Everyday hints & hacks

Keep your cookies soft and chewy and to keep your brown sugar from drying out

Put a slice of bread in with your cookies or brown sugar container and they will remain soft

How to reseal and envelope

Forgot to put something inside and envelope after it was sealed. Just put it into the freezer for an hour or so and your can easily open the flap. Use a glue stick to reseal it.

Crispy leftover pizza crust

Reheat your leftover pizza in a fry pan instead of the microwave. Heat it on low to medium covered and you’ll have a crispy pizza again and not soggy.

Unstick furniture drawers

Rub the bottom of the drawers and drawer sides with either a bar of soap or a candle.

Deep clean your stair carpets ~wrks 4 Jessica

Use a squeegee to lift pet hair and dirt before vacuuming your stairs.

How to vacuum under your fridge

Attach a used paper towel roll to the vacuum and flatten it to get into those hard to reach places.

Toilet Brushes

Put some cleaner fluid in the toilet brush reservoir to keep the brush and container clean

Soap Scum in the Shower

Get yourself a dish soap wand. One that has a sponge on one end and handle is hollow for dish soap. Fill it with half liquid soap and half vinegar.

Clean your toothpaste holder

Through that toothpaste holder into the dishwasher to get it clean

Cleaning your windshield   

Here is a link to a youtube video…Youtube Video

Defog your windshield

To keep your car’s windshield or your bathroom mirror from fogging up. Apply toothpaste or shaving cream to the surface and whip off with a clean paper towel until clear. Youtube Video

Eliminate Sinky Shoes

Take a paper towel and fold it in half. Open it up and put some baking soda on one side of  paper towel. Fold over the other side to make a pocket. Slip the paper towel into a shoe and leave it overnight. The baking soda will absorb the ordors.

Clean your Plastic Food Containers

To clean a stained plastic food container cover the bottom of the container with baking soda. Add enough water to keep to make it thinner than a paste. Put the top on and shake it a few time to coat the sides and top. Leave it overnight and rinse.

How to keep Celery Crisp ~ wrks 4 Veronika

Take the celery and cut off the bottom (keep it for stock)

wrap the celery in wax paper and then foil paper keep refrigerated.  It really keeps it fresh for a long time.

Peeling Ginger Root

Use a spoon to peel ginger. Scrap the spoon over the ginger to get into the bumps and grooves.

Mayonnaise in a Minute

Using a tall container, add 2 fresh egg yolks, 1/2 teaspoon of mustard, 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, 1 tablespoon water, 1/2 teaspoon of seasalt, 1 cup or 240 ml of canola oil. Use a hand blender starting at the bottom to form your mayonnaise. Draw the blender up slowly and once the mayonnaise is formed, continue with up and down strokes. Will keep for a week refridgerated.

Remove a Rug Stain with Window Cleaner ~wrks 4 Oscar

Have a rug stain, use a window cleaner like Windex to remove it. Just spray it on the stain and wait 20 minutes. Then use a regular cloth towel to blot it up.

Car Emergency

If you are trapped in a car underwater and can’t open the doors, use the headrest to smash the car’s windows

Remove a Stuck Ring with Window Cleaner

Try using a little window cleaner like Windex on your finger and the ring should slide off. Do this the first time you try to remove your ring as your finger may swell each attempt you make.

Chill a Bottle Quickly

Wrap a bottle with wet towel and put it in the freezer for 15 minutes

Foggy Mirror

Use a hair dryer on the mirror for a few minutes and the fog will be gone

Remove Ink on a Shirt

Use hand sanitizer on the spot, then through it in the washer

Keep your BBQ Grills from Sticking so much

Cut an onion in half and skewer with a fork. Then on the hot grills, rub onion over the grills to remove grit and grim. This will make your burgers, steaks or chicken less likely to stick

Keeping you salad fresh

Put a paper towel inside a plastic sealable bag with your chopped salad and before closing the bag, roll it from the bottom force out the air and then seal it. It will remain fresher longer.

WD40 does more than just fixing a squeaky hinge

• Shine up your shoes
• Apply WD40 on a paper towel and wipe your leather shoes or boots. Buff with a shine with a cloth. This make them waterproof as well.
• Spray on WD40 to remove chewing cum from cloths, shoes, carpet or hair. Just spray a little and wait a few minutes. It will easily pull off.
• Remove gummy price sticker by spraying a little WD40, let it soak into the sticker. Then peel off.
• Unclog an injet nozzle by spraying it with WD40.
• Get wax or glue off the carpet with a little WD40
• Got an oil stain on the driveway. Use WD40 and the stain will lift. Wash off with garden hose and dish soap.
• Remove a stuck ring. Spray your finger with WD40 and the ring should slip off. Wash your hands afterwards.
• Remove crayon marks from the wall with a little WD40
• Removes lipstick stains from cloths. Put a paper towel underneath your cloths, then spray a little on the lipstick. With another paper towel blot the stain. Continue until the stain is removed. Use dish soap or a laundry bar on the stain and wash as usual.

