Miscellaneous
Nifty Knacks
476 through 500
Revive
cheese.
What
can you do with a little piece of dry left-over cheese? Dip a clean white cloth in
vinegar and wring it out. Leave the cheese wrapped in the cloth for a few hours.
It will regain its original taste and texture.
Clean
the base of the iron.
Let
the iron cool down and then clean the base by spreading a thin layer of toothpaste
on it and rubbing with a soft cloth.
Crispy
biscuits.
Two
sugar cubes left in the biscuit box will keep biscuits and baton chalets crispy.
Finding
tiny objects.
You
can find a contact lens, the butterfly of an earring or any tiny object more easily
if you put the toe of a pair of tights over the nozzle of the vacuum cleaner and
switch on. Tiny objects will get trapped on the tights.
Peeled
potatoes that don't discolour.
Put
a slice of bread in the water with the potatoes and they won't discolour.
Rust
marks on saucepans.
Get
rust marks off saucepans by rubbing first with wirewool and then with half a raw
onion.
Get
rid of cobwebs.
You
can get rid of cobwebs without touching them if you sweep them up with a feather
duster. Then simply shake the feather duster out of a window.
Marks
on wooden furniture.
Get
marks off wooden furniture by rubbing with a cloth impregnated with a little olive
oil.
No
more marks on wallpaper.
Wrap
up the legs and ends of your ladder so it doesn't leave marks on the wallpaper.
Banish
paint smells.
Get
rid of the smell of paint by leaving a bowl of salt in the room overnight.
Protect
the floor.
An
old plastic tablecloth makes a good floor protector when you are painting or steam
cleaning the balcony furniture.
Carrying
tools easily.
Carry
tools, screws and nails easily. Put them in a bum bag strapped round your waist.
So
your paint doesn't go dry.
When
you need a break from painting but are worried that the paint may go dry, cover the
roller and container with cling film. They will stay in tip top condition for hours.
No
more bubbles under wallpaper.
Dry
wallpaper with a hairdrier and bubbles won't form under it.
No
more paint on window panes.
Before
you start painting a window frame, go round the edges of the window pane with soap,
then paint will not stick to it.
Important
telephone numbers.
So
you don't have to search for important telephone numbers, write them all clearly on
a card and put it in a small photograph frame by the telephone.
No
more rust marks on shelves or floors.
To
stop the various containers you keep on shelves or the floor leaving rust marks,
wrap them in cling film and keep it in place with an elastic band.
Read
labels easily.
Keep
a pair of reading glasses handy in the kitchen and another pair in the bathroom so
you can read the labels on boxes and bottles more easily.
An
original jewellery holder.
Make
an original jewellery holder. Paint the rim of a small strainer gold with spray paint
and hang your earrings from the mesh. It is both practical and attractive.
Banish
fish and other cooking smells.
Banish
fish and other cooking smells. Put a few drops of vanilla in a small saucepan and
heat for a minute.
Don't
forget your medicine.
Keep
medication that you take on a daily basis next to the coffee tin. That way you definitely
won't forget to take it.
Hide
tiny holes in fine curtains.
You
can hide tiny holes in curtains with a little colourless nail polish. Simply apply
a little to the parts that have been torn.
Dirty
marks on synthetic upholstery.
A
solution of white vinegar and lukewarm water will get dirty marks off synthetic upholstery.
Separate
stuck photographs easily.
Sliding
dental floss between two photographs that are stuck together will separate them without
damaging them.
Stop
soap making a mess.
Stand
bars of soap on an upturned nail brush and liquid soap dispensers on a coloured sponge.
That way they won't make a mess.