The Happy House Hangout

Your Garden

Some do not want to use newspapers in their compost pile because of the ink chemicals found in the newspapers. But you can use them around your ornamental plants. On freshly raked ground around your plants, spread the newspapers a few pages thick. Then water thoroughly with a garden hose. Then cover with a layer of organic mulch. This will prevent weeds from emerging and as it decomposes it will add nutrients to your soil.

Ants

Mix baking soda with icing sugar to bait/kill ants.. they will come to eat the icing sugar and the baking soda will scratch/kill them... natural, no chemicals and apparently works almost as well as those ones you buy from the store.

Portable Fan

First unplug before cleaning. Vacuum dust off the grill of the fan using the brush attachment. Use a hair dryer (on cool setting) to blow the dust off of the blades. If you can remove the grill, clean the blades with a household cleaner and a cloth. Replace grill and let it dry.

Dirty Patio Door Tracks?

Wrap a terry cloth towel or rag around the end of a screwdriver. Then spray with an all purpose cleaner. Then make several passes along the track to clean it.

Contact Paper

Stuck Contact Paper? Wave a hair dryer set on warm back and forth for a few seconds about 6 inches away fromt he paper. The adhesive will then loosen, and you can pull the contact paper up with little effort.

Hardwood Floors

Crayon on your hard wood floors? Apply ice to freeze, then crack into little pieces and scrape them away with a wooden pop stick or your fingernail.

Vinyl Wallpaper

When finger smudges are found on your vinyl wallpaper, gently rub with an art eraser. This should remove the smudges.

Candle Wax on Wood Surfaces:

First way: Soften the wax with a blow dryer for several seconds. Then wipe off with paper towels. Second way: Use a stiff piece of cardboard to scrape off in the direction of the grain.

VINEGAR

Spot-cleaning poop, mud, etc. from your dog's fur
GREAT for shining your sink!!!! Put a little on a damp rag and polish. No streaks.
Use vinegar and water in your Hoover Floor Cleaner for a natural floor cleaning with no residue.
Wash your smooth-top stove, do a once-over with vinegar on a rag to make sure all the soap is off.
Any time you want to make sure there is no soap residue, vinegar does the trick! For example, after cleaning out your tub, do a vinegar rinse.

Towels Gotten Stiff?
This could be attributed to a detergent buildup or washer overload. Use less detergent, hotter water and wash fewer towels in each load to solve this problem. To get rid of detergent buildup, wash towels in a separate load of hot
water and baking soda. Add a cup of white vinegar to the rinse water.

Rust Stains

To remove rust stains in your sink or bathtub, pour hydrogen peroxide on the rust and a sprinkle of cream of tartar. Let sit for 30 minutes, then clean with cloth or sponge. If you have let the rust get really bad, repeat the process.

Ring Around the Collar

To pretreat ring-around-the-collar, apply a mixture of equal parts water and regular oil free shampoo. Throw it in the washing machine, and the rest is history!

Potpourri

Make Your Own Potpourri: Put 2 cups of rose petals, 2 cups of mint, 2 cups of rosemary, 1/2 cup of whole allspice, 4 cinnamon sticks and two whole cloves. Put these in a big jar and let sit for a week. You can then add some to a simmering pot.

When cleaning with bleach - WEAR WHITE!!!

I just ruined one of my favorite red shirts with just a tiny splash of bleach that

splashed up at me when I poured it into the water.

Kill cockroaches -
Mix equal parts Corn Starch and plaster of Paris. Sprinkle the mixture in cracks and crevices. Cockroaches will eat the mixture and "petrify."<o:p></o:p>

Cure athlete's foot -
Sprinkle Corn Starch on your feet and in your shoes to absorb moisture and reduce friction.<o:p></o:p>

Relieve sunburn pain -
Add enough water to Corn Starch to make a paste, and apply directly to the burn.<o:p></o:p>

Clean a carpet -
Sprinkle Corn Starch on the carpet, wait thirty minutes, then vacuum clean.<o:p></o:p>

Clean blood stains -
Immediately cover the spot with a paste of Corn Starch and cold water. Rub gently, place the object in the sun until dry to draw the blood into the corn starch, then brush off. Repeat if necessary.<o:p></o:p>

Make spray starch for clothing -
Mix one tablespoon Corn Starch and one pint cold water. Stir to dissolve the corn starch completely. Fill a spray bottle and use as you would any starch. Be sure to shake vigorously before each use.<o:p></o:p>

Substitute for baby powder and talcum powder -
Apply Corn Starch sparingly when diapering a baby. Corn Starch is actually more absorbent than talcum powder, but apply lightly since it does cake more readily.<o:p></o:p>

Help rubber gloves slip on easily -
Sprinkle Corn Starch inside the gloves.<o:p></o:p>

Shine your car -
When buffing your car, sprinkle a tablespoon of Corn Starch on the wipe rag to remove excess polish easily.<o:p></o:p>

Prevent or kill mildew in damp books -
Sprinkle Corn Starch throughout the book to absorb the moisture from damp pages, wait several hours, then brush clean. If the pages are mildewed, brush the corn starch off outdoors to keep mildew
spores out of the house.<o:p></o:p>