Laundry hints & hacks

Sorting things out

A great trick to make sorting your laundry, is to have two laundry baskets in your closet. One for whites and one for colours. Now your laundry is all sorted and saves time on laundry day.

A little soap goes a long way

Many of use think that more is better. But when washing your cloths you don’t need so much soap to get your laundry clean. All you really need is a few tablespoons. Instead of using the cap to measure your soap, pour some in to a used dish soap dispenser just it  a squirt into the laundry dispenser. You’ll save money and your cloths will be just as clean.

Roll your cloths, save space

If you’re tired of ruffling though messy drawers, roll your underwear and unmentionables. You will save space and it will be easier to find your favourite boxers.

Spare change

It’s like free money. Put a jar in the laundry room for all that spare change your find in those pockets. Soon you’ll have enough for pizza night

Throw in the towel

Throw a towel in the dryer to soak up water and your cloths will dry faster.

Get the stain out

Got a stain in your cloths. Before reaching for expensive sprays, buy yourself a laundry soap  bar like Sunlight Soap or a similar bar. You can also use blue Dawn dish soap. Just wet the garment and soap and rub the stain. Use an old toothbrush to work it into the fabric. Wash as usual.

Vinegar, not just for your French fries

• Deodorize your sink drains
  Put a cup of vinegar down your drain and give it thirty minutes,
  then flush it out with cold water.

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  Clean inside your dishwasher
  Once a month add cup of vinegar to an empty dishwasher and run a full cycle. The vinegar will cut through the grease and soap residue.

• Clogged Drains
  Drains can be unclogged by putting a cup each of baking soda and vinegar down your clogged drain. Pour the cup of baking soda strait down the drain through any standing water. Then follow with a cup of vinegar.

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  Keep your cutting boards clean
  Pour some vinegar over your cutting boards and let it soak in for a few minutes. Then wash off and let dry.

• Clean that Microwave Oven
  

  

  Put 2 cups of water and 1/2 cup of vinegar into a Pyrex measuring cup or a microwave safe bowl. Microwave  for about 4 minutes (ensure the water is boiling). Keep the door closed to permit the steam to work on the grease and gunk. Open the door and carefully remove the hot container and wipe the inside with a clean cloth. Remember the inside may be hot.

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  Squeaky Clean Windows
  Put a cup of vinegar in with 5 cups of water (1/4 cup vinegar to 1 1/4 cups of water). Put it in an empty spray bottle and spray away. Add some blue food colouring if you must have a blue window cleaner.

• 

  Clean your reading glasses
  Put a drop of two of vinegar (you can use a vinegar packet from a fast food restaurant)  onto your glasses and wipe off with a clean cloth, tissue or napkin.

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  Sparkling faucets
  Soak a cloth or paper towel with vinegar and put it around your faucet for about 30 minutes to remove mineral deposits.

• Get the rust out
  Soak your rusty metal items in vinegar  for a few hours and brush off the rust with a stiff  brush.

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  Clean that stove
  Sprinkle baking soda onto a sponge and add some vinegar, then use it to scrub the oven. It might take a little elbow grease, put it is gentle on the interior enamel.

• Bring back that sheen and untangle your hair
  Eliminate conditioner residue by rinsing your hair with 2 to 4 tablespoons of vinegar or apple cider vinegar in a cup of water. Put mixture into a squeeze bottle and apply to hair, message in an let it sit for a few minutes, then rinse off.
• Remove perspiration stains on cloths
  pre-treat sweat stains, particularly those caused by anti-perspirants containing aluminum by applying straight vinegar to the stain. Then wash as usual.
• Fabric softener
  Add 1 part vinegar and 2 parts water to your fabric softener dispenser.
• Get the Mustard out
  Mustard belong on your hamburger not your cloths. So dab a mustard stain with vinegar to help remove the stain. Use can also use a laundry soap bar (Sunlight Soap) to help.
• Grout cleaner – Lise says….
  Mix 3 parts of baking soda to 1 part of water to make a thick paste. apply to grout lines with finger. Then make a solution of 1 part vinegar to 1 part water. Put vinegar solution into a sprayer and spray on the grout lines with the paste on them. Leave on mixture until the bubbling stops. Then use an old toothbrush and scrub lightly. Rinse repeatedly with water until you no longer see any white residue.
• Soap Scum in the Shower (This is a repeat from above)
  Get yourself a dish soap wand. One that has a spong on one end and handle is hollow for dish soap. Fill it with half liquid soap and half vinegar.

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  Make your own cleaner
  Get a spray bottle and pour in 1/3 of vinegar and then fill the bottle with water. Pour in a few drops of dish soap. Spray away!

• Get rid of fruit flies
  Fill a glass with apple cider vinegar. Cover with plastic wrap and poke a few holes in the plastic. The flies will enter and be trapped.
• Remove Scratches and Stains from Furniture
  Mix 1/2 cups of vinegar and 1/2 cups of olive oil together. With a clean cloth, rub mix into wood to minimize the blemishes

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  Dishwasher Rinse Agent Replacement
  Put vinegar into your liquid rinse agent despensor and your will have squeeky clean dishes and without the smell of vinegar too.