General Chat

To keep potatoes from sprouting/budding, place an apple in the bag with the potatoes. If you accidentally over-salt a dish while it's still cooking, drop in a peeled potato and it will absorb the excess salt for an instant 'fix me up.' Wrap celery in aluminum foil when putting in the refrigerator and it will keep for weeks. Place a slice of apple in hardened brown sugar to soften it. When boiling corn on the cob, add a pinch of sugar to help bring out the corn's natural sweetness. 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. Don't throw out all that leftover wine: Freeze into ice cubes for future use in casseroles and sauces. If you have a problem opening jars: Try using rubber 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. To get rid of itch from mosquito bites, try applying soap on the area and you will experience instant relief. To take the sting out of a bee sting cover the area with mud...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. See for yourself. Use air-freshener to clean mirrors. It does a good job and better still, leaves a lovely smell to the shine. When you get a splinter, reach for the sellotape before resorting to tweezers or a needle. Simply put the scotch tape over the splinter, then pull it off. Sellotape removes most splinters painlessly and easily. Your kids drew on your wall? WD-40 takes it right off with little or no elbow grease. Test for colorfastness on an inconspicuous area first. 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 clean 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 White Vinegar - Wait a few minutes, then run the hot water.

add yours!

wow, thanks Carol, very usefull tips there!! Helen

Hi Carol, thanks, some good tips there. Another good tip, to clean the glass door on your oven. Take a damp dishwasher tablet & rub on the glass door. Keep tablet damp & hey presto, all grease dissappears. Think it was Diana that told us this one & it really works. Hilary. x

you can clean your jewellery with denture tablets put jewllery in to bowl add warm water and drop in two denture tablets.

'Don't throw out all that leftover wine: Freeze into ice cubes for future use in casseroles and sauces. ' What's leftover wine then??????????? LOL Some good tips there Carol thanks xx

to remove mascarra/eye make-up a little dab of vaseline on eyelashes will remove easily.

Salt & Pepper pots clogging up ? - Simple - Keep them dry by adding a few grains of uncooked rice to them. The dry rice will absorb any moisture present. Dried peas work as well ! Also when they start rattling excessively it's a good indicator that they need topping up before they run out.

Baby shampoo tip. Stand the bottle of baby shampoo in the bath water for a few minutes before using. This will bring the bottle up to temperature so that when it is applied it will not give the baby a temperature shock. It may also lead to a quiet bath time. Condensation on mirrors. To prevent this from happening simply wipe down the mirror with a damp cloth with a spot of washing up liquid on it and let dry naturally. The mirror should remain clear for up to 6 weeks. Not only does this work with household mirrors it will also greatly assist with internal rear view mirrors in cars and also when applied to the inside of a car windscreen has a very good effect. Taxi drivers have been doing this for years especially in winter months.

All these tips are great thanks Carol June x

my mum used to swear by minty denture cleaning powder/tablets for cleaning the inside of teapots, teacups and teaspoons. It really does work too. I put teaspoons and small bits inside the teapot, add water and one tablet or spoonful. Angela