Notabilia

Miscellaneous

Nifty Knacks

376 through 400

Back to where you came from. The same text in Greek.

  1. Cleaning a burnt oven.
    Whenever anything burns onto the inside of your oven, put some salt on it straight away. When the oven cools down, a wipe with a damp cloth will remove the burnt food easily.

  2. Make a salad crispy.
    A limp salad will soon come crispy again if you put it in a salad bowl full of cold water with the juice of half a lemon in it and leave it in the fridge for half an hour.

  3. Soft wool.
    When you wash woollen knitwear by hand, there's no need to be very thorough with the rinsing. A hint of wool shampoo left in wool makes it softer.

  4. A clean telephone.
    Give your telephone a clean up with pure spirits. It will look brand new again.

  5. Softening wool fibres.
    So you've washed a woollen sweater in water that was too hot? Put it in a bowl of tepid water with a little hair shampoo in it. This sometimes softens the fibres in wool enough for the sweater to regain its original shape. There is no guarantee this will work, but it is well worth a try!

  6. Cleaning narrow-necked vases.
    To clean a narrow-necked vase, wet it, put some toilet cleanser in it and leave it for ten (10) minutes. All the stains will disappear.

  7. Spotless collars and cuffs.
    If you want shirt collars and cuffs to turn out really clean, put some shampoo on the dirtiest parts before you put them in the washing machine. Shampoo gets rid of the natural grease that the body produces.

  8. Chewing gum in children's hair.
    When your children get chewing gum stuck in their hair, rub a little hand or skin cream into their hair and then rub down plenty of times with a dry towel.

  9. Sharpen a pair of scissors.
    Sharpen a pair of kitchen scissors by cutting aluminium foil with them.

  10. Straighten the fibres in clothes.
    Are your clothes creased up? Hang them from the shower curtain rail in the bathroom, run the hot tap, and shut the window and door. Steam penetrates fabrics and straightens the fibres. This is particularly handy to know when you are travelling.

  11. Cleaning canvas shoes.
    Clean espadrilles and other canvas shoes with an old toothbrush dipped in carpet shampoo.

  12. Keeping children's things tidy.
    Do your children leave their things all over the house and the balconies? Buy each child a basket on wheels, like the ones we use for vegetables. They will be able to put their things in the basket and cart them around with them.

  13. When the zip on lightweight trousers comes undone.
    If the zip on your lightweight trousers keeps coming undone, fasten some strong thread to the metal tab, make it into a loop and hook the loop over the button when you do the zip up.

  14. Pairing up odd socks.
    Put all the odd socks that are left over when the washing is done into a bag. When the bag is full, ask the children to pair them up. It's a nice game for them and it saves you time.

  15. Looking after your suitcase in winter.
    Before you put your suitcase or travelling bag away, go over it with clear wax polish to keep the leather in good condition. Pay particular attention to metal fittings (zips, buckles and such like) and next time you need it, it will be in good condition.

  16. The contents of your freezer.
    Do you have trouble working out what you've got in the freezer? Make a list of the contents, stick it on the freezer door and cross things off as you use them.

  17. Mini jam pots.
    Don't throw mini jam pots away. They're just the job for putting hand cream in when you go away for a weekend.

  18. Improvise a travelling bag.
    When you need to carry clothes and you haven't got a suitcase, put them inside a jacket. When the jacket is done up it serves as a travelling bag.

  19. A nice vase of flowers.
    For a nice vase of flowers in summer, put pebbles or coloured marbles in the bottom of the vase and use them to hold the flowers in place.

  20. Dirty marks on the fridge door.
    You will have no more dirty marks from fruit juice or other soft drinks on the door of the refrigerator if you cover the door with cling film. You can easily take it off later.

  21. Getting ready for a holiday.
    Before you go away on holiday, make a list of all the things you must not forget to take with you. Keep the list by you. You can use it to check that you have got everything before you set off.

  22. Improvise a watering system.
    There is no need to spend money on a watering system to ensure that your indoor plants survive while you are away. Fill a bucket with water and cut an old pair of tights in two. Put the panty end in the bucket of water and the toe end in the plant pot. The capillary attraction will keep the soil moist.

  23. Keep ants at bay.
    Keep ants out of your kitchen by sprinkling a little talcum powder across the doorway.

  24. No cost air fresheners.
    Don't spend money on air fresheners. Take advantage of fresh, sweet smelling herbs when they are in season. Put posies of them in small vases. Even when they dry out they will still give off a delicate fragrance.

  25. Don't risk losing everything when travelling.
    When you are travelling by plane, share suitcases. Put some of everybody's belongings in every suitcase. That way nobody risks losing all their belongings.