Archive Category: 'Household Tips'

• How To Boost A Car Battery: Here are step-by-step instructions for how to boost your car’s battery. Feel free to print them out, put in a plastic sleeve and tuck into your car’s glove compartment. First: You’ll need someone with a running vehicle to give your dead battery a boost plus a set of booster cables. You can either turn off the running vehicle [...]
• Homemade Cuticle Softener & Nail Whitening Treatment: Homemade Cuticle Softener 1 tsp Olive Oil or Jojoba Oil 1 tsp Vitamin E (oil) Directions: Mix the oils together then gently massage into cuticles. Homemade Nail Whitening Treatment 1 TBS Hydrogen Peroxide 1 cup warm water Directions: Soak nails for 15 minutes two times a week until nails are white and then once a week to maintain. Also see How To Give [...]
• Did You Know: Cats, Pregnant Women & Toxoplasmosis: An unborn child can be infected with the toxoplasmosis parasite if a pregnant women is in contact with a cat carrying the parasite. The disease may be most severe when the fetus is infected during the second to sixth month of a pregnancy. Infection in the unborn child early in pregnancy can result in miscarriage, poor [...]
• Memory Trunks: Today’s featured tip is from Monica’s blog at The Homespun Heart – Memory Trunks: I have always loved the attic scene in Little Women where Jo lovingly looks through all the treasures in Beth’s box after she has passed away. And, so I was inspired to create these “memory trunks” for each of my daughters. I always [...]
• 5 Homemade Foot Soak Recipes: Who doesn’t enjoy a nice, soothing foot soak? Ahhhhhh… Recipe Directions: Unless otherwise noted, mix together all ingredients thoroughly then store in an airtight container. Use 2 to 3 tablespoons per gallon of water used in soak. Water temperature is at personal preference, but I find the hottest water my feet will comfortably tolerate gives the most relief [...]
• Refinishing Antiques: This article is from Kitchen-Klatter Magazine, March, 1952: Refinishing Antiques Refinishing Antiques By Ethel Broendel Many articles have been written about refinishing furniture, but most that I have read sound like messy, puttering jobs. Removing varnish is not a pleasant task, and I can’t imagine why anyone would want to drag it out any longer than necessary. One should [...]
• Tip For Organizing Measuring Cups: Today’s featured tip is from The Lazy Organizer. Lara has a great idea for organizing your measuring cups: I keep measuring cups in my baking supplies so I don’t have to wash them every time I use them because I don’t know, I’m lazy? I always use a 1 cup for oats so that’s what I [...]
• Household Filing & Avoiding File Piles: Today’s feature tip is from Organizing Junkie: I know it is time to file when the basket I have designated as my “to file pile” gets full to the top. That basket is the limit that I set for myself and it is full and so it is time…I must file. Uggg. I shudder to imagine [...]
• 5 Ideas For Used Envelopes: Cut a corner off used envelopes and use as bookmark corner sleeves–just slide one over the page you are at and you’ll find your place easily the next time you pick up the book. No more folded corners and nice way to utilize used envelopes! Slit them open and use for scrap paper, to do lists, [...]
• Homemade Dog Treat Recipe: In our family the chicken livers do not get eaten. Here’s a recipe to use those up, just freeze them until you have enough (chicken livers are quite cheap to buy if you want to splurge on your pup). Chicken Liver Treats: Recipe Ingredients: 1 cup chicken livers 2 cups oats 1 cup whole wheat flour 2 eggs 1 TBS parsley Directions: Boil or [...]
• Homemade Sugar Scrub Recipes: Recipe #1 – Brown Sugar Scrub 1/2 cup of brown sugar 1/4 cup of almond oil 1/4 cup of liquid Ivory hand soap 1/4 tsp of vanilla Recipe #2 – Lemon Sugar Scrub 1 cup sugar 1/2 cup olive oil 1 TBS lemon zest (grated) Recipe #3 – Lavender & Rosewood Scrub 1 cup brown sugar 1/4 cup almond oil 1/2 tsp vitamin [...]
• Organizing Tip: Over the Door Shoe Bags: A perfect way to organize small bits and bobbles (ie. junk drawer material) is a clear plastic over the door shoe bag. They’re not only inexpensive, they also hold quite a lot of stuff and hold up well to abuse. Hang it on the back of your laundry or storage room door where no visitors will [...]
