Tip of the Day #233: Dealing with Odors in Garbage Bins

Odor producing mold and bacteria in garbage cans can be dealt with by sprinkling 1/2 cup Borax in the bottom of the garbage can.

Tip of the Day #232: Best way to Disinfect Sponges & Cloths

 To disinfect smelly sponges, wash sponge thoroughly, then microwave it while it is wet, for a short period. When you see steam from the sponge, the bacteria in the sponge will be dead. Remove carefully, it will be hot! Wash the sponge thoroughly before use.

**Make sure the sponge has no metal components!**

Tip of the Day #231: Dealing with a Stye in your Eye

If you have a stye in your eye, boil some water, soak a regular tea bag in the water for about 2 minutes, don't put sugar or milk in the tea! ;) Take the tea bag out as hot as you can stand it and place it over the offending eye until it cools. Repeat this a few times a day.

Tip of the Day #230: Diminish the Looks of Scars

I was burned in a house fire awhile back and I can tell you this method truly works!

Gently massaging a scar after the area is well healed but within the first six months of the injury can help minimize scarring. By massaging you are helping to stretch out and soften the scar be helping break down the tough collagen fibers that are forming as part of the scar maturation.

DIY JEWELRY HOLDER

Since I am overly obsessed with ORGANIZATION, one thing that always bugged me was never having a place to hang all of my necklaces and earrings--leaving me to lose quite a few that became tangled with no hope of fixing! So sad.

When I was at the Dollar Store a few days ago, I came up with a great and inexpensive way to organize these items! I purchased an 8x10 photo frame ($1.50), corkboard sheets ($1.00/20 pack--I used 5 sheets for thickness) and a 100 pack of push pins (1.00--I used 4), making this organizer a total of $1.79!!!!!!! You can't go wrong there!!

To create, all you need to do is replace the glass from the photo frame with a few sheets of corkboard (thick enough that your pins will poke through). Stick your push pins wherever you want and hang your jewelry! I will be placing this organizer on the wall soon, but depending how long your jewelry is, you can choose to leave on your dresser or a table!

-GRILLING TIPS-

-Marinating quickly tenderizes meat and also adds additional flavor. Use roughly 1 to 2 cups of marinade for every 1 1/2 to 2 pounds of food. The marinade should completely surround the food. Cooked meat should never be returned to a cold marinade.

- A secret to tender, moist,tasty meat and fish is the cut you choose. The best cut for grilling steaks is a full one inch thick

- Whenever barbecuing, use tongs to turn the meat. A fork should never be used as it will punch holes in the meat and allow the natural juices to escape, causing the meat to lose flavor and become chewy.

- Tomato and/or sugar based BBQ sauces should be added only at the end of the grilling process, since these products will burn easily and are seldom considered an internal meat flavoring.

Tip of the Day #229: Cut down on Cleaning--Walls & Fixtures

Apply spray starch to doors, knobs, light switches and to painted walls along hallways and stairways where fingerprints accumulate. The coating will resist marks better.