Notabilia

Miscellaneous

Nifty Knacks

1 through 25

1. Removing adhesive labels.
   When you have removed most of the adhesive label, you can get rid of what is left with a little white spirits or solvent. If the label is on a painted surface, try it out on a tiny patch first to make sure it does not take the paint off.

2. Finding the right key.
   Do some of your keys look the same? You will be able to tell them apart at a glance if you mark each key with a drop of different coloured nail polish.

3. Taps that drip.
   Few things can be more annoying than the steady drip, drip, drip of a leaky tap. Till the plumber arrives, tie a piece of string round the tap and let it trail in the wash-basin. The drips will find their way down the string and into the wash-basin without making a noise.

4. Limescale in the electric jug.
   Vinegar shifts limescale from electric kettles and jugs. However, if you always leave a sea-shell in the kettle or jug, the limescale will collect on the shell and not on the walls of the jug.

5. Floorboards that creak.
   Your creaky floorboards won't wake up the whole house if you put talcum powder in the gaps that form between the boards.

6. Scuff marks on shoes.
   If you have scuffed your black shoes, give them a new lease of life by going over the scuff marks with a black felt-tipped marker. Good results guaranteed.

7. Threading a needle.
   It's not always easy to thread a needle, but if you dip the end of the thread in a little nail polish, it is child's play when the nail polish dries and hardens.

8. Fly away feathers.
   When you want to wash the cover of a down filled pillow or quilt, you have to empty the cover first, but the feathers won't fly all over the house if you use your vacuum cleaner. Unpick just enough of the seam for the nozzle of the vacuum cleaner to fit in and turn it on. Then you will simply have to take the feathers out of the bag. Don't forget to put a clean bag in the vacuum cleaner.

9. Fluffy down.
   When washing a down filled jacket in the washing machine, remember to put a tennis ball in the drum. The down will be more evenly distributed and your jacket will always be plump and light.

10. Scratch marks on wood.
    Scratches that heavy objects make on wood are unavoidable. It helps if you stick small felt patches under the heavy objects. But if damage is done, bear in mind that scratches on wood can be dealt with by rubbing gently with fine sandpaper in the direction of the grain. You can camouflage scratches on wooden surfaces with a felt tipped marker in the same colour as the varnish.

11. Cactus thorns.
    Cacti are hard to handle. If, in spite of all the precautions you take, you still get thorns in your fingers, you can always reach for the eyebrow tweezers, or try wax. Drip a little wax onto the affected area and then immerse your hand immediately in cold water. The cold water will harden the wax and then you can simply pull it off and those naughty little thorns will come with it.

12. No more lost screws.
    Whenever you dismantle a piece of furniture, have some sticky tape by you and put every screw you remove on the sticky side of the tape. That way you won't risk having to search for screws when you want to re-assemble the furniture.

13. Shiny clean bottles.
    Restore the shine on glass bottles by rinsing them in water with dolly blue in it. Dolly blue, you might not know, is a product designed to make white clothes even whiter.

14. No more cramp.
    If you suffer from night cramps, try this old trick used a long time ago by country folk. Put a magnet under your mattress.

15. When water glasses stick together.
    You can easily separate glasses which are stuck together if you fill the top one with cold water and stand the bottom one in hot water. They will come apart because of the expansion and contraction caused by the hot and cold water.

16. Tired eyes.
    Your eyes won't get so tired when you watch television in the evening if you put a lamp behind the television set. This reduces the contrast. If you work at a computer screen or read books, get into the habit of resting your eyes every twenty minutes by looking into the distance for a minute. This reduces eye strain.

17. Nice peas.
    Peas retain their beautiful shade of green if you put a teaspoonful of bicarbonate of soda in the water when you boil them. And it is particularly important not to cover the saucepan.

18. Get rid of rust.
    When rust marks appear on the blades of your knives, rub the metal surface with half an onion sprinkled with sugar. Leave for a few minutes and then rub gently with wire wool.

19. SOS for contact lenses.
    If you have not got any natural saline handy, there is a simple solution, make your own. Dissolve a little coarse salt in a glass of boiled water.

20. Oil that "spits" from the frying pan.
    Get into the habit of putting a little fine salt in the bottom of the frying pan before you put any butter or other greasy substance in it. That way it won't "spit" while you are frying food.

21. More effective heating.
    Improve the performance of a radiator by sticking aluminium foil between the radiator and the wall with adhesive tape. The aluminium foil will reflect all the heat into the room.

22. No more ladders.
    Instead of stopping ladders in your tights with clear nail polish or dry soap, use hairspray. It is much less noticeable but just as effective.

23. Long term storage for paint.
    When paint is in contact with the air in the tin, a thick skin forms on top of it. If you want to keep a tin of paint that has been opened in store for a long time, place it upside down. That way it will not get a thick skin on top.

24. Revive a bouquet of flowers.
    A wilting bouquet of flowers will pick up and look fresh again if you cut the ends off the stalks and then put them in very hot water for a few minutes.

25. Bottles in boots.
    Soft boots don't stand up very well when they are empty and as time goes by creases form in the leather around the ankles. Get into the habit of putting a bottle into each boot before you put them away.