Showing posts with label Household tips. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Household tips. Show all posts
Household tips part 2
MISCELLANEOUS HOUSEHOLD TIPS
- When painting a room put a freshly cut onion in there to get rid of the smell.
- Place a few briquettes of charcoal under the seat of your car to absorb odours and keep it smelling fresh. Make sure to use the type without the starting fluid on them or your car will smell of fuel.
- Fill the petrol tank the day before so you won’t have to worry about getting petrol if you are running late the next morning.
- To make cut flowers last longer, add 2 tablespoons of vinegar and 1 teaspoon of sugar to the water. Remember to change the water every couple of days. I have also heard that popping an aspirin in the water works also.
- If you have thin surface scratches on glass, rub a little toothpaste over the surface. Finishing by polishing off with a soft cloth.
- Clean windows and mirrors with scrunched-up newspaper, dampened with 1 part white vinegar to 10 parts water.
- We all know about using vinegar to clean windows and mirrors but have you tried adding some dishwasher rinse aid to the water? It leaves glass streak free and with a sparkly finish – and it smells better than vinegar.
- Clean copper and brass with salt and lemon juice (three parts salt to one juice).
- Open your window blinds every morning and let the sun shine in! Sunshine will make your nice, clean room feel warm and cosy. You will grow to love that feeling and you will be more likely to keep your room clean.
- Keep rooms free of flies by putting a vase of lavender by any open windows – they hate it!
- Place a button at the end of a sticky tape roll so the end will be easy to find.
HOUSEHOLD MANAGEMENT TIPS Part 1
- To make mornings calmer and more in control is to lay out your clothes for the next day the night before when you are relaxed. This solves the problem of rushing to find what to wear in the morning when you are tired and time bound. Put out the jewellery, shoes and handbag with purse, keys and make up all inside.
- Encourage every member of the house to clean as they go. Make them realize that hiring a cleaner is expensive. Set an hourly rate and pay yourself for the cleaning you do and save this money towards a new appliance or family holiday. Get all the family in the habit of ‘little and often’ cleaning and tidying. It promotes quality time with your family and obtains a fresh living space for everyone.
- Make sure everything in your house has a home. Teach all family members to mind their own messes. For example, if you take it out, put it back; if you open it, close it; if you throw it down, pick it up; if you make a mess, clean it up; and so on.
- Each night before bedtime, have all family members pick up clutter for 15 minutes. Make a game out of it and see who can pick up the most things in the shortest amount of time.
- Buy a lovely storage box and fill it with a selection of cards for every occasion. Also put in it a selection of different coloured wrapping paper (the folded packs you can get) and a book of stamps. You will then have your own compact gift wrapping station and no excuse for not sending a birthday or other occasion card out at any time.
- The simplest thing that you can do to keep yourself organised is to keep a constant to-do list. Keep a notepad with you at all times. Whenever a new task comes up, add it to your list. As you complete tasks, cross them off your list.
BATHROOM TIPS
- Place an opened box of bicarbonate of soda behind the toilet to absorb nasty odours.
- Save old toothbrushes for cleaning grout.
- To organize clutter in the bathroom, purchase an attractive storage container with a handle on top. Place all of your accessories such as hair spray and lotion, in the container and place under the sink. Take the container out when you are ready to use it and then put it back under the sink when you are finished with it.
- Unblock a sink by putting a handful of bicarbonate of soda down the drain followed by a cup of vinegar, wait a few hours then pour in a kettle full of boiling water.
- If your shower doors are looking a bit dull, use a fabric softener sheet to get them gleaming again. The sheets contain ingredients that soften up water deposit build ups allowing you to wipe them off easily. Wipe down your shower doors a good wipe down with a few sheets and it will leave them looking terrific (and smelling lovely).
- Freshen sinks by popping two fizzy indigestion tablets and 250ml of vinegar down the plug hole.
- After a shower, quickly give the doors and tiles a quick rinse off. This will help prevent the build-up of soap scum.
- To keep shower tiles cleaner for longer wax them with car polish after giving them a good clean. This will help stop the grime from sticking to them.
