Let's have a "helpful hint" thread...........

[Joanne]

Over the years, I've picked up good ideas that are so basic I wondered why I wasn't taught or caught them. Some I've learned here!

 

I'll start:

 

1. Always park in the same row at stores you go to commonly. Always, even if you have to walk farther. That way, you always know where your vehicle is.
2. Mats at the sink, fridge, dishwasher and stove/oven save a lot of floor cleaning.
3. Use the dishwasher to clean oven vents and light fixture removable parts.

[Moxie]

If in doubt, throw it out! Food, toys, clothes, just get rid of it.

[Belacqua]

If you have leftover coffee, freeze it in an ice cube tray. When you put the cubes in iced coffee, they won't make it all watery as they melt.

 

Same with chicken stock (though I wouldn't advise putting that in your coffee).

[fraidycat]

Were you reading my mind? While driving home today, I was composing a very similar "consistency" thread in my head! For minimizing decision making on a day to day basis and staying more organized/prepared.

 

- Top off your gas tank when you get to 1/2. No last minute, running 10 minutes late - with the gas light on, 5 miles from the nearest station emergencies.

 

- vinegar removes odors in laundry that regular detergent leaves behind.

 

- a small carbiner attached to your purse/bag handle to attach keys as soon as you are done with them = no lost keys. Ever. In house or at the check out counter.

[KungFuPanda]

- use a seam ripper to get the hair off your vacuum cleaner.

 

- shop around for prescriptions. I just learned that different pharmacies have different prices for prescription drugs and no single pharmacy has the best price for everything :-/

[Guest]

Get second opinions when dentists find a million things wrong.

 

Sooooo true! I had a dentist tell me I definitely needed a crown and another filling or two. $1200 estimate! Went elsewhere. No crown. One filling. <$200.

[*Alyssa*]

Keep cleaning supplies in every room.  You are more likely to clean and keep it that way if you can just do a quick cleaning with the supplies already in the room.  Make it a habit to do target areas every day at least once and deep clean one room each month for a year round "spring cleaning". 

With all my kids, this is the only way I've been able to keep my house clean and it works extremely well for me.

[*Alyssa*]

 

Over the years, I've picked up good ideas that are so basic I wondered why I wasn't taught or caught them. Some I've learned here!

 

I'll start:

 

1. Always park in the same row at stores you go to commonly. Always, even if you have to walk farther. That way, you always know where your vehicle is.
2. Mats at the sink, fridge, dishwasher and stove/oven save a lot of floor cleaning.
3. Use the dishwasher to clean oven vents and light fixture removable parts.

 

 

Now why didn't I think of that?  I clean my kids' toys in the dishwasher and never thought to use it for those things.  Good idea!

 

[mama mills]

Hairspray takes permanent marker off of a recliner

[Lang Syne Boardie]

If your own ADD starts to overwhelm you when your four kids hit the teenage years at once, use visual aids.

Clipboards on the kitchen wall to tell you what to cook.

Clipboard in the cleaning closet to tell you when to clean.

Clipboard in the bathroom for younger kids to check off their hygiene routine b/c while I remember to ask, I forget what they answered.

Post-its on the credenza to remind you of the 5,479 things you need to do when you finally get on the computer.

A giant bulletin board with labeled sections for each outside activity to keep track of, including contact info, meeting schedule, gear and standard prep for it, etc. and color-coded for each family member. (Mine has these sections:

CHURCH choir, worship band, middle school band, Sunday school, youth group, special services
SPORTS baseball, swimming, taekwondo
CLUBS Cub Scouts, Civil Air Patrol, folk music club
JOBS DH's work contact info, sons' fast food and library job schedules, my part-time online job
HEALTH CARE orthodontist, optometrist, dentist, orthopedic surgeon
HOLIDAYS & FIELD TRIPS to-do lists, menus, brochures, family members to call)

A giant calendar hangs next to the bulletin board, entries color-coded. If it's not on the calendar it's not my problem! The kids are trained. DH is not.

This is just for household management. If you want to hear how I have ADD-proofed my homeschool, feel free to ask.

[MiMi 4under3]

Use a bit of dishwasher detergent to clean the stains out of a light colored kitchen sink.

 

(But if you use "organic" detergent, then it won't work - no bleach.)

[Ethel Mertz]

 

This is just for household management. If you want to hear how I have ADD-proofed my homeschool, feel free to ask.

 

Asking!

[Ethel Mertz]

If you accidentally put dish soap in the dishwasher (and the suds all come out), open dishwasher and pour in vegetable oil. It cuts the suds completely.

 

Lots of peanut butter will get (lots of) pomade out of hair. Don't ask.

