Quick Solutions to 7 Common Home Problems
Those pesky little problems that routinely crop up around the house can begin or end our day on a sour note. Common things like the new trash bag falling down into the trash can, a stinky thermos, ratty sponges, stiff jeans or a hard-to-clean electric grill irritate us and add up to a lot of stress by day’s end. Overcome some of those little annoyances and prevent some daily stress from occurring with these quick solutions to 7 common home problems.
Prevent Trash Bag Sag
Two inexpensive, clear, adhesive-backed plastic hooks designed to hold pictures on the wall stops trash bag sag. Attach the plastic hooks upside down on opposite sides of the outside of the trash can, about two inches down from the top. When you place a new trash bag in the can, place the edges under the hooks to prevent bag sag.
Thermos Deodorizer
Fill the stinky thermos with water and drop in two Alka-Seltzer tablets and let sit overnight. Rinse and re-fill thermos in the morning with a fresh meal or beverage for the day. The Alka-Seltzer contains sodium bicarbonate which neutralizes odor causing bacteria and the tablet’s salicylic acid bleaches away interior stains and debris.
Salt Soak for Sponges
If your kitchen sponge looks ratty after only a couple of uses, give it a salt-soak to make it last longer. Run the used sponge through the dishwasher cycle to clean it, then add one-fourth cup of salt to one quart of cold water and place sponge in salty water mix to soak for overnight. The salt will plump and strengthen the cellulose fibers of the sponge so they will withstand normal usage and keep the sponge looking better longer.
Soften Stiff Jeans
Spritz stiff jeans with a wrinkle releaser laundry product (make your own by adding one-part liquid fabric softener to nine-parts water in a squirt bottle) and run jeans through a ten minute drying cycle. The diluted fabric softener and heat from the dryer will soften the jean fabric for a perfect fit and feel.
Easy Clean for Electric Grill
Those counter top grills are easy to use but a pain to clean after use. Easy-clean by placing several layers of damp paper towel on the grill as soon as you’re done using it. Close the lid and let the damp paper towels and residual heat do the cleaning work for you. The moisture and heat will steam clean the electric grill while you eat.
Recycle Laundry Sheets
If you use a laundry sheet (one sheet that contains both detergent and fabric softener), don’t toss out the sheet when the laundry is done. Recycle the laundry sheet in the bathroom for cleaning. There’s enough residual soap and fabric softener left in the sheets to clean sinks and tubs, plus one side of the sheet is smooth and one side is rough for help in scrubbing away tough soap scum.
Remove Sweat Stains
Another laundry trick is to apply meat tenderizer to sweat stains for easy removal. Make a paste from water and meat tenderizer, rub it into sweat stains and allow to sit for 30 minutes. Rinse and launder item as usual.
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