Aluminum Foil --- It's not just for mom's casserole.

The different ways to use aluminum foil are only limited by human imagination.  Do not forget to recycle your aluminum foil when done with it.  Too may times foil gets thrown in the trash instead of the recycle bin.  The recycle bin is not just for jars and cans.

1. Pie Crust:  Keep the edges of your homemade pies from burning by covering them with strips of aluminum foil. The foil prevents the edges from getting overdone and the rest of your pie bakes perfectly.
2. Cake Pans:  Make a Valentine’s Day heart cake, a Christmas tree cake, or whatever shaped cake the occasion may call for. Just form a double thickness of heavy-duty aluminum foil into the desired shape inside a large cake pan.
3. Screws, Nuts and Bolts:  Form a little dish to place nuts, bolts and screws in when working on a project or your car.
4. Brown Sugar:  To restore your hardened brown sugar to its former powdery glory, chip off a piece, wrap it in aluminum foil, and bake it in the oven at 300°F (150° C) for five minutes.
5. Decorate a Cake:  Form a piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil into a tube and fill it with free-flowing frosting.  Then there is no pastry bag to clean, simply toss out the foil when you’re done.
6. Bread: Want to lock in the oven-fresh warmth of your homemade rolls or breads for a dinner party or picnic? Before you load up your basket, wrap your freshly baked goods in a napkin and place a layer of aluminum foil underneath. The foil will reflect the heat and keep your bread warm.
7. Ice Cream Cones:  Keep youngsters from making a mess by wrapping the bottom of an ice-cream cone with a piece of aluminum foil before handing it to them.
8. Silver Polish:  Is your silverware looking a bit dull these days? Try an ion exchange, a molecular reaction in which aluminum acts as a catalyst. All you have to do is line a pan with a sheet of aluminum foil, fill it with cold water, and add two teaspoons of salt. Drop your tarnished silverware into the solution, let it sit for two to three minutes, then rinse off and dry.  There are some "miracle tarnish removers" advertised on TV.  Many of these are simply sheets of aluminum. 
9. Silverware: Store freshly cleaned silverware on top of a sheet of aluminum foil to deter tarnishing. For long-term storage of silverware, first tightly cover each piece in cellophane wrap — be sure to squeeze out as much air as possible — then wrap in foil and seal the ends.
10. Steel-Wool Pads:  You use a steel-wool pad once, put it in a dish by the sink, and the next day you find a rusty mess fit only for the trash. To prevent rust and get your money’s worth from a pad, wrap it in foil and toss it into the freezer. You can also lengthen the life of your steel-wool soap pads by crumpling up a sheet of foil and placing it under the steel wool in its dish or container. Crumple up foil then work back into a flat pad that has ridges to allow water to drain off. 
11. Pots and Pans:  Don’t have a scrub pad? Crumple up a handful of aluminum foil and use it to scrub your pots.
12. Ovens:  Baking lasagna or casserole? Keep messy drips off the bottom of the oven by laying a sheet or two of aluminum foil over the rack below. Do not line the bottom of the oven with foil; it could cause a fire.
13. Radiator:  Here’s a simple way to get more heat out of your old cast-iron radiators without spending one cent more on your gas or oil bill: Make a heat reflector to put behind them. Tape heavy-duty aluminum foil to cardboard with the shiny side of the foil facing out. The radiant heat waves will bounce off the foil into the room instead of being absorbed by the wall behind the radiator. If your radiators have covers, it also helps to attach a piece of foil under the top of the cover.
14. Child's Mattress:  As any parent of a potty-trained youngster knows, accidents happen. When they happen in bed, however, you can spare the mattress, even if you don’t have a plastic protector available. First, lay several sheets of aluminum foil across the width of the mattress. Then, cover them with a good-sized beach towel. Finally, attach the mattress pad and bottom sheet.
15. Mirrors:  Sometimes a worn spot adds to the charm of an old mirror; sometimes it’s a distraction. You can easily disguise small flaws on a mirror’s reflective surface by putting a piece of aluminum foil, shiny side facing out, on the back of the glass. To hold the foil in place, attach it to the backing behind the mirror or to the frame with masking tape. Don’t tape it to the mirror itself.
16. Scissors:  What can you do with those clean pieces of leftover foil you have hanging around? Use them to sharpen up your dull scissors! Smooth them out if necessary, and then fold the strips into several layers and start cutting. Seven or eight passes should do the trick. Pretty simple, huh?
