handy household hints-cleaning tips for the home

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More Household Hints!

Have a squeaky door hinge?
Get a can of lubricating oil and some paper and cloth. Hold the paper or cloth near the squeaky hinge.. Put a few drops of oil at the top of the hinge and let the oil run in and down by moving the hinge back and forth. Wipe off the excess oil! No more squeaks.

Have Wooden Floors?
Tired of your rocking chair making marks on those shiny floors? Glue some felt weather stripping underneath the rockers! Should stop some of the creaking, too!

Do you have an old piano bench but no piano?
You can make a lovely coffee table. Remove the sea and fill in the hinge marks with plastic wood. Now, you can fill this with anything you like-a collection of paperweights, small dolls, whatever. Cover with a glass top, cut to fit the dimensions of the bench.

Have Grease Stains on your wallpaper?
Try mixing corn starch and water and make into a paste. Rub on with a soft, clean cloth.
Test this in an inconspicuous area first.

Foggy Windshield
Don't you hate having a foggy windshield? Go to your stationery store and buy a chalkboard eraser. Keep the eraser in your glove compartment of your car. When the windows fog, rub with the eraser! Works better than a cloth!

Have grease stains on your carpet?
Shake some cornstarch over the grease stain and let set there overnight or at least 8 hours. Vacuum.

Cleaning Woodwork
Did you know that cold tea will clean woodwork?
Give it a try!

Wallpaper
If you need to make a patch for your wallpaper, never cut out a piece. Always use a piece that you have torn by hand and be sure to tear toward the wrong side of the wallpaper. This will make the patch nearly invisible.

Kitchen uses for Baking Soda:

Did you burn your favorite pan? Put 1/2 cup of baking soda in the pan and fill it 1/2 full with water. Set the pan on the stove, and let boil, till the burnt particles float to the top! That's what I call a self cleaning pan! :)

Do you have coffee, tea or cigarette burns on your china and ceramic ware? Just rub the stained sections with a damp cloth that has been dipped in baking soda!

Have stuck food on your casserole dishes? Fill with boiling water and add 3 tablespoons
of baking soda or salt and let sit for an hour.

Have a drain in your sink that is clogged? Pour 1/2 cup of baking soda over the drain, and then pour a cup of vinegar over it. Let set for a minute till it foams, then run your hot water or pour boiling water down the drain! You may need to repeat the process. Works in most simple clogs.

Have silver? Polish it to a shine with a soft cloth and some dampened baking soda placed on the cloth.

Counters or stove have stuck on grease splatters or dried food? Sprinkle baking soda on the areas, and then rub with a wet sponge. Rinse with clean sponge. I find this also works for a countertop that has grape juice or other fruit stains, too! Like before, you sometimes need to do two applications

Life span of Household Appliances

The average life span for household appliances:

Central Air Conditioner 15 Years
Room Air Conditioner 12 years
Clothes Dryer 18 years
Washing Machine 13 years
Dishwasher 12 years
Refrigerator 20 years
Upright Freezer 20 years
Kitchen Stove 18 Years
Water Heater 13 years

More Tips to Help Make your Life Easier

When food is scorched in the pan, set the pan in cold water immediately. This will help remove the burnt taste from the food that is not burnt. However, nothing can be done with the burnt food on the bottom of the pan.

Keep your cut flowers longer!
Want to keep your cut flowers for a longer period of time? Especially those beautiful roses you will be getting on Valentines Day? Take 2 tablespoons of white vinegar and 2 tablespoons of sugar and mix in a quart of water. Use this water in your flower vase. It should extend the life of your flowers for a few days longer! And, before you place the flowers in the vase, be sure to cut each stem at the bottom at an angle

Watering Houseplants
Have Houseplants? Have snow in your yard? Get some snow place in a pail or pitcher. Let melt and use the melted snow to water your plants! Did you know that snow has minerals in it that plants love?

Tools to have around the house:
Oil Can, Pliers, screw drivers (regular and Phillips head) and a hammer. This is about all you will need for easy fix its, along with the usual nails, tacks and picture hangers.

Lefty Lucy, Righty Tightly
Ever have trouble remembering which way to turn a screw? Remember this old saying"Lefty Lucy, Righty Tighty" It sure works for me! They taught this to my daughter when she had classes in shop when in Junior High.

Cover Up from the Rain
For emergencies, keep a couple of new plastic garbage bags in your car! Cut a hole in the bottom of the bag for your head and cut openings in the sides for your arms. In case of a sudden rain storm, just put the bag over your body! Not fashionable, I agree, but it will protect your clothing and you from getting drenched! You can also use a small garbage bag over your head
(not over your face, of course)

Leaky Toilet Test
Here is a test to see if you have a leaking toilet:
Add food coloring to the toilet tank (not the toilet bowl) Do not flush for 30 minutes. If the water in the toilet bowl changes color, you have a leaking toilet.

Have scuff marks on your vinyl luggage?
Try rubbing lemon extract over the area

Frosted Windows

More Household Hints

Getting Rid of Kitchen Odors

1. Fill a jar with a couple of vanilla beans. Keep the lid off.
The vanilla odor will permeate the air!
2. Can't get rid of a lingering smell in the kitchen? Try baking some orange peels in the oven at 350 degrees. Bake for about 15 minutes.
3. Have a musty, smelly lunch box? Even after washing? Try putting a piece of white bread that has been soaked in white vinegar in the lunch box and close it up. Leave it closed overnight.
4 . Do your plastic containers have food odors?

More methods for you to try to remove the odors

1. You can try freezing the empty containers.
2. You can set the containers in the sun for several
hours or you can put a piece of lemon in the container and put the top on.
This method might take a few days.

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Cooking Tips

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Easy Recipes

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Pet Goodies

Want to make your windows "frosted" for more privacy? Add 1 tablespoon of Epsom Salt to 1 cup beer. Brush on the window! Let dry..To remove the frost, wash off with ammonia! This is really neat. Just remember to cover any wood or furniture nearby, because this drips!