- Shine up your bathroom taps with a dab of white toothpaste. Rub with a cloth and then rinse off.
- Use flat cola to clean your toilet. Yes, really. Pour a can of flat cola into the toilet pan and leave for half an hour. When you then flush the lime-scale will have dissolved and your toilet will come up lovely and shiny. (Makes me rather concerned about what cola does to our insides when we drink it!!)
- When cleaning, little and often is so much less stressful than having to spend a whole day at the weekend going through the house. Clean the bathroom after your shower in the morning. A quick spray around with some cleaner whilst everything is coated in hot steam helps the cleaning and it only takes a few minutes. The bathroom is then always bright and shiny and clean
- For a clean, fresh smell in your bathroom, place a dryer/fabric softener sheet in your bathroom’s bin.
KITCHEN TIPS
- Get rid of fingerprints on stainless steel by wiping them with baby oil on a clean cloth.
- Keep your cling film in the fridge. It is so much easier to use when cold.
- For a cleaner kitchen floor, use two buckets when mopping – one with clean water, one to drain.
- Line the tops of your kitchen cupboards with newspaper to prevent grease. Replace them regularly.
- Clean underneath large appliances by stretching a sock over a stick, then running it under the stove or fridge.
- To keep a cake from drying out and going stale, place half an apple inside the cake tin with it. A lemon works just as well. (No chance of any cake drying out in my house though as it gets eaten too quickly!)
- Put a few grains of rice in salt shaker to stop it lumping. The rice will absorb moisture more quickly than the salt and keep it running smoothly.
- Before washing fine china, crystal, or anything fragile, place a towel on the bottom of the sink to act as a cushion.
- Remove burnt-on food from a saucepan by boiling a cup of cola for a minute or two.
- Clean the microwave by bring a cup of water to boil in it. The steam will help loosen dried on food which can then be easily wiped away. Pop a slice of lemon into the water when boiling to help it smell nice.
- Remove coffee or tea stains from the bottom of a mug by swishing white vinegar around it.
- Clean baked on grime on your hob by sprinkling biological washing powder on it and then wiping off with a damp cloth.
- Freshen up your bin by placing a tumble dryer sheet at the bottom before putting in a bin bag.
- Clean fridge seals by using a toothbrush and toothpaste or bicarbonate of soda.
- Stop fridge odours by lining the vegetable drawer with a sheet of newspaper.
- Get rid of a lingering smell in the kitchen by baking orange peel in the oven.
- Regularly coat your chopping board with vegetable oil to make it last longer.
- Prevent the inside of a flask from smelling stale by adding a teaspoon of sugar before storing.
- To make oven cleaning easier, first heat a bowl of water on high for 20 minutes – the steam loosens dirt).
- Put half a lemon in your dishwasher to add sparkle and a lovely smell to your dishes.
- Group your foods together in the pantry for easy access and to help you identify when inventory is getting low. For example, group together your canned goods, cereals, pasta, etc.
- Purchase a spice rack that works best for your cabinet. Alphabetize your spices and place frequently used spices on the front of the rack and all others towards the back of the rack.
- Decide the night before what is on the menu for breakfast the next morning. If the family is to have cereal, set out the cereal boxes, bowls, and spoons.
- For all of those plastic containers and Tupperware items, dedicate one cabinet or drawer for those items and try to purchase stackable containers to maximize your space
- Save your countertop space for items you use daily. Only display cookbooks that you really use and if possible store your canister set in your pantry instead of on the counter.
- Try putting all of your cooking utensils in a pot next to the stove. No more hunting around in a drawer to find that spatula you are looking for. Everything is visible and within easy reach when you are cooking.
- Create a family message centre on the refrigerator or other prominent place and use it for shopping lists, reminders, calendars, and phone messages.
- Do you have mounds of plastic bags from the grocery store? Place about 10 bags inside of 1 bag and throw the rest away. You can always get more the next time you go to the grocery store.
- Place a basket near the door into your kitchen, or mount an organizer on the wall to hold the daily mail. A toast rack can also make an unusual letter holder.
- Get in a habit of cleaning out your refrigerator every time you bring home groceries. Dispose of any food that is no longer edible or your family is not going to eat.
