As most of you know, back in October I wrote a post called 'Did You Know' full of random tips and tricks. To be honest I didn't think that post would get very many views if any at all. I kind of felt silly posting it and I almost deleted the whole post.
I'm one of those people that is usually the last to know about anything, the last one to join the latest trend, and the last one to get the joke.
Yep, that's me. I bust out laughing 20 minutes after the joke was told, long after everyone else has forgotten about it. Then everyone is staring at me like I'm some sort of freak. Of course I'm laughing so hard that I can't breath much less tell them what I am laughing about.
PLEASE tell me I'm not the only one here.
This does happen to other people right?
After I finally made up my mind to just go ahead and post it, I was surprised to see how many people didn't know this stuff (Yay, I'm not the only one who was completely clueless!!)
The first few weeks it received about as much traffic as most of my other posts. Then something amazing happened. Not sure why or how but all of a sudden towards the end of November (over a month after I wrote the post) It started getting traffic like crazy. I was beyond thrilled!! Not because I was receiving more traffic, but because for once I wasn't the last one on earth to know about something!!!
Yay for me!!!
Not only that but people actually started leaving comments including even more amazing tips and tricks.
Because of this, I decided to share the rest of my wonderful findings with you!!
Are you excited to learn even more tricks?!! I bet you are! But don't get too excited because I've got more. After starting 'Did you Know - Round Two' I realized that there are way to many great ideas out there to be contained into two posts. YES!!! I will be doing ANOTHER 'Did You Know' in fact I already started it. Who knows, there may even be a fourth or fifth
If you would like to keep updated these posts will be posted to my Facebook page, Twitter and Google + You can also sign up to get my posts sent directly to your e-mail. Just look for the 'Follow by E-mail' section in my side bar (next to my Facebook feed)
(You can find more info about each of the following links by clicking on the 'source' link below each picture)
*Update - Now there is also a 'Did You Know - Round Three'
*Update - Now there is also a 'Did You Know - Round Three'
1. You can actually WEAR milk!! Milk (yes, real milk from cows) can be turned into a fiber which in turn can be made into beautiful clothing.
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2. You can refill your swiffer wet jet. I came up with this idea months ago! However, slipping a butter knife under the cap and trying to pop it off is a lot harder than it sounds. Lucky I found a simpler solution. Two solutions to be exact. The simpler one being to soak the cap in hot water to soften it. Once softened you can easily remove the cap then use nail clippers to clip off the locking tabs.
(click here to view their other solution)
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3. No more searching around behind your desk or night stand for your phone charger (Or your camera charger, computer charger, or any other charger that you have). Just stick the end of your charger into one of these do-dads and clip it to your desk. If the end of your charger is to small and slips though you could always tie it around the clip (make sure you tie it loosely so you don't damage the cord)
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4. Don't throw out the water your boil your eggs in. This water contains tons of calcium that your plants will love. Just let the water cool and dump it on your plants. I also save my egg shells, rinse them out real well, smash them up then mix them with dirt and/or potting soil before planting any plants. For someone who doesn't have a green thumb, I have had great success with this.
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5. Cleaning your oven doesn't have to be a pain. Just mix baking soda and water, rub it on your oven door, wait a few minutes and voila!! All that gunk will wipe right off.
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6. Magic erasers are actually just melamine foam which can be purchased on ebay for a lot less than the store bought stuff. Be sure to check out this post for uses that you might not have thought of as well as what not to use your magic eraser on. This post also explains the truth behind the rumors that magic erasers are harmful to your health.
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7. Tired of scraping ice off your windows each morning? Mix three parts vinegar to one part water in a spray bottle and spray on you window before bed. This link also has a few more amazing tips for winterizing your car so be sure to check it out.
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8. Apply car wax to your stove top for easy cleaning. I have yet to try this but I really need to.
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9. Got a runny nose? Be sure to attach an empty Kleenex box to the one you are using so you have a place to stuff those used Kleenexes. Keep a set next to the couch, one on your night stand and one in the car. This will save you many trips to the trash can.
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10. Quit wasting money on green onions! Next time you buy fresh green onions don't toss the white ends. Instead stick them in water and place in a sunny window. Whenever you have a recipe that calls for green onions just snip off what you need.
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11. Don't eat a lot of green onion but still want to grow some? Snip off the top (the green part) of your onions before they go bad. Let them dry completely, then chop them up. Using a funnel put your chopped onions in an empty water bottle. Stick in the freezer and use as needed.
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12. Use a binder clip (yes, that's the real name for it, although I prefer to call them do-dads) to hold the end of your toothpaste container in place after you squeeze it.
