My Aunt forwarded me an e-mail with a bunch of useful tips and tricks for around the house. Here are some of the ones I found helpful. Do you have any household tricks of your own?

  • To easily remove burnt on food from your skillet, simply add a drop or two of dish soap and enough water to cover bottom of pan, and bring to a boil on stove top.
  • Spray your TUPPERWARE with nonstick cooking spray before pouring in tomato based sauces and there won’t be any stains.
  • Wrap celery in aluminum foil when putting in the refrigerator and it will keep for weeks.
  • When boiling corn on the cob, add a pinch of sugar to help bring out the corn’s natural sweetness.
  • Don’t throw out all that leftover wine: Freeze into ice cubes for future use in casseroles and sauces…
  • Use Empty toilet paper roll to store appliance cords. It keeps them neat and you can write on the roll what appliance it belongs to..
  • To remove old wax from a glass candle holder, put it in the freezer for a few hours. Then take the candle holder out and turn it upside down. The wax will fall out.
  • Permanent marker on appliances/counter tops, rubbing alcohol on paper towel will help remove it.
  • Whenever I purchase a box of S.O.S Pads, I immediately take a pair of scissors and cut each pad into halves. After years of having to throw away rusted and unused and smelly pads, I finally decided that this would be much more economical. Now a box of S.O.S pads last me indefinitely! In fact, I have noticed that the scissors get ‘sharpened” this way!
  • Candles will last a lot longer if placed in the freezer for at least 3 hours prior to burning.
  • To clean artificial flowers, pour some salt into a paper bag and add the flowers. Shake vigorously as the salt will absorb all the dust and dirt and leave your artificial flowers looking like new! Works like a charm!
  • Clean a thermos bottle. Fill the bottle with water, drop in four Alka Seltzer tablets, and let soak for an hour (Or longer, if necessary).
  • Unclog a drain Clear the sink drain by dropping three Alka Seltzer tablets down the drain followed by a cup of Heinz White Vinegar. Wait a few minutes, and then run the hot water.