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Solution Contest
(September 17 - 23, 2011)

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Duration	Entries
September 17 - 23, 2011	52

Tip: Contain Legos On A Comforter

September 22, 2011

We had huge Rubbermaid containers full of Legos that all 3 of my kids loved to play with daily. They would dump the containers so they could get pieces that were all the way at the bottom.

Comment Was this helpful? 7

Tip: Fixing a Squeaky Office Chair

September 20, 2011

Everybody in your office will be annoyed at a squeaky office chair, if it's yours at home you will be annoyed. Either way let's fix it. It's easier than you would think.

Comment Was this helpful? 9

Tip: Wipe Zester Immediately

(Guest)
Gold Post Medal for All Time! 846 Posts

September 20, 2011

The easiest way to clean a zester is to immediately wipe off the excess zest with your finger tips from the handle side out towards the zesting edge on both sides. Rinse right away with water.

Comment Was this helpful? 7

Cement LawnYears ago in Chicago, one of my neighbors got tired of his lawn, and had the whole thing dug up. He poured a slab of cement. When it dried, he painted it green.

7 Comments Comment

Cover Garden Beds With Sheets For Weed PreventionToo many morning glories is a fairly easy fix. In the spring, put down old sheets, material, or newspaper and put leaves and straw on it and praises to be the few scattered outside. Those you can decide which to keep and which to pull.

1 Comment Comment

Create a Spice DrawerKeep all the spice bottles in the cabinet drawer which is very close to your stove. The upper left side drawer is a really convenient place to keep all the spices. When you are cooking it is easily accessible and visible.

3 Comments Comment

Easy Caramel Apple DipThis will make caramel for dipping apples. It is simple and safe. Take a 15 ounce can of sweetened condensed milk and put it on a rack or a towel in your crock pot.

4 Comments Comment

Freeze Cheese in WrappingFor years I have been freezing cheese, especially when I see the expensive ones on sale or marked down. I leave it in the original wrapper and place them in a freezer bag and into the freezer they go.

4 Comments Comment

Homemade Silver PolishSilver jewelry that has become tarnished can be cleaned by soaking it for a few minutes in a mixture of 1/2 cup white vinegar and 2 tablespoons of baking soda, and then rubbing it with a soft cloth.

4 Comments Comment

Lemon Cucumbers SlicesSlice two cucumbers. Squeeze on half of a lemon, add salt and crushed black pepper. Mix well. This delicious healthy snack is ready for TV time. Instead of cake or cookies, this is very crunchy and healthy.

Machine Oil for Squeaky HingesA small bottle of machine oil or sewing machine oil is a must for your home tool box. The small pointed spout makes it perfect for putting a drop or two of oil in tight places. Use this to oil hinges.

1 Comment Comment

Organizing Legos with Drawstring BagWhen my son was a little boy, he had a bag to hold his Legos. It was a circular piece of material that had a drawstring. So he was able to spread it out on the floor and play with the pieces, but then pull the drawstring tight and it formed a bag.

Potato Peels and Acorns for Creosote Build-upOne solution that I have found to remove creosote build-up is to throw all of your potato peels and available acorns directly into the fire. The potato peels can be collected and added whenever you have them.

Pumpkin CenterpieceI bought a styrofoam pumpkin; the pretty orange ones that look real. I cut off the top, and put in some pretty fall sprigs that I found on sale. I just laid them in, so next year I can change the look if I want.

1 Comment Comment

Removing Lawn GrassI live in Austin, Texas. We have been experiencing drought conditions this year. It is the perfect time to remove grass lawns, and landscape with drought tolerant alternative landscapes.

1 Comment Comment

Substitutes for Wine in RecipesWine can be too expensive to include in your cooking budget. Or you might just not want to use it. Well, that's no problem, because there are good, healthy substitutes for it.

3 Comments Comment

Ants feeding on a drop of Terro.

Terro Ant KillerWe had ants. They flew, they crawled, and they took over my kitchen. I tried everything I could think of, commercial sprays, home made solutions, and nothing worked. I store everything in jars, made sure no dirty dishes or food ever remained out, but yet they came.

4 Comments Comment

Tips For Getting Rid of AphidsThere are insecticidal soaps on the market, however, I normally just take a small spray bottle with tepid water and a few drops of a mild detergent soap. It is much less expensive and I particularly like the "green" detergent soaps.

2 Comments Comment

Raccoon in a live trap cage.

Trapping Racoons With MarshmallowsCoons love marshmallows. You can use mini ones or cut up a big one. Leave a trail to a cage and put quite a few in the cage. Try to drop them in the middle or the coons just stick their paws in there and grab them.

2 Comments Comment

Use a Hair Dryer to Clean Wax Off BrassHeat the hard wax on the candelabra with a hair dryer. Then keep mopping up the wax as it melts.

Use Silicone Spray for HingesJust spray the hinges with a silicone spray. It works every time!

Using An Iron For Candle Wax CleanupI always do the same thing no matter where the wax has dripped; once on expensive speakers. Let the iron heat up to a medium/light setting and have many paper towels ready.

6 Comments Comment

Getting Rid of GophersHave your hubby save his urine and pour dashes of the urine on the mounds. The gophers move.

Unsubscribe And Return Junk MailTo cut down on junk mail, first, I "unsubscribe" from as many websites as I can. That cuts down on a lot of junk mail.

3 Comments Comment

Boric Acid and Sugar for Ants

Boric Acid and Sugar for AntsI mixed an equal amount of sugar and dry Boric Acid powder and place the mixture in a secure place; safe from children and pets. The ants carry it into their homes, and it kills the queen ant.Keep this mixture away from animals and kids.

