What Is your weirdest Household/timesaving tip

[glowgirl]

Ok I have a new one. Homemade enyzme cleaner for those pet accidents. What you do is put old cut up lemon or orange peels in a big plastic jug, add a small amount, like a half a teaspoon of yeast and fill 3/4 full with tap water and a 1/2 cup of sugar. Place a cap on it loosely so it doesn't explode. You can poke a hole in the cap or even cover it loosely with a plastic bag. Now let it ferment for 2 weeks. Presto you now have enzyme cleaner for cheap!

You can use it in laundy, on pet stains, blood stains....pretty much any proiten stain. The enzymes break down the protein molecules and allow the stain to come up. Removes odors really well.

On a related note, if anyone wants the sheba inu/chihuahua mix that is my avatar please pm me and I will send him to you with a few gallons of homemade cleaner. (there is a reason for that guilty look on his face). Free Shipping!

 

[Mary Kay]

Good Tip! I already have a Sheba of my own..she stays in trouble!

 

[Nyxie]

I think it is the chihuahua part of the mix . I have a personal stock in Nature's miracle since bonus daughter brought him back here to live with her.

 

[glowgirl]

Yes I went through a lot of Nature's Miracle but it's expensive. Sadly I can't belly band him as his skin break outs very easily. He has to have homemade food or he loses all his hair and turns red. He has to have hydrocortisone cream rubbed in his itchy areas all the time too. So the enzyme cleaner is a good deal for me. I rescued the little jerk from a family who couldn't deal with his many issues. Sigh. He has a HUGE outdoor fenced yard with 24/7 access and he will not stop ...... on stuff. It's a really, really good thing he is cute.

 

[Mary Kay]

Who knew?

Did you know that drinking two glasses of Gatorade can relieve headache pain almost immediately-without the unpleasant side effects caused by traditional pain relievers?

Did you know that Colgate Toothpaste makes an excellent salve for burns?

Before you head to the drugstore for a high-priced inhaler filled with mysterious chemicals, try chewing on a couple of curiously strong Altoids peppermints. They'll clear up your stuffed nose..


Achy muscles from a bout of the flu? Mix 1 tablespoon horseradish in 1 cup of olive oil. Let the mixture sit for 30 minutes, then apply it as a massage oil for instant relief for aching muscles.

Sore throat? Just mix 1/4 cup of vinegar with 1/4 cup of honey and take 1 tablespoon six times a day The vinegar kills the bacteria.

Cure urinary tract infections with Alka-Seltzer. Just dissolve two tablets in a glass of water and drink it at the onset of the symptoms. Alka-Seltzer begins eliminating urinary tract infections almost instantly-even though the product was never advertised for this use.

Honey remedy for skin blemishes...... Cover the blemish with a dab of honey and place a Band-Aid over it. Honey kills the bacteria, keeps the skin sterile, and speeds healing. Works overnight.

Listerine therapy for toenail fungus: Get rid of unsightly toenail fungus by soaking your toes in Listerine Mouthwash. The powerful antiseptic leaves your toenails looking healthy again.

Easy eyeglass protection... To prevent the screws in eyeglasses from loosening, apply a small drop of Maybelline Crystal Clear Nail Polish to the threads of the screws before tightening them.

Cleaning liquid that doubles as bug killer... If menacing bees, wasps, hornets, or yellow jackets get in your home and you can't find the insecticide, try a spray of Formula 409.. Insects drop to the ground instantly.

Smart splinter remover: Just pour a drop of Elmer's Glue-All over the splinter, let dry, and peel the dried glue off the skin. The splinter sticks to the dried glue.

Hunt's Tomato Paste boil cure.. Cover the boil with Hunt's Tomato Paste as a compress. The acids from the tomatoes soothe the pain and bring the boil to a head.

Balm for broken blisters... To disinfect a broken blister, dab on a few drops of Listerine, a powerful antiseptic..