• Household Rolodex: Try a rolodex instead of an address book to store all the names and phone numbers you need and use–from family and friends to co-workers, doctors, neighborhood video stores, pizza delivery and favorite repairmen. They’re so much easier to keep updated (just toss outdated cards and make new ones). No more transferring and updating dozens [...]
• Need Storage in a Small Space?: Who doesn’t need more storage space! Here’s a trick you can try: Buy a big rubbermaid container that you can stick in a corner. Cut a round piece of plywood to cover a few inches larger than the top of the container, use this as the lid. Then cover with a tablecloth large enough to hide [...]
• Frugral Fabric Softener Recipes & Dryer Sheet Tips: Here are several quick tips that you can try as frugal fabric softeners, each point is a separate tip. Next you’ll find a Homemade Fabric Softener Recipe and instructions for Reusable Homemade Dryer Sheets. Quick Tips: Frugal Fabric Softeners Using 1/4 cup vinegar in your laundry’s rinse cycle keeps clothes soft. You can set aside a vinegar [...]
• 10 Homemade Laundry Soap Detergent Recipes: Here is a nice stack of different homemade laundry detergent recipes I’ve collected over the years. Do they work? Yes, I’ve had good luck with them. At the time I was using homemade detergent, we had a relative who was in trade school living with us. Every day he was mechanic grease from head to toe–the [...]
• Cat & Dog Hair Cleanup Tips: When the lint roller just can’t get the job done while trying to remove pet hair from upholstery and carpets, here are a few tips to try (most will work well for detailing your vehicle as well): Pet Hair Cleanup Tips Wrap clear packing tape (or wide masking tape, duct tape) loosely around and across your hand [...]
• Tips to Fight Flyaway, Static Hair: When wearing toques, hats and scarves in winter, hair tends to get a tad crazy! Here are a few tips to help fight static hair: Try rubbing a new dryer sheet around the inside of winter head gear to help fight hair fashion trauma. You can also fight static cling in your clothes and hair by [...]
• Rid Your Pet of Skunk Spray Smell: Caution: This recipe cannot be sealed or stored in a container or spray bottle as it can explode. Mix in an open, plastic pail and use immediately. Wear latex gloves when applying. Krebaum’s Formula to De-Skunk Pets Items Needed: 1 quart of fresh (not old or out-dated) 3% hydrogen peroxide (from a pharmacy) – store bought is only [...]
• Homemade Foot Powder Recipes: Mix these up and store in a shakeable container. Dust feet as needed (don’t forget in between the toes). Container Ideas: You could use an old baby powder container or an old seasonings container (clean & allow to dry first). This powder can also be used to sprinkle inside shoes for odor control. Powder overnight then empty [...]
• Reminding Yourself: When you’re out and about and think of something you don’t want to forget once you’re home, here are a few tips you can try: Leave messages for yourself on your answering machine or voice mail. Send emails to yourself from work. Keep a paper pad, index card or a pda on hand at all times to jot [...]
• Organizing Ideas: Warranty & Product Manuals: Tape or staple receipts to warranty card or booklet and keep them organized with easy access using one of the methods below. If you need the receipt for tax purposes, just scan and print a copy to attach to your warranty card. Place items in a sheet protector and insert into binder. You could also store [...]
• How To Grow An Avocado Tree: You can grow an avocado tree from the pit that you harvest from a fresh avocado. You probably won’t produce any fruit from the tree, but it is a nice addition to your home plant life. You may also want to start 2 or 3 at a time in case one fails. For best chance [...]
• How to Dry Herbs With a Microwave: Cooking with fresh herbs is nice, but most times we grow or buy more than we can use. Drying the extra is a great way to save money as well as ensure that we always have good quality cooking herbs on hand. Here’s a quick & easy method to drying them in the microwave if you [...]
• 5 Homemade Garlic Syrup Recipes: Garlic is eaten regularly by many for a variety of reasons, they believe garlic helps reduce cholesterol, fights coughs, colds and infections, ridding worms (!), calms the hysterical, cancer prevention, asthma treatments and respiratory ailments, vampire protection as well as develops courage if you’re a Roman Gladiator (hehe). And many more. Instead of eating raw [...]