Archive Category: 'Household Tips'

• 13 Budget Friendly Headboard Ideas: Hang a decorative quilt or tapestry panel. You can either frame it or hang on a pretty decor rod (such as ornamental or brass). Hang a large framed mirror or framed picture above the bed or make an arrangement of smaller framed pictures. Hang an old door sideways. Attach a narrow shelf to the wall above the bed [...]
• Do You Grow Dishcloths?: If you never have grown your dishcloths–try it! he dishcloth gourd, Luffa acutangula, is easily grown from seed, and produces a very satisfactory, sanitary dishcloth. Most seed catalogs list it. Plant the seed of the Luffa vine about the middle of May, or the time you plant your cucumbers should be right. In the fall the gourds produced [...]
• Hiding Valuables – Sneakier Uses For Everyday Things: More Hide and Sneak When you think of sneaky you usually think of something that is secret or hidden from you. Actually, the most common sneaky-use application is hiding your valuable belongings from others. Hollowed-out candle Figurine Tissue container Trash container base Video or audio cassette shell Pen Watch case Inner pocket Shoestring DVD case Between magazine pages Inside a candy box Ironing board padding Bag within a bag Source & [...]
• 12 Kitchen Tip Quickies: Haven’t had one of these lists for awhile! Here’s a mix of vintage and newer tips from my collection of kitchen tips: ol> You can use water and lemons to steam clean a microwave easily, why not an oven too? Place a shallow pan of water and fresh lemon juice on the middle rack of the oven. [...]
• Vacuum Bag Sachet Fresheners: How-To: Slip these fragrant sachets into your vacuum bag and enjoy the pleasant fragrance when you vacuum the floor. They’re easy to make using just a few simple ingredients and best part is: they don’t make a mess! How To Make Vacuum Bag Sachets Ingredients: 1/4 cup dried lavender* 1/4 cup dried rosemary* 1 TBS cloves* 1/2 cup cedar shavings 1 TBS baking [...]
• Quick & Easy Homemade Ice Packs: How To: A few different options for having ice packs and ice bags on hand as well as frugal ideas for keeping your lunchbags and camping coolers nice and chilled. Reuseable gel type ice packs: Method #1 2 cups water 1/3 cup vodka (80 proof) Food coloring (any color you like) Ziploc Freezer Bag Pour liquids into ziploc freezer bag, add food coloring [...]
• Homemade Carpet Cleaner: Recipe: Here’s an easy and natural way to clean stains from your carpet and brighten them up, just a few simple ingredients are needed! Ingredients: 2 tsp eucalyptus oil 2 tsp glycerine 2 TBS vinegar 2 TBS bicarbonate soda 2 TBS methylated spirits Directions: Pour all ingredients in a spray bottle and shake well to mix. For spot cleaning: Spray stain and rub clean with [...]
• Homemade Bubble Bath: {Recipe}: Here’s an easy recipe for making an all-natural, homemade bubble bath that you can customize to your own preference by mixing favorite scents–also ditches harsh perfumes and chemicals that some commercial bubble baths use. Tip: This makes a nice Gift In A Jar for the holiday season. Homemade Bubble Bath Ingredients: 1 pint distilled water (warm) bar of castile [...]
• 21 Crayon Busters: How To Remove Crayon From Walls: Here is an organized master tip file of crayon removal tips that I’ve gathered over time. Keep in mind some paint finishes may be dulled or damaged by a particular method, so test a small area of your wall first. If the walls are covered in wallpaper, you’ll need to work carefully and make sure to [...]
• Forcing Paperwhite Narcissus For Winter Blooms: Paper white narcissus (daffodil family) is one of the easiest bulbs to force indoors over the winter season and they don’t need to be chilled first like other flower bulbs do (see Forcing Bulbs Indoors For Winter Blooms). To force narcissus bulbs, you just need a container, a bit of water and some pebbles! Here’s [...]
• Houseplant Care & Growing Tips: Houseplant Care & Growing Tips Lack of humidity is one of the biggest problems for house plants, particularly during winter when heating systems dry air to desert conditions. To raise the humidity, set your potted plants on trays or pans filled with gravel and water. Keep the water level below the top pieces of gravel. Most flowering [...]
• How To Clean Household Sponges: Did you know your household sponges should be cleaned at least every other day? They are nice for scrubbing and wiping up, but make sure to wash frequently to help prevent spreading grubbies around your home. According to Simmons Center for Hygiene and Health in the Home: ”A sponge that’s been in use for no more than [...]
