We all have our super-smart tricks up our sleeves, like alternative uses for items or products and things we do to make life easier or safer. I was thinking about this today and how we don't share these moments of brilliance often enough.
I dispose of unwanted or expired credit cards by cutting them up and putting the pieces in the next poopy diaper I change. I figure anyone going through trash looking for identity information might be able to cause trouble even though my card is destroyed, but is highly unlikely to unwrap a poopy diaper looking for credit card pieces.
I also use lanolin, as in left-over nipple cream from that first week of nursing, on my cracked heals. Best foot cream ever!
What are some of your tricks?
Did you know that all boxes of foil and plastic wrap and any other kitchen paper that comes in that type of box has little triangle thingys on either end that you press in to keep the roll from coming out of the box when you pull some out?
I told my mom this a couple of years ago and she thought I was a genius.
Once in a while, I'll spoil myself by taking a bath, and rubbing white sugar on my legs and arms... completely exfoliates and leaves my skin super smooth!
To save money on coffee, I only use 1/2 the amount of scoops of coffee to water recommended, then sprinkle a little cinnamon in the grinds to give it some extra flavor, instead of tasting like I watered it down.
I am a water snob, I HAVE to drink Aquafina, but my husband is so wasteful... he'll take a new bottle, take 4 sips, then leave it somewhere. SO, I've banned him from MY water, and use my empty bottles to refill, mark the top, this way he has HIS very own water ;)
As far as REAL tricks, like magic, I can make money come out of my kids ears!! ;)
One more dryer sheet idea...if you have a pan with nasty, stuck on/cooked on food, fill it with water and throw a dryer sheet in. In no time at all, you can wash it and the stuck on food wipes right out. Those dryer sheets are amazing, aren't they?
I havent ironed since i figured out throwing a wet wash cloth or hand towel in dryer with a dry wrinkled item of clothing steams the wrinkles out. Does that count?
One of the nurses that I met in the hospital when my DD was born advised me to use 409 to pre-treat the clothing stains. It works great on all manner of bodily fluids as well as formula stains. I set the washer to the extra rinse cycle to wash off the chemicals....it works great. I am enjoying reading all your tips!
The best thing I can't take credit for is this: if your child has a wrinkle in their shorts or you have just one wrinkle in your shirt or something, instead of lugging out the iron and the ironing board, take your hair straightener and use that instead. When I saw a friend doing that, I did a mental head slap and thought, duh! why didn't I think of that?
I pretend my family of 3 lives in the first place of my own - a 670 sq ft apartment w/1 bathroom and 1 closet (other than the pantry). If it won't fit in that apartment then I really don't need it. I survived on a minimal income and basic needs back then...I have started making choices to live that way now. I either don't buy "it" when I'm shopping or I throw "it" away when I'm cleaning up around the house.
I have applied this to my philosophy to my bedroom closet and for the first time in my life I have too much storage room now!
I prepare french toast the night before, so in the morning, all I have to do is put it in the pan and cook it (mix the egg, vanilla, cinnamon in a sandwich bag, add the bread - ours is frozen- and by morning the bread's thawed, soaked up all the egg, and ready to be cooked).
This may sound gross, but while I'm sitting on the potty, and I am changing a feminine pad, I roll it up, and before I put it in the trash, I gently glide the sticky part of the pad on the floor in the corners or behind the potty to pick up hair and lint that gets trapped back/in there. Much easier than letting the hair get stuck to my broom.
(I love the credit card and lanolin idea. I have some lanolin from 3 years ago I need to get out of the box and put on my feet!!!)
Bethany reminded me about dryer sheets. In that odd part of the year when you get 200+ bug guts stuck to the front of your car, get a dryer sheet damp, rub it on the bugs, and they fall right off. It's like magic.
Well, I don't know about "super smart" but these things make my life easier.
• Put a few new garbage bags in the bottom of all garbage cans--never go get a bag when you empty the can!
• Spray O. or two sprays of my leave in conditioner on my son's hair after his shower...no knots!
• I wipe off my bathroom countertop every time I wash my hands with a towel I keep handy just for that purpose. Keeps the bathroom looking cleaner.
• Because I have a 2 story house, I keep Windex, paper towels, TB cleaner, a swiffer duster and Method spray cleaner upstairs so it's handy.
• Put coffee grinds in your garbage disposal--helps clean the blades.
• Keep a garbage can right near the washer/dryer for lint, etc.
• Saute green, red & yellow peppers, (if they're getting to the 'not so fresh' stage) add a small can of tomato sauce & throw in the freezer so you have pizza sauce all the time.
• I put a hook on the cabinet side (between the fridge & small section of counter so I can hang a bag for paper that can be recycled.
Well, that's it for now.......
