Can I Use Butter Instead of Shortening?
Some pastry recipes insist on shortening or lard, because of the higher melting point and higher stability when warm. You can achieve the same results by adding some finely shaved unsweetened white or dark chocolate and knead it into the butter, before adding...
What Can I Substitute for White Wine in a Recipe?
Apple juice works fine as a substitute for white wine, and mixed 50/50 with grape juice for red wine. Have FUN! DearWebby http://humor.webby.com
Asking a Guy to Prom?
No! Definitely not! You would be setting yourself up for humiliation. Discuss the situation with your friend. Keep in mind, a prom is not just fun or a privilege, it is also an expense in time and money. Ask him what is expected of a guy and judging by his...
Hanging Curtains Without a Rod?
If the curtain has to curve around a bed or desk, it is going to be either expensive, or time consuming. The rail is easy, but the curtain needs open hooks, like a clothes hanger. For the rail get 1 black flexible plastic pipe and enough 2 open screw-hooks...
Charging a Battery with a Wind Turbine?
Hi Tom Dont worry about the current. As long as the voltage is within specs, take all the current that the batteries can absorb. The batteries regulate the actual current. If you push too much current, the battery resistance rises and the current flow is reduced...
Washer Does Not Spin All of the Water Out of the Clothes?
Sounds like it is permanently set for Permanent Press or Gentle, and does not go into high speed. You are trading in nearly-dry for wrinkle-free . You cant have both with most washers. Unless you just forgot about that setting, you probably have to replace...
Removing Smoke Odor from Home?
If you get smoke from a fireplace into the house, then you are still using a pre-Neanderthal fire in the corner of the cave concept. Supply fresh outside air to the fire! Dont create a vacuum inside the house, that will suck smoke from the fireplace! A simple...
Removing Cigarette Smoke Residue from Flat Screen TV?
Regular window cleaner or citrus based surface cleaner works fine. Turn it off and let it cool, then lighlty mist it and let it soak for a minute or two, then mist it again and wipe it with a clean micro-fiber cloth or well washed old t-shirt. If you treat...
Keeping Carpet Around Wood Stove Clean?
The only smart way to deal with that is to move the stove to the outside wall, where the wood is, install a good size doggie door, clad the door and the wall with cheap galvanized or copper plated sheet metal, and turn the stove, so that its door faces the...
Circuit Breaker Keeps Tripping?
Kim, if you can put all of that onto one 15 Amp breaker, then you deserve a Nobel prize, or two. You are probably not familiar enough with the situation to make any sense from any well meant instructions. To avoid getting woken up by the fire department, please...
Can I Reuse Cat Litter Containers for Food Storage?
Yes, sure! Its just plastic, and the former contents were a sterile industrial product, that has been super-dried at very high temperatures. Have FUN! DearWebby http://webby.com/humor/blog
Cleaning Ring Out of Toilet?
When all else fails or if you are in a hurry, find a Watkins dealer near you and get their toilet bowl cleaner. Most will sell you a bottle or two without having to join up and pay their membership fee. Watkins toilet bowl cleaner is almost pure hydrochloric...
Christmas Cactus Left Outside in Freezing Weather?
Usually you can revive them with wind. Put an oscillating fan, one that swings back and forth, in front of it, and give them a bit of warm water. Have FUN! DearWebby http://webby.com/humor
Making Drinking Glasses From Glass Bottles?
In the 50s, when I was a wee widdle kid, we used postal twine, a cheap hemp string, tied to the top and bottom of a thumb-thick willow stick, like it was a fiddle string. Looping the string completely around the bottle, turned the fiddle stick into a bow. Sawing...
Windshield Washer Fluid is Frozen?
Just drive to a nice and warm manual car wash. Pour a bottle of gas line anti-freeze into the washer reservoir. Take your time getting the car really clean and shiny, and every now and then test the washer. Once it works again, let it squirt until it is empty...
How Can I Make White Oil?
Add a little bit of water and whip it at very high speed until it looks like cream. Even though it looks totally different from regular oil, the taste does not change. You can add white pepper or ginger or cardamom before the water, and it still comes out nice...
