Use What You Have on Hand to Clean and Repair

Clogged Drain- If your drain suddenly won’t let the water drain, mix one-half cup of vinegar and one-half cup of baking soda.  Pour mixture down clogged drain after you have removed as much of the standing water as possible.   Watch the bubbles for fun, and let the mixture sit in the drain for a few hours.  Flush the drain with water.  Repeat if necessary.

Remove Candle Wax on a Wood Surface- place an ice cube on the wax and wait for wax to harden.  Use a plastic knife or wooden Popsicle stick to pry the wax from the wood.  Sometimes, you can use your fingernail to lift the wax.  Do not use stainless steel knives that would mar the surface.

Clean Your Microwave- I have read that putting a bowl or cup of water in the microwave and letting the water come to a boil would make it easier to remove debris sticking to the microwave.  This never worked of me.  Instead,  use one-half cup of baking soda that had been added to 2 cups of water.  This works as a safe, less abrasive cleaner that will remove even the stickiest messes.

Hide Unsightly Furniture Scratches- Using shoe polish in a similar color will hide scratches.  A crayon that closely matches the furniture color works well too.  Apply furniture polish for a nice shine.

Clean Glass on Fireplace Insert- Just take some ashes from the bottom of the fireplace and mix with a bit of water.  With a soft cloth, spread the water and ash solution on the inside of the glass.  Wait a few minutes and use damp paper towels or a soft cloth to remove the residue.

Get Rid of Water Rings on Wood Furniture- Just grab that plain white toothpaste that is not a gel, and then rub the toothpaste over the ring.  Then, finish the job by polishing with furniture police.

Look What Non-Gel Toothpaste Can Do

• removes spots or stains on clothing
• filler for small nail holes
• cleans chrome and silver.
• dries up pimples
• cleans jewelry
• removes yellow stains on fingernails

Portable Hair Dryers to the Rescue- These hair dryers are great for blowing the dust off of artificial plants, removing Contac paper from shelves, defrosting a frozen pipe, and softening caulk for easier removal.

Magnets- Magnetize screwdrivers and drill bits to keep the screwdriver and bit from slipping out of the screw.

Pizza Cutters Have Many Uses- Pizza cutters can be used to trim the crust from bread.  Cutting spaghetti into bite-size pizzas, and loosening the paint around a stuck window.

Duct Tape- Duct tape can remove gum and other sticky substance from leather.  Just place duct tape over substance to be removed and just keep using piece after piece of duct tape until the entire sticky substance is removed.

Styrofoam Meat Trays-  These little trays make wonderful paint trays for small paint jobs requiring a small paint roller.

Coffee Cans With Lids- Save these for putting anything you want to throw away that has an awful smell, especially when you have to wait several days for garbage pick-up day.  We pick up dog dropping from the yard with plastic bags and put the bags into the coffee cans.  No awful odor escapes the cans.

Clothespins- Anchor your outdoor tablecloth by adding clothespins to the bottom of the cloth.  It will stay put on a windy day.