1 Comment Comment

Cat Paw MassageWhen you get a kitten or a cat, and they are all mellow near you, reach out and start massaging their feet while talking to them calmly. Get them used to having their paws played with.

2 Comments Comment

Cooking Spray For Squeaky DoorIn a pinch, a spray from your can of Pam will work!

A close up of a paper flower.

Craft: Crayon Paper Flowers for ChildrenTake a paper that is blank and color it red or pink at the top, about two inches down. Then color the rest of the paper green, on both sides of the paper. When you arrange it a certain way and then twist the stem part and tape or tie it together, it makes a flower.

Work Any Oil Into The HingeI keep a small spray bottle full of baby oil. I have also used salad oil and Skin So Soft, but Dollar Tree's is just fine. I spray the hinges and the problem goes away.

2 Comments Comment

Any Oil To Quiet A Squeaky DoorAny kind of oil will fix a squeaky door. I was visiting my young daughter a few years ago and one of her doors was really squeaky. I went to her pantry and picked up a can of Pam cooking spray and sprayed the door hinges.

4 Comments Comment

Baby Oil For A Squeaky DoorI have used baby oil before when I didn't have a can of WD 40 laying around. The baby oil only works for a short time, but it smells good and it works.

1 Comment Comment

Breath RX For Bad BreathBesides using good dental hygiene, a quality product called Breath RX has solved my bad breath problem. I got it at Walgreen's; it is a bottle of non alcohol spray for the tongue and a scraper.

2 Comments Comment

Bring Food When You TravelI have food allergies, so even when I am not traveling, I must be careful with what I eat. I like to take some food with me, because I may not be able to find anything I can eat in an airport or bus station.

1 Comment Comment

Cleaning Vintage LinensCleaning your vintage linens that have yellowed with age can be tricky. However, it can be done. First, make sure that the material itself is in good shape. If it is already fraying apart through age, then you may need to consult a professional dry cleaner.

Collage Costume With A Cardboard BoxMake a collage costume! Using a large flattish box, paint a border around the edges to look like a picture frame. In a spot where it rests naturally when you put it over your head, cut an oval the size of your face.

Couples Costume: DiceThis is a costume for two people. You need two large cube shaped boxes. Cut off the flaps. This will be the bottom. Paint the boxes white and paint black dots on the sides as in a dice cube.

Cutting Back Ground IvyI know there are different kinds of ground ivy, but here is how I cope with it. It seems to come up every year in the same places and nothing I do can get rid of it completely.

Dig or Poison Ground IvyThere are two solutions that I've found: either dig it up by hand or poison everything in the area infested, and then plant new grass. I forget what the weed killer I used was, but it kills everything, and then loses toxicity after 2 or 3 weeks.

1 Comment Comment

Dusting Powder for Greasy HairInstead of baby powder I use scented dusting powder as I don't really like the smell of baby powder! You can also combine using powder to de-grease hair with the modern dry shampoo sprays.

2 Comments Comment

Getting Rid of GophersThis was a simple solution for me, anyway. I tried everything for 5 months to eradicate gophers in the yard. They were dining on all my newly planted trees, plants, shrubs, etc. and the yard was filled with fresh mounds.

3 Comments Comment

Getting Rid of Morning GloryAlthough I can't imagine anyone not loving these beauties, I will admit they can be prolific self-seeders. However you can use the same procedure to get rid of them as you would any other unwanted plant.

1 Comment Comment

Homemade Seed TapesI've made seed tapes by mixing a little flour and water together, painting it onto paper towels, and sprinkling the seeds on. They stick to the flour and water and the paper towel rots away in the ground.

Mix Your Own Paint ColorsI make my own paint colours by buying sample pots (at about $2 each) of colours in a darker shade than I want. Then I mix them in a large pot of cheap white paint. Use as many pots as you need.

1 Comment Comment

Orvus to Clean Vintage LinensSome professionals use Orvus. You can order online or visit a feed store.

Peanut Butter For Garlic BreathEat a peanut butter cookie or anything with peanut butter, even peanut butter on a spoon. This will take care of garlic breath!

Present Costume Using a Cardboard BoxDecorate the box like a present! Use wrapping paper and bows of your choice birthday, Christmas, etc. This is easy and adorable.

Removing Old Candle Wax from a Glass VotiveI used to put the glass votive candle holders in the freezer to 'pop' out the old candle wax and that works, but I have found a much easier way.

2 Comments Comment

Using Round-UpIf there is a plant you really want to get rid of, I always recommend Round-Up. It is not organic but gets the job done and it kills all the roots. Spray it directly on the plant(s) you are wanting to get rid of, it will kill what it lands on so don't use on a windy day.

WD-40 To Fix Squeaky Office ChairIf the location of the squeak is more inside the mechanism, get some WD-40 with the long red tube on it and spray up in there. If it's not way in there, then you can use WD-40 without the sprayer tube, or even use spray vegetable oil.

Dry Out Paint Before Adding To TrashI open the cans and let the paint dry out and dispose of in the trash. I haven't needed to do this in Ocean City, so I am not sure of their legal disposal rules, which is probably the best place to start.

1 Comment Comment

Keeping a JournalMy solution for sanity, organizing, and shuffling through the many thoughts that go on in my mind is using my journal. I have very close friends who journal all the time. Until last year, I had never really given it a chance.

3 Comments Comment

Make New Patterns From OldI do sewing for a lady who wants everything made off the same pattern, with variations. I pinned her pattern to a percale sheet and traced all the markings onto the fabric. I've used this "pattern" for the past 6 years with no problems.

2 Comments Comment

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