Keep away flies - Grow Basil on your windowsills

Test if your baking powder is still fresh - Add a teaspoon of the powder to half a pint of hot water, if it bubbles rapidly then it is still fresh.


Stone an apricot - Cut in half with a sharp knife lengthways following the lines of the fruit, the twist the two halves in opposite directions and pull apart - the stone should now be easily removed.


Test if your fridge door seal is working effectively - Shut a piece of paper in the door. If you can pull the paper out easily then your seal is not working properly and you should replace it.


Undo the end of a sellotape roll - Over over the steam from a kettle for a few seconds.

Clean a burnt aluminium saucepan - fill with water, add an onion and boil.

Remove animal hair from upholstry - Wrap sellotape around your hand sticky side up then stroke the furniture!

Minimise the smell of ashtrays - Put a thin layer of bicarbonate of soda at the bottom of the ashtray

Stop the bathroom mirror steaming up - Rub the mirror with a few drops of shampoo

Mend books - Torn pages can be repaired by brushing with egg white and leaving to dry. A hole can be mended by chewing a piece of paper until it is soft, pressing it into the hole then ironing it with a cool iron. Grease spots on the pages can be removed by sandwiching the page between two sheets of blotting paper and ironing with a warm iron. Surface dirt can be removed by rubbing with fresh bread kneaded into a ball.

If a book has become damp, sprinkle talcum powder between the pages the weight it down until the powder has absorbed all the moisture, then brush off the powder. This will also improve the smell of damp.

Make candles last longer - Put them in the freezer for a few hours before use.

Avoid car sickness - Place a sprig of parsley on your stomach and fix with a plaster. Drink a cup of sweet tea before setting off.

Silverware: Cleaning Method
Drop a handful of washing soda in warm water and dissolve. Wrap the silver item in foil and place in water making sure all parts are covered. Leave for five minutes, take out, dry, and then polish with soft, dry cloth.

More silver advice
Use tooth paste to clean silverware.


This is a little similar but......

Take a piece of aluminum foil and put in the bottom of the sink (enough to cover most of the bottom), then pour 1 T. of regular Baking Soda (Arm & Hammer works well) over it and pour boiling hot water into the sink. Mix water and soda lightly with a wood spoon and then place your silverware in there - the tarnish comes off after about an hour or two of soaking, making it look brand new..


Place an aluminium foil in recepient sink etc add 2 spoons of kitchen salt in hot water and then immerse cutlery..


Rub your silverware with a paste made of wood ash and water, rinse and dry..


Another way to clean silverware(I asume you are talking about real silver) is to use a chamos cloth. They can be found at any instrument/music store and are cheap..


On a show the other day the host used toothpaste and a good brand of paper towel.
Rub toothpaste onto silverware with one lot of paper towel and using a fresh lot polish it off, that's it and it worked when he did it, l suppose you would use a toothbrush to get into any crevices or hard to get to place.

Oh wonderful tips,,,i know some of them though..Thanks a lot.

What is cellotape? I want to try it for the animal hair on the furniture. Right now I buy the lint brushes (sticky paper and toss away) and it works but they are expensive.

Great tips! I'm going to try a few of them!

Removing Candle Wax from Walls
Candle wax can be removed from walls or other surfaces with an iron and facial tissue. Set the tissue over the wax and gently iron. When the wax seeps through or the tissue begins to brown, apply a new tissue.

Cleaning Chrome
Club soda or seltzer water will clean chrome.

Removing Gum
Gum can be removed using ice to harden and a dull knife to remove.

Cleaning Window Screens
Nylon covered sponges are great for cleaning window screens.

Removing Smoke Odor
Place a bowl of vinegar out to absorb smoke odor.

Unstick That Door
Car wax applied to a sticking door will ease opening and closing.

Repairing Cigarette Burns in Carpets
Cigarette burns in carpeting can be repaired by cutting the blackened fibers from the hole. Squeeze liquid glue into the hole and fill with fibers trimmed from carpet remnants.

Repairing Small Holes in Window Screens
Clear nail polish will repair small holes in window screens.

Killing Flies
Hair spray will kill flies.

Cleaning Scuff Marks
Use 3 tbsp. Of TSP (trisodium phosphate) to a gallon of water to clean scuff marks or crayon marks off walls. TSP can be found in the paint department of a hardware store. Wear gloves and do not use on semi-gloss or gloss paint or wood surfaces.

Furniture stain

Follow the tips listed below (in order) until stain has lifted from your carpet: Apply small amounts of the cleaning solution with a clean, white, absorbent towel. Continue to apply and blot frequently until the staining material is no longer transferred to the towel.

Tip 1:
Apply a small amount of dry cleaning solvent or alcohol (available at grocery, drug and hardware stores). Use small amounts to prevent possible damage to sizing, backings or stuffing materials. Do not use gasoline, lighter fluid or other flammables.

Tip 2:
Mix one-half teaspoon of white neutral detergent (a mild dishwashing dish washing detergent containing no strong alkalis or bleaches), with a cup of lukewarm water.
The final step is to blot any remaining moisture or cleaning solutions by pressing or padding the area with absorbent towel. Weight it down and allow at least six hours to dry.

Use a combination of baking soda and hot water to clean hair brushes and combs....

Use paste wax to remove tar from floors. This works on shoes too.