17. Jewelry:  To clean your jewelry, simply line a small bowl with aluminum foil. Fill the bowl with hot water and mix in one tablespoon of bleach-free powdered laundry detergent (not liquid), such as Tide. Put the jewelry in the solution and let it soak for one minute. Rinse well and air-dry. This procedure makes use of the chemical process known as ion exchange, which can also be used to clean silverware.
18. Moving Furniture:  To slide big pieces of furniture over a smooth floor, place small pieces of aluminum foil under the legs. Put the dull side of the foil down — the dull side is actually more slippery than the shiny side.
19. Loose Batteries:  Is your flashlight, Walkman, or your kid’s toy working intermittently? Check the battery compartment. Those springs that hold the batteries in place can lose their tension after a while, letting the batteries loosen. Fold a small piece of aluminum foil until you have a pad that’s thick enough to take up the slack. Place the pad between the battery and the spring.
20. Hair Dye & Glasses: If you want to read during the time it takes to color your hair. But you can’t read without your specs, and if you put them on, hair dye can stain them. Solution: Wrap the temples of your glasses with aluminum foil.  Can be used when doing a Perm as well. 
21. Fireplace:  Looking for an easy way to clean the ashes out of your fireplace? Place a double layer of heavy-duty aluminum foil across the bottom of the fireplace or under the log rack. The next day, once you’re sure all the ashes have cooled, simply fold it up and throw it away.
22. Ironing:  When you iron clothing, a lot of the iron’s heat is sucked up by the board itself.  To speed things up, put a piece of aluminum foil under your ironing board cover. The foil will reflect the heat back through the clothing, smoothing wrinkles much quicker.
23. Attach a Patch:  An iron-on patch is an easy way to fix small holes in clothing, but only if it doesn’t get stuck onto your ironing board. To avoid this, put a piece of aluminum foil under the hole. It won’t stick to the patch. 
24. Clean Your Iron:  To get rid of starch or hard water build-up on your iron, run your hot iron over a piece of aluminum foil.
25. Insects & Slugs:  Keep insects and slugs away from your cucumbers and other vegetables mix strips of aluminum foil in with your garden mulch. As a bonus benefit, the foil will reflect light back up onto your plants.
26. Tree Trunks:   Mice, rabbits, and other animals often feed on the bark of young trees during winter. A cheap and effective deterrent is to wrap the tree trunks with a double layer of heavy-duty aluminum foil in late fall. Be sure to remove the foil in spring.
27. Sun Box for Plants:  To bathe your plants in light from all sides, make a sun box: Remove the top and one side from a cardboard box and line the other three sides and bottom with aluminum foil, shiny side out, taping or gluing it in place. Place plants in the box and set it near a window.
28. Seed Incubator:  To give plants grown from seeds a healthy head start, line a shoe box with aluminum foil, shiny side up, allowing about two inches of foil to extend out over the sides. Poke several drainage holes in the bottom, penetrating the foil, then fill the box slightly more than halfway with potting soil, and plant the seeds. The foil inside the box will absorb heat to keep the seeds warm as they germinate, while the foil outside the box will reflect light onto the young sprouts. Place the box near a sunny window.
29. Plant Cuttings:  Help plant cuttings grow strong and uncluttered by starting them in a container covered with a sheet of aluminum foil. Simply poke a few holes in the foil and insert the cuttings through the holes. The foil slows water evaporation, so you’ll need to add water less frequently.
30. Barbecue Drip Pan:  To keep meat drippings off your barbecue coals, fashion a disposable drip pan out of a couple of layers of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Shape it freehand, or use an inverted baking pan as a mold (remember to remove the pan once your creation is finished). Also, don’t forget to make your drip pan slightly larger than the meat on the grill.
31. Clean Your Barbecue Grill:  While the coals are still red-hot after grilling, lay a sheet of aluminum foil over the grill to burn off any remaining foodstuffs. The next time you use your barbecue, crumple up the foil and use it to easily scrub off the burned food before you start cooking.
32. Lighting:  Brighten up the electrical lighting in your backyard or campsite by making a foil reflector to put behind the light. Attach the reflector to the fixture with a few strips of electrical tape or duct tape — do not apply tape directly to the bulb.
