July 25th, 2006
Practical Tips for Everyday Living
(Things I’ve Learned about Anything and Everything)
Tip #1: General organization“A place for everything and everything in its place” is every organizer’s mantra. I’ve learned to follow this rule as best as I can. Even if it’s just a shoebox to throw clutter into, as long as the clutter always goes into it, it keeps me fairly organized.
The inside of the shoebox doesn’t need to be neat. As long as I keep a lid on it, it will LOOK neat.
Tip #2: Bon Ami
This is the best thing I’ve found for cleaning crud off the stove top, without scratching the surface. I put a little water on the dirty stove top, sprinkle some Bon Ami and use a kitchen towel (not a scrubber or steel wool! this will scratch it!) to rub the Bon Ami into the crud. Wipe off all residue. Leaves the stove top shining!
Tip #3: Easy flower beds
A couple of years ago, we made new flower beds in our yard. Our soil is of the compact clay kind and it’s very hard to dig into it. I found this tip.
We outlined where we wanted the flower beds to be and then covered the existing grass with several layers of newspaper. We hosed that down with water and then covered everything with 2-3 inches of compost. After a couple of months, the newspaper and grass underneath had decomposed nicely into a soft fertile soil (thanks to the earthworms!). We were able to plant some annuals on the compost almost right after we made the bed, while waiting for nature to do its work. No digging on our part!
Tip #4: Wear gloves
I always wear gloves when I’m washing the dishes. It saves my hands from drying out and saves time. I don’t have to spend time washing and drying my hands after doing the dishes. When you have an active toddler who suddenly needs your attention, you wouldn’t want to have to stop for anything in order to attend to him. Just strip the gloves off and you’re ready to go.
Tip #5: Better chicken soup
To give more flavor and body to homemade chicken soup, use a can of chicken gravy instead of, or in addition to, chicken stock or water. Thanks to LD for this tip!
Tip #6: Save your back while cleaning the bathtub
I use this scrubber for cleaning the tub. Made by Casabella, it’s extendable so I don’t have to bend over while cleaning.
Tip #7: Leave your shoes at the door
Bringing outdoor shoes into the house tracks a lot of dirt onto the floor and carpet. Make it your family’s practice to leave your shoes at the door. Have a shoe rack where your family usually enters. If you don’t want to go barefoot, use flip-flops or slippers and designate these as exclusively for indoor use only.
Tip #8: Zap those germs!
I occasionally microwave my dishcloth and sponge/scrubber for 1 minute to kill bacteria. Rinse (careful! it’s hot!) and wring out excess water.
Tip #9: Stock up on these items
I make sure we never run out of these things at home:
sugar
salt
toothpaste
bathroom tissue
extra light bulbs
Tip #10: Freeze leftover herbs
When I buy fresh herbs at the grocery, I usually don’t use them all up at once. So I cut up (or chop) the leftovers, place them in freezer bags and store them in the freezer for later use. They go well in soups and salads. What’s more, they’re ready to use so I save time. So far, I know this works for green onions and parsley. I also have dill but I haven’t used that yet. Celery doesn’t freeze well because of its high water content.
Tip #11: Freshen up at work
If you’re going to work long hours and don’t have a place to shower, bring along a toothbrush, some soap, and a clean pair of socks. To freshen up and renew your energy, brush your teeth, wash your face and change your socks.
Tip #12: Use rubber bands as jar openers
Keep a couple of wide rubber bands in your kitchen drawer. Those that tie bundles of broccoli together work well. They’ll come in handy when you have a tight-lidded jar. Just wrap a band around the lid for extra grip. For particularly stubborn lids, wrap the other rubber band around the jar to get a good grip.
Tip #13: Use a microwave cover
Always use a microwave cover for your dishes. It saves clean-up time and keeps those food splatters from the “ceiling” of your microwave oven.
Tip #14: Waste disposal tips
Never put these through your kitchen’s waste disposal system:
- cabbage, bokchoy, or any fibrous green vegetable
- raw potatoes, including peelings
Tip #15: Easy-peel hard-boiled eggs
Immediately after cooking hard-boiled eggs, run COLD water over them until they are cool to the touch. This separates the shell from the eggs, making them easy to peel.
Tip #16: Clean Dishcloths
Change kitchen and/or discloth daily. At night, use that day’s soiled kitchen/dish cloth to wipe the kitchen sink, faucet and counters, to keep the kitchen shining. (from Grace)
Tip #17: Wash Sponges
Be careful about microwaving your sponges. They could melt and smoke in your microwave. (I just do this for 1 minute. Your microwave could be more powerful so 1 minute might be too long). Instead, change sponges every night and wash the dirty ones with your dishtowels. After they’ve been washed in hot water (sometimes bleach) and then dried in a hot dryer, they are sanitary and ready for the next time. (from ginabina)
Tip #18: Freeze Veggies for Soup
Chop up celery and carrots and freeze them together. Then they’re ready to just throw into a soup. (from Kerri)
Tip #19: Freeze Pesto with Fresh Basil
Make pesto using fresh basil and freeze it in ice cube trays. Store in large freezer bags. Sometimes one or two “cubes” is just what’s needed to add a little flavor to something that you’re making. (from Mary Jo)
Tip #20: Reheating Rice
When reheating rice, cover it with a slightly damp paper towel to keep it from drying up. (from toni)
Tip #21: Keep tomato stains from plastic lids
To keep tomato-based sauces and soups from staining plastic lids, cover the container with plastic wrap before putting the lid on. This is great when you have to travel with your dish and want to keep those red stains out of your plastic ware.
Tip #22: Dishwashing tip
Soak dishes in water for a few minutes before putting them in the dishwasher.
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