Household Tips and Hints Miscellaneous Part 2

A list of helpful household tips and hints for the entire home.

HOUSEHOLD HINTS--ROOM BY ROOM

Miscellaneous

* If you bathe your dog in the bathtub or skin, put steel wool in the drain openings to catch hairs and prevent a stopped-up drain.

* Extend the life of batteries and photographic film by putting them in plastic bags and storing them in a safe spot in the refrigerator.

* Old shower curtains make excellent drop cloths to use when painting.

* Sharpen scissors by cutting six or seven times into fine sandpaper. This method will not be very effective, however, if the scissors are very dull.

* A system to guarantee that you will always be on time with birthday and anniversary cards: Make a list of all the cards that you will need for six months--or even a year. Buy all of the cards at once, address and sign them. Finally, in the upper right-hand corner--where the stamp will be placed--write in the date that the card should be mailed. Index cards, according to date, and keep in a convenient place.

* Lemon juice is nature's best bleach. A good solution: one cup of 15% alcohol, a drop of glycerin, and the juice of one lemon.

* A scouring pad will last longer if you put it in the freezer. It keeps it rust-free.

* Toothpaste is a great cleaning agent for cuff links and other jewelry. It will also remove small scratches from glass-top tables.

* The inside of a banana skin makes a good emergency shore polish. Just be sure to follow up by polishing leather shoes with a cloth.

* Don't throw away old lipstick. Instead, put the lipstick tube in a warm place until the contents get soft. Then remove the lipstick and blend it with an equal portion of Vaseline to get homemade lip gloss.

* In the dark, two similar-sized keys on a key chain are hard to distinguish from one another. Alleviate the confusion by filing a notch in the top of one or marking one with a small piece of masking tape so that you can "feel" the difference.

* Before taking a bad-tasting medicine, put an ice cube on your tongue. The ice will temporarily freeze your taste buds.

* In cold weather wash the insides of your windows with alcohol to help prevent frost from forming.

* Salt is a great household cleaner. A nontoxic substance, salt can be used to scour a sink or cutting board. Also, throw a handful or two down a sink drain, then pour in boiling water; this salt-and-hot-water treatment will keep drains from clogging.