[Farrar]

Store natural peanut butter upside down.  It's slightly less of a mess when you open it and the oil is on the bottom.

[AMJ]

Were you reading my mind? While driving home today, I was composing a very similar "consistency" thread in my head! For minimizing decision making on a day to day basis and staying more organized/prepared.

 

- Top off your gas tank when you get to 1/2. No last minute, running 10 minutes late - with the gas light on, 5 miles from the nearest station emergencies.

 

- vinegar removes odors in laundry that regular detergent leaves behind.

 

- a small carbiner attached to your purse/bag handle to attach keys as soon as you are done with them = no lost keys. Ever. In house or at the check out counter.

I'd like to see that consistency thread! Have you started it? Got a link?

[AMJ]

If you accidentally put dish soap in the dishwasher (and the suds all come out), open dishwasher and pour in vegetable oil. It cuts the suds completely.

 

Lots of peanut butter will get (lots of) pomade out of hair. Don't ask.

Peanut butter also helps get chewing gum out of hair. No cutting needed.

[Guest]

If you are driving on the interstate and looking for an exit... the number placement on the sign will let you know if the exit will be on your left or right!

 

Example in image. See how one "exit" sign is mounted to left of sign and one is mounted to right?

 

http://www.interstate-guide.com/images190/i-190_ny_st_04.jpg

 

For years I never noticed this. I saw it on some list of tips. Brought to you by the girl who can't find her way out of a wet paper bag.

The link did not work for me, but this is valuable info. I am one of the most poorly-oriented people of all time. Seriously. I have a few talents, but direction is not one of them. My driving life has been vastly, incredibly far improved since real-time navigation and turn-by-turn directions!

[AMJ]

Hairspray takes permanent marker off of a recliner

Hairspray also gets ink stains out of clothing. VERY IMPORTANT: do NOT rub! Have a lot of paper towels handy. If you can, place the stained fabric on top of a thick layer of more paper towels. Spray the ink with hairspray (saturate it), then BLOT with clean paper towel. Keep alternating spraying and blotting with fresh paper towels. It takes a while, but the ink eventually comes out. Then, launder clothing or shampoo upholstery to remove the hairspray residue.

[AMJ]

This is just for household management. If you want to hear how I have ADD-proofed my homeschool, feel free to ask.

Yes, please! I'm asking, too!

[Guest]

Here's my tip: Roombas are awesome. If you have a floor, you should have a Roomba. I would rather have a Roomba than a trip to Jamaica, Sunday-morning tEA, or a month of Chik-Fil-A strawberry milkshakes.

[ErinE]

Time yourself doing basic chores (emptying dishwasher, folding clothes, cleaning bathroom). It helps me when I'm procrastinating to remind myself it only takes XX minutes to do one thing.

 

Empty the dishwasher immediately after cleaning.

 

Throw away the trash in your car whenever you stop for gas. I do this whenever I get home, but someone else uses my car and isn't as diligent.

[idnib]

- use a seam ripper to get the hair off your vacuum cleaner.

 

This how I clean my hairbrush before washing it too.

 

I think we should call this thread's participants "Heloises of the Hive!"

 

I'm literally too tired to think of anything else.

[fraidycat]

I'd like to see that consistency thread! Have you started it? Got a link?

 

Now there is. ;)

 

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/515203-if-you-always-do-this-your-life-will-be-so-much-easier/

[AMJ]

Post-its on the credenza to remind you of the 5,479 things you need to do when you finally get on the computer.

 

 

I have these on both my laptop and my desktop at home! I also had stickies all over the walls and maps (even my whiteboard) of my office, back when I had my paycheck job.

 

Years ago my place of employment decided to get us all Palm Pilots. Remember Grafitti, the special handwriting script to enter things into it? I could do it, but it took some concentration, and I was in data management and user support. When people called me with a problem I made notes on sticky notes so I could concentrate on the phone conversation. I then slapped the stickies into the case of my Palm. I used the spare minutes before meetings to enter the to-do items from the stickies into the task list on my Palm.

 

My boss, seeing a Palm case full of stickies one day, asked me why I even bothered with the Palm. I explained how I couldn't write in Grafitti and listen to an irate user at the same time, and I used the minutes before meetings to get them entered, as I was doing right then.

 

At the next meeting several of my coworkers also had stickies in their Palm cases, too. It turns out most had their notes hidden in their notebooks.

 

On my phone I also have stickies (magic ones that are as big or small as you need to type the note), but they are hidden in an app and not in my face as I need.

[AMJ]

BTW, life is vastly improved by having a huge magnetic whiteboard and good wallspace for it. My DH got me a 4 ft by 6 ft one, but sadly the only place I could hang it was vertically in the hallway. Since I had to sacrifice the lower 2/5 of it (too low for me to write on) that area has become kid space. The kids are thrilled! I found some thin black marker board tape to divide the areas.

