Thursday Thirteen 11/01/07

13 Household Tips & Tricks

1. Run your hands under cold water before pressing Rice Krispies treats in the pan-the marshmallow won’t stick to your fingers.

2. When a cake recipe calls for flouring the baking pan, use a bit of the dry cake mix instead - no white mess on the outside of the cake.

3. Potatoes will take food stains off your fingers. Just slice and rub raw potato on the stains and rinse with water.

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. 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.

6. Zippers won't stick if you rub them with the edge of a bar of soap.

7. Place a piece of white chalk in your silver chest or jewel box to absorb moisture and help prevent tarnishing of silverware and jewelry.

8. Create your own tinted lip gloss. Simply mix any of your favorite lipsticks with a dab of Vaseline.

9. To make cut flowers bloom longer, add 2 tbsp. of vinegar plus 3 tbsp. of sugar to each quart of warm water.

10. 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 stovetop.

11. Tired of removing band-aids the painful way? Well, no longer must that be a problem. Simply apply a little baby oil directly on the bandaid, wait a moment for the oil to loosen it up, and viola! It will simply peel right off with no pain whatsoever.

12. 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 in narrow openings.

13. If you seal an envelope and then realize you forgot to include something inside , just place your sealed envelope in the freezer for an hour or two. Viola! It unseals easily