99 Handy Hints around the house

Finally something for the girls! But enterprising hommes would do very well to make a note of these points to impress your better halves! I am not good at doling advice on dating, but thought I could give you some tips on housekeeping and cooking.

1) To treat a shoe bite, apply a paste of rice flour and water and smear over the bite and let it dry and then wash it away

2) A cheap and easy way to keep mosquitoes at bay is to put 2-3 tablets of camphor into small cup of water and place it under your bed. Enjoy an undisturbed and smoke-free sleep.

3) To clean your brass ware boil water with a little onion in it and clean with this solution.

4) Numb your tongue with an ice cube before swallowing an unpleasant medicine.

5) Your mirrors will look bright if you add a little water to left over tea leaves and wipe the mirror with this decoction

6) If your pressure cooker has stains put 2 tsp of citric acid and pour in 2 cups of water in it and bring it to a boil. When cool scrub the cooker.

7)Place soda bicarbonate or lime essence or rose essence in the fridge to keep away odors

8) If the shoe keeps slipping off your foot use band-aid on the inner soles of the shoe

9) To remove paint from the skin, apply a little curd on the area and after few minutes wash it away

10) Cleaning silver articles will be easy if you soak a napkin in a mixture of 1 cup of water 1 tab of household ammonia and one tsp of silver polish and leave the napkin to dry and when dry it could be used to remove tarnish marks from silver.

11) Keep the water in the flower vase odorless by placing a piece of charcoal.

12) Rub toothpaste over fine scratches on glassware. It acts as a slight abrasive and smoothens the area

13) Clean dust particles and dirt from the iron or steel sieve by holding it over a fire for sometime. The grime burns to soot and falls off, wash the sieve with soap and water.

14) Soften leather shoes by applying curd at night on their inner surfaces to make tight shoes to soften.

15) Agarbathi ash can be used to clean your silver ware or brassware.

16) A few sandal pieces kept in a bookshelf will emit a good fragrance and keep the books and manuscripts from being destroyed.

17) Hardened glue becomes soft and usable if glycerin and warm water is added and stirred well.

18) Stains on white footwear can be removed if nail polish remover is applied and rubbed briskly

19) Clean silverware with ordinary ash or common salt. Polished furniture can be cleaned with a solution of vinegar.

20) Soak your diamond earrings rings etc. in a little water for 15 minutes and add some washing powder to this water and boil for 7-8 minutes and it will now sparkle.

21) To remove stains from crockery wash with a solution of baking soda.

22) Old socks pulled over the ends of a broom can collect fine particles without scratching the floor.

23) Wipe your fans and window grills with a cloth dipped in kerosene to avoid the formation of cobwebs.

24) Coat the furniture with a layer of kerosene to prevent insects and to keep it in good shine. Mop the floor also with adding a few drops of kerosene to the detergent.

25) Add 1 tab salt to kerosene before filling the oil lamps to ensure they burn for a longer time.

26) The smell of kerosene from cans etc. can be best removed by washing them with water in which potatoes have been boiled.

27) Sprinkle a little table salt over the toothbrush to get a new sparkle to your teeth.

28) To join a broken pieces of lipstick together hold them over a flame.

29) Soak cotton in phenyl and keep in the bathroom or lavatory for that fresh lingering smell for days together.

30) To remove turmeric stains from plastic vessels rub them with some gram flour before washing them.

31) A quick relief from cold is to drink a mixture of 2 tsp honey, 1 tsp ginger juice and 1 tsp betel leaf juice and follow it up with some warm water. Do this thrice a day.

32) Burn a mixture of incense and neem leaves to keep away mosquitoes.

33) Don't throw away eggshells. Instead finely crush them and use for the potted plants.

34) Apply a mixture of toothpaste and baking soda to remove yellow stains in the fridge shelves.

35) Rub an aspirin on a bee sting to lessen the pain.

