Household tips for easier living

Got DANDRUFF??? a couple tablespoons added in with your shampoo or as part of the rinse works like magic. I am allergic to lots of cosmetics, everything including liquid soaps,lotions,body spray, shampoos, etc. to even some fabric softeners, due to the formaldehyde content or contamination so I have a hard time not having dandruff as a byproduct of the allergy. This is an awesome fix.

 

A couple tablespoons of what?

 

Cheryl, a couple of tablespoons of baking soda. Carolyn mentioned it on the "price of groceries" thread in "Village Square."
I personally love baking soda--use it to kill fungi in plant pot soil, clean my stainless steel kitchen sink (folks, never get a stainless steel sink--it's rarely clean looking), and scrub out the hens' drinking fountain (completely non-toxic).

 

OOPS Cheryl...Thanks Jane, I guess I didn't proof read this very well. I was checking for spelling or typo's but forgot to re read the whole thing. But the ingredient is baking soda. It is an awesome additive to laundry in the washing machine, also. you can purchase it in big boxes in the laundry detergent aisle.

 

I buy the small boxes, but only because I keep one in the pantry, one in the laundry area, and one in the garden's potting shed. I bet if I bought the big box of baking soda and divvied it up among several containers, I'd save money! Thanks, Carolyn, I hadn't thought of that.

 

Don't you just hate it when a jar candle doesn't burn all the wax? I get these from a dollar store all the time because the jars are re-usable. That is... once you get all that wax out of them.


unburnt candle wax ( photo / image / picture from cherylad's Garden )


So, I let them pile up for a while. Along with any other candle holder that still has wax.
Then, on a rainy day like today, I put them in a big pot with water, making sure it's not enough to get inside the jars.
Turn the fire on low-to-medium and let the wax melt. It also makes the house smell great!


melt wax from jars ( photo / image / picture from cherylad's Garden )


Once the wax is melted, pour it into an old coffee can or something that's going to get tossed. Wipe them out with a paper towel. And you now have nice little jars with screw on lids. We use them for nuts, bolts, screws... whatever they'll hold.



jars cleaned ( photo / image / picture from cherylad's Garden )

 

Cheryl, I love this size of jar and they are not available for purchase, that I can find, anywhere. So I also save them from dollar store ( I buy them for the citronella for the summer)AND goodwill if I find them there. I don't worry too much about the smell from those ones though, usually they are there because they don't smell so nice anyhow. Great idea to share, though. So everyone should save them and send them on to a thrift store if you don't need them, others will love you for it.

 

POPCORN for peanuts, packing peanuts that is... When sending a package to someone use air popped popcorn and include a note that the packing is for the birds...literally! helps to save the environment and no one has to worry about keeping it to recycle.

 

Carolyn... glad someone else likes those 1-cup jars. And they come with those cute little bows too!
I love the idea of the popcorn packing. But I haven't seen an air-popcorn popper for ages.

 

Epsoms salt... I got nailed in the leg with a pinecone while I was weed eating, ( I know...I should have had on more than crocs and capri's) But the swelling was getting worse not better so I soaked it in hot epsoms salt water for an hour and the swelling and itching are already subsiding. My kids make fun of me every time I suggest epsoms salt for their every ache and pain. It's excellent for an oozing, blistered sunburn, too.


WD-40....any cool uses for it at your house? Besides the typical lubricant for squeaky hinges...

#1. Use it to repel wasps from under the eaves of your house. Just spray it on and they won't build there.

#2. Use it to weather proof your boots and shoes for the winter. Spray it on, wipe off the excess, it will repel the water.

#3. Spray it on an adhesive label and it will penetrate the paper and dissolve the adhesive so yo can wash it of with soap and water.

 

These are some really great tips, I'm going to start a list and put them all on there.

P.S. A hair dryer works to take off sticky labels and other sticky things. Just use the dryer on the label or whatever is sticking until it's hot, hot. Give it a second to cool enough to touch and then peal it off.

I had those sticky tape things holding on a few of our child saftey locks and this made them come right off, no damage to the surface.

 

Carolyn, I used your tip about washing windows with a touch of dishwasher rinse aid, and my windows are clean, streak free, and I didn't swear even once! Thank you!
WD 40 is also good for taking tar and old diesel oil off your hands. Don't ask how I know . . . .

 

Toni, Thanks for the check on that idea of the baking soda from the laundry isle...I was sure it said baking soda on the box when I looked at it, but I will double check the box again the next time I am at the store.