Homemade Moscato Wine Reduction
I had some leftover wine (I'm a rookie drinker) from Easter that had been opened that was no longer nice
to drink, so I boiled it to reduce it to a syrup that is thick like honey. The syrup went to an amber colour
due to the sugar content, which added a nice caramel flavour. Moro is an Italian brand that does a
moscato glaze, which is very similar but has thickeners and such.
I'm going to use the reduction mostly for salad dressings (straight or with olive oil) or to add depth of
flavor to dishes such as stuffed chicken, pasta sauces, etc.
I'm going to try this with red wine next time - it would make an amazing addition to brown casseroles,
beef dishes and bolognese sauces.
Tips for Honey
Honey stops the burning from capsaicin in Chili
I also use honey on burns that I might get during cooking really works well.
http://foodgasmsrecipes.com/
There are many different options and with a little creativity, the same foods you enjoy at home you can also enjoy out in the woods when you are on your next camping trip. There is an article by Nicolette over at howdoesshe.com that shows you many different excellent camping food options for you to enjoy. Click on the link below to learn more about these options.
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Need to prevent this? Here are a few simple and inexpensive ideas to stop it & keep bagged items fresh
Need to prevent this? Here are a few simple and inexpensive ideas to stop it & keep bagged items fresh
Can be found at most dollar type stores stores
Stain Cleaner
The ultimate stain remover that actually works on a seriously set in stain! Never buy oxyclean again!
The mixture is:
1 tsp. Dawn dishwashing detergent
3-4 tablespoons of hydrogen peroxide
couple tablespoons of baking soda.
Scrub on with a scrubbing brush
25 Coffee filter tips
Coffee filters .... Who knew! And you can buy 1,000 at the Dollar Tree for almost nothing even the large ones.
1. Cover bowls or dishes when cooking in the microwave. Coffee filters make excellent covers.
2. Clean windows, mirrors, and chrome... Coffee filters are lint-free so they'll leave windows sparkling.
3. Protect China by separating your good dishes with a coffee filter between each dish.
4. Filter broken cork from wine. If you break the cork when opening a wine bottle, filter the wine through a coffee filter.
5. Protect a cast-iron skillet. Place a coffee filter in the skillet to absorb moisture and prevent rust.
6. Apply shoe polish. Ball up a lint-free coffee filter.
7. Recycle frying oil. After frying, strain oil through a sieve lined with a coffee filter.
8. Weigh chopped foods. Place chopped ingredients in a coffee filter on a kitchen scale.
9. Hold tacos. Coffee filters make convenient wrappers for messy foods.
10. Stop the soil from leaking out of a plant pot. Line a plant pot with a coffee filter to prevent the soil from going through the drainage holes.
11.. Prevent a Popsicle from dripping. Poke one or two holes as needed in a coffee filter.
12. Do you think we used expensive strips to wax eyebrows? Use strips of coffee filters..
13. Put a few in a plate and put your fried bacon, French fries, chicken fingers, etc on them. It soaks out all the grease.
14. Keep in the bathroom. They make great "razor nick fixers."
15. As a sewing backing. Use a filter as an easy-to-tear backing for embroidering or appliqueing soft fabrics.
16. Put baking soda into a coffee filter and insert into shoes or a closet to absorb or prevent odors.
17. Use them to strain soup stock and to tie fresh herbs in to put in soups and stews.
18. Use a coffee filter to prevent spilling when you add fluids to your car.
19. Use them as a spoon rest while cooking and clean up small counter spills.
20. Can use to hold dry ingredients when baking or when cutting a piece of fruit or veggies.. Saves on having extra bowls to wash.
21. Use them to wrap Christmas ornaments for storage.
22. Use them to remove fingernail polish when out of cotton balls.
23. Use them to sprout seeds.. Simply dampen the coffee filter, place seeds inside, fold it and place it into a plastic baggie until they sprout.
24. Use coffee filters as blotting paper for pressed flowers. Place the flowers between two coffee filters and put the coffee filters in phone book..
25. Use as a disposable "snack bowl" for popcorn, chips, etc.
Not just for coffee--