33. Platters:  Cover a piece of cardboard with heavy-duty aluminum foil.  This makes a good disposable platter.
34. Sleeping Bags:  Place a piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil under your sleeping bag to insulate against moisture.
35. Matches:  Wrap your matches in aluminum foil to keep them from getting damp or wet on camping trips.
36. Fishing:  You can make a lure in a jiffy that just might do the trick: Wrap some aluminum foil around a fishhook. Fringe the foil so that it covers the hook and wiggles invitingly when you reel in the line.
37. Funnel:  Double up a length of heavy-duty aluminum foil and roll it into the shape of a cone. This funnel has an advantage over a permanent funnel — you can bend the aluminum foil to reach awkward holes, like the oil filler hole tucked against the engine of your lawn tractor.
38. Vinyl Floor Tile:  Reattach vinyl floor tile.  Reposition the tile on the floor, lay a piece of aluminum foil over it, and run a hot clothes iron over it a few times until you can feel the glue melting underneath. Put a pile of books or bricks on top of the tile to weigh it down while the glue resets. This technique also works well to smooth out bulges and straighten curled seams in sheet vinyl flooring.
39. Artist's Palette:  Tear off a length of heavy-duty aluminum foil, crimp up the edges, and you’ve got a ready-to-use palette for mixing paints. If you want to get a little fancier, cut a piece of cardboard into the shape of a palette, complete with thumb hole, and cover it with foil. Or if you already have a wooden palette, cover it with foil before each use and then just strip off the foil instead of cleaning the palette.
40. Paint Cans:  When you open a half-used can of paint, you’ll typically find a skin of dried paint on the surface. Not only is this annoying to remove, but dried bits can wind up in the paint. You can prevent this by using a two-pronged attack when you close a used paint can: First, put a piece of aluminum foil under the can and trace around it. Cut out the circle and drop the aluminum foil disk onto the paint surface. Then take a deep breath, blow into the can, and quickly put the top in place. The carbon dioxide in your breath replaces some of the oxygen in the can, and helps keep the paint from drying.
41. Line Roller Pans:  Cleaning out paint roller pans is a pain, which is why a lot of folks buy disposable plastic pans or liners. But lining a metal roller pan with aluminum foil works just as well — and can be a lot cheaper.
42. Door Knobs:  When you’re painting a door, aluminum foil is great for wrapping doorknobs to keep paint off them. Overlap the foil onto the door when you wrap the knob, then run a sharp utility knife around the base of the knob to trim the foil. That way you can paint right up to the edge of the knob. In addition to wrapping knobs on the doors that you’ll paint, wrap all the doorknobs that are along the route to where you will clean your hands and brushes.
43. Paintbrush:  Taking a break from painting?  Don’t bother to clean the brush, just squeeze out the excess paint and wrap the brush tightly in aluminum foil. Use a rubber band to hold the foil tightly at the base of the handle. For extended wet-brush storage, think paintbrush Popsicle, and toss the wrapped brush in the freezer. Don’t forget to defrost the brush for an hour or so before you paint.
44. Photography:  Professional photographers use reflectors to throw extra light on dark areas of their subject and to even out the overall lighting. To make a reflector, lightly coat a piece of mat board or heavy cardboard with rubber cement and cover it with aluminum foil, shiny side out. You can make one single reflector, as large as you want, but it’s better to make three panels and join them together with duct tape so that they stand up by them-selves and fold up for handy storage and carrying.
45. Chrome:  For sparkling chrome on your appliances, strollers, golf club shafts, and older car bumpers, crumple up a handful of aluminum foil with the shiny side out and apply some elbow grease. If you rub real hard, the foil will even remove rust spots. Note: Most “chrome” on new cars is actually plastic...don’t rub it with aluminum foil.
46. Loose Connection:  Fold a 1-square-inch piece of foil several times and insert it between a battery and a loose spring to hold it in place and complete the circuit. Do not do this with electricity.
47. Silver Cleaning:  Here is another way to clean tarnished silver.  Line a glass pan with foil, add several spoonfuls of baking soda, fill the pan with boiling water, and drop in tarnished silverware for a quick cleaning.
