Figured it was time for more "hints" around the home!

Books Have A Musty Odor

Books that have not been stored properly can develop a musty smell. Examine to make sure they are totally dry; then sprinkle talcum powder or cornstarch in between the pages. Let sit for a couple of hours or overnight and gently brush off.

Visiting Grandbaby Bed

Your adult children are visiting and have brought their new baby. You, the grandparents, gave away the baby furniture years ago. Where to put a sleepy little bundle of joy? We found that little ones, up to 5 months, or until they roll over, do well in a dresser drawer. Just remove the drawer from the dresser, and of course empty out the contents. Line the drawer with a clean towel or folded sheet. Don't use pillows or multiple layers of soft bedding. Be sure the drawer is long enough for the length of the baby. Baby can now sleep on its back in a cozy, contained environment. New parents are at first shocked by this, but it works quite well.

Many grandparents have diabetes. Check for symptoms and helpful tips. www.diabetes-and-symptoms.com

Cleaning Moldy Shower Curtains

For a quick easy way to clean your plastic shower curtains, use your washer. Just unhook the curtain - the most time consuming part of this job. Put it in your washer with a couple of towels or rags. These will provide the friction needed to clean off the mold and soap scum. Add your regular washer detergent and wash on a gentle cycle with warm water. After washing, you can even put the curtain in your dryer for a short time at low heat. If you take it out while it is still warm, it will be easy to hang and you can flatten out the wrinkles.

Need Help Opening Bottles?

If you cannot get bottle caps to open easily, get out a trusty nutcracker to grip the bottle and then turn. It just may be the help you need.

Storing Important Family Information

Is your refrigerator the family bulletin board? In most families that's where the soccer schedule and monthly school calendar are posted. However, you often need to have handy access to more information than will attractively fit on a refrigerator. What's more, not all pertinent information lends itself to posting with a magnet.

As an alternative, store items in a single three-ring binder with the kind of dividers that have pockets for odd-shaped materials. Store this binder in a convenient spot, such as near the kitchen phone. In this binder, you can store not only school and sport schedules, but also the monthly schedule of events at your public library, concert or play-series schedules, activities at your swimming pool, or any information you regularly need.

- Peggy Clements

Dirty Plastic-Bristled Broom

Don't toss out an old plastic-bristled broom! You can clean it with an all-purpose cleaner. Spray well and let set for about a half hour. Rinse well. Hang to dry and always store with the bristle-side up.

I love to read in bed.

I love to read in bed. But my bedroom is the compact type and my 6 ft. 6 in. husband needs a king sized bed. Books and newspapers can go under the bed. But there isn't enough room for some night tables with reading lights. Our solution was to buy two standing gooseneck lamps and place them on either side of the bed. They can be bent to the right height or raised up straight to get them out of the way. Now both of us have good reading light and we can still fit around the bed in our room.

Storing Key Business Cards

Locating business cards from service people can take time. To keep them close at hand, staple into the inside flap of your telephone book. When you need them in an emergency, the numbers are easy to find.

Filling Large Vases With Flowers

Your favorite guy or gal presents you with elegantly tall flowers - roses, gladiolas, sunflowers, chrysanthemums. Your tall vase will hold them, but they just flop all over and won't stay in your artistic arrangement.

Why not take some florists tape and create a grid pattern by taping over the top of the vase in squares? You can then insert the flowers and greenery and it will stay where you put it. If green tape will show too much, select another tape in a more matching color. Remember, when arranging flowers, always start with the green filler and then arrange your blossoms. If you don't have filler, look in your own garden or on your trees.

You can grow flowers and greenery in containers. www.my-container-garden.com

Cluttered Cabinets

Do you shove kitchen containers onto a shelf and close the cabinet door quickly before they all fall out? Everyone has cabinets that need attention, but few of us have time for a major cleaning project.

Fortunately, it's a job that can be easily done. Start with the one cabinet in your kitchen that needs the most attention. Begin by taking everything out of the cabinet. If you use shelf paper, remove the old, clean the cabinet, and install fresh paper.

Next, get rid of anything you don't use. Then, re-evaluate how you'll store the remaining items, keeping in mind the 80/20 rule, meaning that you use 20% of your stuff 80% of the time. Give that 20% of your stuff prime, uncluttered, storage space. Put the rest somewhere else; such as in a high cabinet or on a basement shelf reserved for seldom-used kitchen items. This cabinet should contain only items you actually use. Arrange them so they're easy-to-retrieve and store.

- Peggy Clements

Storing Children's Artwork

Young children are prolific artists. Fortunately, when it comes to storing their art work, much of this work will eventually go into the recycling bin, with an intermediate stop on your refrigerator. However, there are some pieces that you and/or your child will want to save for posterity.

