Helpful Hints ... add yours!

[smokey the elder]

Two more things that might work on ink: rubbing alcohol or nail polish remover (acetone). There is a lot of good basic chemistry in cleaning!

[Catty1]

Another thing to try on ink - toothpaste!

Also when I was a kid and got mosquito bites I dabbed Crest toothpaste on them. Not sure where I got the idea but it stopped the itch and drained the bite a bit as it dried. Now if they only had flesh-tone toothpaste.....

For bloodstains - ALWAYS ALWAYS cold water! If you are soaking the item, add some hydrogen peroxide and leave for several hours (depending on the size of the stain). This works better if the stain hasn't already gone through the laundry.

Best spot cleaners - a spray of regular Fantastik or rub the area with cold water and a bar of Sunlight laundry soap.

[Taz_Zoee]

Another one for Mosquito bites...........rub a penny on it.
I've never tried this, but my dad did and said it worked.

[Randi]

I need some advice. Earlier in the summer I made strawberry jam, which I put in glasses... you know the ones our mom's and grandmom's used. They have a glass lid and there's a rubber band around the top, then you close them with a metal thingy. They look like some of these here:
https://www.google.com/images?q=henk...g&ved=0CB0QsAQ

Well, I simply can't open it. Would it help to put it in a bowl with boiling water or what?

Hope someone has an idea. Thank you!

[pomtzu]

I need some advice. Earlier in the summer I made strawberry jam, which I put in glasses... you know the ones our mom's and grandmom's used. They have a glass lid and there's a rubber band around the top, then you close them with a metal thingy. They look like some of these here:
https://www.google.com/images?q=henk...g&ved=0CB0QsAQ

Well, I simply can't open it. Would it help to put it in a bowl with boiling water or what?

Hope someone has an idea. Thank you!

Yes - either run the top where the rubber ring is under hot water, or just sit the jar upside down in a pan of hot water. Don't know that I'd use boiling water tho - just very hot.

[Freedom]

I need some advice. Earlier in the summer I made strawberry jam, which I put in glasses... you know the ones our mom's and grandmom's used. They have a glass lid and there's a rubber band around the top, then you close them with a metal thingy. They look like some of these here:
https://www.google.com/images?q=henk...g&ved=0CB0QsAQ

Well, I simply can't open it. Would it help to put it in a bowl with boiling water or what?

Hope someone has an idea. Thank you!

When you say you can't open it, do you mean you can't get the long metal bar OFF, or that is off and you can't get the pull tab on the rubber ring to release? I used a firm knife as a lever, and got a bit of air in slowly to help release the glass top. Just lift the knife and you see a few bubbles, hold that position and wait, release and pry it up again, let more air in.

I am clearing out my Dad's house and I found 27 jars of peach preserves and 4 jars of apples sauce in those jars. Being as they were about 30 years old I decided to open them outside and dump them in a hole I dug in the garden - instant compost! A few were really tight and the paring knife did the trick. Just did this Saturday!

[Karen]

Yeah, hot water, not boiling! Heat will make the metal expand faster than it will make the glass expand, so it, in effect, "loosens" the lid!

[Randi]

Thanks everyone! Well, I managed to open it and I've washed my top and my shirt.

I didn't even have to put it in hot water, but I had to use a bit of force to open it and it slipped, so a bit of it went on my clothes and the table.

I made sure to clean the edge and the rubber band thoroughly before I closed it again - and I rubbed a tiny bit of oil on the rubber ring. So, next time it should open without problems.

[cassiesmom]

Another one for Mosquito bites...........rub a penny on it.
I've never tried this, but my dad did and said it worked.

A smear of Purell on an insect bite, or any alcohol-based hand sanitizer. My mom swears by a mixture of vinegar and baking soda for bee stings and insect bites, though.

[Randi]

If you're out in town having a glass of redwine and you spill some on your shirt, go to the bathroom and rub some hand soap and a bit of water on it. Preferably use white soap, though. When you get home, you wash it as normal and you won't see a thing.

[krazyaboutkatz]

If you suffer from acid reflux and you don't have any pepcid or any other kind of medication, then just eat an apple. This will stop the pain that you're experiencing. I read about this quite a while ago. Last night I woke up around 4am with a very bad pain in my stomach. I've felt this pain before when I had gastritis. I took some pepcid but the pain was still there. I then remembered about eating an apple for this condition. Luckily I have plenty of apples. I ate the apple and within minutes my pain was gone. I was able to go back to sleep and then go to work today without any problems.

You can sharpen your disposable razors using jeans. Hears the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3Kxiom83Js.

[smokey the elder]

Jams and jellies are packaged hot, so you can get a vacuum lock! If you can't open the rubber seal, as someone said above, just using a knife tip to break the vacuum will release the seal.

There's also the baking soda/vinegar mix for cleaning. Also great for safe chemistry experiments!

[RICHARD]

To shave?

Put Noxema on your skin first, then your shaving cream.

For stains on blended fabric clothes?

Lanolin hand cleaner - I had a grease stain on a favorite shirt that I COULD NOT GET OUT. I bought some hand cleaner form the auto parts store and tried it on the stain. I was flabbergasted when i saw the shirt out of the wash.
The stain had set and I never thought I'd be able to wear the shirt in public again....

[Taz_Zoee]

Red wine on a light color carpet - pour some water on it and then cover that with salt and let it sit. The salt pulls the color out.
My boyfriends SIL spilled on our carpet and did this. I was amazed it worked!

[Moesha]

To get cat hair off of my fabric furniture I use my glove that is made to remove excess hair from the cats. I've found that the better quality gloves work better on the chairs.