"Welcome To My Page Of Useful Tips"

"From this fountain will flow
as many tips that I can gather,
and I hope they might be useful
to all in there daily lives."

For dusting under furniture and hard-to-get-at places,
slip an old sock onto a fly- swatter and sew it securely
into place. It's very handy.

When defrosting your refrigerator, save time by placing
several layers of newspaper on each shelf. These sop up
the water and eliminate a lot of time-consuming sponging later.

If you spill cooking oil on the floor, immediately pour salt
over the spill. In a matter of minutes, you will be able to
sweep away the salt and oil with no stain. It works well
for eggs, too.

Don't throw away lemon halves after squeezing
out the juice. Dip them in salt and rub the bottom
of a copper-bottom pan for a few minutes. The pan
will shine like new. If you then scour the bottom of
the pot lightly with a soap-filled pad, this will help
prevent further accumulation
.

Instead of trying to press velvet, hang it in the bathroom
with the hot shower running for about half an hour. All of
the wrinkles will be steamed out.

Wipe stubborn fingerprints off light switch plates
by using a slightly dampened soapy washcloth.
Hand soap works best!

Next time a plastic bread wrapper melts onto
the toaster or coffee pot, try this. Rub some
petroleum jelly on the spot, reheat the
appliance and use a paper towel to rub
off the plastic and the printing.

To clean grease from the filter above the stove,
put the filter in an automatic dish-washer with
an extra amount of detergent and run the full cycle.
It comes out looking like new. If it hasn't been
cleaned in a long time, you may
have to run the cycle again.

Fingertips from old cotton gloves slipped over
each side of clothespins will prevent snagging
when hanging delicate hosiery on the line.

When silk flower arrangements look old and dusty,
dip them gently and quickly in warm water with
detergent in it. Then place them on a towel to dry.
They come out looking new!

This laundry marking system is made- to-order for large families.
One dot, from a permanent felt-tip pen marks the
oldest child's clothes, the fifth child has five dots, etc.
When it's hand-me-down time, just add another dot.
No color codes to change, no name tapes to sew and
no shirts with a half- dozen confusing initials inside the collar!

Your bathroom mirror won't fog up if you clean it with
canned shaving cream. It works well on eyeglasses, too.
(That means no more sudden "blindness" when you're
unloading the dishwasher or checking the roast.)

If the window on your oven gets hopelessly spattered
and yellowed from broiling and baking, you'll find that
baking soda on a damp cloth cleans the window easily
and with no scratches.

A child's wagon can be a mini-moving van around the house.
It's great for moving baskets of wet or dry clothes, heavy
boxes and even small pieces of furniture.

For easy cleanup after a spill in the oven, pour a small
amount of water on the spill while the oven is still warm.
After 30 minutes or so, the spot will wipe up easily.

For your picnic tablecloth, hem a piece of inexpensive material.
Then make pockets in each comer into which you can slip small
stones. This will keep the tablecloth from blowing around.

Place some non-slip strips, normally used in bathtubs,
on painted porch steps to give your family and visitors
non-slip safety in wet weather.

Prepare your snow shovel for winter with a coat of
floor wax. The wax helps prevent the scoop from
rusting and also makes the snow slide off without sticking.

Try using some fertilizer to melt the ice and frozen snow
from walks and porches. Salt kills the grass onto which
the snow is shoveled, but the fertilizer will feed it.

Sprinkle baking soda on your car's upholstery and carpeting
before vacuuming to remove smoke and other odors.

Outdoor Christmas lights won't be gone with the wind
if you attach them to your trees with pincher-type
clothespins! They're easy to both put on and take off,
plus they don't harm the trees. Just paint the pins
green, and they'll "hide" in the branches.

If the thought of raking a yard of leaves in fall leaves you
weak in the knees, try mowing them instead! A finely shredded
leaf mulch will protect your grass all winter and still
disintegrate by spring.

Put a bit of petroleum jelly on the base of a light bulb
before turning it into an outside light fixture. This will
make it easier to remove when it burns out.

A metal clothes hanger makes a nice hook for hanging
suet bags or birdseed balls from trees in winter.
Just cut off the hook, straighten the hanger and
bend each end for hanging flowering baskets from
trees in summer.

It's easy to read a rain gauge if you put a few drops of food
coloring in the tube. Even if the colored water dries up, there
is enough residue to help read the next rainfall.

Store your folding lawn chairs in a large plastic trash
or leaf bag. They won't need scrubbing in spring.

This cleanup trick works while you sleep! Lay a barbecue
grill rack on the lawn over-night the dew will combine
with enzymes in the grass to loosen any burned-on grease.
Try it with messy oven racks, too!

Rust stains from metal outdoor furniture can be removed
from concrete by using lemon juice and rubbing with
a soft linen cloth.

To keep mice out of your garage or attic, place mothballs
around the perimeter. It also seems to discourage spiders.

Curb flying insects by encouraging swallows to live in
your area. They eat a tremendous number of insects
every day. So if you have a lake, pond or stream on your
property, consider erecting swallow houses. They're some
of the best "insecticide" you can use!

If your area gets snow and ice in the winter, carry a few
rough, sandy roofing shingles in the trunk of your car.
If your car gets stuck, place the shingles beneath the tires
to help you get going.

Use baby food jars to organize nails, nuts and bolts in your
workshop. Just nail the lid underneath an upper cabinet, then
screw the filled jar to the lid. Contents are visible and easy to find.