Repairing a Tub Drain Stopper?
Usually that little weight is just cheap iron. Most craft stores sell baggies with assorted small permanent magnets. Glue one of those to the end of a wooden spoon and you got a handy retriever for all kinds of metal objects. It should lift out that little...
Hard Water Spots on Windows
Slice a cucumber into thin slices and rub them over the glass. It is not instant, and needs to be rinsed afterward, but it does dissolve the hard water residue. Works fine too on chrome faucets that have a slight leak and grow a stone. Have FUN! DearWebby http...
Substitute for Cardamom?
A rich gourmet will insist that there is no substitute for Cardamom, the queen of spices, and that if you have tasted fresh or freshly ground Cardamom, you would not even consider substituting for it. For the rest of us, who have at best tasted not so fresh...
Homemade Dish Soap?
TSP (Tri-Sodium-Phosphate) plus hand soap remnants work very well for a powerful dish soap, that is gentle on the hands. Collect the small remnants of hand soap and when you have two cups full, simmer them with some water in a stainless steel one gallon pot...
Burnt Flavor in Spaghetti Sauce?
If you have emailed your sauce and only got the bottom burned on while checking email, gently pour what is still liquid into another pot, add hot water to the burned on pot and let it sit. It will soften. No need to get nasty and scrape with metal. After an...
Birthday Gift Ideas for Mom?
By now your mother probably has more stuff than places to put it. You can buy her a cheap $300 - $400 laptop online, and set up Skype for her. Nowadays almost all laptops have web cams built in, and with Skype she can video chat with family and friends for...
Computer Tip for Degree Symbol?
If you are on a laptop or use a keyboard without a numeric keypad, your best bet is to make a Cheat Sheet like I did many years ago at http://webby.com/char By putting it on the web, I have access to it from anywhere. When I need an odd symbol, that I dont...
Killing Weeds with Steam?
Yes, you CAN use steam on a fence or gravel driveway. However, it is not cost effective if you have to pay for the fuel to produce the steam. You can not use it on a lawn, unless you have a tightly focused pencil nozzle on a wand, since many weeds are tougher...
Peeling Egg Shells
If you peel a penny size spot at the pointed end, and a quarter size spot at the fat end, you can firmly hold the egg, blow into the penny end, and the egg will pop out at the quarter end. Works every time. There are even a few uTube movies showing it, if these...
Repairing an Electric Fan?
If it is the type of fan that always started gently and slowly, and not with a sudden start like a pump, then it just needs cleaning and lubricating. You may have to remove the decorative outer cover to see the oil holes in the bearing holder. Use WD40 first...
Making Chocolate Dipping Sauce for Cookies?
Shortening has a lower melting point than chocolate, especially dark, semi-sweet, and is also a lot softer and much cheaper. Because the shortening melts quicker, it will help to distribute the heat more evenly to the chocolate, without getting any parts of...
Make Powdered Sugar from Granulated Sugar?
Powdered sugar, icing sugar, confectioners sugar, etc. all have corn starch, white wheat flour, and/or calcium phosphate mixed in to get more bulk and cut the sweetness, and also to make it flow easier at the factory. The concept behind it is BULK without excessive...
How Do I Wash A Feather Blanket?
That method works fine, as long as you use down soap, or a very sparing amount of baby soap. If you cant find those, add a little bit of a shampoo / conditioner for very dry hair. That replaces the natural oil on the down, that traps the air, so that ducks...
Ideas for Hanging a Vintage Unframed Mirror?
The silvering on the back of an old vintage mirror is not strong enough for small spot gluing. Get a piece of 3/8 (10 mm) one side good plywood, trace the outline of the mirror on it and cut it about an inch smaller than the outline. A $1.99 coping saw will...
Toilet Scratched By a Plumber's Snake?
Usually the metal marks are written onto the porcelain like chalk on a blackboard. Watkins Toilet Bowl cleaner or hydrochloric acid cleans that off quickly. Make sure the porcelain is completely dry first. Even the tiniest bit of moisture dilutes the hydrochloric...
Cleaning Down Filled Pillows?
