I put candle holders in the freezer to get rid of wax and I cut my SOS pads in half all the time.

Some of them I knew, but some I did not. Thanks for the info.

I do a lot of these. Don't cut my SOS pads though... I just buy the mini ones.

Now, how do I clean my Chrome Kitchen sink of Calcium Build Up? Anyone no?

After you've clean Silk Flowers with Salt spray them with Aerosol Hairspray. Makes them look like new.

"how do I clean my Chrome Kitchen sink of Calcium Build Up?

Soft Scrub Deep Clean Foaming Cleanser Spray....works amazingly well!!

happy_go_lucky_gayle
Chrome Kitchen Sink????? I have never seen such a thing. Most things chrome are really chromed. Chroming is an electroplating process on steel and will be subject to chipping and cracking easily. Getting a calcium buildup off chrome may be complicated since things like lime-away and CLR are not meant to be used on metals and could discolor them badly. Chrome is known to rust very quickly and the chrome on cars needs consant attention with polishing and protecting. I would assume any Auto Store would have chrome cleaners and polishes relativley inexpensive. I used wadded aluminim foil and rubbed the chrome bumpers on the car. The foil took off the dirt, little rusts pits/bumps and covered any scratches very well for a while but still needed to polish and protect very often.
Good luck with that .
CT

My late mother always put a pinch of sugar into corn and into peas.

I knew about the freezer for unwanted wax. Works for gum too. (Awkward if your kid has the gum in his hair though! LOL)

Don't spray *anything* on a light bulb while it's hot. (POP!) And, a tiny 'dab' is plenty.

Have actually *tried* the Dawn + warm water on icy pavement?

Thanks for the good ideas!

Does who ever wrote that have stock in the Alka-Seltzer company? The main ingredient in Alka-Seltzer is baking soda and all those things mentioned can be done with baking soda for the same results much cheaper. Four tablets to clean a Thermos? Three down a drain to clean it? Use baking soda and vinegar.

Also it is not a good idea to spray perfume on light bulbs. Doing this may cause them to shatter.

And........... boiling detergent in a pan will have you breathing toxic fumes. Not something I would want to do. If you do this silly trick using a nonstick pan the heat will cause a reaction with detergent and the non-stick coating and damage it, besides creating even worse toxic deadly fumes.

Twist ties are a good way to keep cords neat and they won't mold in a damp basement.

Plain chalk won't stop ants. I think the author of that article is confused by a product sold that is an insecticide in chalk form. It was banned due to the packaging because the chalk looked like common sidewalk/blackboard chalk and children played with it.

http://www.fortworthgov.org/dem/info/default.aspx?id=8222

Incecticide chalk can be sold with proper packaging. See here:

http://www.homeimprovementtime.com/idea_file/bug_control_Insecticide_275.asp

If you have ball point ink on your clothes, spray with aerosol hairspray before washing. It's a teacher's trick - I always had a small can of hairspray by the washer when I was teaching.

to make your stainless steel sink shine use lemon or orange oil. It gleams and smells good, too.

I tried the chalk line a while back--the ants apparently hadn't been told it was a 'do not cross' sign.

Alcohol is the best way I've found to clean windows.

Putting sugar in corn while cooking will add a little sweetness, but it makes the corn tougher. I just buy supersweet corn at the farm stands--it doesn't need sugar.

for cleaning vases with narrow necks, I break up a denture cleaning tablet or 2, drop in and add warm (not hot) water. Interestingly, when I took a pate de verre class (molding glass pieces from frit), the instructor--who was a nationally known glass artist also used the denture cleaner method for cleaning the plaster bits of the molds off the molded pieces.

Elmer's glue also works for splinters. Spread it on over the area, let dry and peel off the glue--the spinter usually comes with it.

Murphy's oil soap also works well on crayon marks if they're on something like wood.

Baking soda is my #1 go-to cleaner in the house. It takes those brown specks off frying pans and ranges, removes KoolAid and Grape juice stains from formica, safely scours surfaces that can't tolerate real cleanser or steel wool pads, it disinfects, deoderizes, is cheap, readily available... I buy it in 5 pound bags, and keep a decorative jar of it on my kitchen sink, since I use it pretty much every day.

I also cut my dryer softener sheets in half.

I was soooo hoping for the always workes..pet stain remover..guess there isn't one..I have tried most I've heard about. Getting rid of the dog isn't an option.

Peanut butter is a good way to get gum out of hair. My mom used it on us when we were kids.

Many of them I've heard of.

I had an envelope in the freezer to try and save the stamp----it didn't get cancelled in the mail. I was able to peel it off, but now I have to find some glue to use it on another envelope, so I guess it does work.

Using peanut butter on cd's will remove minor scratches.

DH uses ketchup and a bit of lemon juice to shine his cymbals of his drum kit. This is a good brass cleaner.

Azzalea, those are all great tips.

If you are having problem with ants I highly recommend Diatomaceous Earth. Believe me, the ants won't cross it because they will be dead trying.

It is non toxic. All it is is ground seashells. They are sharp and cut the ant's exoskeleton. I was skeptical when I first used it too. I found the window they seemed to be coming through and sprinkled it on the sill. In one day's time the DE was filled with ant carnage and those that did not die in it, only ran a short distance and then croaked. The scout ants must have seen the carnage and never returned and warned the herd never to darken my doorstep again, although I have read that some ants live long enough to bring the DE back to the nest where it continues killing. The stuff lasts forever. It cannot breakdown because it is not a chemical that can dissipate or convert to another form. It is so safe to use they put it in livestock feed. I gurarantee they will not cross Diatomaceous Earth.

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

HEY, I'VE BEEN DOING THAT ONE :O)

If the T P roll is too short ... maybe sticky-tape two rolls together ... or use a paper towel roll. If it's too long, one can cut it down.

Dad used to tell a story about a guy who said that if a rope was too short, he knew what to do - one could splice it easily. But if it were too long, he didn't quite know what to do about the problem.

Hope you're enjoying your weekend.

ole joyful

Instead of Alka Seltzer, I use a couple of generic brand denture cleaning tablets to clean the toilet. I guess that would work with vases as well.

For fabric softener sheets, I dilute an organic brand 10:1 in a spritz bottle, and use old, torn up sheets (about the size of store bought fab softener sheets). Spritz a sheet 6-8 times, throw in dryer. I've had a bottle of fabric softener last 1 1/2 years or more. I went to an organic all natural brand since everything I tried, sheets, liquid, etc. of the usual brands made me itch.

To disinfect a sponge, dampen it and nuke for 1-2 minutes.

Great tip about the diatomaceous earth!

If something sticks to pan, clean using teaspoon baking soda and bring to boil. Let cool and will clean right out. I've used the denture cleaner for toilets and it works.