once* in my 27 years, had hairspray in my hair. Icky stuff.)

:-)

My helpful hints:

* Always have baking soda on hand - it's a fabulous gentle scrubbing cleanser, good for oil based fires, and makes a good "clean it all out" shampoo (that can be followed with apple cider vinegar *after* it's been all rinsed out)

* Hydrogen peroxide is a safe and very effective mouthwash - and if you use it before brushing, you'll get off more tea/coffee stains than not using it. (that's the active ingredient in Listerine's new rinse!)

[penguin]

I'm convinced that I've been a mom since birth, I just haven't had a kid yet. My Mary Poppins purse has everything in it, brush ups, bandaids, wet naps, chocolate (blood sugar/mood boost), immodium ( ), tylenol...I like to be prepared, I'm a scout, after all

When putting a toddler to bed, I rub their back for a while and then quietly ask them if they're asleep. If the kid is under 5, they'll nod their head. This saved me while babysitting.

Little boys tend to like to kill things (poor daddy long legs, etc), and when I was a camp counselor in charge of the 8 year old boys, I told them that anything they killed, they had to eat. This included bugs, flowers, plants, but mosquitos were excluded. It worked beautifully.

Someone else mentioned stainless steel to get the onion/garlic smell off of your hands, lemon works also. After chopping jalepenos or other peppers, I always rub a half of a lemon or lime over my hands before washing them to neutralize the oil.

I have a lot of kitchen ones, but I don't think of them until someone points them out to me...

[lorka150]

peel ginger and store it in the freezer. it will stay nearly forever, and you can grate it frozen.

[Guest Viola]

Lesson learned awhile ago. When driving out of town, always have enough medication with you for two to three days. (my van broke down and I ended up spending an un-expected night out)

Your best house alarm is a dog, your best personal protection if someone comes in is a spray can. It can be a deodorant, or hair spray, or what ever. Keep a can in every room. It's pretty hard for anyone to attack if they are busy trying to get spray out of their eyes and mouth.

To dry shampoo your dog, take him outside and use baking soda. Let him have a good shake, give a quick brush and he smells great and all the dirt and oil comes off with the baking soda. The fur also feels nice and soft. Of course your black dog might look a little silvery for a bit

I use margarine containers for the dogs water dish. That way it goes in the dishwasher everyday when the dog gets fresh water.

Fabric softner (Bounce) helps to keep hornets and wasps away.

[Guest nini]

if you have a baby and want to save money on baby food, make your own...

I cooked up large batches of fresh vegetables or fruits and pureed in my food processor. I then poured the puree into ice cube trays and froze them. After they are frozen you can pop them out of the trays and store in a Ziplock freezer bag. Depending on how much your child eats, one or two or even three cubes make a meal and are easy to thaw/ warm up in the microwave. This way you can save a ton of money, you don't accumulate those annoying glass jars, and you know EXACTLY what is going in your babies food.

Foods that worked really really well:

butternut squash (cut in half and baked face down in a pan with water), grean beans (boiled til tender), peas (boiled til tender), sweet potatoes (peeled before boiling)

Peaches, Strawberries, Blueberries, Pears, Apples

foods that didn't need cooking, avocados and bananas... just peel, and mash thoroughly and freeze...

saves a TON of money!

[Smunkeemom]

okay so I am stocking up on aqua-net when my hubby leaves town for business. good idea!

[jerseyangel]

Fabric softner (Bounce) helps to keep hornets and wasps away.

Shirley, How does the fabric softener work against them? Sheets or liquid? My husband is allergic to bee stings, and the bees love to make their homes in and around our deck and gazebo!

[angel-jd1]

Since everyone is talking about fabric softner sheets, here is this e-mail I had gotten a while back about them and their uses. I don't know for sure if some of them work, but I have used a few of them before like putting a sheet in the trash can.

-Jessica

And all this time we've just been putting Bounce in the dryer:

1. Get rid of ants: It will chase ants away when you lay a sheet near them.

2. Musty book smells: It takes the odor out of books and photo albums that don't get opened too often.

3. Repels mosquitoes: Tie a sheet of Bounce through a belt loop when outdoors during mosquito season.

4. Eliminates static electricity from your television screen. Since Bounce is designed to help eliminate static cling, wipe your television screen with a used sheet of Bounce to keep dust from resettling.