48. Oven Cleaning:  Protect the heating element in your electric oven. For those times when you have to scrub burned-on crud out of your oven, cover the heating element with long strips of aluminum foil before spraying the inside of the oven with oven cleaner.
49. Furniture. Pets can’t stand the feeling or the sound of crinkling aluminum foil. If you want them to stay off of your furniture, cover the seats with clean aluminum foil whenever you’re not using the furniture. Your pets will learn within a couple of days to avoid sitting up there. You can also prevent them from scratching or biting furniture legs by covering them in aluminum foil.
50. Heavy Furniture:  When you want to quickly shampoo your carpets but don’t want to lug all of the furniture out of the room, simply cover the legs with aluminum foil to avoid getting shampoo on them.
51. Static Cling:  Put a wadded-up ball of aluminum foil in your dryer with a load of clothes to reduce static cling.
52. Audio / Video Equipment:  If your TV and DVD player are stacked one on top of the other, you may find the picture is a bit fuzzy. This often happens when the electromagnetic fields from both devices interfere with each other. Place a sheet of aluminum foil between them to cut down on the interference.
53. Silk or Wool Garments:  Place a piece of aluminum foil on top of the ironing board and under the garment. Pass the iron over the garment from a few inches above the fabric while holding down the steam button. The steam will remove wrinkles without harming the cloth with direct heat.
54. Wrapping Paper:  Need to wrap a gift?  You can glue or tape interesting cut-out pictures onto the aluminum foil to make it even more personal.
55. Hair Curlers:  Use strips of aluminum foil to wrap your hair, then coil them up to make impromptu curlers.
56. Solar Cooker:  Make a solar cooker for when you are camping or just for fun with the kids.
57. Campsite Cooking & Utensils. The next time you're camping, you can lug around an entire kitchen set, or you can take a light roll of aluminum foil and fashion your own utensils and pans. You can make a frying pan using a forked stick with aluminum foil stretched over the crook. You can easily make plates and bowls, wrap veggies and meat, or even fold a spoon, fork, or spork out of aluminum foil.
58. Kid's Crafts:  Make fun figurines with the kids.  You can mold this into nearly anything.
59. Greeting Cards  Make an interesting greeting card by taking a leaf, gluing it to some foil and pressing down. The texture of the leaf will come through and make a pretty pattern.
60. Reheat:  Reheat crispy things. Everyone has done this, just too many of us do not wrap the crust to keep from burning.  Set the slice directly on the foil and fold an edge over the crust to protect it from the heat. Bake at 350F for five or so minutes (or broil in high for two).
61. Scare birds: Some birds are scared of shiny things. If you dangle some aluminum foil from your fruit tree the more skittish marauders will move past your trees.  Light-sensitive pests will also stay away from your be-tinselled tree.
62. Herb Sun Box.  Herbs grown in a window all reach out towards the setting sun instead of straight up. Rather than just rotate them every couple of days, use a sun box (aluminum foil in a shoebox corner) to reflect the sun back toward my plants. The box sits just behind the plants. 
63. Furniture Sliding Disc:  Sliding furniture around on carpet is not fun. They sell special furniture-sliding disks for this purpose, but I don't want to buy something just to use once. Some aluminum foil on the bottom of the legs allows you to slide your furniture around cheaply and easily. You can use a little extra foil and make some furniture leg-warmer-style protectors when you're mopping or staining or if you have a Roomba loose.
64. Repair Stripped Threads:  When I have a nut, bolt or screw with stripped threads, I wrap a little aluminum foil around the bolt or screw and try gently tightening it again. A quick temporary fix.
65. 10th Wedding Anniversary: Believe it or not, 10th wedding anniversaries are traditionally celebrated by exchanging gifts made of aluminum. Make something out of Aluminum foil for the personal touch.  I would advise against just giving her a roll of foil. 
66. Paint and plaster texture: Use crumpled up foil to add interesting texture to painting and plastering projects.
67. Shoe/boot forms: Wad up balls of old foil and stuff them into leather boots and shoes to help them keep their form when you're not wearing them.
68. Bacon:  I am told you can cook bacon in the oven by cooking it on aluminum foil and avoid the splattering mess on your stove.  I am going to try this soon. 
69. Kids Craft Projects:  There are too many of these to list.  You can always search the internet for ideas.