Most sporting goods stores have down soap made specifically for washing sleeping bags and down filled clothes. It works just fine for down pillows too. It is a mild antiseptic soap that does not remove the natural oils from the feathers. If you use regular...
Tire Expiration Dates?
Seven year old GoodYear tires are not safe for highway speed, but you can easily get another five years of slow farm work out of them. If you have to use them to get home, put Fix-A-Flat into them. The solvent in it makes them a little bit less brittle. Have...
Saving One Picture from a Power Point Series?
Only the PowerPoint Viewer is free. Powerpoint, the program, is part of Microsoft Office, and very expensive. However, you can get Open Office free at http://openoffice.org. It is the equivalent of Microsoft Office, and many people claim even better. Open the...
Recycling #6 Coffee Cups?
You can buy an old, scraggly Christmas Cactus, break the leaflets apart and sprout one suspended in each cup. When they have grown half inch long roots, fill the cups with wet dirt. A week or two after that cut leftover cups in half to make short cups like...
Using Cast Iron on a Ceramic Cooktop?
Some manufacturers forbid anything, that they can find in the dictionary, to slither out of the warranty. However, the glass used for stove tops is harder than cast iron, and wont be scratched by cast iron. The same goes for the weight. If you can put a 10...
Cleaning the Rubber Seal Around Shower Doors?
Good old WD40 works fine and even softens some old and brittle rubber seals. It also works well on the soft rubber seals on fridges and freezers. Have fun! DearWebby http://webby.com/humor
Melamine Painted Countertop Has Coffee Stains?
Try Simple Green. It has been available at industrial and automotive suppliers for about 20 years, but is beginning to show up at supermarkets, too. It works wonders even on long and badly abused white nylon or plastic cutting boards with millions of cuts. It...
Can I Paint a Concrete Floor in a Bathroom?
Yes, sure you can! Just use an outdoor porch & floor paint, an acrylic or epoxy marine paint, pool paint or a garage floor paint. If the floor is rough or has holes, use Poly-Filla, not soft, easy-sanding wall patch to smooth it, and if necessary, sand it with...
Organizing a Bedroom Shared by Adult and Two Children?
There are three affordable improvements you can make. The first one is to paint with anything from cream to light sky blue. That will give you a feeling of more space. If the ceiling is removable tiles, light sky-blue tiles and butter yellow rails can change...
Removing Cooking Grease from Dishwasher?
Dawn is too gentle. It has oil in it to protect your hands. You have grease in the pump and other inaccessible locations. Wiping the walls and racks wont help. Use an aggressive Citrus based cleaner, even a citrus based engine shampoo works well. Pour a generous...
Can I Use Higher Watt Bulbs Than That Recommended on a Lamp?
No! The reason the lamp is restricted is because it will likely cause a fire, if you use a higher wattage bulb. Especially with cheap imports, there is not much of a safety margin, and you have no way of knowing, whether it is the shade or the wiring, which...
Making Boxed Cakes Taste Homemade?
You can add a couple of Tablespoons of Sour Cream and cut back a little bit on the liquids. That also helps cut the standard box type sweetness and makes for a great improvement. It also helps to drastically reduce the mixing time and mix it just barely long...
Drink Tap Water Instead of Bottled Water
You can usually get your tap or well water tested free at any hospital. Check your local requirements. Some places require two bottles, some have a nominal charge. By the way, store bought ice is often not safe for consumption. Just take used water bottles...
Sticky Cast Iron Pans?
Keep in mind that old cast iron is porous. It is a lot closer to a sponge than to glass. Just like old Diesel engines always used to sweat oil, cast iron frying pans do the same. You can slow down the migration of the oil from the inside to the outside, if...
Safe Use for a Lead Crystal Decanter?
You can use Lead Crystal safely for anything you want. There is no unhealthy metallic lead involved, just lead oxide used instead of pot-ash soda in the manufacture of the glass. The lead oxide becomes a permanent part of the glass, when it is melted and produced...
Set Up a Week's Coffee on Sunday Night
Spreading the grounds on lawn is OK, but be careful with the compost, if you use it on tomatoes. Its too acidic for them and stunts them. Now I just fling the grounds onto the lawn. If you let the used filter with grounds sit on a grate on the deck for a day...
