Twenty-five Hints for Easy Living

I love collecting helpful hints, whether it’s from “Hints from Heloise” or, in the cases included here, the power company or those terrific women’s magazines.  When I find one that is especially helpful, I pass it along to friends, neighbors and relatives.  Building up a group who exchange helpful hints makes housework easier and less time consuming.

From Woman’s Day, on a 3″ x 6″ card, came the following extraordinary uses for ordinary items:

• Safety pins – these are like little pieces of gold, since they show up so seldom in today’s throw away world.  They are not just for holding a ripped hem together any more.  To keep your skirt from sticking to your tights or pantyhose (hate when that happens) or slacks from clinging to silk socks, attach a small pin inside either your slip, skirt lining or the hem of your slacks.  The metal conducts electricity and diverts the static.
• As a young wife, I bought all the towels sets in the same color or pattern.  As the babies were born and grew old enough to take care of their own baths, I added buttons to the towel corners – a different color for each person.  It was a delight to see this helpful hint stood the test of time.
• Is anyone in your family a bit overweight?  Instead of slashing the amount of food, try having them use chopsticks to eat.  This process takes longer and the person fills up sooner without feeling deprived.
• Hate it when I reach for the celery or carrots or similar veggies only to discover they are no longer crisp and crunchy.  This is especially true if I’ve cut them into bite sized pieces for snacking.  A container lined with coffee filters solved the problem, as the filters wick away the moisture.
• Spaghetti? What can be done with spaghetti other than cooking it for a meal?  How about a table centerpiece?  Take a few bundles of dry pasta, secure together with a rubber band (not too tight).  Then fan the bottom and top and secure with a pretty ribbon or raffia.  Stand in the center of your table and decorate around it with fruits and veggies of the season.
• Running out of jewelry cleaner is not a disaster, as long as there is toothpaste and a soft toothbrush in the house.  Cover the bristles of the toothbrush with toothpaste and dampen with water.  Brush the jewelry gently and rinse with warm water.
• No shaving cream?  Use olive oil as a substitute.  It not only smooths the process, it makes legs and underarms soft and conditions the razor blade.
• Tennis balls, aside from being great as dog toys, are also handy to keep a bike steadier when the kickstand is on an uneven surface, such as gravel.  Punch a hole in the ball and stick on the end of the kickstand.

Our power company sends a letter each month with helpful hinds for saving energy and money each season of the year.

• Set the thermostat at 68 degrees or lower during the day and even lower at night.  To survive this, dress warmly and stay comfortable.
• Close fireplace dampers after the fire is out.
• Close garage doors to keep out the cold wind.
• Open drapes and blinds on sunny days to let in the sun’s warmth.
• Replace old caulk and weatherstripping around doors and windows.
• Use ceiling fans in reverse mode to push hot air from the ceilings down to the occupied areas of the room.
• Seal around wiring and plumbing penetrations to stop air leaks.
• Install a storm door to create a pocket of insulated air between the door and storm door, helping to reduce heat loss.
• Have the heating system professionally serviced annually to keep it running at top efficiency.
• Wrap the electric water heater with an insulating blanket to keep in the heat.
• Insulate attics, crawl spaces and unheated basements to keep out the cold.

From my own stash, comes a hodgepodge of hints:

• Toothpicks are wonderful tools for removing grease and gunk from tight areas in the kitchen.
• Steel wool pads around plumbing pipes coming into the house, keeps out rodents that often use that path to invade homes.
• Paint brushes make wonderful make shift brooms for countertops and small dry spills.
• To remove ink from leather furniture, use a soft cloth and hand sanitizer.  Costs less than most leather cleaners and works better.  Rinse and dry after cleaning.
• Vinegar cleans windows better than any commercial product.
• This one I saw online, tried it and it worked.  If a pan has burned on food in the bottom, cover the bottom with hot water, add a couple of drops of dish liquid and one laundry softener sheet.  Let set for an hour.  Voila, the burn is gone.  If a bit is still left, repeat.

Form a group of friends who enjoy finding ways to use ordinary items in extraordinary ways.  It is amazing how many have little hints to pass along.