5. Dissolve soap scum from shower doors. Clean with a sheet of Bounce.

6. Freshen the air in your home. Place an individual sheet of Bounce in a drawer or hang in the closet.

7. Prevent thread from tangling. Run a threaded needle through a sheet of Bounce before beginning to sew.

8. Prevent musty suitcases. Place an individual sheet of Bounce inside empty luggage before storing.

9. Freshen the air in your car. Place a sheet of Bounce under the front seat.

10. Clean baked-on foods from a cooking pan. Put a sheet in a pan, fill with water, let sit overnight, and sponge clean. The anti static agent apparently weakens the bond between the food and the pan while the fabric softening agents soften the baked-on food.

11. Eliminate odors in wastebaskets. Place a sheet of Bounce at the bottom of the wastebasket.

12. Collect cat hair. Rubbing the area with a sheet of Bounce will magnetically attract all the loose hairs.

13. Eliminate static electricity from venetian blinds. Wipe the blinds with a sheet of Bounce to prevent dust from resettling.

14. Wipe up sawdust from drilling or sand papering. A used sheet of Bounce will collect sawdust like a tack cloth.

15. Eliminate odors in dirty laundry. Place an individual sheet of Bounce at the bottom of a laundry bag or hamper.

16. Deodorize shoes or sneakers. Place a sheet of Bounce in your shoes or sneakers overnight so they will smell better in the AM.

[jerseyangel]

Jessica--Wow thanks, I never knew there were so many other uses for the sheets! Will be using some of those

[Guest Viola]

Patti ... at the dog show we put liquid bounce in a spray bottle and spray the table clothes at the hospitality tent. We've only had one sting in the past four years at hospitality. Putting a sheet of bounce through your belt loop is a good idea. That would help. Apparently the wasps don't like the smell. Around the rings we put up bee traps with a bit of hamburger in them. It helps keep the dogs from being stung.

Having said all the good things about dryer sheets ... here is something else to remember. Take the screen out of your dryer and run it under water ... you'll find that the screen will hold water That's because all this wonderful stuff on the dryer sheet is sealing all the holes in your screen. So ... remember to wash your screen with soap and water and a soft brush every so often. It will cut down on your drying time, therefore saving you money and it will prevent a possiblity of fire because your dryer isn't venting right.

[mommida]

OK Who watches that show, How Clean Is Your house? on Lifetime? The 2 British ladies on their hands and knees sniffing pure nastiness, and all the cleaning tips -I'm morbidly fascinated. How sick and twisted is that?

Laura

[Smunkeemom]

OK Who watches that show, How Clean Is Your house? on Lifetime? The 2 British ladies on their hands and knees sniffing pure nastiness, and all the cleaning tips -I'm morbidly fascinated. How sick and twisted is that?

Laura

I watched it once, they put bleach on cotton balls and then stuffed them into that little ledge thingy where your bathtub meets the tile to get rid of mold, I do that now, it works great.

[Guest Viola]

I've never heard of that show, but it sounds fascinating ... what channel do you find it on?

[Smunkeemom]

I've never heard of that show, but it sounds fascinating ... what channel do you find it on?

Open Original Shared Link

lifetime, it's on cable.

[jerseyangel]

I haven't seen it in a while--I didn't know it was still on. I could never understand how the people could actually live, eat and sleep in the "before". So gross! I do love to watch how the ladies clean and disinfect the whole mess. Very satisfying . Does anyone else wonder if the families keep the house up after the camera leaves?

[Guest Robbin]

OMG, I never heard of the show! I am a clean freak and also a hint fan, so thanks everyone!! Love the bounce ideas, and the dryer screen danger I never knew. A friend of mine also emailed me some info that a lot of fires are started these days by plug-ins. I noticed mine was hot in one bathroom and threw it away. Check those frequently.

[debmidge]

Shirley: How does the Bounce sheets work against bees & wasps? What are the directions to use it?

Thanks

Debbie

[nikki-uk]

This is a top tip for removing pet hair of your clothes or cushions etc-(My cat's are forever snuggling down on my best cushions!)

Put rubber gloves on (the kind you put on to do the dishes)and wipe your hand over the 'hairy' article.

The fur is attracted to the rubber(it's a static thing I think)and you end up getting loads of fur off.

Good for cleaning the interior of your car too (if your dogs go in the car)

[Guest Viola]

Hi Debbie ... I think it's just the smell the distracts them. It's funny it works though, because perfume will attract bees. However it does work fairly well, but you will still get the odd one that comes around. If you are sitting around outside, I would really suggest a couple of good bee traps .. one baited with meat, the other baited with a heavy surup made from sugar and water ... beer will also work, but most of my friends think it's a waste of good beer