Saturday, May 19, 2007

Sherri's Helpful Hints





Other Uses for Common Household Items

Gold Medal® Flour

Make Play Dough. Add five drops McCormick Food Coloring to two cups water. Then add two cups Gold Medal Flour, one cup salt, one teaspoon cream of tartar, and two tablespoons vegetable oil. Mix well. Cook and stir over medium heat for three minutes (or until the mixture holds together). Turn onto board or cookie sheet and kneed to proper consistency. Store in an air tight container

Make glue. Mix Gold Medal Flour and water to a pancake-batter consistency for use on paper, light-weight fabric, and cardboard.

Make papier-mâché. Mix one cup Gold Medal Flour with two-thirds cup water in a medium-size bowl to a thick-glue consistency. To thicken, add more flour. Cut newspaper strips approximately one to two inches in width. Dip each strip into the paste, gently pull it between your fingers to remove excess paste, and apply it to any object (an empty bottle, carton, or canister). Repeat until surface you want to cover (clay, cartons, bottles, or any disposable container makes a good base). Continue until the base is completely covered. Let dry, then decorate with poster paint. After the paint dries, coat with shellac.

Clean white kid gloves. Rub Gold Medal Flour into the leather, then brush clean.

Clean brass and copper. Mix equal parts Gold Medal Flour and Morton Salt, and add one teaspoon Heinz White Vinegar to make a paste. Spread a thick layer on the brass and let dry. Rinse and wipe off paste.

Clean a deck of playing cards. Place the deck of cards into a paper bag, adding four tablespoons Gold Medal Flour, and shake briskly. Remove the cards from the bag and wipe clean.

Repel ants. Fill cracks and make a line with Gold Medal Flour where ants enter. Ants will not cross through flour.

Lipton® Tea Bags

Deodorize your feet. Boil three or four Lipton Flo-Thru Tea Bags in one quart of water for ten minutes. Add enough cold water to make a comfortable soak. Soak your feet for twenty to thirty minutes, then dry and apply food powder. Do this twice a day until odor is under control. Then continue twice a week to keep odor under control. Tannin, which can be found in tea, is a drying agent.

Dye graying white fabrics. If Clorox bleach won't whiten a graying white garment, soak the item in hot, strong brewed Lipton Tea until it is a shade darker than you desire. Then rinse in cold water and let dry.

Highlight brown hair. Rinse red or brown hair with brewed Lipton Tea for golden highlights.

Accelerate the germination of grass seeds. Mix two tablespoons of cold, strong brewed Lipton Tea into each pound of seed, cover, and set in the refrigerator for five days. Before sowing, spread the seed to dry for a day or two on newspapers on the garage or basement floor.

Soothe a sore throat or laryngitis. Drink brewed Lipton Tea with ReaLemon or SueBee Honey.

Polish black lacquer. Wash black lacquer pieces with strong brewed Lipton Tea, then wipe dry with a soft cloth.

Help relieve diarrhea. Drink plenty of Lipton Tea and eat toast. The tannin in tea is reported to be helpful in cases of diarrhea, while its liquid replaces fluids lost by the body.

Soothe tired eyes. Place Lipton Flo-Thru Tea Bags soaked in cool water or lukewarm water over your eyes for at least fifteen minutes.

Clean varnished woodwork. Cold Lipton Tea is a good cleaning agent for any kind of woodwork.

Tenderize meat. Add equal parts strong brewed Lipton Tea and double strength beef stock to a tough pot roast or stew. The tannin in tea is a natural meat tenderizer.

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