Household Hints and Tips:-

Avoid Carpet Dents.   Scraps of carpet cut in to circles can be used to stop chairs and sofas from making dents. -- Veronica Smith LA

Zip Top Freezer Bags... Have difficulty getting them open? Take scissors and snip a fair sized "V" in one side of the top strip (don't cut into the 'sealer') and you will find it easy to gain access without the frustration. Also if you find it difficult to fill small freezer bags you might try putting them inside a measuring cup, folding a small flap down over the edges of the cup. Then it's easy to fill with foodstuffs and prevent the bag collapsing and the resultant spills. Same holds true for larger bags if you find a suitable sized bowl or can to place the bags in.  "shelly"

Airwick Scented Oil refills - Empty   Hi - when my Airwick scented oil refills are empty, instead of throwing them away, I put them in my lingerie drawer, handkerchief drawer, closet or linen cupboard. It makes everything smell divine, finishes off the last few drops of oil productively, makes a few less glass containers for the landfill and means I don't have to buy scented closet/drawer fresheners. Meg Gagie  London, Ontario, Canada   

Protect Your Pans - When stacking your pans you can prevent damage to the surface coating by inserting a paper towel or large paper plates between them. It will also prevent any remaining dampness from rusting cast-iron pans. "A good pan is hard to find" -- Anon

Subject: Repairing Burned Carpet
I have on occasion had to repair this problem. First cut away any brown area that has melted, then in a spot close to the wall clip some of the fabric. You then glue this on top of the burn spot. If done correctly with some patience this will work effectively to cover the burn with little to notice. -- Anon

Smelly Sponges: Regular cellulose kitchen sponges tend to get smelly, and the odor transfers onto your hands when you use the sponge. We have found that a spray of Febreeze (or any fabric odor remover, I would imagine) keeps that nasty odor away. -- ESD1

Hi, I am Ashwaty Nair From India. Recently I visited your site and I simply loved it. It is an extremely helpful and useful one. Here are a few handy hints from my side. Hope you'll accept them:

To bring back the fluffiness in bed pillows, put them in the clothes dryer. The warm air does wonders in just a few minutes.

If an electric plug fits too tight and is difficult to pull out, rub its prongs with a soft lead pencil.

To clean a candle stand especially a glass one, place it in the deep freezer for one hour. The wax will chip off more easily .

Sprinkle a little boric acid on bathroom tiles before washing for economical as well as sparkling results.

While shifting residence, pack crockery while it is still wet. This way, the chances of breakage will be less.

To remove obstinate ball point ink stains, rub the affected area with a cotton bud soaked in eue - de - cologne.

To eliminate beer stains from woollen outfits, scrub the affected area with a mixture of lukewarm water and salt. (be careful with salt as it can fix some stains -- Ed)

Thank You and bye for now !!!!! -- Ashwaty

Thanks Ashwaty -- Ed

Apply mineral oil over your shower doors and tile surface. That delays the mineral build-up in future use. -- Cameo

Ref 'hammering water pipes'. This is caused by a pressure build up of water in the pipes. The simplest solution is to turn down your water pressure at the stop-cock -- Alan Brighton   (English Bob)

Marks inside cups and mugs are caused by the metal cutlery abrading the glazing coating the service. Try an old fashioned remedy from an old fashioned man - toothpaste! (Betcha it works!) -- Alan -  

The whitening toothpaste usually contains alumina which is an abrasive. I suppose that if it safe on the teeth it has to be O.K. on cups etc -- Ed

I run vinegar through my dishwasher once a month and this prevents hard deposits from getting a head start. -- Good Luck, Patti - Seizetheday

Broken Glass: Use bread to pick up fragments of broken glass -- Vanessa Echols

Stuck finger rings? Use washing up liquid as a lubricant to remove stuck rings, I have seen it used to release a dog stuck in a rocky crevasse, alternatively use cooking or olive oil etc. -- Darryl Edwards

Squeaky floorboards can be eased by using French chalk or talcum powder – Jean

Faded carpets can be restored by hand painting using fabric dyes -- Tony Doran.

(A useful range of fabric dye pens is available from Dylon in the UK)

Musty Instrument cases: Damp Rid is wonderful for removing must. Damp Rid is designed to be used in the container it comes in, but this may be too big for the instrument case--you may have to improvise. Once you've shut the Damp Rid in the case, you should probably leave it there undisturbed for several weeks. If you open the case to take a peek to see how it's working, you will allow the case to fill back up with humid air & the Damp Rid will have to pull all of that new moisture out of the air. Be careful not to bump the case--as the Damp Rid absorbs moisture out of the air, it dissolves, leaving an orange liquid in the container -- Jeanne 

Daffodils: Don’t mix cut daffodils in with other cut flowers as the daffodils produce a toxin that kills off the other flowers. – Anon.

House Plants: If you have an aquarium, save the water each time you change it and water your house plants with it. You'll be amazed at the results. -- Andy P Smith (Wolfie)-- Nuneaton -- England " --  

Socks can be useful in protecting the ends of unused fluorescent tubes – Dave Ed

Use olive oil or other cooking oil to clean hands dirtied by engine oil -- Jean Ed.

A teaspoon in the glass will prevent it cracking when boiling water is poured -- Wendy Quinn, Hong Kong

Furniture

Rub a candle on the runners of a sticky desk drawer, it’s amazing how much of a difference it will make -- Darryl Edwards.