Don’t you wish that there was a book or manual you could buy that would tell you exactly what you needed to do for just about anything?  Me too…. but if there was, it would be the size of Lake Erie and not all practical as a coffee table book.

Over the years I have come upon or discovered tips that make my life easier.  Most come from happy accidents or the “what happens if I do this…?” scenario or passed down from older relatives who have gone down the wrong path to discover new ideas.   There may not be many of them, but they will certainly make your life easier  knowing how to tackle these particular problems.

1.     Windex removes tree sap…from fingers, cars, Christmas ornaments, etc. and doesn’t damage paint finish, but don’t tell the Windex people this or they will charge more for it.  This was a happy accident after cleaning the front windshield of my car last summer and discovering that it removed the sap with little effort.

2.    Use a dry paint brush to clean your computer keyboard…it gets into all the nooks and crannies of the keys and brushes out dirt, dust and toast crumbs.  Just hold the keyboard upside down and brush away.  Hubby just did this the other day with amazing results.

3.    Balsamic Vinegar and a couple drops of dish soap attracts and kills fruit flies.  Anyone living near a fruit orchard most likely knows this little tidbit.  Fill a shot glass half full of balsamic vinegar and place 2-3 drops of liquid dish soap into it.  Stir to mix in and leave out on the counter or window sill.  Fruit flies are attracted to the Balsamic as it smells like fermenting grapes, but the dish soap breaks the surface tension of the vinegar and the fruit flies can not land on top. They fall in and drown.  I have lost count in the summer on the ones I dump down the drain.  See an earlier post here.

4.    Squeaky knitting needles…for those that knit, especially when the weather or room you are in is really warm, sometimes your yarn will *squeak* and be really tight on the needles.  Simply slide the needles through your hair a few times and continue on… Voila! no more squeaky yarn.

5.    Grow Marigolds around the perimeter of your garden to ward off insect pests and rabbits.  Both of which do not like the smell of them.

6.    Place mothballs in areas of known mice traffic…mice do not like the smell of mothballs.  We keep mothballs in our boat during winter storage and have never had mice in it since after having 3 life jackets shredded one winter.  Note ~  If you are over run with mice, use a mousetrap baited with a dab of peanut butter, gets them every time.

7.    Non-bleach laundry whitener ~ Say goodbye to toxic ammonia bleach by combining 8 cups water, 1 cup hydrogen peroxide and 1/2 cup lemon juice; mix well (I store mine in an empty 2 liter pop bottle). Use a 1/2 cup per load.  More laundry/cleaning tips can be found here.

8.    Last minute lint roller ~ Wrap masking tape sticky side out around your hand and pat down on the areas of your clothes to remove fluff n’ stuff.

9.    Wrap paint rollers and brushes with plastic wrap and place in the freezer while waiting for paint to dry before applying another coat.  The paint will not dry out and ruin the roller or brush.  Just remove from the freezer and thaw for about 30 minutes before applying the next coat of paint.

10.    Coffee filters make great liners for plant pots ~ Place a coffee filter in the bottom of a plant pot  before filling with dirt.  The filter will keep dirt from falling out the drain hole in the bottom.

Feel free to add any of your own tips in the comment section as someone, somewhere, will undoubtedly be thankful for it.