36) Sprinkle dry neem leaves in shelves where books are stored to prevent silver fish and termites infestation.

37) Next time the flush tank leaks no need to call the plumber, just apply some Vaseline uniformly on the rubber valve to plug the leak.

38) Add half a tab of aspirin to the water in the flower vase to make the flowers fresh and remain for a long time.

39) Don’t buy car polish. Just add cupful of paraffin to hot water to give it a protective shine.

40) Always fold a garment across rather than lengthwise when on a hanger to remove the creases faster.

41) Postage stamps when stuck together will easily separate if popped in the fridge for a few minutes.

42) To soothe insect bites mix 2 tab of olive oil and 1 egg white and apply to the affected area. It takes away the sting and reduces the swelling.

43) Old belts and leather bags will look new if they are rubbed with cotton wool that has been soaked in a solution of half a tsp of rosewater, one tsp gylcerine and half tsp coconut oil.

44) Silver ornaments will not turn black if you keep them along with some camphor.

45) Add a little milk to the water for cleansing silver articles to give them that extra brightness.

46) A greasy grill cleans best when sprinkled with soda bicarb.

47) To remove grease marks from wallpaper place a blotting paper over the mark and press with a hot iron.

48) Don't struggle to find the ends of a cellophane tape. Just place the roll in the fridge for 10 minutes.

49) Melting bits of candle, kerosene and a dash of turmeric powder in a tin can make wood polish at home. Heat and allow to cool and set before using.

50) Before polishing your shoes hold the polishing brush in front of a heater or lamp to warm it and now polish your shoes with this warm brush to make them shine.

51) To clean dust and grease from exhaust fans and bulbs in the kitchen, wipe with coconut fiber dipped in kerosene. Follow this by a good scrub with a cloth dipped in washing powder.

52) To starch silk suits at home use liquid gum mixed with water. When the suits are dry iron them.

53) Remove pet hair from the upholstery and cushions effortlessly by rubbing a damp sponge over the required area.

54) Protect your self from slipping on the floor when wearing new footwear by rubbing the soles with sand paper.

55) Pressure cooks about 300grams of moong dal and mash it thoroughly when cool. To this add a bucketful of water and strain through a sieve and soak your silk saris in this dal water for 5 minutes and then rinse in water 2-3 times. Dry in shade and then iron them. The zari will look brighter. This is enough for 3 saris.

56) Get back the original color of coral ornaments by applying any oil to the stones and let them dry for two days.

57) Take a few guava leaves and boil in a little water and gargle the mouth if you have tooth ache!

58) Water your plants with water enriched with soda. Your plants will be healthier and with more foliage and flowers.

59) Once a week water the plants with the soap water in which clothes are washed. This will make them look greener.

60) Rinse oilcans with soap nut powder and sour curd along with a little water and wash well. The can will retain neither the smell nor the stickiness.

61) If oil has leaked from the car on your garage floor just spread out a damp newspaper over the oil stain and leave till the newspaper is dry. When you remove the paper the stain will have been gone.

62) Stick a square piece of sand paper inside the pencil box –to clean the erasers!

63) Rub a little perfume on the bottom of the iron with a cotton and the clothes will smell great.

64) Collect the dal washed water and rice water to pour for the plants. The plants will be healthy.

65) Grind 10 flakes of garlic and add this to a bucket of water and sprinkle around the house. This prevents snakes.

66) To prevent a car windscreen from freezing on an icy morning rub it with a cut potato.

67) To clean rusty knives and blades stick them into an onion and leave them for some time.

68) To clean the bathroom tiles, rub them with bleaching powder overnight and rinse with plain water in the morning.

69) Rub faded carpets or mats with warm water and turpentine. This will bring back the original color.

70) Pour a little kerosene into the drain periodically to keep roaches away.

71) A few grains of rice in the salt container will absorb dampness and prevent the salt from sticking to the sides of the container.

72) A much used rubber gasket can still be used if kept in the freezer for a few hours.

