In the age of Kindles and iPads, I still love the paper page. I can’t walk by a stack of books for sale and not look. They call my name. I answer… way too often.
Last week I picked up a book written in 1983 full of helpful household hints. I love looking through books like these decades old to see how trends come and go and see what useful nuggets I can pick up for today. Here are a few of my favorites word-for-word from the text:
Scrubbing your blender can be time-consuming, not to mention frustrating. Instead, the next time you have to clean it, try this. Fill the blender about half-way with very hot water and a generous amount of dishwashing liquid. Before turning it on, throw in a couple of medium-sized ice cubes, to dislodge any insistent pieces of food.
Ever wondered how to clean your filmy glass shower doors? Try wiping them clean with any furniture polish that has lemon oil. If the film is really heavy, use a steel wool pad soaked in dishwashing liquid to make that glass sparkle.
Is your bathtub discolored? It’s probably hard water stains. What to do? Try covering the tub in paper towels, soaking them in full strength vinegar. After a couple of hours, remove the soaked towels, and presto! Your tub will look like new.
Is the top of your stove dull from cleaning and scrubbing? Sure, you want it to be clean, but scouring powders often leave your stove looking old and lusterless. Try a little liquid car polish and a damp cloth to brighten the enamel or metal. It’ll also help the food and grease to come off more easily.
Knot in your favorite necklace chain? To untangle, simply place a drop of vegetable oil on the knot and then work out with a straight pin.
How to keep the water level up in your double broiler: Place a few marbles in the bottom of the boiler. They’ll let you know when the level is too low, and keep you from ruining the pan.
Where can I store all my blankets in this small apartment? Lay the blankets out smoothly between the mattresses and springs of your bed.
Do you have any helpful hints you’d like to share?
(all hints were taken from Betty-Anne’s Helpful Household Hints published by Ventura Books)
(c) 2016 Leighann Marquiss
Comments (5)
I dont’t any really cool tips like you do. When I bake or do major cooking I make sure my counter are really clean and then I lay down either wax, parchment or newspaper on my clean counters and then get to work. When I am done I simply pick up all the papers and I still have clean counter and clean up was a sinch!
So cool! Let me know if you try any of these tips and if they work.
My only tip is for getting that blackened, burned on food off a metal pan. Cover in a baking soda and water paste. Let sit overnight (or longer). If that doesn’t loosen it, heat it in the oven (for a cookie sheet) or over a flame on the stove (if a pan). The heat and baking soda reacts with the blackened food (carbon) to loosen it.
if you don’t have marbles, you can use a couple pennies. a friend taught me that trick a few months ago. brilliant! they jump and make sounds while there is water boiling, so if they get quiet, you need to add water! works great also under a steamer, not just a double boiler.
non-toxic way to clean a slow sink drain: dump a little baking soda down the drain, pour some white vinegar in. let bubble and sit for a few minutes. run hot water down. repeat as necessary.
also read recently to use full-strength vinegar as non-toxic spray to kill weeds! haven’t tried it yet. my mom tried and reported it didn’t kill everything the first time, so i suspect several sprayings over a few days might be necessary. but what a great alternative to toxic weed-killers!
Great tips! Thanks Leighann. I love books too. My favorites are decorating books. I always pick up ideas from those.
My new favorite tip:
How do you get latex paint out of carpet? WD-40
I learned this the hard way when my daughter accidentally stepped in the paint and onto the dropcloth. The paint soaked through the cloth and into the carpet, not to be found until hours later. I used almost an entire can of WD-40, but now you’d never know that there was a paint stain about 6″ in diameter!