Artificial Flowers:
- Pour some salt into a large paper bag with flowers. Shake vigorously. The salt won't look soiled at first, but wait until you see its color when you run water on it.
- Sponge with a piece of cotton dampened with rubbing alcohol.
- Candles burn more slowly and evenly with minimum wax drippings if you place them in the freezer for an hour before using.
- If your candle holders are coated with wax, place in the freezer for an hour or so. The wax will peel right off.
- Add 3 tablespoons baking soda and 3 tablespoons household bleach to a basin of warm water. Swish around, rinse and drip-dry.
- Add some mild soap and a few drops of ammonia to a pot of boiling water. Place your diamond in a wire strainer and dip it into the boiling water for a few seconds. Let it cool, then rinse. Finally, soak it in a small bowl of alcohol for 10 minutes before drying on a piece of tissue paper.
- To clean eyeglasses without streaks, use a drop of vinegar on each lense.
- There is less need to scrub the fireplace if you throw salt on the logs occasionally. This will reduce the soot.
- Vinegar will clean brick around the fireplace.
- To remove oil dripping from concrete: Soak with mineral spirits for 30 minutes and then scrub with a stiff brush as you add more mineral spirits. Immediately after the scrubbing absorb the grease with oil towels or newspaper. Allow concrete to dry. Then, wash with a solution of laundry detergent, 1 cup bleach and 1 gallon of cold water. Repeat until stains are removed.
- Spread several thicknesses of newspaper over the area where quite a bit of oil has spilled. Saturate the newspaper with water and press firmly against the floor. Allow to dry thoroughly. Remove,and the oil spots will be gone.
- To eliminate oil spots, sprinkle the area with sand or kitty litter. They both will absorb the oil, and you can sweep it up.
- Quickly and easily remove rust by rubbing tools with a soap-filled steel wool pad dipped in kerosene or turpentine. Rub briskly with a piece of wadded aluminum foil.
- Put a few drops of wintergreen oil on a cotton ball and place in a glass container. It will last for months.
- Toss dried orange and lemon rinds into your woodburning-fireplace for a spicy aroma.
- To remove mineral deposits from the inside of a stream iron, fill it with equal part of water and white vinegar. Let it steam for several minutes, then disconnect and let set for 1 hour. Empty and rinse out with clear water.
- Remove brown or burned-on spots by rubbing with a heated solution of vinegar and salt.
- Clean the outside of your iron with toothpaste or silver polish.
- Clean with a soft cloth dabbed in toothpaste.
- Dampen the inside of vase and add any toliet bowl cleaner. Let stand for 10 minutes and stains will disapppear.