Buying One Gallon Glass Bottles for Water?
In spite of all the FUD and hoaxes forwarded by AOLers, plastic bottles are quite safe. All those companies wont use anything, that might get them sued. Believe it or not, Bleach bottles are the toughest and use the best plastic. Even bleach or most acids wont...
Cleaning Stair Carpet Without a Vacuum or Brush?
A re-chargeable car vaccum works fine for light maintenance cleaning of stairs and extending the times between shampooing or deep cleaning. They weigh a lot less than a bag-pipe or backpack vacuum, and there is no cord hassle. Have FUN! DearWebby http://webby...
Blankets for Doorway Insulation
Try bubble-wrap! You can get it in 2, 3 and 4 and even wider versions. If you cant get used stuff from a warehouse, you can buy it by the foot, quite cheaply. After all, it is disposable packing material. Three layers taped together at the top and bottom, are...
Finding Local Blogs?
Dear Mindy Just start your own blog! Its childishly easy if you go to http://wordpress.com. They provide everything for free, even the hosting! Once you get started, people will chime in with their findings, grateful that you provide a forum or soap box for...
2 to 4 Serving Cake Recipes?
Try the 5 minute cake! 4 tbsp flour 4 tbsp sugar 2 tbsp cocoa 1 egg 3 tbsp milk 3 tbsp oil 1 tbsp chocolate chips (optional) A small splash of vanilla or almond extract 1. Add flour, sugar and cocoa to 4-cup or larger Pyrex measuring cup, mix well. 2. Add egg...
Water Bathing Potatoes for Canning?
No change in the recipe, just boil them a smidgen longer. The pressure cooker saves you electricity by letting the contents reach bacteria killing conditions a bit faster and at a lower temperature, but does not affect the taste of potatoes at all. If the pressure...
Refinishing the Outside of a Steamer Trunk?
If you mean the classic blue steamer trunks with brass corners and latch, they used sheet metal that was tinned, then coated with a linseed oil based spar varnish colored with Prussian Blue, before the sheet metal was cut. You will not be able to spot match...
Storing Potatoes for Planting in Spring?
Traditionally the best method for that is to store them in an unheated basement room that does NOT have concrete, but a dirt floor. A concrete walk in the center is OK, but the sides, where the wooden potato bins are, should be dirt floor with some loose wood...
Sealing a Painted Deck?
Best is spar varnish, the same stuff as they mop onto the decks of ocean going sail boats. If that is too slick for you, use an oil based porch and floor paint. NOT a latex paint. Latex paints are initially cheaper, but cant handle the abuse, that a proper...
Installing Alternative Energy Sources?
I have done it for 20 years in the Yukon. Unless you are too far from the grid, alternate electricity is an expensive hobby. It is a lot of fun for a tinkerer, but it will NOT pay for itself in your lifetime. Noise is not a problem with a decent windmill. They...
Hanging a Blow Dryer?
The best way to hang a blow dryer is unplugged, and with its nozzle in a wire holster. If the cord is allowed to hang free to relax and untangle, it will last 10 years longer. Just plug in when you get ready to do your hair. The holster should be placed so...
Repairing the Seal on a Refrigerator Door?
You cant really repair those seals. New ones are stiffer than old ones and will cause a high spot. Jut order a new seal kit from the manufacturer or a refrigeration repair company. Be prepared for a shockingly high price! They claim that the seals are specially...
Dumplings Heavy, Not Fluffy?
With all light dumplings make sure the liquid you boil them in, is at a wild, rolling boil, and partially cover the pot after you add a few dumplings. Dont add so many that the boil flattens out. Draft can also kill them. Ensure that no doors or windows get...
Homemade Candles?
You are asking for trouble if you dont deal with the cavities properly! Especially when you use large molds, you often wind up with hollow spots, that make the candle very unpredictable and dangerous. Pros amongst candle makers use a hot spike or long drill...
Cleaning Grease off a Deep Fryer?