You can store these masterpieces using large art portfolios, 14" x 20" x 2". These are available at art supply stores for about $5.00. They're made of lightweight cardboard and have handles. Hang them on a hook in your children's rooms or on a hanger in their closets. When the portfolio is full, but not bulging, label it with the artist's name and the period enclosed; for instance, "Marie, The Preschool Years, 1992-1996". Portfolios can then be stored flat, in a relatively small space. For the sake of everyone involved, be judicious about how much material you save.

- Peggy Clements

Easy Way To Find Lost Hard Contact Lens

When you lose a hard contact lens at home, get out the vacuum cleaner. Cover the nozzle with old pantyhose, which will stop the lens from being sucked inside. Gently move the nozzle over the area where you think you dropped it.

New Life For Old Bed Pillows

Whenever I change my bed pillowcases, I am astounded at how stained the pillow covers have become. I am tempted to toss the old pillows out, but they can have a new life as throw pillows. Cut the pillow in half, if it is a king or queen size one. Reshape the stuffing to a shape and size you like. With a twin size pillow, cut the cover and reshape without cutting the filling.

Measure the reshaped pillow and make or buy a new pillow cover. I frequent a decorator fabric store that has wonderful remnants for as little as $1.00. With two remnants and a zipper I can make an attractive custom pillow. Aha! - and now I can buy brand new bed pillows.

www.laid-back-gifts.com

Slash Your Pizza Budget

Families spend tons of money on home-delivered pizza. It's easy to order, the pizza is nutritious, and most every family member loves it. However, there's a way to put pizza on the table that suits everybody's taste, for a fraction of the cost of home-delivered pizza.

The secret is to use frozen bread dough for crust, and assemble the pizza yourself. Thaw the dough ahead of time, either in the refrigerator overnight or at room temperature for three to five hours. Once the dough is thawed, spread it to cover your pizza pan. Pour on tomato sauce flavored with garlic or Italian seasonings, or spaghetti sauce, add your family's favorite pizza toppings, finishing with mozzarella cheese. You can add variety to your recipe by chopping up any fresh vegetables on hand.

Bake at 450 degrees on the bottom shelf of your oven for 10 minutes. You can create a great pizza for less than $3.00!

- Peggy Clements

Southwestern Log Ladders

If your home has a southwestern or rustic theme, consider a Kiva log ladder for your home. Not for climbing, it can be leaned against a bedroom wall to display Mexican or Indian blankets. Colorful quilts can be folded and draped over one of the rungs. Blankets are then immediately available in case the weather turns cold.

The ladders come in different heights and are usually aged in the sun. If you have particularly artistic or valuable blankets, the ladder could stand in a family room or living room. What a great and easy way to display your colorful treasures!

-- Anonymous, April 28, 2002

Answers

From kona!!!

I received this in my email today and thought I’d share it!

These are really cool tips print it out and keep it for reference.

CLEANING TIPS

1) Flies or bees bothering you? Spray them with hairspray and they will take a quick dive.

2) Sealed envelope - Put in the freezer for a few hours, then slide a knife under the flap. The envelope can then be resealed. (hmmmmmm...)

3) Use Empty toilet paper roll to store appliance cords. It keeps them neat and you can write on the roll what appliance it belongs to.

4) For icy door steps in freezing temperatures: get warm water and put Dawn dishwashing liquid in it. Pour it all over the steps. They won't refreeze. (wish I had known this for the last 60 years!)

5) Crayon marks on walls? This worked wonderfully! A damp rag, dipped in baking soda. Comes of with little effort (elbow grease that is!).

6) Permanent marker on appliances/counter tops (like store receipt BLUE!) rubbing alcohol on paper towel.

7) Whenever I purchase a box of S.O.S Pads, I immediately take a pair of scissors and cut each pad into halves. After years of having to throw away rusted and unused and smelly pads, I finally decided that this would be much more economical. And now a box of S.O.S pads last me indefinitely! In fact, I have noticed that the scissors get sharpened this way!

8.) Opening brand new jars can be a feat in itself. Well, I have found a way to make it the easiest thing to do. Instead of banging a jar of jam, pickles, etc., with a knife until it loosens up, I simply reach into the drawer and pull out the handy nutcracker. It adjusts to the size of the jar and I simply give it a good twist and off pops the lid!

9) Blood stains on clothes? Not to worry! Just pour a little peroxide on a cloth and proceed to wipe off every drop of blood. Works every time!

10) Use vertical strokes when washing windows outside and horizontal for inside windows. This way you can tell which side has the streaks. Straight vinegar will get outside windows really clean. Don't wash windows on a sunny day. They will dry too quickly and will probably streak.

