Household Tips - Practical Solutions

Household Tips - Practical Solutions

Welcome to Christianity Oasis. This is Household Tips - Practical Solutions from our Sojourn With Luz Leigh Collection. We hope you enjoy this enlightening reading and it helps you on your own be-YOU-tiful Christian walk.

Click the link below to enhance your faith:

Click the link below for Christian Faith Studies:

Sojourn With Luz Leigh

Household Hints - Practical Solutions

Prepared by Luz Leigh April 2007

Rain bonnet. Don't have umbrella handy? Bubble pack kerchief will keep your hair dry. You do carry a supply with you, don't you?

Cooler. Want to keep the ice cream from being milk shake by the time you arrive home from the store? Wrap the carton with bubble pack.

Insulation. Now your dog will love this one. For warmth in the dog house on chilly nights, glue bubble pack to the inside walls of the dog house. Be sure to explain to Spot or Miss Spot that the bubble pack is not something for them to entertain themselves with by tearing it off the walls.

Picnic table cushion. Stretch a length of bubble pack along the benches.

Worry beads. Stressed? Nerves tensed? Pop the bubbles to reliever tension.

Ok, here are some suggestions that only us really country folks will appreciate.

Got a knothole in your wooden floor? Take a can lid and nail over the hole to plug the knothole and thwart rodent entry.

Save different size cans to be used when camping. They will nestle together, taking less space when packing, and can provide cheap, disposable pans when cooking. Use pliers to handle when cans/pans are hot.

Coffee cans. Set a few coffee cans around the garden. Following a rain you can gauge the amount of moisture you received. A 1-inch accumulation means an inch of water fell on the soil.

Disposable diapers. If your roof has sprung a leak, put disposable diapers under it; they are an absorbent and quiet alternative to pans. Or put on in a pan; it will absorb the sound while the pan holds the excess water.

Potatoes. This versatile vegetable is not just for eating. If your badly scuffed shoes do not take polish, rub them with a raw potato, then polish.

So a button pops off and you are away from home or you are in too much of a hurry to sew it back on. Not to worry; a safety pin can be hidden under the buttonhole until you can reattach the button.

Use a pretty brooch or pin to cover the missing button.

And I like this one. Head for the kitchen; locate a twist tie and use the wire from it to tack the button back on temporarily.

Want your canned vegetables to taste more like fresh ones? After opening the can, drain off all the liquid and rinse the veggies with tap water. Add just a little water to them along with a tablespoon or two of olive oil. Cook for a few minutes. Salt to taste, if necessary.

When making iced tea, after steeping the tea, pour into pitcher. While tea is still warm add the sugar to sweeten. Sugar dissolves better in warm tea.

Speaking of tea bags. Did you know that placing a fresh teabag on an open wound will help decrease the bleeding? This is especially useful following a tooth extraction.

You live miles from the store. You discover there is not one coffee filter to be found in the kitchen. Don't despair ... use a paper towel in the place of the filter.

For convenience when shopping for groceries and household supplies, prepare your list in the order of where the items are located in the store. To really be efficient, prepare and print out several blank lists ... post them on a cabinet door in the kitchen. A string can be tied to a pencil which in turn can be attached next to the grocery lists. When you use the last of something, or are getting low, mark the list so you will not forget. Family members can be helpful in this endeavor.

Vehicle Maintenance

With the beginning of summer, or at least the end of the school year, thoughts turn to vacation trips. Hopefully your automobile will be as excited about travel plans as you are. It will be if you have been conscientious about the care of your vehicle. Every month you need to test the lights; check battery fluid level; inspect ground under the car for fluid leaks and check the tires for cuts, wear and pressure. It goes without saying check the oil level on a regular basis. My sweet father-in-law gave me this advice: don't worry about the level of gas nearly as much as the oil level. If you run out of gas, you can always walk to the gas station; you run out of oil ... well just call a wrecker and open your purse to shell out big bucks for major repairs. I always remembered that advice.

Always follow the manufacturer's instruction (you know the little booklet that the salesman hands you as you leave the dealership?) In addition, be alert for abnormal vibrations, steering wheel pull, brake pedal softness or hardness, unusual noise or odors and abnormal reading son gauges or warning lights.

Whenever you fill the gas tank, make a habit of checking the levels of oil, coolant and windshield washer fluid.

Other things you need to keep an eye on include having the engine oil and filter changed regularly; clean battery terminals, and cables; inspect the exhaust system for leaks; remove debris from front of radiator and check vacuum hoses and drive belts.

More things to check ... fluid levels for power steering, brakes, transmission and rear axle. Check shock absorbers and wheel alignment. Remember wheels out of alignment cause unnecessary wear on your tires, among other things.

Most of these suggestions were taken from my trusty Reader's Digest Practical Problem Solver. Every home should have one.

Bath Time Recycle Hints

Today let's think of some bath time helps. Want to pamper yourself in the bath and do a little recycling at the same time? The next time you get a package with those packing peanuts in it, hold on to them. Take a large freezer bag and pour in about 3 cups of those peanuts. Before sealing the bag, squeeze out most of the air, but not all. You now have a bath pillow!! When you are ready for a soothing bath in the tub, place the pillow under your neck and relax.