I am sure there are other uses that my readers have.  Please add them to the comments below.  Thank you all for reading my blog.   Please sign up for my blog to be sent to your e-mail.

Old Coffee Grounds --- Thought they were just trash?

Most people have heard of putting coffee grounds in your garden or compost bin.  However there are many more uses you may not have thought of.  With the price of coffee these days you need to get as much value out of the stuff as you can.  As an added benefit this helps the environment by using less chemicals.  For some of these ideas you will use the wet coffee grounds right out of the coffee maker, for others you will want to spread them on a cookie sheet and let them dry out first. 

1. Put dry grounds into a plastic container with holes poked in lid. Place in the refrigerator to absorb odors.
2. Keep grounds in a can near the sink. Rub a small amount over your hands after cutting onions, chopping garlic or preparing fish to get rid of the odors.
3. Take an some old pantyhose and fill with dried coffee grounds.  Tie off the hose and place one in odorous shoes.
4. It is said used coffee grounds get rid of cellulite. Here is the recipe: "Mix 1/4 cup warm, used coffee grounds and one tablespoon of olive oil. While standing over an old towel or newspaper, apply the mixture to your problem areas. Next, wrap the areas with shrink wrap and leave on for several minutes. Unwind the wrap, brush loose grounds off your skin and then take a shower in warm water.  Repeat this procedure twice a week."
5. Soften and add shine to hair. When washing your hair, rub coffee grounds through wet hair and rinse. For brown hair, coffee grounds add highlights.
6. Use coffee grounds as an exfoliate for skin. Pat on skin, massage over skin, rinse.
7. Add coffee grounds to your skin mask beauty routine.  Mix one quarter cup of coffee grounds with one egg white and use as mask. 
8. Make homemade tattoos (temporary) with henna and coffee grounds.
9. Fertilize plants. Old coffee grounds are nutrient-rich for plants that thrive in an acidic soil.
10. Add used coffee grounds to the pots of indoor plants.
11. Work used coffee grounds into your garden soil before seed planting. After your plants start to emerge, work in coffee grounds near the plants. Used coffee grounds are said to repel snails and slugs as well as adding nutrients to the soil.
12. Increase your carrot and radish harvest by mixing seeds with dry coffee grounds before planting the seeds.
13. Use coffee grounds to repel ants. Leave little mounds around your garden and the ants and slugs will stay away.
14. Keep cats from using your garden as a kitty box by spreading used coffee grounds and orange peels throughout flower beds.
15. Deodorize a freezer. Place a bowl with used coffee grounds in the freezer to remove unwanted odors. Add a few drops of vanilla to coffee grounds.
16. Rub coffee grounds on hands to get rid of smells from chopping or cutting up pungent foods.
17. Make a used coffee grounds sachet. Fill old nylons or cheesecloth with dry used coffee grounds. Hang in closets to absorb odors.
18. When you need an abrasive cleaner, coffee grounds can be used. Be careful of any surfaces that might stain.
19. Remove furniture scratches with wet coffee grounds.
20. Got a fireplace? Sprinkle wet coffee grounds over the ashes to keep from becoming engulfed in the plume of dust ashes create when you need to remove them.
21. Dye fabric, paper or Easter eggs. Simply add used coffee grounds to warm water and let sit a bit to create a dye.
22. After you give your dog a bath, rub coffee grounds through the coat of your pet. Coffee grounds are said to repel fleas.
23. Keep bait worms alive by mixing coffee grounds into the soil before you add worms.
24. Grow mushrooms on old coffee grounds.
25. Sprinkle damp coffee grounds on the floor of you garage to help keep dust down when you are sweeping.
26. Scrub away grease and grime from pots and pans.
27. Make pin cushions out of old coffee grounds. 
28. Spread coffee ground on your feet to help eliminate foot odor.
29. To remove bugs and tar from your vehicle, use a soft cloth and work up a lather with your regular washing solution. Add a tablespoon of coffee grounds to the cloth and use that to scrub the gunk off.
30. Dry coffee grounds can be burned in a charcoal pit to help heat it up. It burns hotter than charcoal, so be prepared to watch food more closely if you use it.
31. Coffee grounds make a very good addition to a compost pile.
32. They make a gentle abrasive for cleaning gunky things like ovens and grills, stinky ash trays, greasy pans and so on. Mix just a little dish detergent and scrub away.
33. Got gray? Wash it away! Steep a day's worth of coffee grounds in a cup of hot water for 15 minutes or so, then strain and use it as a hair rinse to cover gray hair.
34. Fill a muslin bag with used grounds and use as an all over body scrub in the shower. It's a gentle exfoliate and deodorizer in one. It works for your face, too. Just scrub gently and rinse with warm water.
35. Kitchen drain odor remover – Boiling water and coffee grounds help to get rid of stinky odors.
36. Use a pot of coffee & grounds when washing brown clothing, fabric etc. The stains will give new life to fading fabric.
37. Make a sachet out of old dried coffee grounds and old pantyhose or other cloth.  Throw it in the bottom of trash cans that have an odor problem to help absorb odors. 

