Do you ever wonder what possibilities every day items posses that you don’t know about? We’ve compiled a list of our ten favorite tips to help you around your home using objects you probably already have!
1. Newspaper–Prepare a garden: In the fall, mow a patch of lawn to make room for a dedicated bed. Cover it with four layers of newspaper, then a four-inch layer of shredded leaves or bark mulch. Hose it down. Come spring, the compost blanket will have smothered the grass roots, and the bed will be primed for planting.
2. Coffee Filter–Protect hands from Popsicle drippings: Slide the wooden stick of an ice pop through a coffee filter so your hands stay mess-free.
3. Olive Oil– Care for your pet: Add 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon to your cat’s food to help prevent hair balls.
4. Dryer Sheet– Loosen caked-on food from a pan: Place a fresh sheet in the bottom of a dirty pan, fill with lukewarm tap water, and let sit in the sink overnight. The pan will be easier to clean in the morning.
5. Vinegar– Clean a dishwasher: Once a month, with the machine empty, run a cup of vinegar through an entire cycle to reduce soap buildup on the inner mechanisms and glassware.
6. Adhesive Tape-Remove a splinter: cover splinter with adhesive tape. After about three days, pull the tape off and the splinter should come out with it.
7. Two-Liter Bottle—keeps celery fresh: A two liter soda bottle can be used to keep celery fresh. Cut off the top and put a little water in the bottom, then stand the celery stalks in it in your fridge. Use the cut-off top as a funnel to fill your spice jars with bulk spices (way cheaper than buying them in bottles) – the mouth on a two-liter is about the right size for smaller jars
8. Butter—remove tree sap: You’ve just gotten home from a pleasant walk in the woods, but your hand is still covered with sticky tree sap that feels like it will never come off. Don’t worry. Just rub butter on your hand and the gunky black sap will wash right off with soap and water.
9. Candles—weatherproof address labels: After you address a package with a felt-tip pen, weatherproof the label by rubbing a white candle over the writing. Neither rain, nor sleet, nor snow will smear the label now.
10. Toilet paper tube—store cords: Keep computer and appliance cords tangle-free. Fanfold the cord and pass it through a toilet paper tube before plugging in. You can also use the tubes to store extension cords when they’re not in use. Paper towel tubes will work as well; just cut them in half before using them to hold the cords.