Make-Up Tip

MAKE MASCARA LAST 3X LONGER!! A typical mascara dries out before half of it is used. When your favorite mascara starts getting dry, add 4-5 drops of saline solution or eyedrops to the bottle. Insert your wand and stir and TA-DA!! Fresh mascara! This can be repeated 2 or 3 times until all you mascara is gone.

Clothes Hanger Tip

Clothes keep slipping off plastic hangers? Use a hot glue gun to apply a zig zag pattern on the arms of your plastic hangers to prevent all your wide-necked shirts from falling off. Works like a charm!

Laundry Tip

smart idea - note what cannot be dried

Helpful Hints

Kirsten Strecker

WD-40 as Crayon Cleanup

To remove crayon marks apply just a small amount to almost any surface (plastic, metal, TV screens, freshly painted walls) and rub away with a clean cloth.

James Wojcik

Baking Soda as Container Deodorizer

Soak plastic containers in warm water and baking soda overnight to banish smells.

James Wojcik

Club Soda as Stainless Steel Polisher

Shine stainless-steel cookware and fixtures. Buff scuffs with a soda-dampened cloth, then wipe dry.

James Wojcik

Coffee Filter as Mirror Cleaner

Get a streak–free shine by using a coffee filter to buff a mirror or window.

James Wojcik

Cotton Swab as Silver Polisher

Apply a dab of polsih to the end of a cotton swab to shine those hard to reach crevices in silver flatware and serving dishes.

James Wojcik

Denture Tablet as Wineglass Cleaner

Do away with red-wine dregs in goblets. Fill the glass with warm water, drop in a tablet, and let it dissolve.

James Wojcik

Ketchup as Copper Polisher

Revive the color and shine of copper cookware. Squeeze ketchup onto a cloth and rub it on pots and pans. After five minutes, rinse with warm water, and towel dry.

James Wojcik

Uncooked Spaghetti as Frosting Protector

Preserve a topnotch frosting job. Poke a few stiff pieces in the surface and sides of a dessert before wrapping it for easy transport.

James Wojcik

White Bread as Painting Cleaner

To clean an oil painting, softly rub a piece of white bread over it to remove dust or dirt.

James Wojcik

Zippered Plastic Bag as Gum Remover

Remove stuck-on gum. Rub with a baggie filled with ice cubes until the goo hardens, then shatter it with a blunt object and vacuum it up.

Helpful Hints

Lint Roller as Lamp Shade Duster

Run the roller up and down the outside of the lamp shade to get rid of small particles that shouldn't be there. Ah, the satisfaction of knowing that every surface in your living room will pass the white-glove test.

Masking Tape as Scuff Preventor

Keep baseboards free of skid marks when you vacuum. Cover the edges of the vacuum head with masking tape so they won't leave dark smudges when you inevitably bump into the walls. There will be no more black marks on your cleaning record.

Nail Polish as Rust Preventer

Coat the bottom of a shaving-cream can to fend off rust rings on the ledge of the tub.

Newspaper as Food-Container Deodorizer

Stuff a balled-up piece of newspaper into a plastic container that has developed a funk, and let it sit overnight. By morning the paper will have absorbed the offending smell.

Rice as Coffee Grinder Cleaner

Mill a handful of grains in your grinder and the fine particles will absorb stale odors and clean out residual grounds and oil. Discard the rice and wipe clean.

Salt as Polishing Agent

Shine brass and copper with a paste made from a few tablespoons of white vinegar and equal parts salt and flour. Apply with a soft cloth, rinse, and dry.

Toothpaste as CD Cleaner

To restore a damaged CD, apply a dot of non-gel formulat toothpaste to a cotton cloth and rub in a straight line from the center of the CD outward, covering any scratches. Rinse off the toothpaste with water.

Towel Rod as Cleaning Supply Holder

Assemble a spray-cleaner arsenal by placing a tension rod or installing a rod in the closet or underneath the sink and then hooking the bottles onto it by their triggers.

Mesh Vegetable Bag as Dish Scrubber

Repurpose the bag that held your potatoes to remove caked-on food from dishes. Wad the mesh into a ball, add soap and water, and scrub away.

Helpful Hints

Vinegar as Coffeemaker Cleaner

Clean a coffeemaker or a tea kettle by making a pot using a mixture of water and vinegar. Follow with several cycles of water to rinse.

Vinegar as Sticker Remover

Dislodge a stubborn price sticker. Paint with several coats of vinegar, let it sit for five minutes, then wipe away.

Walnut as Scratch Filler

Repair hardwood floors by rubbing shelled nuts into shallow scratches. Their natural oils help hide the flaws.

Zippered Plastic Bag as Wax Remover

To freeze wax so you can remove it from a tablecloth, fill a plastic bag with ice cubes and cover the wax with it for about 20 minutes.

Baking Soda as Pan Scrubber

Sprinkle soda on crusted casseroles and roasting pans and let sit for five minutes. Lightly scrub and rinse.

