Household Tips

In the Living Room

Smoke-free ashtrays

Fewer and fewer people smoke these days, but if you have friends or family who do, ashtrays are still part of your life. Wash ashtrays with a paste of baking soda and water to remove the smoky odor. You can also sprinkle some baking soda in the ashtray before it is used to prevent cigarettes from smoldering and to keep down the smell.

Knock out knickknack dirt

If you have lots of small knickknacks made of glass, china, or pottery, try washing them instead of dusting them. You’ll save time and effort in the long run, and the pieces will stay much cleaner. Use a serving tray to carry them back and forth from the kitchen, and simply dip them in soapy water, rinse and put them on a towel to dry. To wash a larger, fragile object, place it on a thick, folded towel in your kitchen sink. Spray it with glass cleaner or spray chandelier cleaner, and rinse it off with a water spray after a few minutes. Place it on another thick towel to dry.

In the Dining Room

Dining Room downsizing

If your favorite tablecloth has acquired some large holes you can no longer cover up with your dinner plates, consider recycling it. Cut it up into large squares or rectangles, and hem the edges by hand or machine to make napkins or place mats. You can also bind the edges with bias-cut fabric or bias binding in a matching color.

Nifty, thrifty napkins

Avoid the daily expense and waste of using paper napkins by using cloth ones for you family instead. Buy either good quality all-cotton napkins, or use dishcloths in pretty colors. Washcloths that are nicely finished on all sides serve well as napkins, too. Identify the napkins so that each person in you family has his own. You can embroider a monogram in the corner of each one, or simply buy a different color for each person. When you buy your napkins, pick colors that are not too far from the colors of your normal clothing. This way, it will be easy to throw your napkins in with your other laundry instead of having to wash them in a separate load.

In the Bathroom

Save the last sliver of soap

When you are down to the last sliver of bar soap and ready to start a new one, moisten them both. Then work up a bit of lather on the new one and stick the sliver on it. It will soon become one with the new bar of soap, and there’s no waste.

Give your tub a good shampoo

Is your tub greasy from bath oil or other dirt? There’s a product in your bathroom that will clean it in a flash. Pour some shampoo on a rag, and wipe off the greasy with ease.

Electrical problem

Know what to do when the lights go out!

Every adult in your household should know where your fuse box is located, what it’s for, and how to change a fuse. If not, take a few minutes for a family training session. This will save you lots of time and trouble next time the lights go out.

Emergency back-up candles

A storm is coming, and you’re trying to prepare for string winds and probable power outages. Of course, a good flashlight with lots of backup batteries would be great. How about a few emergency candles that will burn a long time? If these are not available, don’t panic. Grab a jar of petroleum jelly and search for the leftover birthday candles in the kitchen. Stick a birthday candle into the middle of the jar, and light it when needed. This homemade candle should burn for several hours. — from Fix It, Clean It, and Make It Last By The Editors of FC&A Publishing (FC&A)