#174854 - 01/23/08 02:16 PM
Household hints!
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loz
Big Trouble
Garden Helper
Registered: 05/18/03
Posts: 41564
Loc: Beautiful Western Maryland...z...
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Just got this email and I thought some were good so I'm passing it on! 
Some of these tips are really good to know!
Peel a banana from the bottom and you won't have to pick the little "stringy things" off of it. That's how the primates do it.
Take your bananas apart when you get home from the store. If you leave them connected at the stem, they ripen faster.
Store your opened chunks of cheese in aluminum foil. It will stay fresh much longer and not mold!
Peppers with 3 bumps on the bottom are sweeter and better for eating. Peppers with 4 bumps on the bottom are firmer and better for cooking.
Add a teaspoon of water when frying ground beef. It will help pull the grease away from the meat while cooking.
To really make scrambled eggs or omelets rich add a couple of spoonfuls of sour cream, cream cheese, or heavy cream in and then beat them up.
For a cool brownie treat, make brownies as directed. Melt Andes mints in double broiler and pour over warm brownies. Let set for a wonderful minty frosting.
Add garlic immediately to a recipe if you want a light taste of garlic and at the end of the recipe if your want a stronger taste of garlic.
Leftover snickers bars from Halloween make a delicious dessert. Simply chop them up with the food chopper. Peel, core and slice a few apples. Place them in a baking dish and sprinkle the chopped candy bars over the apples. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes!!! Serve alone or with vanilla ice cream.
1. Reheat Pizza
Heat up leftover pizza in a nonstick skillet on top of the stove, set heat to med-low and heat till warm. This keeps the crust crispy. No soggy micro pizza. I saw this on the cooking channel and it really works.
2. Easy Deviled Eggs
Put cooked egg yolks in a zip lock bag. Seal, mash till they are all broken up. Add remainder of ingredients, reseal, keep mashing it up mixing thoroughly, cut the tip of the baggy, squeeze mixture into egg. Just throw bag away when done easy clean up.
3. Expanding Frosting
When you buy a container of cake frosting from the store, whip it with your mixer for a few minutes. You can double it in size. You get to frost more cake/cupcakes with the same amount. You also eat less sugar and calories per serving.
4. Reheating Refrigerated Bread
To warm biscuits, pancakes, or muffins that were refrigerated, place them in a microwave with a cup of water. The increased moisture will keep the food moist and help it reheat faster.
5. 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 about weeds. Weeds will get through some gardening plastic they will not get through wet newspapers.
6. Broken Glass
Use a wet cotton ball or Q-tip to pick up the small shards of glass you can't see easily.
7. No More Mosquitoes
Place a dryer sheet in your pocket. It will keep the mosquitoes away.
8. 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.
9. 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 in narrow openings.
10. Reducing Static Cling
Pin a small safety pin to the seam of your slip and you will not have a clingy skirt or dress. Same thing works with slacks that cling when wearing panty hose. Place pin in seam of slacks and -- ta da! -- static is gone.
11. Measuring Cups
Before you pour sticky substances into a measuring cup, fill with hot water. Dump out the hot water, but don't dry cup. Next, add your ingredient, such as peanut butter, and watch how easily it comes right out.
12. 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!
13. Reopening Envelope
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.
14. Conditioner
Use your hair conditioner to shave your legs. It's a lot cheaper than shaving cream and leaves your legs really smooth. It's also a great way to use up the conditioner you bought but didn't like when you tried it in your hair...
15. Goodbye Fruit Flies
To get rid of pesky fruit flies, take a small glass fill it 1/2" with Apple Cider Vinegar and 2 drops of dish washing liquid, mix well. You will find those flies drawn to the cup and gone forever!