For those who like to dress things up and make the pillow a little more comfortable, take a towel, sew the pillow up the towel. Remember to put some Velcro or snaps on one edge so you may change out the peanuts as needed.

* * * * * *

Ever wonder how you can recycle those little soap slivers? Grab an old cotton sock, drop the slivers in. Using a ribbon or piece of string, tie the open end of the sock. You have just made yourself a body scrubber.

* * * * * *

Not fancy, but still useful, is the bath mitt made from a white athletic sock. First you will want to launder an old mismatched sock, turn it inside out, The inside of those socks are usually more nubby. Now you have a good bath mitt that will be more efficient in exfoliating dead skin. And again you are recycling.

Credit goes to Yankee Magazine's Vinegar, Duct Tape, Milk Jugs & More.

Liquid Starch - Piñata

Make a piñata. Choose a large balloon; fill with air; cover with strips of newspaper that has been soaked in liquid starch. Strips work better if torn rather than cut with scissors.

Liquid Starch - needle threader

Having trouble threading needle? Either a hand sewing needle or the needle on the machine ... fret not. Dampen the end of the thread with a small amount of liquid starch (undulated). Then thread the needle. This is excellent for the sewing machine.

Liquid Starch - doilies

After laundering doilies, soak a few minutes in full strength liquid starch. Drip dry before ironing.

* * * * * *

Film Canister Uses

Use to hold change for telephones, buses, tools, parking meters or laundry.

Can be used as a candle mold. Using a strong twine or cord, cut an appropriate length for the candle wick. Tape one end to the bottom of a film canister; tie the other end to a toothpick across the top of the canister. Fill with hot paraffin. Let harden overnight. Gently remove your new candle. Remove toothpick from wick.

Packing for a trip? Into an empty canister, place two needles, black and white thread wrapped around a toothpick; a couple buttons and several safety pins. You now are ready for emergency repairs.

Make a decorative paperweight by filling canister with sand, secure the lid with glue and decorate.

When on camping and or boating trips, keep your paper money dry by placing in a film canister. (It will float if dropped overboard.

Day Trips or Vacation Travel

You are on the road; car radiator needs to be checked. To keep from burning your hands on the hot radiator cap, reach into your travel bag. Grab a thick sock or two; slip over your hand and you have an instant glove.

The screw pops out of your eyeglasses. Take a short piece of dental floss and tie your glasses back together. OR strip the paper from a twist tie and use that to mend the eyeglasses until you can get home. Carefully wrap the ends of the wire around the frame to keep them out of the way. Not pretty, but it will work.

So you got a tear in your soft-sided luggage while on your trip. Using the dental floss you have with you as thread, stitch the tear. You could even color the floss with a magic marker or crayon that is the same color as the suitcase so it is not as noticeable.

One of the most pleasant parts of a vacation is stopping off at a picnic table for an outdoor lunch or supper. One of the least pleasant parts is discovering that a flock of birds found the table first. Before you toss your plastic shower curtain liner, wash it with hot, soapy water or a solution of household bleach and water. When it is completely dry, roll it up and keep in trunk of car. The liner becomes an instant tablecloth.

You are at the summer cottage you rented and now discover you did not buy extra bowls. Not to sweat. Each time you finish a two-liter bottle of soda or water, cut the bottom off, keeping the edges as straight as possible. These make great bowls.

Credit goes to Yankee Magazine's Vinegar, Duct Tape, Milk Jugs & More.

Newspaper Weeds Away

Start putting in your plants; work the nutrients in your soil. Wet newspapers; put layers around the plants overlapping as you go; cover with mulch and forget the weeds. Wills can get through some gardening plastic; they will not get through the wet newspapers.

Squirrel Away!

To keep squirrels from eating your plants, sprinkle your plants with cayenne pepper. The cayenne pepper doesn't hurt the plant and the squirrels won't come near it.

No More Mosquitoes

Place a dryer sheet in your pocket. It will keep the mosquitoes away.

Get Rid of Ants

Put small piles of cornmeal where you see ants. They eat it, take it "home," and can't digest it so it kills them. It may take a week or so, especially if it rains, but it works and you don't have the worry about pets or small children being harmed.

Take Baby Powder to the Beach

Keep a small bottle of baby powder in your beach bag. When you're ready to leave the beach, sprinkle yourself and kids with the powder. The sand will slide right off your skin.

Foggy Windshield?

Hate foggy windshields? Buy a chalkboard eraser and keep it in the glove box of your car. When the windows fog, rub with the eraser! Works better than a cloth!

Broken Glass

Use dry cotton ball to pick up little broken glass pieces of glass ... the fibers catch the ones you can't see.

Flexible Vacuum

To get something out of a heat register or under the fridge, add an empty paper towel roll or empty gift wrap roll to your vacuum. It can be bent or flattened to get into narrow openings.

Reducing Static Cling

Pin a small safety pin to the seam of your slip and you will not have clingy skirt or dress. Same thing works with slacks that cling when wearing panty hose. Place pin in seam of slacks and - viola' - static is gone.

* * * * * *

Some of these tips came from Reader's Digest Practical Problem Solver ... and some from off the top of my head.

The list of collected writings by Luz Leigh:

Shared Thoughts

Copyright © 2000-2024 All Rights Reserved.