Baking Soda as Tub Scrubber

Rub tub stains away. Create a paste mad up of equal parts baking soda and cream of tartar and a little lemon juice. Let sit for 30 minutes, then rinse.

Baking Soda as Crayon Eraser

Sprinkle it on a damp sponge to erase crayon, pencil, and ink from painted surfaces.

Olive Oil as Measuring Spoon Primer

Rub olive oil on measuring cups and spoons coated with sticky stubstances (like honey) to ease cleaning.

Lemon as Cutting Board Cleaner

To remove tough food stains from light wood and plastic cutting boards, slice a lemon in half, squeeze onto the soiled surface, rub, and let sit for 20 minutes before rinsing. The best part? You'll have a house that smells like a lemon grove rather than chemicals.

Lemonade Kool-Aid as Dishwasher Cleaner

Clean lime deposits and iron stains inside the dishwasher by pouring a packet of lemonade Kool-Aid (the only flavor that works) into the detergent cup and running the (empty) dishwasher. The citric acid in the mix wipes out stains; you don't have to

Laundry Bag as Dishwashing Aid

Keep mini Tupperware lids, baby-bottle caps, and other small items from falling through the dishwasher rack. You'll save time by no longer diving for treasure on the floor of the dishwasher.

Helpful Hints

Salt as Salad Wash

Clean dirt from leafy vegetables by washing them in a bath of salt water.

Seam Ripper as Vacuum Roller Cleaner

Restore a vacuum to maximum power by cutting the lint and hair from its roller brush.

Shoe Polish as Furniture Polish

Spruce up wood furniture by filling in scratches with shoe polish in a similar shade.

Sugar as Hand Degreaser

Cut grease on hands by rubbing them with a mixture of sugar and water.

Toothpaste as Linoleum Cleaner

Use white toothpaste to buff scuffs out of linoleum tiles.

Tape as Keyboard Cleaner

Remove dust and crumbs from a keyboard and slide a short strip between the letters.

Vanilla as Freezer Freshener

Trade frostbite funk for a more pleasing freezer scent and wipe the inside of the icebox with an extract-dampened cotton pad.

Vinegar as Odor Remover

After chopping onions, scrub your hands with salt and a splash of vinegar to eliminate the smell.

Helpful Hints

Lint Roller as Glitter Pick-Up

Clean up glitter (and tiny pieces of construction paper) after craft time.

Onion as Basement Deodorizer

Clear the air in a dank basement. Cut an onion in half, place it on a plate, and leave it out overnight. Once the initial salad-bar aroma dissipates, you'll have a fresh (non-oniony) atmosphere.

Pant Hanger as Drying Rack

Use a pant hanger to air-dry a bath mat after showering. Simply hang it over the shower curtain rod.

Rice as Vase Scrubber

Prepare a stained vase for a new batch of blooms. If you can't reach the residue at the bottom, add a tablespoon of rice and a lot of soapy water, shake, and rinse until clean.

Rubber Glove as Pet Hair Remover

Put on a damp rubber dishwashing glove and run your hand over hair-covered upholstery—the hair will cling to the glove, not the sofa. Rinse off the glove in the sink (with the drain catcher in place, of course).

Rubbing Alcohol as Hairspray Remover

Lift off hair-spray residue from bathroom walls. Spray a mixture of one part rubbing alcohol, two parts water, and a dash of dishwashing liquid onto vinyl wallpaper or semigloss (not flat) paint. Wipe clean.

Rubbing Alcohol as Permanent Marker Remover

Remove permanent marker from countertops and walls. Pour a bit of alcohol onto a cotton ball and rub on the stain. (Spot test on a hidden area first.)

Salt as Wreath Duster

Place a wreath of pinecones or faux evergreen in a paper bag with a 1/4 cup of salt. Fold the top of the bag over and gently shake.

Helpful Hints

Citrus Peel as Garbage Disposal Deodorizer Keep your disposal smelling fresh by dropping a few peels down the drain and flipping the switch.

Cornmeal as Grease Absorber

Add this to the grocery shopping list for new reasons. Cornmeal absorbs grease on light colored fabric or upholstery. Pour enough on to cover the soiled area and let sit for 15 to 30 minutes. Vacuum to remove the grains.

Denture Tablet as Vase Cleaner

When residue clings to unreachable spots inside a vase or a decanter, fill the container with warm water and drop in one or two denture-cleaning tablets for every eight ounces of warm water. Let the fizzy solution sit for the time specified on the product's box, then rinse.

Dryer Sheet as Scum Buster

Remove obstinate soap buildup from glass shower doors by sprinkling a few drops of water onto a used fabric-softener sheet and scrubbing.

Hair Dryer as Sticker Remover

A little hot air quickly loosens price labels—with zero fingernail-chipping frustration.

Lemon as Laundry Brightener

Skip the bleach—add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of lemon juice to the wash cycle to brighter up those fading whites.