Household tips for easier living

I don't think I posted this anywhere on here, I think I have just been waiting to make sure it really worked...

To keep your fruit fresher longer (especially Strawberries and raspberries) Rinse them with a 50/50 vinegar/water solution. let them drain and rinse them off. Let them dry as much as you can and put them in the refrigerator. This keeps them much nicer for a longer period of time. It kills the bacteria and mold already present on the fruit. I have done this on the store bought (gross and I can't stand them, but DH likes them) strawberries and they are keeping much longer than one or two days.

 

Re: fixing a garden hose

Could you upload some pictures of this please?

Regards
Rod
moderator's note: removed website link, see point 1.1 of usage rules

 

Find a smaller space

moderator's note: removed website link, see point 1.1 of usage rules
I have found out that living in a smaller space, also reduces the amount of time that you have to spend cleaning. Although many are still not comfortable living in small spaces, this is really more sustainable and a better way of living. There is plenty of information about small space living and small homes out there and it is actually becoming a trend.

Regards
Rod

 

You know those new type mops that you put liquid soap in the canister that sprays and then you mop behind it with those washable/reusable pads?
Instead of using that expensive soap they sell... use windshield wiper fluid. It has some soap in it and with the little bit of alcohol, the floor dries quickly. You can add more soap if you want, but I don't think it needs it.
And oh yeah... a gallon of the wiper fluid is typically less than $2.00. Compare that to the little quart jars at the store that are $5.00.

 

For quick mop job. Sweep or vacuum well spray bottle with your favorite cleaner. I like Mr clean. Put small amount in spray bottle. Dry mop with string mop. Seen them do this at hospital.

 

Spider bite remedy: BAKING SODA paste.
I got bit by a spider this week (Wed) while I was in the high tunnel picking tomatoes. It must have gotten squished between my calf and thigh because I have a bite on my calf. So I was googling home remedies for the bite and one was baking soda. So I made a slurry of it and put a big piece of gauze over it and taped it on before bed. WHAT a MESS! I had baking soda all over my bed. YUCK! but when I took the dressing off I noticed it wasn't as red as the day before. so the next day I used baking soda and coconut oil and covered it for the day. Now the spot just looks like a bruise. Doesn't itch like I want to take a wire brush to it and isn't painful either.

 

I have a mop that I really like. It consists of a long wooden pole with a short wood piece on top. The mop is in the shape of a T. You just throw an old rag over the top of the mop & wash your floor. I like it because it is easy to wash the rags. So much better than a traditional mop with the sponge attached that you can never truly wash. AND much cheaper & more ecologically friendly that the new style of Sw......er mops where you have to use disposable pads for washing your floor.

I think I'll try my mop with Cheryl's suggestion of windshield wiper fluid.

 

For most of our members, this tip is not relevant. However, for those of us in the southern USA, and other regions, it may help.
Barbecue tongs are great for picking up snakes. We have had snakes in the nest boxes of the chicken coop, and also in our kitchen.
When we found a rather large rat snake in the coop, I went to the patio, grabbed the 18" tongs, snagged the snake just behind his head and tossed him into the pasture (we no longer use those tongs for cooking, just capturing). A few nights ago we saw a snake (small, garter snake type) on our kitchen floor. My husband went to the patio and got the snake/used-to-be barbecue tongs hanging there and grabbed the snake and tossed him/her into the pasture.
My tip is to keep an extra pair of tongs, preferably long, to remove any intruders that don't have legs. Don't thank me .

 

So, that spider bite I got almost two weeks ago is now just a "bruise" on the back of my calf. After I put the BSoda on it it quit itching, just had the big hard red palm sized area until I put the BS paste on it. It probably would work well for any kind of bite I am thinking. I should have put it on the bumble bee sting I got the week before that. I almost called EMS in the middle of the night but I was too sick to care or make the effort...I was hoping I woke up in the morning.
Jane, snakes aren't a problem here. We just have most often the garter snakes. I have only seen one poisonous one here and it was in a nature center in captivity. I bet that was eating your eggs, huh?

 

I had to take my mom to a post op check up a few weeks ago and her steri strips were coming off, but needed to be taken all off anyway to look at the incision. when the nurse put the new strips back on she got out a swab of benzoin tincture and rolled it all around the wound and then put the strips on... It was the secret I have been looking for for ages to use those steri strips. They just don't stay on no matter what you do. and I try not to go to the doctor for much and sometimes you just need a stitch to keep a wound together to heal. I usually use super glue on those strips. not now.

 

Do you have a salad dressing maker container from Pampered Chef?
Use it for other mixing jobs in the kitchen. This morning I was making breakfast and I just happened to notice it sitting on the shelf and I needed the whisk for making scrambled eggs so I used the dressing maker instead. It was an excellent substitute for a whisk and bowl.

 

When my husband retires a cotton t shirt, I cut it up into dish rags. They make great dish rags, very absorbent & easily washed.

 

I also use custom-cut sections of retired cotton Ts on my swiffer sweeper, for quickie damp mopping.

 

Good idea zuzu's ps. I use old towels on a 'T' mop. It is just a long pole with a cross piece at the top. I like it better than a regular mop because is it more sanitary: you just throw the old towels or rags in the wash when done. I swear a regular mop just pushes the dirt around!