[Chris in VA]

To clean a microwave (stuck on food splatters), boil water in it for two minutes, then let the steam work for 20 minutes or so. Everything gets soft and you can just wipe it out without abrasive or chemical cleaners.

 

Clean your bathtub ring by filling the tub and adding some dishwasher powder. Swish around to dissolve and let sit overnight. Takes all the scummies off.

 

Procrastinating? Set a timer for 5 mins, or even 3 mins if you can't bear the thought of even 5 mins of doing what you are postponing. Give yourself permission to stop when the timer goes off. Many times, you will want to finish the task! I can empty the dishwasher in 3 minutes if I hurry--

 

Use a dremel instead of a squeeze-type nail clipper on your dog's nails.

 

Here's one I heard today--heat a spoon under hot water, then press on a mosquito bite to stop the itching (apparently heat destroys the protein that causes the itching...)

 

Coconut oil and sugar makes a great scrub--if you scrub your legs with it, then shave with plain coconut oil, you will get "dolphin skin!" (Super smooth)

[AMJ]

I want a marker board in my schooling room, but the open floor plan of our house doesn't leave much wallspace. Until I get the whiteboard easel I want I am making do with Post-It easel pads. I write, remove the sheet, and post it on the edges of bookshelves, the windows, the picture frame glass (over the piano).

 

DH'S wonderful aunt also told us about glass markers (dry erase markers work on glass, too, but there are some fun "crystal effects" glass markers). We were already writing stuff to remember on the glass of our back door (most used entrance). Now the kids gleefully work out problems on the windows and mirrors. They like this as much as the smaller whiteboards and markers I packed them for a recent road trip.

[Ameena]

Vanilla, especially Mexican Vanilla, will take the pain out of a cooking burn. It will also prevent it from blistering, and help it heal faster. Read this years ago when I was a kid learning to cook - and I can verify it WORKS! I have heard it works on sunburns as well, but never tried it.

 

91% Rubbing Alcohol will remove crayon from almost anything. It will also remove sticky from anything. And Sharpie from hands.

 

Dehydrated baby wipes can easily be rehydrated. Pour a little water over top, flip over & pour more water, then flip & pour water on sides. Let sit, preferably in a warm place.

 

You can clean almost anything with vinegar & warm water. It is an all purpose solution for floors, walls, appliances, and more.

 

Salt will shine copper bottomed pans without all the scrubbing. Put on with either lemon juice or vinegar, let sit a few minutes then lightly rub.

[Carol in Cal.]

You can get permanent marker off of plastic by rubbing it briskly with a wadded up dollar bill.

[Debbi in Texas]

Hand sanitizer does a marvelous job of cleaning white boards.

[TeacherZee]

Freeze fresh ginger in one inch chunks in the freezer. Much easier to grate.

[applethyme]

Use rubbing alcohol to clean glass or mirrors.  Dries without streaking and is cheep to use..

[magic]

Use the paddle attachment on your mixer to shred chicken.  Place cooked chicken breasts and thighs in the bowl, turn on the mixer, and chicken becomes beautifully shredded.

 

 

[Amy in NH]

Rubbing alcohol to clean white boards.

 

Mayo to clean grease out of fabric.  Similar to the hairspray/ink method - layer paper towel under the grease spot, rub gently with mayo using a paper towel on top.  The grease will come out onto the paper towels, then the mayo will come out in the wash.

[Cosmos]

Never stand up or sit down while carrying something. If you are carrying something to a table, put it down, then sit down. If you are going to carry something, stand up first, then pick up the item. This simple rule would eliminate so many accidents (spills, especially), but apparently not everybody knows it!

[wendyroo]

If in doubt, throw it out! Food, toys, clothes, just get rid of it.

 

You can save butter wrappers in a ziploc in the freezer.  There is often quite a bit of butter left on it so you can use that to butter a baking dish.

 

I love this juxtaposition.  Two roads to a well ordered home - either throw a bunch of stuff away or start saving your butter wrappers!    :laugh:

[Audrey]

For washing windows, use plain water, then squeegee, and polish with a good fine-weave microfiber cloth.  You'll get no streaks and no residues, and it goes very fast.

 

[Guest]

I was just thinking today that next year I'm going to paint my little clay starter pots (for vegetable plants) with chalkboard paint. That way, I could write what is planted in chalk and erase it when I use it for something else. plus, you know they would look cute as can be that way.

[Moxie]

I love this juxtaposition. Two roads to a well ordered home - either throw a bunch of stuff away or start saving your butter wrappers! :laugh:

My mother saves everything--empty jars, butter dishes, grocery bags, everything. It drove me nuts!! Now I throw out as much as possible. My kids will surely be hoarders!!