• Forcing Bulbs Indoors For Winter Blooms: How-To & Tips: Imagine the dreary months of January and February, cold, bleak, windy–but you can easily add a touch of Spring inside your home by forcing bulbs ahead of time that will then bloom indoors during the winter months. Here’s how: Understanding How Forcing Bulbs Works When planting flowering bulbs like Tulips in the garden, you need to plant [...]
• Plastic Tunnel Cold Frame: DIY: Today’s feature is from The Door Garden with this DIY project for a Simple Plastic Tunnel Cold Frame or Row Cover: blockquote>A simple plastic tunnel like this can serve as a cold frame to grow salad greens all winter long, to grow out tomatoes and other tender plants, to extend the season for an early [...]
• A Few Fall Cleanup Tips: Here are some tips for preparing your yard for winter, this makes yard maintenance much easier to deal with in the Spring! Clean Garden Pots: Wash grime & rings away with a 50/50 water and vinegar solution. Works well on both plastic and clay containers. Clean out the gutters, but wait until all the leaves have dropped. [...]
• How To Sterilize Soil At Home: Potting soil is sterilized to give your plants the best growing environment possible by killing weed seeds or disease organisms that might be lingering in the soil. Most commercial potting soil is already sterilized but if you want to use that rich dark soil right from your garden or reuse your potting soil, here are [...]
• Color Enhancing Shampoos & Rinses: Natural Alternatives: Just mix one of these solutions with your favorite shampoo for an easy way to give your natural hair color a boost without harsh chemicals or dyes. If you no longer use shampoo (see Free Yourself From Shampoo: The No Shampoo Alternative), I have some highlights enhancing hair rinse recipes at the bottom as an [...]
• How To Remove Nail Polish From Carpet: Here’s a carpet stain removal tip sent in by Charlotte, nail polish spills can make an awful mess on carpet and here’s her tip for removing it: First remove what you can of the nail polish by blotting it up with paper towels. Next pour a little nail polish remover on the stain and blot the nail [...]
• 12 Simple Sore Throat Remedies: Here are a dozen home remedies to help soothe and get rid of sore throats, these are simple to whip up and treat yourself with–nothing too fancy for ingredients and you likely have many of these items in stock at home. Sore Throat Home Remedies ol> Cayenne Pepper Gargle: Mix 1/8th of a teaspoon of cayenne pepper with [...]
• Homemade Sea Salt Scrub Recipes: Sea salt is rich in natural minerals and regularly exfoliating your skin with salt scrubs is a pampering treat that can renew and condition your skin. Making your own homemade scrubs couldn’t be easier and the supplies are very basic. Here are a handful of different recipes to try, feel free to adjust amounts and [...]
• Learn How To Make Perfume: Today’s feature is from Indie Fixx with Learn How To Make Your Own Perfume by Meredith Tucker of Sweet Anthem: blockquote>Want to learn the art of making your own perfume? Well, I am Meredith Tucker of Sweet Anthem, a small perfume studio based in Seattle, and I’m here to impart some of my wisdom with you. [...]
• How To Clean Stainless Steel Appliances: Tips: Gleaming stainless steel appliances look lovely in the kitchen, but the downside is the ever-present fingerprint marks and smudges (especially around refrigerator and oven door handles). There’s no getting around the extra effort it takes to keep these appliances shining, but here’s how you can get rid of those pesky smudges easily. How To Clean Stainless [...]
• How To Remove Stains From Marble & Granite: Marble and granite countertops are gorgeous but they are porous and will soak in liquids that can leave stains (even sitting water can cause stains!). Here are some poultice recipes & stain removers that can help remove those. Many types of liquids and sauces can stain the stone including fruit juices, wine, coffee, tea, water, [...]
• How To Season Cast Iron Cookware: Here’s how to keep that favorite iron skillet in perfect cooking condition. This tip was originally included with How To Clean Cast Iron Cookware (published August 27, 2007) but moved here to it’s own file. How To Season Cast Iron Cookware ul> Wash and scrub with fine scouring powder to remove its lacquer coating. Rinse and dry it thoroughly [...]
• 10 Cough Remedies & Treatments: Coughing is your body’s way of breaking up mucus, clearing airways and getting rid of irritants. As annoying as coughs are, it’s actually best to let your body take care of itself and do what it needs to do (cough). But when your throat is raw, or you’re trying to sleep, sit in meetings or [...]