Detangle knots -
Sprinkle a stubborn knot with a little Corn Starch.<o:p></o:p>

Make finger paints -
Mix one-quarter cup Corn Starch with two cups cold water, boil until thick, pour into small containers, and color with McCormick or Schilling Food Coloring.<o:p></o:p>

Absorb excess polish from furniture -
After polishing furniture, sprinkle on a little Corn Starch and rub wood with a soft cloth.<o:p></o:p>

Clean silver -
Make a paste with Corn Starch and water. Apply with a damp cloth, let dry, then rub off with cheesecloth. <o:p></o:p>

Remove grease or oil stains from smooth fabric -
Apply Corn Starch to the spot, wait twelve hours, brush off, then launder as usual.<o:p></o:p>

Clean stuffed animals -
Rub Corn Starch into the toy, let stand for five minutes, then brush off.<o:p></o:p>

Prevent pastry dough from sticking to the cutting board and rolling pin -
Sprinkle the cutting board and rolling pin with tasteless Corn Starch before rolling out the dough.<o:p></o:p>

Clean a deck of playing cards -
Place the deck of cards into a paper bag, adding four tablespoons Corn Starch, and shake briskly. Remove the cards from the bag and wipe clean.<o:p></o:p>

Soothe skin irritations -
Apply a paste made of equal parts Corn Starch, zinc oxide, and castor oil.<o:p></o:p>

Thicken gravy -
Corn starch has twice the thickening power of flour. When a gravy, sauce, soup, or stew recipe calls for flour, use half as much corn starch to thicken. One tablespoon of corn starch equals two tablespoons flour.<o:p></o:p>

Old Magazines

Magazines piling up around the house? Consider gathering them all up and taking them to local doctor or dentist offices. Places you go and of course there is only men’s magazines, or ones that don’t interest you a bit. That way, when you go again, you could pick up a magazine that you’d like to perhaps reread while waiting. However, before taking them anywhere, if they are mailed to you, cut out the address and name from them.

Chapstick:

can stop bleeding while shaving
prevent corrosion by smearing on battery cable terminals
lubricate a zipper
help remove a stuck ring on your finger
shine your shoes

Headaches

For a throbbing headache, take a lime and cut it in half and rub on your forehead. It should ease up the pain. **(please note- I have not tried this myself)**

Sunburns

For a sunburn, soak in a tub of vinegar and water. It will help take the sting out of the burn.

Bathtub

Clean your bathtub with baking soda. Use this instead of harsh chemicals. Remember little ones often drink the water in a tub. You can sprinkle baking soda on the tub and then use a spray bottle filled with vinegar and spary it onto the baking soda giving you instant "scrubbing bubbles".

Storage Containers

To help you easily find out what you have in all of the storage containers that everyone has in their basements and attics, type up what's in each box and place the list in a Fed Ex envelope (the clear adhesive kind), and stick it to the front of the container so you don't have to lift all the lids to see what's in it.

Pet/Smoking Odors

Mix 5 parts water and 1 part white vinegar and put into a spritz bottle. Then just spritz through the house. It doen’t make it real scenty, but does get rid of obnoxious odors.

Lost Appliances Manuals?

If these have disappeared, you can call 1-800-555-1212 to obtain the manufacturer's customer service number or information. Many have toll-free numbers or you can visit their Websites.

Clean while you sleep!

Pour a cup of bleach into the toilet and close the lid. Also cover the bottom of the tub with water and pour in a cup of bleach, close the door, and go to bed! When you wake in the morning, flush the toilet and drain the tub! Presto! 2 jobs done at once!

Microwave Splatters

To prevent splatters in your microwave, use a paper plate to cover the item that you are heating. It blocks the splatters from going all over the microwave.

Permanent marker

Permanent marker on your counter tops? Try a little rubbing alcohol on a soft cloth and rub the stain. Should clean it up.

Carpet Stains

Try Barbasol shaving cream to lift stains from your carpets.

Red Wine Stains

If you spill red wine on your tablecloth, sprinkle the stain with table salt. The salt will absorb the red wine and prevent staining.

Easy Oven Cleaning

In order to not use harsh, environmentally dangerous sprays to clean your oven, use ammonia and water. Set your oven on warm for about 20 minutes, then turn it off. Place a small dish with full strength ammonia on the top shelf. Place a large pan of boiling water on the bottom shelf. Let both sit overnight. The next morning, open the oven and let it air a little while then wash the inside surfaces with soap and water. Everything should wash off easily.

Smudges

Use an art eraser to remove any dirty smudges from the wall surface. This trick also works well for sneaker marks on the floor.

Quick Burgers

Put a hole in the center of your burger the next time you cook burgers and they will cook extra fast!

Staircase Corners

To clean the corners on a staircase, put on a rubber dishwashing glove and rub your fingertip along the crevice. This will ball up all the hair and junk that your vacuum won't reach. A glove also works as well as a lint brush to get pet hair off the backs of couches, chairs etc.

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