[Belacqua]

Use the paddle attachment on your mixer to shred chicken.  Place cooked chicken breasts and thighs in the bowl, turn on the mixer, and chicken becomes beautifully shredded.

 

* sound of my brain exploding *

 

Must go rearrange my dinner plan so I can try this tomorrow.

[plansrme]

Use the paddle attachment on your mixer to shred chicken. Place cooked chicken breasts and thighs in the bowl, turn on the mixer, and chicken becomes beautifully shredded.

I learned this here, and it is the whole reason I finally bought a KitchenAid mixer. Watch it like a hawk, though, or you will end up with chicken powder. So I hear. . ..

[Mandylubug]

Use the paddle attachment on your mixer to shred chicken. Place cooked chicken breasts and thighs in the bowl, turn on the mixer, and chicken becomes beautifully shredded.

And make your mashed potatoes in here too. Use it nesrly daily for something and rarely is it for baking.

[hillfarm]

If someone gets gum or some other sticky substance on your car upholstery, spray it with compressed air. It will cause the gum to freeze hard and you can easily scrape it off with a butter knife before it thaws back to stickiness. This would probably work on other fabric and maybe long hair, but I have only tried it on car seats.

[SadieMarie]

Olive oil gets tree sap off of skin and out of dog fur.

[Stacia]

For a sick child (or one who goes through lots of diapers at night or has accidents), put a mattress pad on, a fitted sheet, another mattress pad, another fitted sheet. That way, if you need to change the sheets in the middle of the night, you can quickly remove the top sheet & mattress cover & the kid can get back in bed. (They don't have to wait for you to remake it.)

 

Put your kitchen sponge in the dishwasher fairly frequently to sanitize it. (Just make sure you put it where it won't fall to the bottom of the dishwasher during the cycle.)

 

If your pet ever ends up needing sub-q (IV) fluids that you will be giving at home & it's a situation where you will end up using more than two IV bags, ask your vet if you can buy them in bulk from them. The cost of a dozen bought at one time is almost always cheaper than buying three+ individually. (If you don't end up using all the extras, donate them to the local shelter.)

 

If you use hand-me-downs for tees, socks, etc... for your kids (& can't remember which item goes with which kid), use a Sharpie to put one dot on the tag or toe to indicate the first child. When it gets handed down to the next child, add another dot. And so on. Then, you can just look at the number of dots to see if it goes to kid #1, #2, #3....

 

Keep a pair of scissors in the laundry area. It's handy for trimming loose strings, removing tags, & so on.

 

If your windshield gets greasy/mucky during a bad rainstorm where it's really smeared & hard to see, pour a Coke on it. The acid helps cut the muck. (Make sure you only do this when it's still raining pretty hard so that it will all get rinsed off pretty well.)

[Stacia]

Here's a DON'T...

 

If you get melted crayon all over the inside of your dryer, DON'T try oven cleaner to remove it. (It seemed like a good idea at the time -- something that can clean heated/hot surfaces.  :tongue_smilie:  But, you end up with a greasy, slimy mess all over the inside of your dryer & it takes forever to get rid of all that.)

[fdrinca]

To clean a microwave (stuck on food splatters), boil water in it for two minutes, then let the steam work for 20 minutes or so. Everything gets soft and you can just wipe it out without abrasive or chemical cleaners.

 

 

It works even better if you do it with vinegar!

 

Also, microwaving a lemon helps get weird smells out.

We designated a "small parts" jar in our kitchen. If we come across a random game piece, puzzle piece, screw, Lego, or other miscellany, the piece goes into our jar. When we do a puzzle, need another marble for mancala, or the rope for Clue, the small piece usually is waiting for us. 

 

(Because as much as I'd like to think I'm the kind of person who would put the almost-lost Clue rope away, I'm not. And puzzle pieces? Forget it!)

[Stacia]

 

Use the dishwasher to clean oven vents and light fixture removable parts.

 

I also use the dishwasher to wash the stove knobs every now & then.

 

It's a good way to sanitize toothbrushes too, esp. if someone has a cold.

[TeacherZee]

Found something nasty growing in your fridge? To get rid of the smell quickly cut a lemon in half and pour salt on the cut surface stick it in the fridge.

 

Baking soda and vinegar are great for getting rid of limescale

[fraidycat]

Use the paddle attachment on your mixer to shred chicken. Place cooked chicken breasts and thighs in the bowl, turn on the mixer, and chicken becomes beautifully shredded.

This needs reiterating...as I sit here eating a spicy shredded chicken dip made with chicken I shredded yesterday in my Kitchenaid!