Vinegar to heal bruises... Soak a cotton ball in white vinegar and apply it to the bruise for 1 hour. The vinegar reduces the blueness and speeds up the healing process..

Quaker Oats for fast pain relief.... it's not for breakfast any more! Mix 2 cups of Quaker Oats and 1 cup of water in a bowl and warm in the microwave for 1 minute, cool slightly, and apply the mixture to your hands for soothing relief from arthritis pain.

 

[Mary Kay]

These fizzy little pills will help you unclog the sink, polish jewelry and more.

Alka-Seltzer tablets and their generic equivalents are useful for more than just relief from indigestion and heartburn. From cleaning your toilet to attracting fish, these little pills pack big power when used in other ways.
Clean Your Toilet
Drop two tablets in the toilet, wait 20 minutes for the citric acid to loosen the grime, scrub and flush. Your toilet will look as clean as it would had you used conventional cleaners.

Unclog the Sink
A great natural solution for unclogging the drain! Drop 3 tablets down the drain, followed by a 1/2 cup of vinegar. Let the hot water run for 5 minutes and you'll have a clear drain. This will also work to deodorize the drain.

Clean Burnt Food Off Glass Cookware
Burnt the casserole again? Even with a good scrub, sometimes the food seems to stay. Enter Alka-Seltzer. Drop 5 tablets in a sink full of hot water, soak your cookware for an hour and the burnt food will come off with ease.

Clean a Glass Jar, Vase or Thermos
For difficult to clean vessels with intricate design and hard to reach places, a wash cloth or scrub brush just won't do. Instead, drop two Alka-Seltzer tablets in, add hot water and swish it around until the tablets are dissolved and let it sit for an hour. Rinse, and the glass jar, vase or Thermos will be as clean as new.

Polish Jewelry
Drop two tablets in a bowl of warm water. Let your jewelry soak for about 20 minutes. It will look new again! (Note: This is not safe for pearls or opals.)

Clean a Coffee Percolator
Fill the water chamber and drop in two tablets, then run a cycle. This will clean out all the internal components. Run through another plain water cycle before using the machine again for coffee.

Go Fishing
Fish love bubbles, and dissolving Alka-Seltzer is very bubbly. Put a tablet inside your tube jig and cast off. The fish won't be able to resist the stream of bubbles.

Soothe Insect Bites
Drop two tablets in warm water, then soak a cotton ball in the solution. Apply it to the infected area for 30 minutes for relief from the insect bites.

Aside from these great Home Ec. solutions, Alka-Seltzer tablets have been attributed medicinal benefits beyond those listed on the box. Here are two of the rumored benefits:

Manage Nicotine Addiction
Take two Alka-Seltzer tablets three times daily to relieve nicotine withdrawal symptoms and curb cravings.

Cure Urinary Tract Infections
Take two tablets in a glass of water as soon as you notice symptoms. Results are almost immediate. Keep in mind that Aspirin is a main ingredient in Alka-Seltzer so those with Aspirin allergies shouldn't use it.

 

[Mary Kay]

Clean Burnt Food Off Glass Cookware
Burnt the casserole again? Even with a good scrub, sometimes the food seems to stay. Enter Alka-Seltzer. Drop 5 tablets in a sink full of hot water, soak your cookware for an hour and the burnt food will come off with ease.

WOW! This is a first! A tip that works perfectly!

I used the Alka-Selzer as directed above on a glass cassarole dish that had burnt on escalloped Potatos in it . It worked like magic!!!
I normally let my ants outside clean burned on stuff..but it's been raining off and on for days (due to the hurricane hitting Texas and Mexico. The ants are on strike.

 

[jj2]

"Achy muscles from a bout of the flu? Mix 1 tablespoon horseradish in 1 cup of olive oil. Let the mixture sit for 30 minutes, then apply it as a massage oil for instant relief for aching muscles. "

I was getting a little worried up to the end---thought it was going to recommend the user to drink.

