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Try These Tips
BLACK PEPPER
Old use: Food spicer
New use: Plant saver
Sprinkle black pepper on plants, indoors and out, to help keep pets from devouring them. It also helps to keep rabbits, squirrels and raccoons away from your garden.
CLOTHESPIN
Old use: Hanger helper
New use: Recipe holder
Use a clothespin to clip a recipe to the handle on your kitchen cabinet so you can read the recipe easily while cooking. It will be close to eye level.
ELECTRIC TOOTHBRUSH
Old use: Cavity fighter
New use: Nook-and-cranny cleaner
Employ an old electric toothbrush you won't ever use again to brush your teeth to clean tile grout, bathroom fixtures and any other hard-to-reach nooks and crannies. Just spray the spot with Scrubbing Bubbles Mildew Stain Remover and then turn on the toothbrush and scrub.
WHITE BREAD
Old use: Peanut butter & jelly frame
New use: Scuff & stain remover
Decrust a slice of white bread and roll into a ball. Rub it over wallpaper or painted surfaces to remove scuffs and stains.
POTTING ROCKS
Old use: Flower accessory
New use: Soap bed
Help prevent a scummy soap dish by covering the plate with smooth potting rocks and placing the soap on top. The rocks prevent the soap from sitting in that inevitable puddle of water and disintegrating.
LEMON
Old use: Iced-tea enhancer
New use: Lime-scale attacker
Hard water can cause buildup called lime scale in your bathroom sinks. To eliminate, cut a lemon in half and use it to scrub the area. This will help cut through the scaling. Then use a scrubby pad and water to clear leftover debris.
DRYER SHEETS
Old use: Clothes softener
New use: Sneaker saver
Freshen up your sneakers, gym bag and diaper pails with a new or used dryer sheet. Or throw one into a Ziploc Big Bag when storing clothes or linens for a long period of time.
DENTAL FLOSS
Old use: Teeth cleaner
New use: Cheese cutter
Tired of wiping off your knife constantly when you slice a wedge of soft cheese? Tear off a long piece of unflavored waxed floss, hold an end tightly in each hand and slice from top to bottom.
NYLONS
Old use: Fashion enhancer
New use: Window-screen cleaner
Clean your window screens without removing them by gently wiping them every couple of weeks with an old pair of nylon stockings. The nylon scrubs off the dust without damaging screens.
HAIRDRYER
Old use: Hair styler
New use: Glass defogger
Get your foggy bathroom mirror clear without effort. Just put your hairdryer on the high setting and aim directly at the glass. The dry heat will clear the fog quickly.
VINEGAR
Old use: Salad dressing ingredient
New use: Carafe cleaner
Even with good regular cleaning, minerals and scale can build up in an electric drip coffeemaker from hard-water deposits. To remove buildup, fill the reservoir with a solution of three parts water to one part vinegar, and then run it through the coffeemaker on a brew cycle so the solution collects in the carafe. Discard liquid and rinse the coffeemaker by cycling clean water through the brew cycle a few times before using it for coffee.
LIP BALM
Old use: Lip softener
New use: Squeak silencer
Noisy hinges driving you crazy? Pull out the hinge pin, coat it with lip balm and replace it. This will reduce the noise.
MICROFIBER DRY CLOTH
Old use: Dusting furniture
New use: Reviving plants
Greenery looking a bit dusty? Get the best shine out of your houseplants by dusting them with a Pledge Grab it Dry Cloth. Picture perfect!
ICE
Old use: Drink enhancer
New use: Wax remover
Candles drip on your tablecloth? Wax, when frozen, is more easily removed from a tablecloth. So fill a Ziploc Storage Bag with ice cubes and cover the spot of wax on your tablecloth for about 20 minutes. The wax will then lift off your surface more easily; if necessary, gently encourage removal with a plastic knife.
TEA BAGS
Old use: Beverage maker or eye depuffer
New use: Fertilizer
Sprinkle used tea leaves in flower beds for fertilizer. Or dilute a cup of tea in four cups of water and use it to water your plants.
