Household Hints

[Teallaura]

Post 'em here.



1) Keeping ants out of pet food. Surround dish with flea shampoo - it will keep them out for days! (I use Sergeants).

2) Use empty coke boxes (the ones the cans come in) to hold plastic bags. When full, you can drop it off at the local thrift store.

3) Use the 'cube' coke boxes for extra disposable trash cans. Great for those nasty projects that involve a lot of paper towels since the whole thing promptly goes out to the trash. Even better in the car.

4) Shredded paper makes a good cat litter additive or substitute. Requires daily changing if substituted, but it's so light that it's no problem.

5) Dump a box of baking soda in the bottom of the cat box after each change.

6) Empty drink bottles are great space fillers for the bottom of large planters.

7) Place a bucket under window unit AC's and use the collected water for container plants. Great for times when water usage needs to be curtailed.

8) Rinse your hair with a half cup of vinegar to a quart of water on the final shampoo rinse - cuts the shampoo like nothing else. Follow with conditioner, or only do it once a week or so.

[TheAnalogman]

Clean out your dryer vents.

Don't freak if your A/C quits. There are hidden fuses.

Pour draino in your sinks twice a year. Let it sit over night.

Eliminate all cats.

[Summer]

Eliminate all cats.

This above all else has helped my house run more smoothly. :)

Um, real hints...

-you only need like a tablespoon of laundry soap. Try it, you won't notice the difference.

-baking soda makes an excellent gentle abrasive but needs to be washed off.

-white vinegar washes it off nicely. It's also awesome for hard water deposits.

-it's not possible for a 5 year old to make the top bunk of a bunk bed neatly. I wish I had realized this before we went and bought one. :)

[luv1another]

if you have a few kids around the house that don't know how to pick up after themselves get a plastic shopping bag per person and one for garbage and walk around the house putting their stuff in their bag then take and drop the bag in their room for them to clean up...saves going back and forth to rooms and bins

[Gabby]

The time change is coming up soon. Good time to change the batteries in your smoke detectors!

[HerodionRomulus]

Have something odd shaped like a teddybear that needs cleaning?
Stick it in a bag filled with cornmeal, shake/rub etc.

Instead of expensive carpet freshener/deodorant, sprinkle baking soda, let set and vacuum. It freshens and cleans.

Instead of expensive "Shout" or other laundry stain cleaners, get a spray bottle, mix a solution of liquid detergent/dishwashing liquid/etc and mix with water in the bottle. Keep it in the laundry basket to pretreat immediately instead of letting it setup until wash time.

In the garden get these: http://www.harrietcarter.com/index.c...-25f3cb92423f/
you will not find these in retail garden centers but I have used these for 2 years now and they realllllllly save water.
I just bought a dozen more for next spring. You can also get from directgardening.com and parkseeds.com

[Teallaura]

Those foaming soap dispensers are really easy to refill. Just open, fill 1/2 to 3/4's with water then add your favorite handsoap (I use a gentle baby wash), something between a couple teaspoons and a tablespoon full will do. Close, shake well and voila! Foaming soap!

Cheap wall mounted towel racks make a great place to hang spray bottles.

Old prescription bottles are great for brads, nails and other small pieces. Just rinse out and don't use for anything that you might eat. Vitamin bottles are great for the larger stuff - just label with a Sharpie!

[Rubia Warren]

To get your sneakers white again (especially the rubber part at the bottom): Take a scrub brush to them with some Colgate.

[docjam]

Post 'em here.



1) Keeping ants out of pet food. Surround dish with flea shampoo - it will keep them out for days! (I use Sergeants).

2) Use empty coke boxes (the ones the cans come in) to hold plastic bags. When full, you can drop it off at the local thrift store.

3) Use the 'cube' coke boxes for extra disposable trash cans. Great for those nasty projects that involve a lot of paper towels since the whole thing promptly goes out to the trash. Even better in the car.

4) Shredded paper makes a good cat litter additive or substitute. Requires daily changing if substituted, but it's so light that it's no problem.

5) Dump a box of baking soda in the bottom of the cat box after each change.

6) Empty drink bottles are great space fillers for the bottom of large planters.

7) Place a bucket under window unit AC's and use the collected water for container plants. Great for times when water usage needs to be curtailed.

8) Rinse your hair with a half cup of vinegar to a quart of water on the final shampoo rinse - cuts the shampoo like nothing else. Follow with conditioner, or only do it once a week or so.

here's a few short sayings that I live by that help in the bathroom at times...


1.) if it's yellow let it mellow if it's brown flush it down
and
2.) if you sprinkle while you tinkle, be a sweetie wipe the seatie (really only applies to guys, or really gifted women perhaps I suppose).

and a little bathroom poem...

here I sit in deadly vapor,
wishing for some toilet paper.
How long I wonder must I linger
before I'm forced to use my finger

[Gabby]

1.) if it's yellow let it mellow if it's brown flush it down

NO! no no no, Do not let yellow mellow.

[Rubia Warren]

:yeahthat:

[Teallaura]

At least once a year scrub your lint screen - it builds up residue from dryer sheets and a good scrubbing will make it work better (reduces fire risk, too, if I recall correctly). Dry thoroughly before replacing.

[Gabby]

About once every 4 months or so run your clothes washing machine with some white vinegar on the hottest cycle instead of laundry soap to clean off calcium build up. Rinse your machine with plain fresh water for one cycle.