Some Everyday Tips and Ideas From the Net..

I remember when there was no internet.  Hard to imagine now, isn't it?

I love Google.  And YouTube   And Pinterest...  I just love having all of this huge amount of information constantly and easily available - literally at our fingertips!

And from that humungous amount of often deeply valuable content out there...   I have chosen to share with you a few of the everyday tips and ideas I have most recently stumbled across and gathered together from the net.   None of these are original to me and I certainly haven't tried them all yet - but they sound and look pretty good I think.

(I haven't linked most of these to original sites because they seem to be ubiquitous and are generally un-credited.)

  

For a great remedy for sunburn:  soak some teabags in a small amount of hot/warm water until the water is almost black, and is cold.  Use a rag (you don't mind ruining), or one of the teabags itself, to apply the mixture to the sunburn - as soon as possible after the burn is sustained.  Don't wash it off, and preferably do another layer or two, or more, drying between coats.  This comes highly recommended!

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

To clean old (and crusty) baking sheets:  simply sprinkle with baking soda, then hydrogen peroxide, then more baking soda, spread over sheet and walk away and leave it for a while.  You should see a huge improvement when you wipe it over a couple of hours later!

http://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/2012/05/new-life-for-old-cookie-sheets-again.html

Baking soda is also great for cleaning your yucky oven glass (you know, when it gets all brown and caked on?).  Mix a 1/4 cup of baking soda with enough water to make a paste, spread it on the oven glass (and door, if needed).  Come back in 30 mins and wipe all the baked on grime away.

To get rid of pesky fruit flies: Half fill a small glass with apple cider vinegar and two drops of dishwashing liquid, then mix well.  Apparently the flies will be drawn to the cup and be gone forever!

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

Use long spaghetti strands to light hard-to-get-to candle wicks.

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

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, and then pull it off. Scotch tape removes most splinters painlessly and  easily. 

Spray a bit of perfume on the light bulb in any room to create 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. 

Use dental floss to cut soft cheeses and even cake.

Use Jelly powder on a cotton tip for a cheap and effective way to colour your lips.  This could also work with food colouring.

http://ic.pics.livejournal.com/a_illumination/25555137/2158/2158_320.jpg

Rub the cut edge of cheese to keep the cheese from getting moldy   

Make your own homemade ice-packs:  Mix one part of rubbing alcohol to three parts water, put into ziplock bag and freeze. It will get very cold by still mold to your body.  An alternative you can try is dish-washing liquid, also in a zip-lock bag.  (I'd probably put the first bag inside a second bag, just to be safe.)

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! 

Did you know that you can amplify your iPhone or iPod by placing it in a bowl?

Use a soft-drink tab to hang a picture.  They are surprisingly strong and sturdy.

Use hand sanitizer to remove ink stains.  Let it sit and soak for 10 minutes, then hot wash with your usual detergent and the stains should come out completely.  

Ants, ants, ants everywhere ... Well, they are said to never cross chalk line. So get your chalk out and draw a line on the floor or wherever ants tend to march.  (My sister also says that ants will not cross a line of talcum powder.)

Mix ground-up old eyeshadows with clear nail polish to make your own coloured nail polish.  

Add some saline solution to old mascara to give it a new lease on life.

This site has some great ideas for alternative uses for baby wipes.

To clean baked-on grease from cooking burners, place them in a zip-lock bag with 1/4 cup of ammonia and  then leave outside overnight, (to keep away from any escaping fumes).  Then wipe over for beautifully clean burners!

What do you like?

(If you are interested in more household tips and ideas, you might also like to read

 old posts, Homely Household Heroes and More Homely Household Heroes.)