11) Spray a bit of perfume on the lightbulb in any room to create a lovely light scent in each room when the light is turned on. Place fabric softener sheets in dresser drawers and your clothes will smell freshly washed for weeks to come. You can also do this with towels and linen.

12) Candles will last a lot longer if placed in the freezer for at least 3 hours prior to burning.

13) To clean artificial flowers, pour some salt into a paper bag and add the flowers. Shake vigorously as the salt will absorb all the dust and dirt and leave your artificial flowers looking like new! Works like a charm!

14) To easily remove burnt on food from your skillet, simply add a drop or two of dish soap and enough water to cover bottom of pan, and bring to a boil on stovetop.

15) Spray your Tupperware with nonstick cooking spray before pouring in tomato based sauces and there won't be any stains.

16) When a cake recipe calls for flouring the baking pan, use a bit of the dry cake mix instead and there won't be any white mess on the outside of the cake.

17) Wrap celery in aluminum foil when putting in the refrigerator and it will keep for weeks.

18.) When boiling corn on the cob, add a pinch of sugar to help bring out the corn's natural sweetness.

19) Cure for headaches: Take a lime, cut it in half and rub it on your forehead. The throbbing will go away.

20) Don't throw out all that leftover wine: Freeze into ice cubes for future use in casseroles and sauces.

21) To get rid of itch from mosquito bites, try applying soap on the area and you will experience instant relief.

22) Ants, ants, ants everywhere ... Well, they are said to never cross a chalk line. So get your chalk out and draw a line on the floor or wherever ants tend to march. See for yourself.

23) Use air-freshener to clean mirrors. It does a good job and better still, leaves a lovely smell to the shine.

24) When you get a splinter, reach for the scotch tape before resorting to tweezers or a needle. Simply put the scotch tape over the splinter, then pull it off. Scotch tape removes most splinters painlessly and easily.

25) Now look what you can do with Alka Seltzer.

* Clean a toilet. Drop in two Alka Seltzer tablets, wait twenty minutes, brush and flush. The citric acid and effervescent action clean vitreous China.

* Clean a vase. To remove a stain from the bottom of a glass vase or cruet, fill with water and drop in two Alka Seltzer tablets.

* Polish jewelry. Drop two Alka Seltzer tablets into a glass of water and immerse the jewelry for two minutes.

* Clean a thermos bottle. Fill the bottle with water, drop in four Alka Seltzer tablets, and let soak for an hour (or longer, if necessary).

* Unclog a drain. Clear the sink drain by dropping three Alka Seltzer tablets down the drain followed by a cup of Heinz White Vinegar. Wait a few minutes, then run the hot water.

Do your friends a favor. Pass this timely (and some not-so-timely) information on to a friend or two.

-- Anonymous, April 28, 2002

My dad, who once worked for a china/crystal importer, told me that you should NEVER wash Waterford vases--or put flowers in them! Me, the practical one, asked, "But why have a vase if you can't put flowers in it?" "It's for decoration, gel." Apparently, the final polishing of the crystal involves jeweler's rouge and there is a fine coating of it on all Waterford, and probably other good crystal too. I guess you could polish your own with jeweler's rouge after washing (i.e., glasses or platters), but with vases you might want to insert a plain glass vase into the Waterford crystal to preserve its beautiful refractory qualities. By the way, if there are tiny bubbles in your Waterford or other fine crystal, don't be upset--it's a mark of fine high-lead crystal, can't be made without it.

Me? I have some Mikasa and other stuff but that's as "fine" as it gets around here! No Waterford, Orrefors or Baccarat. In fact, I prefer Lucite because I tend to knock things over a lot.

P.S. No. 20 up there. There are people who have leftover wine? Really? Wow! Fancy that!

-- Anonymous, April 28, 2002

The suggestion of putting towels into the washer with the moldy shower curtain was a new one to me. Thanks!

-- Anonymous, April 29, 2002

No leftover wine at my house.

-- Anonymous, April 29, 2002

Oh SAR!!!!

Can you find me a way to keep scorpions out of the house?

apoc

-- Anonymous, April 29, 2002

apoc, I wish you'd make up your mind. I thought you wanted the scorpions out of your garden!!

-- Anonymous, April 29, 2002

Brooks,

I just want the scorpions out! Out of the house, out of the garden. Out of my life.

I've started to have nightmares of scorpions dropping on me while I sleep. The spiders are bad too, but I can step on them easier.

apoc

-- Anonymous, April 29, 2002

yes! MOVE!!!!!!

hehehehe!!!

-- Anonymous, April 29, 2002

SAR,

Now that I have found as close to my dream home without building myself, there is no way in heck I'm going to move just because of a few scorpions. I guess I'll just have to make sure that I don't walk barefoot (which I love to do).

-- Anonymous, April 29, 2002