Friday, March 23, 2007

Sherri's Helpful Hints












Other Uses for Everyday Products

Ziploc Bags

Keep passports waterproof. Store your passport in a Ziploc Storage Bag.

Protect important papers. Store tax forms, important records, canceled checks, receipts, warranties, and instructions in a Ziploc Storage Bag.

Store camping items. Carry utensils, food, clothes, maps, medications, and first aid supplies in Ziploc Storage Bags.

Carry a wet sponge or cloth for sticky fingers. Travel with your own dampened wipe in a Ziploc Storage Bag.

Separate lingerie, scarves, gloves, hosiery, and handkerchiefs. Organize your smaller garments in Ziploc Storage Bags.

Keep jewelry together. Organize rings, earrings, necklaces, and brooches in Ziploc Storage Bags.

Improvise a diaper changing mat. In an emergency, a jumbo Ziploc Storage Bag can be a used as an easy-to-tote changing mat.

Carry dirty diapers in a baby bag without any offending odors. Keep extra Ziploc Storage Bags in your baby bag so you can seal dirty diapers inside a plastic bag until you can dispose of them properly. This is especially considerate when visiting friends' homes.

Carry snacks. When traveling, pack snacks in Ziploc Storage Bags.

Carry a change of baby clothes. Pack a change of clothes for a baby in a Ziploc Storage Bag. In separate bags, store a pacifier, cotton balls, and medication. Place all the items in a jumbo zippered Storage Bag and keep it in the baby bag.

Pack toiletries when you travel. Keep all your toiletry items together in a Ziploc Storage Bag and prevent any unexpected leaks or spills.

Store game pieces. Never lose dice, cards, playing pieces, or small toys again.

Pack seasonal items away. Store leftover holiday greeting cards, valentines, and halloween decorations in Ziploc Storage Bags.

Pack a child's suitcase with ease. Organize your children's outfits in jumbo Ziploc Storage Bags. Put a matching top, bottom, a pair of underwear and socks in each bag, so kids know exactly what they're going to wear each day of a vacation.

Marinate meats. Combine your food and marinade ingredients in a Ziploc Storage Bag and refrigerate.

Store crayons.Keep a few crayons in a Ziploc Storage Bag for trips so kids always have something to do in restaurants.

Store leftovers.Keep leftovers for single servings in Ziploc Storage Bags for quick meals.

Organize store coupons. Keep coupons in Ziploc Storage Bags for easy reference.

Make potpourri. Collect dried roses, juniper sprigs, tiny pine cones, strips of orange rind, bay leaves, cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, and allspice berries. Mix a few drops of rose, cinnamon, and balsam oils with orrisroot (available at your local crafts store). Add all ingredients and seal in a Ziploc Storage Bag for a few weeks to mellow, turning the bag occasionally.

Store jigsaw puzzles. Keep all the pieces in a Ziploc Storage Bag so you never lose that one pivotal piece of the puzzle again.

Store screws, nuts, and bolts. Organize nuts, bolts, drill bits, nails, washers, and screws in the workshop.

Store crafts. Organize paintbrushes, ribbons, beads, glues, and strings in Ziploc Storage Bags.

Store leftover garden seeds. Seal seeds and put them in a cool, dry place until ready for planting.

Pipe icing on a cake. Fill a pint-size Ziploc Storage Bag with icing, twist the bag to force icing to one corner, seal, and use scissors to snip a small bit off the corner. Squeeze out icing to make polka dots, squiggles, or write names. Use a separate bag for each color.

Clean a shower head. If a shower head can not be removed for cleaning, fill a Ziploc Storage Bag with Heinz White Vinegar, wrap it around the shower head, and secure in place overnight with a rubber band.


Huggies Baby Wipes

Blot up spilled coffee from a rug or carpet. Huggies Baby Wipes absorb coffee without leaving a stain.

Use as toilet paper after an episiotomy. Huggies Baby Wipes are gentle enough for a baby and perfect after an operation on the more sensitive areas of your body.

Soothe hemorrhoids. Use Huggies Baby Wipes as toilet paper to avoid aggravating sensitive hemorrhoids.

Clean hands after pumping gas or changing the oil. Keep a box of Huggies Baby Wipes in the trunk of the car.

Store game pieces. Store loose dice, cards, playing pieces, and small toys in an empty Huggies Baby Wipes box.

Store crayons. Keep crayons in an empty Huggies Baby Wipes box.

Store screws, nuts, and bolts. Use empty Huggies Baby Wipes boxes in the workshop to hold loose screws, bolts, nuts, nails, drill bits, and spare parts.

Store crafts. Organize ribbons, beads, glues, strings in empty Huggies Baby Wipes boxes.

Clean scrapes and bruises. Huggies Baby Wipes are great for cleaning a minor abrasion.

Clean shoes. Simply wipe the shoes with a Huggies Baby Wipe.


Alka Seltzer

Clean a toilet. Drop in two Alka-Seltzer tablets, wait twenty minutes, brush, and flush. The citric acid and effervescent action clean vitreous china.

Clean a vase. To remove a stain from the bottom of a glass vase or cruet, fill with water and drop in two Alka-Seltzer tablets.

Polish jewelry. Drop two Alka-Seltzer tablets into a glass of water and immerse the jewelry for two minutes.

Clean a Thermos bottle. Fill the bottle with water, drop in four Alka-Seltzer tablets, and let soak for an hour (or longer, if necessary).

Remove burned-on grease from a pot or pan. Fill the pot or pan with water, drop in six Alka-Seltzer tablets, let soak for one hour, then scrub as usual.

Unclog a drain. Clear the sink drain by dropping three Alka-Seltzer tablets down the drain followed by a cup of Heinz White Vinegar. Wait a few minutes, then run the hot water.

Get short-term relief from nicotine withdrawl symptoms. As long as you're not on a low-sodium diet or have peptic ulcers, drink two Alka-Seltzer tablets dissolved in a glass of water at every meal.

Soothe insect bites. Dissolve two Alka-Seltzer tablets in a glass of water, dip a cloth into the solution, and place the cloth on the bite for twenty minutes.

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