Household Hints

Cleaning

The interior of your microwave oven can be cleaned without scratching the finish by using a little baking soda on a wet cloth.

Clean sticky oil bottles with 1/2 cup (125 ml) vinegar, 1 Tbsp. (7 ml) soda and 1 cup (250 ml) hot water. Shake well.

To clean windows, mix together 4 cups (1 L) lukewarm water and 1/4 cup (75 ml) cornstarch. This mixture is not to be heated. Apply with cloth and wipe dry quickly. Do this preferably on a cool and cloudy day.

To easily remove burnt-on food from your skillet, simply add a drop or two of dish soap and enough water to cover bottom of pan, and bring to a boil on stove-top. Your skillet will be much easier to clean.

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Spray your Tupperware with nonstick cooking spray before pouring in tomato-based sauces. You won’t have any more stains.

If you have a problem opening jars try using latex dishwashing gloves. They give a non-slip grip that makes opening jars easy.

Potatoes will take food stains off your fingers. Just slice and rub raw potato on the stains and rinse with water.

Cooking

Prevent cooking odors by boiling a little water with vinegar on stove while cooking.

A teaspoon (5 ml) of baking powder in your bread pudding mixture will make the pudding lighter and fluffy.

Shake salt into the fat when frying fish. The fish will retain its shape and not break up.

Apple pie has better flavor if a little salt is sprinkled over the apples before putting on the upper crust.

You don’t have to spend a lot on gourmet coffees—you can make your inexpensive coffees by adding cocoa, cinnamon, vanilla or any other flavors your like.

Stuff a miniature marshmallow in the bottom of a sugar cone to prevent ice cream drips.

Run your hands under cold water before pressing Rice Krispie treats in the pan; the marshmallow won’t stick to your fingers.

When a cake recipe calls for flouring the baking pan, use a bit of the dry cake mix instead. You won’t have a white mess on the outside of the cake.

Brush beaten egg white over pie crust before baking to yield a beautiful glossy finish.

When boiling corn on the cob, add a pinch of sugar to help bring out the corn’s natural sweetness.

Use a meat baster to “squeeze” your pancake batter onto the hot griddle for perfectly shaped pancakes every time!

Food storage

Loosen grease or crust from boiled-over pies in the oven by placing a cloth saturated with washing ammonia in the oven and leaving for a few hours.

To prevent egg shells from cracking, add a pinch of salt to the water before hard-boiling.

To determine whether an egg is fresh, immerse it in a pan of cool, salted water.
If it sinks, it is fresh. But if it rises to the surface, throw it away.

Clothing and personal care

Before working in the garden, rub your fingernails over a piece of soap. Dirt can’t get in, and soap comes out easily when washing.

Corduroys will stay brighter (and lint-free) if you add 1/2 cup vinegar to the rinse cycle.

To cure headaches, take a lime, cut it in half, and rub it on your forehead. The throbbing feeling will go away.

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

To get rid of the itch from a mosquito bite, try applying soap on the area for instant relief.

Ants, ants, ants everywhere…well, they are said to never cross a chalk line. So get your chalk out and draw a line on the floor or wherever ants tend to march. You’ll see for yourself they won’t cross the line!

Use air-freshener to clean mirrors. It does a good job and better still, leaves a lovely smell to the shine.

Now look what you can do with Alka Seltzer:

Clean a toilet. Drop in two Alka-Seltzer tablets, wait twenty minutes, brush and flush. The citric acid and effervescent action cleans vitreous china.
Clean a vase. To remove a stain from the bottom of a glass vase or cruet, fill with water and drop in two Alka-Seltzer tablets.
Polish jewelry. Drop two Alka-Seltzer tablets into a glass of water and immerse the jewelry for two minutes.
Clean a thermos bottle. Fill the bottle with water, drop in four Alka-Seltzer tablets, and let soak for an hour (or longer, if necessary).
Unclog a drain. Clear the sink drain by dropping three Alka-Seltzer tablets down the drain followed by a cup of Heinz White Vinegar. Wait a few minutes, then run the hot water.