Sherri's Helpful Hints

Miscellaneous Tips

• Instead of buying expensive garbage disposal deodorizer, throw in a few pieces of chopped lemon. Run hot water in the drain and turn on the disposal, letting it grind up the lemon. It freshens it and helps clean it too.
• Add a cup of white wine vinegar to the rinse cycle to keep dark clothes from fading.
• It is wise to keep a small rug on the linoleum by a door with a window in it. The linoleum can get quite hot from the sun shining in and can burn sensitive feet.
• For very greasy clothes, add about 1/4 cup granulated dishwashing detergent to your regular laundry.
• No more lost socks - place them in a pillowcase and knot the end. Toss them into the washer.
• Sorting clothes is easy when you color co-ordinate your laundry baskets. Purchase different colored baskets for you clothes. Blue for denim, dark colors for dark clothes, white for whites etc. Keep them in the laundry area and make sure the family knows the color scheme to instantly sort the clothes.
• One of the best and cheapest commodities to clean a host of things is dishwashing liquid. When you think of what it is meant to clean it is obviously made to clean grease etc. You can use it on collars and cuffs of shirts/blouses and also on stains on materials. Just apply to the collar or grease stain directly and leave it to soak before putting into a normal wash in the washing machine. It is also brilliant for cleaning tiles, baths, handbasins etc. leaving no smears.
• To keep a room smelling nice, dab your light bulbs with a drop of essentials oils like lavender oil. As the bulb heats this will fragrance the room. Also works with low energy bulbs.
• Whether you store items in an attic or a basement, things can get damp if stored there. HINT: save any of those “SILICA GEL” packets you get with many boxed items (especially small electrical goods and fancy goods), and save them in an air-tight packet. Use them in any box or other storage container that you may want to store in the basement or attic, especially over winter.

More little gems you may find useful -

• When pressing a very delicate fabric, first cover with white tissue paper then press.
• To raise the pile on wool carpets where furniture has stood, place ice cubes on the indentation and leave a few, this should revive the pile.
• If your clean laundry has become too dry to iron, place it back in the tumble dryer together with a damp towel for about five minutes. To prevent creases on collar edges, first iron from collar edge to middle, turn shirt around and iron from the other collar edge to the middle.
• If you do not have an iron on hand, lay the creased item on a flat surface and pass a hair dryer (set to hot) from side to side about four to six inches above the fabric, using your other hand to flatten the material as you go.
• If you run out of space on your clothes line, hang socks in pairs onto a clothes hanger and hand it on the line. This takes up much less space.
• If spot cleaning with cotton balls, place cotton ball in some muslin or cotton to prevent the fibers being left on the clothing.