To recover musty, smelly books, seal the book in a plastic bag filled part way with unused coffee grounds. Leave it for up to two weeks.
Upon removing the book, it will have a slight coffee smell, which will disappear in a few days. The unused coffee treatment may be reused with another book.
When hurricane Florence passed through in 2018, I pulled out my “Storm Box” and inside happened to be several Halloween glow sticks that were at least three years old. To my great surprise, they made perfect “nightlights” throughout the house during the days without power.
The package said they “last up to 12 hours” and they did, even after several years. They were especially handy for small children who could carry around their own little lamp. Now, I take advantage of every Halloween season to restock my “Storm Box”. Liane
The best way I’ve found to clean my microwave is to take a rag, wet it, and ring it out—but not tightly. I place it in the microwave and set it to 25 seconds. When I open the microwave, the rag is hot enough to remove any buildup but not so hot that I can’t hold it.
I use this to wipe out the microwave and it works every time in a matter of minutes. I got the idea from those expensive microwave cleaner packs that work the same way. Debbie
We all have the closet or storage space filled with stuff we never use. Maybe you have those figurines your grandma keeps sending you that you aren’t sure what to do with, or clothes you just don’t like anymore. Knick knacks can add up and clutter your space.
Instead of letting it continue to collect dust and take up space, why not make a little cash from it? I have used apps like NextDoor, DeCluttr, and Letgo to sell everything from clothes to television stands! I like that the listings are only available to people in my local area. The money I’ve saved has helped pay off debt and save up for trips!
Wrap your paint brushes for later use:
I recently had a big project that required two coats of five different colors of paint. Instead of painting one color at a time I painted 2-3 colors a day to speed up the process. Rather than wash the brushes after every use, I wrapped each brush in plastic wrap, put them in a zipper bag and put them in the refrigerator until I was ready to use them again. The paint was still wet on the brush and it was just as fresh as the first time I used it.
It will stay that way for quite a while but if you aren’t able to get back to your project right away, you can stick them in the freezer. Just allow enough time to thaw them out before using them. Only do this with water based paints as I would imagine that oil paint’s strong smell would permeate the refrigerator. I have been doing this for decades and it sure saves a lot of time. Besides, I hate cleaning brushes.
Don’t let your paint dry up in the can:
When storing paint to use in the future, I put a sheet of plastic wrap between the can and its cover so the paint doesn’t dry up. When you scrape your brush against the can to get the excess paint off, some remains in the groove and when it dries then the cover never fits back on tightly. The plastic wrap seals the can so the air doesn’t get in and the top of the paint will not get hard. I used to throw a lot of expensive paint away after only one use until I learned this trick.
While covering my ‘49 Ford for winter storage, I put a dryer sheet on the floor in the front seat and rear seats area, one in the trunk, and one under the hood. Mice hate them. No damage to wires or upholstery. Larry
Am I the only one who has trouble with the padding in my exercise bra or top after washing? They inevitably end up coming out, getting twisted inside or folded… and it is really hard to put them back in place.
So I have found a (almost perfect) solution: I used a needle and some thread and I sew the pads to the inside of the bra/top. I just do it on 3 areas and voilà! No more arranging pads after each laundry!
This is my key ring, which has 4 keys on it. I found a way to quickly identify which key is which. I use nail polish to color code each key. I usually put a little dot on each side but you could paint the entire top if you wanted.
Then, when I hand the key ring to someone I can easily tell them which key they need by identifying the color it is painted.