Thank you all for allowing me to share these ideas with you.  I am really enjoying finding out the different uses for various items.  Please let me know your thoughts and ideas.  If you have any questions please ask.

Vodka --- Not Just For Martinis

There are many uses for vodka that you may not have thought of.  First, do not use top shelf vodka, save that to drink.  Purchase the cheapest vodka you can find.  You will find that price per ounce on most of the ideas below is much cheaper if you use the vodka alternative when compared to the store bought alternative.  Also, vodka does not have the chemicals that most of the alternatives do. 

1. Poison Ivy:  Pour immediately on skin when exposed to poison ivy to get oils off skin.
2. Freshening clothes:  Between dry cleanings or when pullling clothes out of the drawer for the new season.  Spritz your clothes with vodka.  It kills the germs and evaporates.
3. Bath Fixtures:  Clean and pollish your bath fixtures by wetting a clean cloth with vodka or spray on and pollish.
4. Flowers:  Make your fresh cut flowers last longer by putting a few drops of vodka and a teaspoon of sugar in the water.
5. Insect repelant:  Put some in a spray bottle and spray your body to repel insects.  Safer than Deet and other chemicals.
6. Jellyfish:  use on a jellyfish sting to relieve pain and disinfect. 
7. Hair:  add a shot of vodka for every 12 oz of shampoo to help cleanse and make your hair shiny and lush.
8. Mildew:  Put vodka in a spray bottle, apply to mildew, let staand for 15 minutes and the scrup it off.  Better than all those other harsh chemicals.
9. Muscle rub:  Put vodka in a glass jar with fresh cut lavendar and close the lid.  Let it stand in sun for three days.  Strain it through a coffee filter and then you have a muscle rub.
10. Toothache:  Take a shot of vodka and swish it arond in your mouth concentrating on the infected tooth.  It will disinfect and help numb the pain.
11. Eyeglasses:  put aa couple of drops of vodka on a soft clean cloth and clean your glasses.
12. Razors:  Keep your shaving razor in a cup of vodka.  This keeps the blades clean, disinfects, and keeps blades from rusting.
13. Vomit stains:  spray vodka on vomit stains, scrub with brush and the use hairdryer to blow dry.
14. Astringent:  use vodka to clean skin, tighten poors or remove makeup. 
15. Wasp Spray:  Fill a larger spray bottle with vodka, or a 50/50 vodka wter mix.  Set sprayer to a stream and spray wasps nest.
16. Ice Pack:  put a 50 / 50 vodka water mix in a ziplock bacg to have a slush ice pack for pains, bumps and bruises.
17. Mothwash:  Mix 9 teaspoons of cinamin to one cup vodka in an air tight container and shake well.   Let sit for two weeks.  Strain.  Then mix some with warm water each day to gargle with for a mouth wash.
18. Cold Sore:  Wet a q-tip with vodka and use it on cold sores to dry it out.
