Notabilia

Miscellaneous

Nifty Knacks

551 through 575

551. Painting hard-to-reach places.
     When you have to paint ceilings or other places that are difficult to reach, instead of using a roller, use an old, sponge, floor mop. It's a lot easier; and fast, too.

552. Getting paint drips off easily.
     Before painting doors or wooden furniture, put paraffin oil on the handles. It will make it easy to get paint drips off afterwards.

553. White vinegar for removing scale.
     There is no need to heat it. Even when cold, it is very good for descaling. It is natural and economical.

554. White vinegar for descaling taps.
     To remove scale marks from a wash-basin tap, soak an old cotton sock in vinegar, wrap it round the tap and leave overnight. In the morning you will only need to give the tap a wipe.

555. White vinegar to get scale off the shower head.
     To get scale off the shower head, soak an old T-shirt in vinegar, cover the scale marks with it and leave overnight. Then rinse off.

556. Descaling the coffee-maker with white vinegar.
     When you want to descale the boiler, fill it up with water and vinegar and leave for a few hours. Rinse carefully to get rid of every trace of scale.

557. White spirits.
     A piece of kitchen paper dampened with white spirits will clean up anything that has gone dull (it is a good idea to protect your hands with gloves). It will get rid of grease from the cooker, utensils and plasticware. Use it to clean the television screen, lamps, the video, radio, telephone, sockets and all glazed surfaces such as tiles. Keep away from open flames and sparks.

558. Grease marks on shirts.
     To get grease marks off shirts, rub them with washing-up liquid on a small brush and then wash in the washing machine.

559. Cleaning velvet.
     Before cleaning velvet with a clothes brush, rub it with a little salt.

560. Cleaning the bath tub and tiles.
     The synthetic body buffers that are often given away free with shower gel, are excellent for cleaning the bath and tiles. They are very soft and do not scratch.

561. When you run out of detergent.
     If you run out of detergent for washing delicates, use a little shampoo. Your clothes will turn out soft and will smell lovely.

562. Fertilizer for your plants.
     Used tea bags are very good fertilizer for plants.

563. Drying slim jars and glasses.
     To dry slim jars and glasses, put a rolled up piece of kitchen paper in them. The kitchen paper will soak up the water that you can't reach.

564. Soft hands after washing up with gloves on.
     Before putting on your gloves to do the washing up, rub some nourishing cream into your hands. The hot water will help the cream to penetrate and your hands will stay soft.

565. Freshen up leaves on plants.
     The leaves on your plants will look a lot fresher if you spray them with a mixture of water and beer.

566. Dusting made easy.
     Putting old cotton socks on your hands makes it a lot easier to dust the furniture, especially the backs of dining chairs, and polished surfaces.

567. Shining shoes.
     You can apply shoe polish and shine shoes with old cotton socks.

568. Polishing metal objects.
     You can polish door handles and other metal accessories on doors or furniture with old cotton socks.

569. Cleaning very dirty things.
     Old cotton T-shirts are very good for cleaning a variety of objects, especially when they are very dirty. They can be used wet or dry.

570. Polishing furniture.
     Old cotton T-shirts are excellent for polishing furniture.

571. Cleaning up plant pots.
     Old cotton T-shirts can be used to clean up plant pots.

572. Clean up with a toothbrush.
     Old toothbrushes are excellent for cleaning jewellery, taps and small objects made of glass, metal or plastic. They are also good for cleaning the rubber seals round fridge and freezer doors.

573. Dusting crevices.
     Brushes in a variety of sizes are excellent for dusting difficult places, crevices and carved objects.

574. Avocados ready to eat.
     Avocados ripen faster if they are placed in a bowl full of flour. Test with a toothpick. If it goes in easily, the avocado is ready to eat.

575. Banish mould from the bathroom.
     Banish mould from the grouting round your bathroom tiles by rubbing regularly with vinegar. Acidic conditions prevent mould forming.