Make sure it is dry, then spray it with Engine Shampoo or Engine Degreaser, let it stand for an hour, and wash it with hot, soapy water and a stiff brush. In extreme cases, you may have to repeat the procedure, but usually once is enough. It does not hurt aluminum...
Is Biological Laundry Powder Septic System Safe?
The bio detergent is just food for the septic tank bacteria. They love it. Its the non-bio detergents and solvents that you should avoid. If you accidentally murder your septic tank, you can usually quite easily re-start it by diluting the solvents with a few...
Removing the Inside of an Egg?
Use a leather needle for the holes! They are like a 3 sided pyramid drawn to a sharp point, with each corner of the pyramid sharp enough to cut thick leather. You can twirl it like a drill and grind a hole into the shell. There is no strain on the shell and...
Pen Ink on Vinyl Car Seat?
Try WD-40, microfiber cloth, and elbow grease. It might not work perfectly on all types of vinyl, but usually does the trick. Have FUN! DearWebby http://webby.com/humor
Cedar Shavings for Dog Bedding?
Cedar is toxic. That is why hope chests and linen trunks traditionally have some cedar in it. It kills moths and bugs. Cedar shavings are also used in gardens to kill pests. In humans and animals cedar splinters and cedar dust cause all kinds of problems, even...
Making a Good Cup of Coffee?
That Cold Water BS is a total waste of time. Originally that BS got started from some company trying to save people from burning their hands with hot water. Remember, the water DOES need to get heated up to near boiling to perc up in a percolator or filter...
Sugar Free Pancake Syrup?
That should kill the old fart! However, if you dont want to hasten his demise, leave out the corn starch and the splenda. Try diabetic pancakes made with eggs and bananas, (NO flour!) and top them with frozen leftover berries. Whenever I pick berries I put...
Saving My Broken Cactus?
You can do whatever you want. Cacti can take anything except over-watering. Out in the wild they get kicked apart by cattle or deer or tourists, and simply grow in multiple incarnations. You can also duck tape or haywire them back together. That is usually...
Saving My Broken Cactus?
The base below that Vivipara is called Harisii Jusbertii. For fastest growth in new dirt you can cut the bottom into a point, let it dry 3-4 days, and then jam the point into the dirt. Cutting the bottom into a point shape also helps to identify which end is...
Getting Pine Sap Off Hands
I have done a fair bit of logging. Naturally, you wear gloves, but now and then they have to come off for various reasons, and you get sap onto your hands. If you dont get rid of it, you will have blisters, because the gloves dont slide on the sap and pull...
Cleaning a Computer Keyboard
DO NOT use canned air! You will blow dirt to harder to reach places, and it is MURDER to have that stuff around. Use an ordinary vacuum instead. It gets rid of dirt and debris, and does not blow it into harder to reach places. After that, use a soft bath or...
Cleaning a Computer Keyboard
Do NOT allow compressed air spray cans into your house, unless you want your kids to be even more brain dead than they already are. They huff the stuff, hoping to get stoned. Some die, some just get more stupid than they are. In addition to that, unless you...
Free Countdown Timer for Email?
I use http://mymemorizer.com and have used it for over 20 years. It sends you 4 emails for each event at times and dates you set. You can even use it to text messages. Mymemorizer is up on the cloud. You can access it from any of your devices, and even from...
Using Baker's Rack for Computer Equipment
You need a piece of plexiglass or thin plywood on the dresser, weighed down by the computer and monitor and extending forward at least 16 inches beyond the front of the dresser. Otherwise you will get an awful back-ache. The keyboard may not be further from...
Computer Keyboard Letter Magnets
I have for dozens of years popped the CAPS LOCK key off any new keyboard, clamped them with a vise or visegrips, filed their back flat and filled their back with liquid (2 hour) epoxy, so that there is a smooth, flat surface. Then comes the fun part! I take...
Painting a Porch Floor?
That sounds like the wood has at one time been impregnated or treated with a preservative or fire-proofing oil. The only way to cope with that is to rent a rotary or band type floor sander for an afternoon and sand it down to bare wood, then use a clear sealer...
Mapquest Directions and Map Pages
Dear Linda, dont save the print-outs! Last years route might lead you the wrong way down a one way street or get you totally lost. Just bookmark the route and save the destinations and starting points, and always get a current routing. If there is construction...