19. Blisters:  Pour vodka onto open blisters to disinfect them and help dry them out.
20. Dandruff:  Mix one cup vodka with two teaspoons crushed rosemary, let sit for two days, strain through a coffee filter and massage into your scalp and let dry.
21. Earaches:  Put a few drops in your ear.  Let it stay in there for a few minutes then drain.  Kills bacteria.
22. Fever:  Wet a washcloth with vodka and rub on chest and back as liniment.
23. Foot Odor:  Soak your feet in vodka or 50% vodka 50% warm water.  Or wash your feet with straight vodka.
24. Clean car:  Spray on chrome and pollish with a soft rag.  Spritz the inside of your car to kill bacteria and odors.  Allow ample time to dry before driving. 
25. Bandage removal:  Saturate bandage with vodka, let soak, and then it will come right off.
26. Goo off:  Use to remove tape residue or other gooey situations.
27. Spot remover:  Saturate ink, lipstick, grass stains, etc. with vodka and blot with a clean rag.  Then wash.
28. Windows:  Mix one teaspoon of vodka per cup of water to create your own window cleaner.
29. Jewelry:  Forget expensive jewelry cleaners. Just put about 1/4 cup vodka in a glass or bowl. Place your gold or silver jewelry in it and let it soak for about 5-10 minutes. Then rinse with water and dry. (Note: This doesn't work for all jewelry. Don't clean pearls, opals and other porous stones with vodka.)
30. Weedkiller:  Fill a spray bottle with an ounce of vodka, several drops of liquid dish soap, and two cups of water. Spray on the weeds until dripping wet. Only works in direct sunlight. 
31. Pesticide:  Mix four cups water, four teaspoons of vodka, and four teaspoons of dish soap and put in a spray bottle.  Spray on plants.
32. Permanent marker or ink:  Use vodka or a vodka water mix to get marker or ink stains off furniture.  I would always test on a spot first. 
33. White board cleaner:  Mix 4 teaspoons of vodka with one cup water to have dry erase board cleaner.
34. Mattress freshener:  Lightly spritz your mattresses to get out odors.
35. Pollish Crystal:  Clean spots off crystal with a clean rag or coffee filter dampened with vodka.

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Coffee Filters --- Not Just For Coffee

This is really fun.  Finding alternative uses for items is always interesting and fun.  In many cases these tips also make us a little greener with regard to the environment.

Coffee filters have many more uses than you might think.  In many of these uses coffee filters can even be rinsed and reused, or used for another purpose.  They are less expensive than napkins and paper towels.  They create less trash in our landfills than some of the items that would typically be used for the same tasks below.  They also take up less space for storage before we use them  They easily fit folded up in a purse, backpack, glove box, etc.  They are biodegradable.   

