Tip of the Day #276: Preventing a Ring in your Bathtub

Adding a few drops of baby oil to your bath water will stop a ring from forming inside your bathtub. Plus, it will keep your skin soft! ;)

Tip of the Day #275: Slow Ketchup Remedy

To speed the flow of ketchup, insert a straw into the bottle then remove it. So simple! :)

Tip of the Day #274: Take Photo When Sending out Invites

When sending invitations out to visitors for a party or event, attach a photo of your home or venue to make it easier for them to find!

Tip of the Day #273: Taking Care of Wounds

If an emergency occurs, before you can get to the hospital, here is what to do:

Hold pressure on the wound and crack open an egg. Remove the egg's membrane and place over the wound while still holding pressure. The membrane will dry and harden, acting as a 'seal' until you can get to the ER for proper treatment.

Tip of the Day #272: More Garlic Tips

1) To easily break up the cloves, place one hand over the other on top of the garlic, and push down hard. So easy!

2) To remove all peelings off the cloves, pop in the microwave for about 15 seconds, remove, and lightly shake. Works every time!

3) If your recipe calls for minced garlic, use a cheese grater. You will be done in 1/4 of the time!

Tip of the Day #271: Preserving Ink Cartridges

1) Whenever possible, print in 'Times New Roman' font. You'll get 100 more pages out of a cartridge than you will printing in heavier fonts like Arial or Verdana!

2) When your computer warns you that your ink is almost empty, take out the cartridge and shake it vigorously a few times--there is still plenty of ink left in there!

3) If your ink cartridge has a reset button/hole, use it when the low ink warning comes on and again, you will greatly extend the life of your cartridge.

Tip of the Day #270: Laundry Basket in Tub

Do you have toddlers? A laundry basket in the tub can act as a seat! Your children wont bump their heads on the tub, theyre secure and their toys stay confined!

Tip of the Day #269: Get Rid of Rats & Mice

Rats will leave your home if you introduce a smell that drives them away. This gives you a natural rodent control method that doesn't introduce chemicals into your home and resolves your rat problem without killing them.

The answer is PEPPER-- but don't try black pepper for rat control. Go with cayenne pepper instead or a hot pepper sauce.

Instructions:

Sprinkle the dried spice in areas that have a proven rat presence. When the rats get a whiff of the pepper, they'll move out. Repeat as often as needed, if the rodents move elsewhere in your landscape or if new rats appear.

Tip of the Day #268: Vinegar in Toilet Tank

I was reminded of this great tip on Pinterest today!

A small bottle of vinegar can make a huge impact with your toilets. If you poke a hole into the lid of a bottle of vinegar and then put the whole bottle into your toilet tank upside down, the vinegar will prevent a toilet ring from forming by releasing some everytime you flush and also use LESS WATER with every flush!

Tip of the Day #267: Cleaning your Hood Vent Filter

Many people don't think to clean their hood vent very often, however, its extremely important as grease and debris build-up can become very dangerous! To clean, bring a large pot of water to a boil, and place filter(s) inside. Sprinkle 1/2 a cup of baking soda in VERY slowly (a tsp at a time) as it will fizz and overflow. Watch the grease just slide right off!
If you do not have a pot big enough, pouring the boiling water into your sink and following the same process will work as well.

Tip of the Day #266: Newspaper while Gardening

Lay newspaper down in in your flower beds!
Newspaper will prevent any grass and weed seeds from germinating, but unlike fabric, it will decompose after about 18 months. By that time, any grass and weed seeds that were present in the soil on planting will be dead. It’s green, it’s cheaper than fabric, and when you decide to remove or redesign the bed later on, you will not have the headache you would with fabric!

Tip of the Day #265: DIY Art Smock

Painting is fun for kids, but can cause such a mess! So why not take an old pillow case, turn so open side is at the bottom, then cut arm holes and a neck hole at the top. If it is way too big, you may choose to snip the area between the neck and arm holes (shoulder area) then tie in tighter knots!

Tip of the Day #264: Never lose your Earrings again!

1) Travel is best done in pairs. To keep a set of earrings together on your next overnight jaunt, fasten them to a button so they won’t get lost in your suitcase pocket.

2) Keep track of your earrings while you hit the gym (or the spa). Place the studs through the holes on the watch strap and then attach their backs. You can even do this when removing your earrings at night and storing for the night!

Tip of the Day #263: Removing Hard Foods

Aluminum Foil as Glassware Scrubber

To get baked-on food off a glass pan or an oven rack, use dishwashing liquid and a ball of foil in place of a steel-wool soap pad. It's one way to recycle those used but perfectly good pieces of foil you hate to throw out!

Tip of the Day #262: Aluminum Foil as an Antenna

If your DVD player is stacked on top of the TV (or vice versa) and the picture is fuzzy, the two electromagnetic fields may be commingling, confusing the signals. (This usually happens with plastic casings; with metal it's less likely.) Slip a sheet of foil between the machines to separate the fields.

Tip if the Day #261: Painters Tape as Snack Sealant

Preserve family-size packages of snack foods. Painter's tape is best because it allows you to seal and reseal a cereal or chip bag without losing its tack.

Tip of the Day #260: Packing Tape as Nut and Bolt Holder

Gather loose bolts and nails in the garage by sticking them to a length of tape and layering another piece of tape on top.

Tip of the Day #259: Reusable Packing Materials

Zippered Plastic Bag as Packing Material

Cushion precious cargo in a box. Before closing it all the way, slide a straw into the top, and inflate. Then remove the straw and completely seal the protective bubble. Once done, just deflate and put bags back away! :)

Paper/Styrofoam Plates between Good Dinnerware

These plates act as great protection as they lay perfect and do not move. Your plates are guaranteed to arrive safely!

Coffee Filters as Plate Protectors

If you dont have any paper plates lying around, coffee filters also work great in protecting your plates--you can also use them later to dust!

Do you have any other useful packing tips? Feel free to share!

Tip of the Day #258: Getting Rid of Odours

When my house develops a musty scent, I fill bowls with white vinegar and place them in all the affected rooms for a few hours. This works especially well to rid cigarette smoke or after cooking foods like fish. You can also use the same method to deodorize the refrigerator.

Tip of the Day #257: Dealing with Stained Items

How many times have you washed a shirt only to discover a stain on it after the fact? That phenomenon is the reason my mom required everyone in the house to tie a knot in their stained garments before they put them in the hamper. That way, when you sort the laundry, you instantly know when something needs extra attention. I implemented this rule within my home and it saves me headaches, time, and money!

For those pesky stains, here is a guide of what to use: http://amumntheoven.blogspot.ca/2013/01/tip-of-day-163.html?m=0