Uncle Vox's Household Tips

ultravox

Elite Member
Oct 9, 1999
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1) Flies or bees bothering you? Spray them with hairspray and they will

take a quick dive.

2) Sealed envelope - Put in the freezer for a few hours, then slide a knife

under the flap. The envelope can then be resealed.

3) Use empty toilet paper roll to store appliance cords. It keeps them ;

neat and you

can write on the roll what appliance it belongs to.

4) For icy door steps in freezing temperatures: get warm water and put Dawn

dishwashing liquid in

it.Pour it all over the steps. They won't refreeze.

5) Crayon marks on walls? This worked wonderfully! A damp rag, dipped in

baking soda. Comes off with little effort (elbow grease that is!).

6) Permanent marker on appliances/counter tops (like store receipt BLUE!)

rubbing alcohol on paper towel.

7) Whenever I purchase a box of S.O.S Pads, I immediately take a pair of

scissors and cut each pad into halves. A box of S.O.S pads lasts a lot

longer, and scissors get sharpened this way!

8) Opening brand new jars - use a nutcracker. It adjusts to the size of the

jar. Simply give it a good twist and off pops the lid!

9) Blood stains on clothes? Not to worry! Just pour a little peroxide on a

cloth and proceed to wipe off every drop of blood. Works every time!

10) Use vertical strokes when washing windows outside and horizontal for

inside windows. This way you can tell which side has the streaks.Straight

vinegar will get outside windows really clean. Don't wash windows on sunny

day. They will dry too quickly and will probably streak.

11) Spray a bit of perfume on the light bulb in any room to create a

lovelylight scent in each room when the light is turned on. Place fabric

softener sheets in dresser drawers and your clothes will smell freshly

washed for weeks to come. You can also do this with towels and linen.

12) Candles will last a lot longer if placed in the freezer for at least 3

hours prior to burning.

13) To clean artificial flowers, pour some salt into a paper bag and add

the flowers. Shake vigorously as the salt will absorb all the dust and dirt

and leave your artificial flowers looking like new! Works like a charm!

14) To easily remove burnt on food from your skillet, simply add a drop or

two of dish soap and enough water to cover bottom of pan, and bring to a

boil on stove top.

15) Spray your Tupperware with nonstick cooking spray before pouring in

tomato based sauces and there won't be any stains.

16) When a cake recipe calls for flouring the baking pan, use a bit of the

dry cake mix instead and there won't be any white mess on the outside of

the cake.

17) Wrap celery in aluminum foil when putting in the refrigerator and it

will keep for weeks.

18) When boiling corn on the cob, add a pinch of sugar to help bring out

the corn's natural sweetness.

19) Cure for headaches: Take a lime, cut it in half and rub it on your

forehead. The throbbing will go away.

20) Don't throw out all that leftover wine: Freeze into ice cubes for

future use in casseroles and sauces.

21). To get rid of itch from mosquito bites, try applying soap on the area

and you will experience instant relief.

22) Ants, ants, ants everywhere ... Well, they are said to never cross a

chalk line. So get your chalk out and draw a line on the floor or wherever

ants tend to march. See for yourself.

23) Use air freshener to clean mirrors. It does a good job and better

still, leaves a lovely smell to the shine.

24) When you get a splinter, reach for the scotch tape before resorting to

tweezers or a needle. Simply put the scotch tape over the splinter, then

pull it off. Scotch tape removes most splinters painlessly and easily.

25) Now look what you can do with Alka Seltzer:

* Clean a toilet. Drop in two Alka Seltzer tablets, wait twenty minutes,

brush and flush. The citric acid and effervescent action clean vitreous

China.

* Clean a vase. To remove a stain from the bottom of a glass vase or cruet,

fill with water and drop in two Alka Seltzer tablets.

* Polish jewelry. Drop 2 Alka-Seltzer tabs into a glass of water. Immerse

the jewelry for 2 minutes.

* Clean a thermos bottle. Fill the bottle with water, drop in four Alka

Seltzer tablets, and let soak for an hour (or longer, if necessary).

* Unclog a drain. Clear the sink drain by dropping three Alka Seltzer

tablets down the drain followed by a cup of Heinz White Vinegar. Wait a few

minutes, then run the hot water.

26) Love pinto beans but hate the gas? Drop an uncooked egg (in the

shell) right in the beans while they're cooking. There is some property in

the egg shell that somehow de-gasses the beans. A hispanic friend swears

this works!