I'm cleaning the refrig, oven, and bathrooms in the next couple of days. My daughter is coming home for a visit!!!
I use my steam cleaner---makes the job so much easier.

 

[rita351]

Another tip for those dryer sheets. I use them as air freshners in my car. I slide 1 under the front seat and one under the back. They make the car smell nice and fresh.

 

[UntamedRose]

Anyone have a suggestion for shedding dogs?

I have a collie and a husky.....and they are both shedding, but the husky is shedding in massive quantities. I'm talking the living room red rug looking white two hours after vacuuming it, hauling a whole bag worth of hair out of the house every day from vacuuming. Husband cami BDU's are now camouflaged for the arctic circle. Pick up a blanket that landed on the floor, and it looks like it's snowing.

We are brushing her...I have proof too, the backyard looks like it snowed o0

Drowning in white puppy hair....Help!

 

[zbasspro]

I dont have any suggestions, but she is beautiful! The only thing i've found that works ..is keeping the dogs outside ...maybe bathing regular. or wiping down with a damp sponge or cloth..but huskies r gonna shed!...have u tried the shed ex treatment at a groomers?

 

[UntamedRose]

Not yet..but I think I'm going to have to do that. Been washing her, but she will only sit still for a brushing for so long 15 mins a session is about her limit.
Her coat isnt bad most of the year, but come spring (ahhhh)

Might just shave her and get it over with!

 

[glowgirl]

Not yet..but I think I'm going to have to do that. Been washing her, but she will only sit still for a brushing for so long 15 mins a session is about her limit.
Her coat isnt bad most of the year, but come spring (ahhhh)

Might just shave her and get it over with!

I tried using a shedding come on my st bernard mix and recycling the fur (putting it the garden for birds to line the nests with). Don't do that, I was picking fur of trees, cars, driveways and my clothes for a week. Ugh. It was like a dog hair storm hit the neighborhood.

 

[Stephaniems]

I've had German Shepherds for most my life and a Great Pyrenees (she was the worst on shedding). I just get them use to being vacuumed. Took awhile to train them to be still and let me do it but it was soooo much easier. Turn the Kirby on and vac away all that loose hair, took about 15 mins or so every other day.

 

[Mary Kay]

Steph, my husband has started vacuuming our white shepard. She just loves it! We got her used to buzzy sounding stuff by using one of those massagers that look like ball with 3 feet..she adores that.

 

[Stephaniems]

I miss my white shepherd he was the best dog ever, had him with me for 11 years. Pack of 5 pit bulls got in our yard and killed both him and the Pyrenees. I ended up moving cause after lossing them like that I just kept thinking what if the kids had been in the yard. 2 years ago and it still makes me sad to think about the white shepherds.

German Shepherds are the best dogs ever if you can get threw the first 2-3 years of ADHD that most of them seem to have.

Have a black shepherd now and shes' a mess but she's turning 2 soon so maybe she will settledown.

 

[thelook]

FOR GLASS CLEANING:

I use Peroxide, it cuts through EVERYTHING.
I wear gloves of course
Wet one rag with Peroxide wipe glass and follow with a dry rag....no streaks!

 

[Stephaniems]

I use shaving foam to clean the mirror in the bathroom.

 

[Mary Kay]

I have always said they are like two year olds in personality. Yes they can get into some trouble nd love to fixate on something...but nobody loves you with the total abadondon of a 2 year old! If you watch a two year old child, you soon realize how smart they really are. You can see Sheb's mind wheels spinning when solving a puzzle like how to get the door open for the cat or how to get to that high shelf that had "snacks" on it.

 

[beebopnjazz]

I just cracked up glowgirl - had a visual as I've been known to chase Dakota balls in the yard - off the azaleas, stuck to the steps....

I tried using a shedding come on my st bernard mix and recycling the fur (putting it the garden for birds to line the nests with). Don't do that, I was picking fur of trees, cars, driveways and my clothes for a week. Ugh. It was like a dog hair storm hit the neighborhood.