73) If there is persistent cough eat a guava that has been baked in an oven or charcoal everyday for 4-5 days to obtain relief.

74) To clean stains from the marble flooring in the bathroom try any of the following:

Apply white shoe polish on the dirt streaks and wipe with a cloth
Scrub the stains with a mixture of milk and lemon in equal proportions.
Take equal parts of finely chopped chalk and washing soda and make a paste and rub vigorously on the stains.
Use a mixture of borax and water to clean them
Mix a cup of vinegar with warm water and apply on the stains and leave for ½ hour and then clean.
Apply a mixture of turpentine and salt over the stains and wash after 15 minutes

75) To cleanse vacuum flasks that have been in storage for a long time, place 2 tsp of soda bicarb in the empty flask and top with boiling water and leave it overnight and then empty and wash with warm water.

76) A slice of damp bread can be used to pick up slivers of broken grass

77) Smelly pans. If previous dinner smells remain in the saucepan, fill with water, add vinegar and boil up. The pan should be fine but the kitchen smells of boiled vinegar!

78) Instead of keeping the flowers in wet towels, it is better to keep them in towels that are wetted with salt water. This keeps the flowers fresh for a longer time

79) Smelly fridge or plastic containers. It is said that to prevent smells in the first place, leave a piece of charcoal on one of the shelves and this will absorb any odours. However, if there was no charcoal to hand and the fridge smells, dissolve 2 - 3 teaspoons of Bicarbonate of Soda in a pint of water and wipe out the inside of the fridge.

80) Fill any offending plastic containers with the same mixture and leave to soak overnight - all should be odour free in the morning.

81) Wash your silver anklets in a solution of salt and tamarind that has been heated and then soak in the solution and then wash with a brush.

82) To keep the mixer blades sharp always grind some table salt in the mixer once a month.

How to tell a silk sari that is from the Kanchipuram Co-op or not. Here are a few tips.

83) The co-op sari is heavier that is around 600gm as compared to the Arani and Cheyyar saris which are usually 500gm.

84) The thread in co-op sari is of 4 parts as against others, which have only 2.

85) In the co-op sari the pallu part attachment will not be seen but in others the attached place shows threads hanging out.

86) When the zari is removed the thread inside will be red color as opposed to yellow in the duplicate ones.

87) The name of the co-op will be inscribed on the label along with the cost as against only the cost in the duplicate ones.

88) Use potato skin to clean a mirror. After rubbing finish with a soft, moist cloth.

89) Kitchen timers are cheap. I keep several around, and set one for each dish, to avoid having to figure out the math of when each dish should come out!

90) To keep a mixing bowl from sliding around when you're whisking something in it, set it on a damp kitchen towel.

91) Disposable vinyl or plastic gloves will keep your hands from staining and keep them from being irritated by hot peppers.

92) Nonstick cooking spray will keep foods from staining plastic utensils or storage containers, Just give them a quick spray before using. It will also help honey or peanut butter slide out of measuring cups.

93) A small, clean spray bottle works well for spraying oil over food. You'll get fewer calories that way.

94) If you get a dish too sweet, stir in 1/2-teaspoon vinegar to balance out the taste.

95) To keep a pot from boiling over, put a toothpick between the pot and lid. This trick also works with covered casserole dishes in the oven.

96) You can keep pasta, custards, and milk from boiling over by coating the inside of the pot lid with vegetable oil.

97) When using a double boiler put a few marbles or a jar lid in the bottom pan -- they'll warn you by rattling when the water gets too low and save the pan from scorching.

98) If you're cooking several dishes at once, look at the recipes to see if any of them use the same ingredients. If so, chopping them at the same time saves time and cuts down on cleanup. If one recipe calls for 1/4 cup bell pepper and another for 3/4 cup, Chop 1 cup to begin with.

99) Start cooking the dish that takes longest first. That way, it can be cooking while you prepare the other items.