16. Get Rid of Ants
Put small piles of cornmeal where you see ants. They eat it, take it "home," can't digest it so it kills them. It may take a week or so, especially if it rains, but it works & you don't have the worry about pets or small children being harmed!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
INFO ABOUT CLOTHES DRYERS
The heating unit went out on my dryer! The gentleman that fixes things around the house for us told us that he wanted to show us something and he went over to the dryer and pulled out the lint filter. It was clean. (I always clean the lint from the filter after every load clothes.) He told us that he wanted to show us something; he took the filter over to the sink, ran hot water over it. The lint filter is made of a mesh material - I'm sure you know what your dryer's lint filter looks like. Well...the hot water just sat on top of the mesh! It didn't go through it at all! He told us that dryer sheets cause a film over that mesh that's what burns out the heating unit. You can't SEE the film, but it's there. It's what is in the dryer sheets to make your clothes soft and static free -- that nice fragrance too, you know how they can feel waxy when you take them out of the box, well this stuff builds up on your clothes and on your lint screen. This is also what causes dryer units to catch fire & potentially burn your house down with it! He said the best way to keep your dryer working for a very long time (& to keep your electric bill lower) is to take that filter out & wash it with hot soapy water & an old toothbrush (or other brush) at least every six months. He said that makes the life of the dryer at least twice as long!
**Note: I went to my dryer & tested my screen by running water on it. The water ran through a little bit but mostly the water collected in the mesh screen. I washed it with warm soapy water & a nylon brush & I had it done in 30 seconds. Then when I rinsed it the water ran right thru the screen! There wasn't any puddling at all! That repairman knew what he was talking about!
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#174857 - 01/23/08 03:04 PM
Re: Household hints!
[Re: loz]
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toposh
Twinkie the Kid
Dream Gardener
Registered: 12/11/07
Posts: 1190
Loc: florida
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wow, loz thanks! me and mom have been trying to figure out ways of getting rid of ants withought paying a exterminator ooddles of money! and I love the other tips to especially about the dryer!, oh but you know you can also use a banna to polish your black leather shoes i saw that on a cleaning show.. BUT THANKS LOZ!
_________________________
 It's not just anything darling its prada!
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#175101 - 01/24/08 08:31 AM
Re: Household hints!
[Re: toposh]
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plantqueen
Prairie Rose
Gardening Pro
Registered: 03/28/06
Posts: 9721
Loc: Minnesota
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Thanks for sharing this Loz! It has some really good ideas!! Now I am going to have to go home and check my lint filter. 
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#175106 - 01/24/08 08:35 AM
Re: Household hints!
[Re: plantqueen]
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tamara
NORTHERN STAR
Garden Helper
Registered: 06/04/03
Posts: 18005
Loc: NB Canada
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Wow, I heard of alot of them but not the static cling thing. I'm gonna try it. I hold more electricity than a light bulb
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#197678 - 03/31/08 01:50 PM
Re: Household hints!
[Re: afgreyparrot]
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suzydaze
Daisy
Dream Gardener
Registered: 08/03/04
Posts: 3550
Loc: Arkansas
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I'll have to try this one
16. Get Rid of Ants
Put small piles of cornmeal where you see ants. They eat it, take it "home," can't digest it so it kills them. It may take a week or so, especially if it rains, but it works & you don't have the worry about pets or small children being harmed!
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#199290 - 04/06/08 11:12 AM
Re: Household hints!
[Re: suzydaze]
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angelblossom
A Gnome's Best Friend
Garden Helper
Registered: 10/02/05
Posts: 16808
Loc: Grandprairie,Texas
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#199292 - 04/06/08 11:43 AM
Re: Household hints!
[Re: angelblossom]
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angelblossom
A Gnome's Best Friend
Garden Helper
Registered: 10/02/05
Posts: 16808
Loc: Grandprairie,Texas
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Hydrogen Peroxide has many uses ,,
When mentioning "Spray on",, this ratio is good to have in a spray bottle for bathrooms and kitchens,,
Using a spray bottle at home 1/3 part HP to 3/4 water will remove stains from counters, tile grout, carpet stains, as well as disinfect,
Pour a little directly on blood stain clothes let sit and rub in and it will come out,, add to laundry instead of bleach and your clothes will get whiter and stains will be removed.