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13. A friend of mine used to fill an old bleach container with water and water her plants with it. One day she accidentally grabbed the wrong container (filled with actual bleach). She dumped a good amount onto the plant before finally catching a whiff and realizing it was not water. We kept waiting for that plant to dye but it never did. This site claims that adding a few drops to your water before adding your bouquet of flowers will actually prevent mildew and your bouquet will last longer.
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14. Keep your boots off the floor by hanging them with pant hangers!! I would think the clips would leave marks on the boots but you could prevent this by stuffing a thick piece of fabric of newspaper between the clip and the boot.
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15. Taking a trip? Forget about packing those huge containers of toothpaste, antibiotic ointment, shampoo, and conditioner. Just insert a small amount into a straw, cut to size and melt the ends together. This could also work for condiments such as ketchup and mustard, couch medicine, even small pills. *Note: I know that burning some plastics can cause harmful chemicals. Please do some research before trying this.
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16. Fold over the bottom few inches of you dishwashing gloves to catch water and keep it from running down your arms.
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17. Make a key chain out of wood pieces. Paint each piece with the colors in your home so when you are out shopping you will know what decor will look good in your house and what will clash. You can even write the brand and name of the paint on back so if you ever need to touch up a wall you'll know exactly what color you need. Make these fun by using wooden stars, hearts, or any other shape you can find.
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18. Old Altoids containers make great organizing tools. I love this idea.
19. Revive old paint brushes by soaking them in hot vinegar for 30 minutes. Afterwards, wash them in hot, soapy water, brushing off paint as needed, then rinse and let dry. Wish I would have known about this before tossing out all of my old paintbrushes.
20. Use tension curtains to organize cutting boards and sheet pans. This sure beats having to lift a heavy stack to get what you need out of the bottom.
21. While we are on the subject of organizing you kitchen, why not hang your pans on a curtain rod?
Again, this would eliminate having to heavy stack to get a pan from the bottom. Genius!!
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Again, this would eliminate having to heavy stack to get a pan from the bottom. Genius!!
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22. Avoid tangled necklaces while traveling by threading your chain through a plastic drinking straw. I hate when that happens. But thanks to this, never agian!!
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23.Garden planters are a great way to organize kids toys. I also plan on hanging a few in our pantry to hold apples, oranges, onions, and garlic. What would you organize with these? Tools in your shed? Seed packets and other gardening stuff? in your closet to hold scarves, belts, and lingerie? How about next to the toilet to hold extra rolls of toilet paper? Would even be great above the bath for kids bath toys, loofahs, shampoo and conditioner. So many possibilities!!!
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24. Lose a screw in your glasses? Just slip in an stud earring and secure it with the back.
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25. Do your dish clothes smell sour? Pour one tbsp. of non-bleach liquid dish soap and three cups of white vinegar into a clean sink or bucket. Soak the sour-smelling dishcloth in the liquids for about an hour. Rinse the dishcloth thoroughly. Wring the excess liquid from the dishcloth. The cloth doesn't need to be completely dry, as long as it's no longer dripping wet. Place the dishcloth in your washing machine. Wash and dry the dishcloth as normal.
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26. Clean your vacuum roller: Use a seam ripper to cut lint and hair that gets caught in your vacuum roller.
27. Having a party? Need extra trash cans? Stick a garbage bag inside a collapsible laundry bin. Once the party is over, collapse the bin and store. These take up little space and come in very handy. Perfect for all the wrapping paper and packaging that adds up around Christmas time.
28. Aluminum foil as a scrubber: Save your used aluminum foil and reuse it to scrub off all that baked on gunk from your glass baking pans. I use this trick all the time. Just be careful of sharp edges. Gloves would be recommended.
29. Mosquito bite? Rub the inside of a banana peel on it to stop the itch. This tip was left by a reader in the comments of my previous Did You Know post. I have not tried it yet so please let me know if you have any success.
30. Use a white eraser to erase permanent marker: Also left in the comments of my previous post. I tried this on our entertainment center after my daughter scribbled all over it. I used a white eraser that was attached to a mechanical pencil and it didn't work. Then I tried it with one of those big chunky white erasers and it worked perfectly. I guess it depends on the eraser you use.
31. Tired of getting dead weeds and grass stuck to the bottom of your picnic blanket? Sew a shower curtain to the bottom. This will also prevent soggy bottoms and mud stains. If you don't want to sew anything onto your blanket you can just lay the blanket on top of the shower curtain.
