Clever everyday wisdom

While forcing open the lock of your door, the key snaps and breaks in two. How do you get the broken part out? While sewing, the needle slips from the thread and falls on the floor. How can you locate it quick? The weather is damp and the drawers of your desk get stuck. How will you make them slide smoothly? If you love onions but tear every time you peel them, what should you do so your eyes won’t tear? If your pet starts to smell, but you don’t have time to give it a full bath, how can you make it smell fresh in a jiffy? If you hate brushing with a limp-bristled toothbrush, how can you be assured of stiff bristles that clean like new each time you brush?

We all encounter assorted little problems like these in everyday life. Thanks to the collective ingenuity of many people, we have found practical solutions to these otherwise irritating predicaments. Here are some of the most clever, intriguing, and inventive recourses:

Home Remedies

• To unscrew a hard-to-open bottle or jar, wind thick rubber bands around the cover for extra grip. Dipping the cover in hot water will also expand the metal, allowing for an easier twist.

• To remove a broken key from a lock, put a small amount of super glue on the part that’s broken off, and insert to touch the part that’s stuck. Hold steady for a few seconds to let the glue dry, then pull out gently.

• To change a broken light bulb, turn off the main switch first as safety precaution. With hands properly gloved, stick a bar of soap into the broken glass edges and carefully twist the bulb out of the socket.

• To prevent flowers from quickly wilting, add two drops of chlorine bleach to the water, and drop an aspirin for longer flower life. Change the water when it starts to smell.

• To unstuck a wooden cabinet drawer, rub a candle vigorously on the contact points and grooves. Lubricating the sliding surfaces with floor wax works, too. Use the same technique on stuck doors and windows.

Clean And Shine

• To remove oil from the floor or driveway, cover with sand or wood shavings; let stand for a few days and sweep off. To remove grease from upholstery and rugs, pour on baking soda and brush in. Let it stand for a day and vacuum off.

• For stubborn discolorations in silverware, rub on calamansi or lemon and rinse.

• To remove wax from candleholders, freeze them in the refrigerator and the wax will peel off easily. For hard-to-remove wax, dip candleholders in boiling water to melt the wax away.

•To cure scratches on furniture, cover deep scratches using a brown Pentel pen, then apply furniture polish to shine.

Sew Easy

• To open a stuck zipper and make the zip slide effortlessly up and down, rub a candle on the tracks.

• For easy needle threading, dip the tip of the thread into clear nail polish, straighten, and let dry before inserting.

• If your needle falls on the floor, a small magnet can easily pick it up. The same can be used to find misplaced thumbtacks and steel nails.

• To take off lint from your clothes quickly, wrap a piece of masking tape around your hand with the sticky side out. Pick up lint and dust by gently patting on clothes.

Personal Care

• For a more comfortable shave, do it after you shower. Water softens the hair shafts for shaving. Hair gel and hair conditioners make excellent shaving cream if there is none.

• For naturally fresh breath after eating, chew on parsley or mint leaves.

• To keep a burn from blistering, apply ice cubes to the burn immediately. Never apply anything that’s oil-based.

• To keep clothes smelling fresh, put bars of your favorite perfumed soap in your wardrobe closet. Also, put small pieces of soap wrapped in toilet paper in your clothes pockets.

Kitchen Savvy

• Did you know that it is easier to slice an onion with its skin on? To peel onions without tears, let water run over them while peeling.

• A dull knife is better to use to cut cheese with than a sharp one. Cheese will stick to the sharp knife, leaving you with uneven slices.

• If you over-salt food while cooking, drop a potato or two into it. The potato will absorb the salt.

• To separate the egg white from the yolk, crack the egg and put through a small funnel. The white will pass through the hole while the yolk will stay in the funnel.

• To eliminate odors from waste bins, cut a lemon and throw in. To keep your refrigerator smelling fresh, put in an open box of baking soda or charcoal.

• To keep fruits and vegetables fresh longer, wrap them in paper towels or clean newspaper and store in refrigerator. The paper will absorb moisture which causes decay.

More Tips

• If you want your pet to smell better but don’t have time to give it a bath, dry shampoo it. Rub baking soda into its fur and brush out. Your pet will feel fresher.

• And here’s an original Dero tip: to make your toothbrush last a long time, clamp the bristles after each brushing with a wide plastic clip. You’ll love your toothbrush’s continuous cleaning efficiency, and cut down on your toothbrush expenses!

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