Silver and Gold Magazine Fall 2017 | Page 14

silvergoldmagazine.ca HOUSE + HOME HOUSEHOLD TIPS + TRICKS – By Elizabeth Norm To remove blood stains from clothes – Simply pour a little hydrogen peroxide on a cloth and wipe off… works every time! To remove crayon or pen marks on walls – use a damp rag and dip in baking soda. Comes off with little effort! For freshly-scented underwear – Put a few drops of your favourite essential oil on a face cloth and allow to dry for five minutes before storing in the drawer. Works great on towels and linens too! Lavender is a light, calming scent to use. To clean artificial flowers – pour some salt into a paper bag and add the flowers. Shake vigorously and the salt will absorb all the dust and dirt, leaving your artificial flowers looking like new. To bring out the natural sweetness of corn on the cob – add a pinch of sugar (not salt) to help bring out the flavour. To keep celery fresh for weeks – wrap in aluminum foil before putting in the refrigerator. 14 Click for more articles + recipes: www.silvergoldmagazine.ca To keep ants away from hummingbird feeders – paint a line with chalk all around the pole they’re climbing on, and they will not cross up (ants hate chalk on their sensitive feet! Works great to prevent them from coming in the house too!) For clean mirrors – use air- freshener spray instead. Does a good job and leaves a lovely scent! To get rid of splinters easily – Put a piece of masking or scotch tape over it and pull it off. The tape will remove most splinters painlessly and easily. To polish jewelry – Drop in two Alka Seltzer tablets into a glass of water and immerse the jewelry for two minutes. Alka Seltzer works wonders for cleaning the toilet too! Simply drop in, wait for ten minutes, then flush! Keep your cling film in the fridge. A lot of people find it much more cooperative and easier to use when it is cold. Let the blender clean itself. Seriously, why go through all the trouble of cleaning your blender by hand when it was practically designed for the purpose? Just add water and a tiny bit of dish soap, put on the lid securely, and turn it on. Voilá, the blender cleans itself! Rinse out the soap thoroughly when it’s done and you are all set.