Reusing Broken Terra Cotta Planters
You can glue them back together with white or yellow carpenter`s glue, or cement milk. (Cement and water) Usually that is stronger than original, but if you are worried, you can get the mesh that the sheet rockers use for gypsum board, smear some cement milk...
Spice Jar Labels?
You can wash your spice jars in hot dish water. They all have tight fitting caps. If they havent been washed for twenty years, they will need a bit more effort, but they will come just as clean as your wine glasses. Then anything will stick properly. However...
Gasoline in Van Carpet?
Go to Canadian Tire or Napa and buy a bag of Sorb-All. Depending on your province, they may call it something slightly different. It is the active ingredient in Kitty Litter, and what the mechanics use to extract gas and oil spills from concrete. Throw a handful...
Bring a Small Pillow On An Airplane
Two pairs of thin socks are ideal filler. Sew or glue TWO dividing lines so that you have 3 equal compartments. Put the socks in the outer compartments and nothing or just some Kleenex in the center compartment. That arrangement keeps your head from rolling...
Paper Towels for Picnics
Try micro-fiber cloths instead of paper towel or napkins. As long as you dont ruin them with fabric softener or a dryer, you can re-use them many thousands of times. A 12 x 12 microfiber cloth will soak up a cup of liquid. How much paper would you have to waste...
Breaker Question - 20 Amp Breaker, 14 wire?
(quote)Eliav GovAri (Guest Post) 2005-07-30 Hi , my breakers are all of 10 amps, I need to hook up an amplifier with a recommended current supply of 20 amp, can I simply replace the rooms breaker into a 20 amps or do I need to replace the whole wiring system...
Clean Used Engine Oil Off Tarmac?
Just go to any automotive parts store and tell them what you want. They will tell you which brand of Sorb-All is currently on special or in fashion. It is usually about a quarter the price of kitty litter. Have FUN! DearWebby
Taking Pictures of Snow
Hi Kate! Use a business card or credit card to shield the flash from lighting up the foreground. The power of the flash diminishes with the cube of the distance. Twice as far away there is 2x2x2 times less usable light. Since the point of interest is the tree...
Paper Towel Rack in the Bathroom
Paper towel is an expensive waste. Micro-fiber cloth does a better job and can be washed and re-used thousands of times. Dilute your all-purpose cleaner at least four times if you use micro-fiber cloth, or use plain water. Micro fiber cloth also beats paper...
Wax Residue on Wood Floors
Pile a quarter inch of Kleenex onto the wax stain, then park a clothes iron on itand set it for wool. Let it sit for 5 minutes then check. If the kleenex turns brown under the iron, its a bit too hot. Excessive heat does not help, it just takes time. In 5 - 10...
Boil Eggs Safely
Sounds like way too much work for a bachelor like me! Boil water in a sauce pan or microwave bowl. Lower the eggs into the boiling water with egg tongs or a wooden spoon. Cover and remove the pan from the heat onto a dish-towel or oven mitt. Let it stand 6...
Making Doormats from Rope?
Put 3-4 buckets side by side and coil old hemp or sisal rope in them. Pour different colored hot dye into each bucket. Let them sit in the sun and overnight. Since you are not going to throw the door mat into the washer together with your undies, you dont have...
Dry Storage on a Boat
Nah, just use regular zip-lock bags and leave some air in it, so that they float. Dont use vacuum sealing unless you want to dive for them. Digital cameras should be in ziplock bags too. If a few drops of water get into the bag, thats OK, just dont immerse...
Insulating a Pet Door for Winter?
Heat only rises, it never sinks. You can get flexible ducting (like oversize dryer hose) big enough for the pets, or make a chute out of wood, make a hole in the wall with its lowest point just a bit higher than the diameter of the ducting. Place the ducting...
Saving Money on Food, Electricity?
$250 is way too high for a trailer. Get an energy audit. Also, turn off everything that is YOURS and watch the meter. If it still turns, somebody else is plugging in. Depending on where you live, $250 should be good for a quarter year to a third of a year for...