1. Put a coffee filter between plates when storing.
2. Great for wrapping small items when packing for moving and save the big packing paper for larger items. 
3. Nonstick pots and pans, use one to keep the surface from being scratched when you stack them.
4. Use coffee filters as a disposable "snack bowl" for popcorn, chips, etc.  Tie them shut for snacks in lunch boxes.  A lot better and cheaper than zipper bags.
5. Wrap a filter around a taco shell or hot dogs to prevent spills.
6. Polish the chrome on your car. 
7. Great for wrapping around frozen pops and ice creams.
8. Put down a coffee filter when chopping (not slicing) one tomato, onion, etc.
9. Keep filters in your car for window cleaning, to use as napkins and for quick cleanups.  Or if you need to check the fluids on your car to wipe the dipstick.
10. Flash filter to soften the flash from your camera.
11. Put in the bottom of pots when planting household plants.
12. Embroidery backing that tears away easily.
13. Tea bag wrapper for loose tea or a single cup of coffee.
14. Use to wrap spices and herbs by making a flavor bag that is easily removed in soups and sauces.
15. To filter broken cork out of wine.
16. To strain cooking oil or bacon drippings.
17. Place on top of items in microwave to prevent splatters.
18. Clean your windows, chandeliers, glass top tables, mirrors, bathroom chrome with coffee filters and rubbing alcohol  or vodka and they will sparkle.
19. Use as parchment paper for baking if yo run out.
20. Electrical or cable connections or contacts need cleaned, use a filter.
21. Stop bleeding from razor nicks when shaving.
22. To absorb grease from fried foods like french fries.  Put in bowl or on plate before serving.
23. They are lint free so they are great for cleaning, use them to clean windows, mirrors, television screens and glasses.
24. Put a filter inside cast-iron skillets to absorb excess moisture when it’s not in use to prevent rust and other wear.
25. Use a coffee filter to apply polish and buff your shoes.
26. Put baking soda, potpourri, or cedar chips into a coffee filter and put it into shoes, dresser drawers, or  closet to absorb and prevent odors.
27. Use them to store your Christmas decorations and other small, fragile items.
28. You can use the cone-style coffee filters to safely pour in oil and other liquids into your car’s engine.
29. Liquids or something else spill onto your floor, sofa or other upholstery? Use a coffee filter to clean it up because  they don’t leave behind lint.
30. If you spill something on your clothes.  Blot with a filter instead of a paper towel because it leaves no lint behind. 
31. Have a wobbly table or chair? Use a folded up coffee filter under the leg to even it out.
32. Use as dryer sheets.  You can put a few drops of softener on a filter, rub it together, and put in the dryer to prevent static cling and your clothes smell fresh.
33. Use as cosmetic wipe.  Everything from removing makeup to waxing eyebrows.
34. Can be used to rub out slight imperfections on newly refinishes wood.
35. Great for cleaning CD's and DVD's.
36. Great items for all kinds of kids projects from making flowers, to science projects, etc. 
37. I even saw a prom dress made out of them in an article I was reading a few years ago. 

Bonus Tip: We all get extra packets of soy sauce, duck sauce, mustard, etc. with our take out orders. Freeze a few of these.  They make a great mini ice pack for minor scrapes and bumps.  Especially if you have a child that "likes the attention" when they get a boo boo.  

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog.  I look forward to hearing any feedback, questions, etc. 

 

My Concept For This Blog

When it was first suggested that I start a blog I did not take it seriously.  Then a few days later, after having some time to reflect on it, I thought "what the heck."  So I have created a few blogs and played around with them a little.  Not really attempting to get a following, just playing around with the process.  This is my first real attempt at starting a meaningful blog.  So here we go...

My intentions are to share household tips, tricks, and ideas for around your house.  Really nothing is off limits.  If you have any ideas for an article, please let me know.  If you have a question, please let me know.  If you have feedback...well you get the idea. 

Some of the ideas I have are:

• Common uses for household items.
• Storage solutions.
• Car cleaning tips.
• Organizing your garage.
• Common myths.

The goal is to post at least two articles a week minimum.

This is going to be fun.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.