Rinse after brushing teeth with 1/3 part HP to 3/4 water and it will help whiten your teeth,, as well as freshen your breath longer than any commercial Mouth wash,, BUT DO NOT SWALLOW any of it!
If you have a pet that has gotten into rat poisoning it can be used to induce vomiting,,
Fruits and veggies bought at the store,, spray with ratio mentioned above rinse and wipe dry this will kill any bacteria on the skin,
Use on Cutting boards, it will keep them cleaned and disinfected,,
Toe Fungus?? Spray on feet every night and let dry it will take a while But it sure beats spending a lot of money for treatments.
Hydrogen peroxide leaves a streak-free shine on glass surfaces in your home. Simply use a spray bottle to wet the surface with 3% hydrogen peroxide, and wipe with a clean, lint-free cloth. This can also help disinfect, which is important in homes with little ones who like to put their mouths on the glass.
Acne
After cleansing, use a cotton ball to apply 3% hydrogen peroxide to the skin. Apply to the entire face to help heal existing acne, and to freshen and kill the germs that can cause new acne breakouts.
there are many uses for HP,, Someday I'll get back here and type more,, I got tired of typing,,
_________________________
   No service done for others is ever insignificant.
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#203500 - 04/21/08 08:02 PM
Re: Household hints!
[Re: Jiffymouse]
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emdeGardener2
Dream Gardener
Registered: 02/22/08
Posts: 1201
Loc: Merced,California
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Yuu said it Jiffy!Once in a while when I go fishing,someone accidentially spills fishing worms inthe car.
_________________________
What's the purpose of life? I don't know;do you???
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#203502 - 04/21/08 08:05 PM
Re: Household hints!
[Re: emdeGardener2]
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emdeGardener2
Dream Gardener
Registered: 02/22/08
Posts: 1201
Loc: Merced,California
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How do I get rid of a heavy infestation of roaches without calling the exterminator?My house is pretty old(it was built in the 50's)and has a LOT of roaches they just come out at night only in the kitchen
_________________________
What's the purpose of life? I don't know;do you???
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#208331 - 05/12/08 03:15 PM
Re: Household hints!
[Re: emdeGardener2]
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Nana's11
Super Granny
Dream Gardener
Registered: 11/05/04
Posts: 2417
Loc: Littleton ,Colorado
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We used to use boric acid and a tiny bit of sugar - placed in bottle caps in the backs of cupboards and under stove and fridge- where kids and pets can't get to it...takes a while to get rid of them but it will work- lived in Az and they have big roaches from the palm trees- and other ones that came out of the sewers and they could fly--- horrible things!
Nana
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#208341 - 05/12/08 03:38 PM
Re: Household hints!
[Re: cricket]
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loz
Big Trouble
Garden Helper
Registered: 05/18/03
Posts: 41564
Loc: Beautiful Western Maryland...z...
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I don't think I've ever saw a real live roach---I think I'd pass out. Although I had an ex that lived by the Potomac river and they would get river rats in their garage a lot.  Big huge ones.
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#208454 - 05/12/08 06:56 PM
Re: Household hints!
[Re: Jiffymouse]
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emdeGardener2
Dream Gardener
Registered: 02/22/08
Posts: 1201
Loc: Merced,California
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They come back after a while.They hide out everywhere even in the fridge!
_________________________
What's the purpose of life? I don't know;do you???
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#208470 - 05/12/08 07:36 PM
Re: Household hints!
[Re: Joclyn]
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Jiffymouse
Momma Mouse
Garden Helper
Registered: 08/29/02
Posts: 24186
Loc: Effingham County, GA USA Z 8b
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#214711 - 06/08/08 08:58 PM
Re: Household hints!
[Re: Jiffymouse]
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Pete_in_AZ
Member
Registered: 04/19/08
Posts: 22
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To get all of the honey or molasses out of a measuring spoon/cup coat the spoon/cup with cooking oil.
To easily peel a garlic clove, first whack it gently with the side of a kitchen knife. Just enough to hear the clove crack.
Thank you for the cornmeal tip. I think I will try it.
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