Carpet Cleaning Company Agency London Professional Cleaners

HOUSEHOLD HINTS - ROOM BY ROOM - MISCELLANEOUS

HOUSEHOLD HINTS - ROOM BY ROOM - KITCHEN

http://www.trivia-library.com/b/household-hints-and-tips-for-the-kitchen-part-1.htm

* Putting an extra handle on your kitchen screen door, down low enough for your toddler to reach, will eliminate your having to open the door each time the child wants in or out.
* To measure spaghetti without a scale, wrap a tape measure or a marked piece of string around a bundle of spaghetti and use this table:
2 oz. = 2 1/2-in. bundle
4 oz. = 3 1/2-in. bundle
8 oz. = 4 1/2-in. bundle
12 oz. = 5 1/2-in. bundle
1 lb. = 6 1/2-in. bundle
* When you boil milk, you can keep it from scorching if you rinse out the pan with cold water before adding milk.
* For vegetarians who like gravy with their meals: Save the water from cooking vegetables and thicken with cream and peanut butter. A very old application for a modern-day trend.
* To remove the silk strands from fresh corn on the cob, wipe the ears with a damp paper towel.
* To locate the spice you need quickly, arrange the jars alphabetically on the shelf.
* To make a tasty summer soup from leftover vegetables, puree them in a blender with a little tomato juice until smooth. Chill well and serve with a thin slice of lemon as a garnish.
* When in doubt, do not stir a cold mixture into hot liquid. Mix a little of the hot liquid into the cold mixture first, to warm it. Then blend it into the hot liquid. This eliminates lumps and curdles.
* To keep hard-boiled eggs from cracking and overcooking to the rubber-ball stage, start them in cold water and simmer gently for 15 minutes. After cooking, rinse them immediately under cold water. This will keep the yolks from turning green and will loosen the shells.
* Save your empty egg shell halves to start seeds. Put the shells into the open egg carton so they can be moved into the sunlight easily. When ready to transplant, just plant the seedlings--shell and all. The shells will decompose and supply fertilizer at the same time.
* Soak lemons, oranges, and limes in warm water before squeezing to get more juice. Rolling and pressing them on the sink first also helps produce more juice.
* You can revive limp celery, lettuce, and carrots by soaking them in ice water for an hour. Add a teaspoon of sugar or honey to freshen the flavor.
* It's easy to keep a ball of twine unsnarled and ready for use if you hang up a large funnel, place the ball of twine inside, and push the free end of string down through the spout. For a bright accent in your kitchen, make a colorful macrame holder for the funnel.
* To soften a hard stick of butter, invert a heated bowl over the stick for a few minutes.
* When a jar cover sticks, run hot water over the lid for a minute. It should then open easily.
* When dropping cookie dough from a spoon, wet the spoon in milk and the dough will not stick to the spoon.
* To bake potatoes faster, stand them on end in muffin cups. Be sure to put water in any empty cups.
* Slip a section of a plastic soda straw over the end of the tube inside your spray bottle of window cleaner to reach the fluid left at the bottom.
* Before baking a pie shell, rinse the pan with cold water to keep the pastry from sliding down the side of the tin during baking.
* A portable hair dryer can be used to defrost your freezer quickly. Warm air directed into the freezing compartment melts the frost in 10 to 15 minutes.
* For the quickest and best bread crumbs, grate frozen bread slices. Start tossing the ends of the loaf and stale slices into the freezer, instead of the garbage, and save money.
* Use old coffee grounds on top of the soil in your house plants for a mulch that will add nitrogen to the soil.
* Do not add salt when cooking dried beans. Salt toughens beans and prolongs the cooking time required. If salt is desired, add it after the beans are cooked.
* If you have scorched the inside of a saucepan, don't despair. Fill it halfway with water, add 1/4 cup baking soda, and boil awhile. The burned food will loosen and float to the top of the water.
* Save scraps of soap in a pan. When 3/4 full, fill the pan with boiling water; add the juice of one lemon and one teaspoon of glycerin. This will make a cleansing jelly that will whiten and soften your hands.
* If you don't have a corkscrew, drive two nails into the cork to be removed, not too near the edge, lay a large nail horizontally between them, and use the large nail to turn.
* Candles will last longer if you chill them thoroughly before burning them. They will burn more slowly and drip less.
* The plastic tabs from some bread wrappers can be used to keep your embroidery or crewel floss separated and neat. You can write color-chart numbers on the tabs with a felt-tipped marker.