Well baby wipes take blood out of carpet (i learned this one from someone else so don't give me credit for it!), Spray hair conditioner work just as well or better then static spray if you have clingy clothing. I have a bristle hair brush specifically for husking corn, best way I have found to get rid of the "hair" that is left on the cob. I know I probably have more but can't think of them right now.
More than one mattress pad and sheet on a toddler/baby bed for easier middle of night sheet changes.
Lemons help the garbage disposal smell better, just turn on and let em sit, don't rinse
Baking soda mixed with a little water and dishsaop cleans and countertops without much effort and no chemicals- and it's very cheap.
Newspapers clean dirty windows well (and remarkably don't leave ink stains).
If you put worksheets in a page protector you can reuse them with whiteboard markers. You don't have to rebuy workbooks or use up your ink if you download worksheets.
This is fun.
Trick I learned from my sister, She is a huge hair stylist ; Windex gets rid of hair dye stains on your skin. So if you dye your hair at home and get some one your neck, ears, etc Put some Windex on a paper towel and it will come right off :)
Coffee grounds are great for your garden...
And I agree, Baby wipes will clean anything up!!
My husband is an engineer, so he is the king of "multipurposing"... makes me so proud! However, the best "trick" I learned, I learned from my grandmother
- SAFETY PIN BABY SOCKS TOGETHER BEFORE WASHING~ it saves your sanity!
- From mom: bucket of water and Oxyclean by the washer during potty-training time so that you can presoak and do one load of undies each night rather than 15 throughout the day
- Erasers as earring backs!
- T.P. rolls to hold hair ties/bobby pins
- empty/clean egg shells to plant seeds... when they sprout you just plant the whole thing in the ground!
- line every baking dish with parchment paper- no scrubbing!
This is probably a simple trick that everyone uses but I didn't until a few years ago;
Put your dish brush in the diswasher with your dirty dishes. It comes out clean and sanitized. My sister blew my mind when she showed me this. What?! Have I been living in a paralell universe this whole time? How come I didn't know this??!!
My "trick" is one I use a lot when I'm hand sewing. Your spit will dissolve your own blood, so if you get a small cut and get a little bit of blood on your clothes just spit on it- it takes it right out.
The lanolin also makes EXCELLENT chapstick/lip balm that is safe to use on babies and toddlers.
And I swear baby wipes will take anything off of anything....
This is more of a money saving trick. When you're going on vacation, call the boarding kennels in the area you'll be visiting. If they're cheaper than in your area, take your doggie with you and board him there. I saved about $10/night that way!
I use my smelly cat litter around my flowers, take out the poo, helps to deter the rabbits and deer from eating my roses.
Used dryer sheets are great for dusting! Used ground coffee is great to keep grasshoppers off of your plants too!
The dryer sheets from one load of laundry is great for dusting!!!! Its also good to use as an extra scrub on the counter tops if there is something especially sticky. Cover the sponge with it and scrub away---Use baby wipes for EVERYTHING! Hand sanitizer w/alcohol takes out stains on table tops and other surfaces if you can't get the marker off.
If you need a quick facial and only have a few min:
take 1/4 cup avacado--mash it up, 2 tsp honey, 1/2 cup of rolled oats and mix it all together. Put it on your face for about 10-20 min and you have a really nice, soft face with an awesome glow. I soak some warm towels and put them around my neck and shoulders for the whole "spa" effect---Really helps if you only have a few min!
M
Love the lanolin idea : )
I use windex for spot cleaning carpet and upolstery
Also use te the tub of Cetaphil to "exfoliate" my face - lather it on, let it sit and then use circles to rub it off - along w/ the dead skin
Everyone has dryer sheet ideas!! Love it! My dryer sheet thing that I used to do many years ago is this. My hubby used to have really really greasy clothes. So when I washed his clothes the grease got all over the tub of the washing machine. I used to spray the inside of the washing machine down with Shout, then wipe it off with a dryer sheet, brand new or used, it didn't matter, the grease just melted right off there!! Then I'd wipe it with a dry cloth and sometimes run the washer on quick cycle with nothing in it to clean it out the rest of the way.
Here's one I got from this site and I thought was just for people with little kids. I just mentioned it today and my (very adult) co-workers were excited:
Put a post-it over the sensor on an automatic flush toilet to keep it from flushing unexpectedly.
I grew up with the "keep something around to wipe the bathroom" sink trick, and it frustrates me to no end that my husband keeps removing my sponge (or whatever). 12 seconds of wiping and the whole bathroom looks cleaner!
I clean everything with vinegar (it disinfects without chemicals) - I also use it in my front loader when I forget a load and the clothes get all musty smelling. I wash again with a couple of cups of vinegar - I also add it to my rinse cycle because I don't use dryer sheets and it controls static.
I never buy medication together in one bottle. For example Tylenol cold, cough and flu. I have all those ingredients at home separately and only take what I need. All you need to buy is Sudafed (Decongestant), Advil (pain meds) Tylenol (pain), Guaifenesin (cough and mucus).
