http://www.realsimple.com/new-uses-for-old-things/new-uses-cleaning/index.html
Related: DIY • things that make me go "Hmmmmthats really good to know"Bicycle Maintenance Guide and Riding Tips This page was last updated 24 May 2007. I often get asked about bicycle maintenance and repairs, and tips for how to ride efficiently. This little manual is intended as a summary of what I have learned over the years. I am not a professional mechanic. Four Homemade Cleaners This was easier than I thought it would be. One of Betsy’s goals for the year was to ditch some of our standard cleaners that we use around the house and make them! Honestly, I was a bit skeptical about this project mainly because I wasn’t sure that homemade cleaners would really get the job done. And my lovely wife is a bit of a neat freak so there’s no way she would use something that didn’t perform well. So a couple of weekends ago she went out and bought a few staple ingredients and some empty spray bottles and we spent a few minutes mixing up four different homemade cleaners that have since replaced 90% of the cleaners we use around the house.
Kitchen Tips 1. Stuff a miniature marshmallow in the bottom of a sugar cone to prevent ice cream drips. 2. Use a meat baster to "squeeze" your pancake batter onto the hot griddle - perfect shaped pancakes every time. 3. To keep potatoes from budding, place an apple in the bag with the potatoes. Cheer: Our Holiday Wishlist No matter how hard you try to opt out of the conspicuous consumption of the holiday season, your relatives, friends, and Secret Santas are unlikely to stop showering you with generous gifts destined for the landfill. So this year, we’re evading the awkwardness of unwrapping another ill-fitting sweater or ill-considered trinket by straight-up asking for stuff we really, really want. Presenting our own holiday wishlist for GOOD revelers who care where their presents came from. These are GOOD gifts tailored to the sometimes-scrappy sustainable life—our curated items are eco, innovative, charity-minded, or just plain charming. This year, we want to lock up our snacking game with a portable bento box, then snap up a cookbook that helps us bail out indie bookstores. We want to invest in some handsome book darts that help us remember the good parts, then write our own story with a five-year diary that charts our life’s progress into 2017.
Many uses for baking soda. While doing research for this article, we were amazed at the number of uses for baking soda. When one looks back in history, before we had such a huge array of different cleaning products, baking soda was one of the items most frequently used. It worked great, it was economical and best of all it was safe to use. In fact, Grandma had hundreds of uses for baking soda,we have collected some of the most popular ones. They are time tested and they work. Shoe Lacing Methods Mathematics tells us that there are more than 2 Trillion ways of feeding a lace through the six pairs of eyelets on an average shoe. This section presents a fairly extensive selection of 50 shoe lacing tutorials. They include traditional and alternative lacing methods that are either widely used, have a particular feature or benefit, or that I just like the look of. 50 Different Ways To Lace Shoes
How to make boxes from paint swatches If you've got paint chips sitting around begging to be made into something, try folding them into boxes for paperclips, thumbtacks, party favor candies, or tiny gifts. I made these from Behr swatches, available at Home Depot. You'll need paint swatches, double-stick tape, an X-acto knife, ruler, and cutting mat. For the box bottom, cut a 1/2" strip off each of the two rounded ends of the swatch. You should be left with a 5" x 5" square.
DIY: Paint Stick Sunburst Mirror My friends, if there ever was a bandwagon, this carefree DIYer is jumping right on it. For months, I’ve seen fabulous versions of the sunburst mirror pop up all over the blogosphere. And for weeks now, with every stop in the paint department, I couldn’t help but notice how those paint stir sticks might just make a very cool version of this decorative favorite. I couldn’t figure out how to stack them nicely enough around the center to make it worth my effort, but that little road bump didn’t stop me from snagging more than my fair share of free stir sticks at a time, like 8 or 10, over the course of a month. When I read how Danielle used an embroidery hoop, that convinced me to make my own version too!
10 Laundry Boosters Using Vinegar These items are a staple in cooking and baking, but they’re also a great help around the house. Here are dozens of ways you can use them, I’ve separated them into three groups for easier browsing. Enjoy! Remove Car Dents Quickly and Cheaply Wise Bread Picks Dents suck. And so does the cost to repair them. My wife's car has a ding in the door that's really been bugging me, and as a frugal shopper I wondered if smarter folks than myself have ever figured out a cheap way to repair dents. Good news...they have.
Lemon Cleanse LEMON DRINK for your Master Cleanseyou need:* 2 tablespoons FRESH squeezed lemon or lime juice (approx. 1/2 lemon)* 2 tablespoons genuine organic maple syrup, Grade B (the darker the better)** 1/10 teaspoon (a small pinch!) cayenne pepper, gradually increase (the more BTUs the better)* 300 - 500 ccm (10-14 oz) pure waterIn a 300ccm (10-ounce) glass (to allow for 227ccm and mixing room): 2 tablespoons fresh (and organic, if possible) lemon or lime juice (absolutely no canned or frozen juice). 2 tablespoons real (and organic, if possible) grade B or C maple syrup. (Don't use Grade A maple syrup or maple-flavored syrup. They are over-refined, which means that they are mostly refined sugars and lack essential minerals.) A small pinch of cayenne pepper (to taste). Spring or purified water, between room temperature and medium hot (but not cold) – fill to 1/4 liter (8 oz).