HOUSEHOLD HINTS - ROOM BY ROOM - LAUNDRY

Source: http://www.trivia-library.com/b/household-hints-and-tips-for-laundry.htm

* Here's a convenient way to dry wet sneakers. Fold a wire coat-hanger in half (pointed ends together). Slip the sneakers over the protruding bottom wires and hang up in a ventilated area to dry. (Never dry sneakers in the dryer. They are certain to shrink, and the toes will curl up.)
* After washing mittens, turn them inside out and brush to fluff up the nap. This makes mittens warmer and more water-repellent.
* To use bleach or not to use bleach? That question can be answered by making a mixture of 1 tablespoonful of bleach and 1/4 cup of water. Put a drop or two on a seam inside the garment, leave for a minute, then blot dry with a paper towel. No change in color means you can use bleach. If it fades only slightly, you can use bleach two or three times, when you need to remove a stubborn stain.
* Soak colored items that "bleed" into the wash water for 24 hours in a solution of 4 tablespoons salt to each quart of water. Rinse in vinegar water. Colors will stay put from then on.
* If you pour too much detergent into the washer, sprinkle salt on the suds to settle the bubbles. Excess suds keep the clothes from agitating freely.
* If you hang clothes outside in the winter, you can prevent them from freezing to the line by adding 1/4 cup of salt to the last rinse water.
* You can wash your nylon stockings in the washer if you stuff them into a nylon bag. Use an old stocking as a bag, knotting the end to close it. Never put your nylons in the dryer.
* Launder bras and slips inside a pillowcase, closed with safety pins. This will keep the straps from getting tangled around other clothes. Prevents your having to replace straps and hooks.
* Water from a spray bottle works better than a steam iron. Dampen only the area that needs it.
* When you've let down the hem on a garment made of wool or a synthetic fabric, apply white vinegar with a small sponge to the wrong side of the fabric and steam-press. This will remove the shine as well as the crease left by the old hem.
* To remove bubble gum from clothing, place the garment in the freezer. Once the gum has hardened, it should peel off cleanly.
* To remove mildew from cloth, moisten the area with a paste made of lemon juice and salt. Then lay the item in the sun to bleach.
* Perspiration stain is not easy to remove unless you apply a thick coat of paste made from baking soda and water. Leave this paste on for 15 minutes. Then rinse and wash the garment as usual.
* For rust stains, rub on lemon juice and salt made into a paste. Let this stand until thoroughly dry. Rinse. Repeat if necessary.
* Never hang clothing in the closet until it is thoroughly dry. An unventilated closet can cause staining.
* Save your washer from breakdowns. Every three or four months, clean out your machine by adding a quart of white vinegar to a tubful of warm water and running the machine through a full cycle, without a load of clothes.
* A plumbing tip which will prevent costly repairs: Every month, open the spigot at the bottom of your hot-water heater and drain the water into a bucket until it runs clear. This cleans out rust and corrosion that can eat away the bottom of the tank.
* A different gift for the bride-to-be? Fill a laundry basket with individually wrapped kitchen and laundry items: soaps, cleansers, clothes-pins, scouring pads, dish towels, bleach, etc.

BEDROOM

Source: http://www.trivia-library.com/b/household-hints-and-tips-for-the-bedroom.htm

* To avoid pulling dresser drawers out too far, paint a warning mark on the top of the sides of the drawer. When you see the marks, you'll stop before you spill the contents on the floor.
* Shoe boxes stored on high shelves are easier to take down if a small finger hole is cut in the front of each box near the bottom.
* Grandma knew how to mothproof without using smelly camphor. She just lined boxes with newspapers, overlapping them carefully. Then the folded garments were wrapped separately, sealed with tape, and labeled for easy identification. These packages could be stored in any dry place and be safe from moths. Seems that moths dislike the taste of printer's ink and will not touch clothes packed in this manner.
* Wire coat hangers can easily hold skirts or pants if you use clip-type clothespins along the bottom of the hanger. Very simple for children to use.
* To help children distinguish between their own clothing and that of other children in the family, color-code all hangers with colored tape and assign each child a color. For socks, T-shirts, and underwear, a stitch or two of thread of the same color will do the trick. (Helps you as you sort the laundry, too.)
* To save time making beds, stitch the bottom corners of your bedspread together like a contour sheet, so it fits the mattress. This saves running from one side of the bed to the other to straighten the spread.
* To eliminate opening sheets to see their size, buy each size in a different color.