Stick a laundry bag in your dishwasher: Small items like baby bottle nipples, pacifiers, corn holders and medicine measuring cups can get lost in the dishwasher. Throw them inside a laundry bag and place it on the top rack of the dishwasher.
32. Clean your ceiling fan: Slip a pillow case over one of your ceiling fan blades and slowly pull it back. All the dust will fall in the pillow case keeping it off of the floor and you.
33. Save those mesh bags: The mesh bags that your apples, oranges and other random fruits and vegetables come in are perfect for scrubbing dishes with. Using this trick with the tin foil stated above could save you a ton of money on sponges and dish scrubbers.
34. Protect your cake frosting: Ever try to transport a cake only to get to your destination and find the frosting smeared? Stick a few pieces uncooked pasta in the top and around the sides before wrapping it. The pasta will keep the wrapping away from the sides and leave only tiny, barely noticeable holes in your cake.
35. Save your brown sugar: I keep seeing all these tips and tricks for keeping brown sugar soft. Here is what I do (hubby showed me this trick.) Place brown sugar inside a Ziploc bag. Get out as much air as possible and seal the bag. Store this in your pantry. That's it!! If you buy the brown sugar that's already in a bag just place the whole bag inside the Ziploc bag. Do not trust the seal on the resealable brown sugar bags. These do not work. Trust me. I've been doing this for 5 years now and have never had to deal with hard brown sugar.
36. Magnet for easy clean up: Keep a magnet next to your sewing machine. use it to clean up pins that get scattered all over your desk or dropped on the floor. I am always dropping things. This has been a life saver for me.
37. Save those wrapping paper rolls: We all have those tight spaces in our kitchen that no vacuum or broom can get to. Under the fridge and stove, and between the cabinets and alliances. Instead of waiting till the next time you move your fridge to clean underneath, try this. Stick one end of a cardboard wrapping paper roll onto the end of your vacuum hose then flatten the other end. The flattened end can fit under your appliances allowing you to vacuum without moving them.
38. Don't have a funnel! Use an envelope: Cut one end of the envelope off making a large triangle then snip off a piece from the corner. Open your envelope and voila...you have a funnel.
39. Save money on artwork: Instead of buying expensive canvases cover shoe box lids in fancy fabric. You could also paint your own fabric or transfer photos onto plain white fabric before applying it to you box lids.
40. Save your glass jars: Pickle jars, baby food jars, pasta sauce jars. These are great for organizing just about everything. Craft supplies, game pieces, hair clips, office supplies, Pantry items such as beans and rice. Not only does glass look nicer than most of the containers these things originally come in but storing things in clear containers allow you to see what you have so you don't end up buying double.
41. Add screws or nails to the bottom of furniture legs before painting: This will keep the furniture off the the ground and you wont have paper or plastic (or whatever surface you paint on) stuck to your furniture when the paint dries.
42. Crayon marks on the wall? WD-40 removes crayon marks from just about any surface.
43. Use dish soap for an ice pack. Fill a small ziploc bag with plain dish soap. It won't freeze solid allowing you to contour it to your body. Double up the bag to protect for leaks.
44. Tired of taking apart your blender to clean it after every use? Add a little dish soap, fill it with water and turn it on for a few seconds. Empty out your soapy water and rinse. Voila, all clean!
45. De-seeding a pomegranate - Fill a large bowl with water. Cut the pomegranate in half. Holding half the pomegranate. Put the half pomegranate under the water in the bowl. Rub you fingers through it to get the seeds out. All the inedible pulp will float to the top while the seeds will sink making it easy to separate.
46. Cleaning cast iron - Scrub your cast iron with coarse salt and a soft sponge. The salt is a natural abrasive and will absorb oil and lift away bits of food while preserving the pan's seasoning. Rinse away salt and wipe dry.
47. Old carpet stains - Mix ammonia and hot water in a spray bottle. Liberally spay satin. set white rag over stain and iron with a hot iron. The stain will disappear like magic. Click here for more info.
48. Cooking turkey dressing - If you like to cook your dressing inside the turkey, first line the turkey's cavities with a generous piece of cheese cloth. Load the stuffing in and close the cheese cloth over. Roast as usual for stuffed turkey. When you get ready to remove the stuffing to a serving dish all you need to do is pull it out of the turkey and put it into the dish.
49. Grease stains on your clothes - Put a little Dawn dish soap on the spots and wash as usual. Even works on stains that have already gone undetected through the dryer.
50. for static-y hair during the fall and winter - run a dryer sheet (used or unused)through and over your hair. Not to mention it keeps it smelling good! Thanks again!
Click HERE for more fun tips and tricks.
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