Susan Hansen, Extension Educator Colfax County
This weeks column is a little bit of this and a little bit of that. I sorted through my accumulation of hints and ideas and thought I’d share some of them with you.
* Use a pizza cutter for more than just pizza. Cut pancakes, waffles, french toast, biscuits, bread dough, sandwiches, bar cookies, the list goes on.
* Remove deposits caused by hard water from shower heads and faucets by using vinegar and water. The proportions are ½ cup vinegar to 1 quart warm water. Either remove the shower head or faucet and soak in the vinegar-water solution or put the solution in a plastic bag, secure over the shower head or faucet, and leave for a few hours.
* If you have a greeting card but no envelope, cut the card into puzzle pieces. Put pieces in any size envelope. Great for sending cards to kids - they have fun putting the puzzle together.
* Cut a hole near the top of a clean plastic jug and another at the bottom. Take plastic grocery bags, squeeze out air and insert in top hole. Pull out of bottom as needed.
* To reduce soap residue on a shower curtain, wipe the curtain every week with a vinegar and water solution. To remove mildew, clean the shower curtain with chlorine bleach and water. Use one tablespoon bleach per quart of water.
* When hard-cooking eggs, add food coloring to the water even if it isn’t Easter. At a glance, you can see which eggs are raw and which are hard-cooked.
* To properly iron a shirt, start by pressing the inside of the collar and then the outside. Next, iron the yoke, the cuffs, and the sleeves. Iron the front half that has the buttons followed by the other front half. Iron the back of the shirt last.
* Granulated sugar can be frozen, if needed. However, the best way to store granulated sugar is to place it in an airtight container or a sealable plastic bag and keep on the pantry shelf. Powdered sugar should not be frozen because if moisture comes in contact with the sugar, it can become caked.
* Set a timer by an appliance you worry about turning off such as an iron, curling iron or coffee maker. Just make sure the timer goes off before you leave the house.
* An easy, more environmentally friendly method of clearing a slow drain is to use baking soda and vinegar. Pour ½ cup to 1 cup of baking soda into the drain and follow it with one cup of vinegar. The mixture will boil up slightly. A couple of minutes later, pour a quart of hot water down the drain. Follow with running water for a minute or two. Repeat every 2 to 3 weeks.
* Remove coffee stains from jugs by sprinkling baking soda onto a damp cloth; rub into the stained areas. You may need to repeat on stubborn stains.
* When cleaning, NEVER mix ammonia and chlorine bleach. Toxic fumes will emerge if the two chemicals are mixed.
* When heating liquids in the microwave, add ingredients to cold water before microwaving. Or, stir the microwave-heated water with a spoon before adding ingredients. This reduces the erupting of the boiled water and ingredients as well as reducing the risk of scalding yourself.
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