Old use: Food spicer
New use: Plant saver
Sprinkle black pepper on plants, indoors and out, to help keep pets from devouring them. It also helps to keep rabbits, squirrels and raccoons away from your garden.
CLOTHESPIN
Old use: Hanger helper
New use: Recipe holder
Use a clothespin to clip a recipe to the handle on your kitchen cabinet so you can read the recipe easily while cooking. It will be close to eye level.
ELECTRIC TOOTHBRUSH
Old use: Cavity fighter
New use: Nook-and-cranny cleaner
Employ an old electric toothbrush you won't ever use again to brush your teeth to clean tile grout, bathroom fixtures and any other hard-to-reach nooks and crannies. Just spray the spot with Scrubbing Bubbles Mildew Stain Remover and then turn on the toothbrush and scrub.
WHITE BREAD
Old use: Peanut butter & jelly frame
New use: Scuff & stain remover
Decrust a slice of white bread and roll into a ball. Rub it over wallpaper or painted surfaces to remove scuffs and stains.
POTTING ROCKS
Old use: Flower accessory
New use: Soap bed
Help prevent a scummy soap dish by covering the plate with smooth potting rocks and placing the soap on top. The rocks prevent the soap from sitting in that inevitable puddle of water and disintegrating.
LEMON
Old use: Iced-tea enhancer
New use: Lime-scale attacker
Hard water can cause buildup called lime scale in your bathroom sinks. To eliminate, cut a lemon in half and use it to scrub the area. This will help cut through the scaling. Then use a scrubby pad and water to clear leftover debris.
DRYER SHEETS
Old use: Clothes softener
New use: Sneaker saver
Freshen up your sneakers, gym bag and diaper pails with a new or used dryer sheet. Or throw one into a Ziploc Big Bag when storing clothes or linens for a long period of time.
DENTAL FLOSS
Old use: Teeth cleaner
New use: Cheese cutter
Tired of wiping off your knife constantly when you slice a wedge of soft cheese? Tear off a long piece of unflavored waxed floss, hold an end tightly in each hand and slice from top to bottom.
NYLONS
Old use: Fashion enhancer
New use: Window-screen cleaner
Clean your window screens without removing them by gently wiping them every couple of weeks with an old pair of nylon stockings. The nylon scrubs off the dust without damaging screens.
HAIRDRYER
Old use: Hair styler
New use: Glass defogger
Get your foggy bathroom mirror clear without effort. Just put your hairdryer on the high setting and aim directly at the glass. The dry heat will clear the fog quickly.
VINEGAR
Old use: Salad dressing ingredient
New use: Carafe cleaner
Even with good regular cleaning, minerals and scale can build up in an electric drip coffeemaker from hard-water deposits. To remove buildup, fill the reservoir with a solution of three parts water to one part vinegar, and then run it through the coffeemaker on a brew cycle so the solution collects in the carafe. Discard liquid and rinse the coffeemaker by cycling clean water through the brew cycle a few times before using it for coffee.
LIP BALM
Old use: Lip softener
New use: Squeak silencer
Noisy hinges driving you crazy? Pull out the hinge pin, coat it with lip balm and replace it. This will reduce the noise.
MICROFIBER DRY CLOTH
Old use: Dusting furniture
New use: Reviving plants
Greenery looking a bit dusty? Get the best shine out of your houseplants by dusting them with a Pledge Grab it Dry Cloth. Picture perfect!
ICE
Old use: Drink enhancer
New use: Wax remover
Candles drip on your tablecloth? Wax, when frozen, is more easily removed from a tablecloth. So fill a Ziploc Storage Bag with ice cubes and cover the spot of wax on your tablecloth for about 20 minutes. The wax will then lift off your surface more easily; if necessary, gently encourage removal with a plastic knife.
TEA BAGS
Old use: Beverage maker or eye depuffer
New use: Fertilizer
Sprinkle used tea leaves in flower beds for fertilizer. Or dilute a cup of tea in four cups of water and use it to water your plants.