Household Hints by Rosemary

(Page 19)

More Soap and Suds...and more

With respect to my Mom's little book here's the continuing list of handy hints and suggestions using soap and suds to make life easier, and cleaner.

1. When preparing pots and pans for an outdoor barbecue the soot washes off much easier if you prepare the bottoms first by coating them with soap.

2. The old standby: a tight ring will slip off your finger easier if you soap your hands. Just an aside from me, if you're doing this over the sink, make sure the plug is in or move away from the open drain.

3. A saw will cut wood more easily and smoothly if you rub both sides with soap.

4. If you're going to the toboggan slope with the children, rub the bottom of their sleds and toboggans with soap, they will get a smoother and faster slide.

5. Zippers also work more easily and glide smoother if you rub soap on the closed zipper, then unzip and run soap over the opened teeth.

6. Wallpapering - the note says to apply wallpaper more easily and to prevent hardening that can cause cracking and peeling, add a small amount of soap to the paste bucket.   It doesn't specify what type of soap, nor whether it works in the water with pre-pasted paper. I wasn't going to experiment with my new wallpaper. I wonder if anyone has ever done this one?

7. Rub moistened soap under the lip of a watering can to prevent drips.

8. To machine stitch smoothly with heavy fabrics such as denim, or canvas, as well as plastic rub a sliver of dry soap under the presser foot.

9. Economical and easy fuel for the fireplace.  Tightly roll old newspapers into small logs, tie them firmly and soak them in soapy water. Drain and dry them by standing on end and you're ready to go. I also remember my Dad adding potato and/or orange peels to the center of the logs. The orange peels gave off a really nice scent. The potato peels apparently help clean out creosote from the chimney. I know it didn't hurt.

10. If you have squeaky floor boards work a little moist soap into the cracks, this will stop most problems.

11. Here's a funny one that I doubt anyone will use these days, but must have been handy way back when. To give whitewashed walls a glossy finish mix a pound of soap in a gallon of hot water and add to five gallons of whitewash.

12. Mix several drops of dish detergent soap with undiluted vinegar in a spray bottle. Spray bugs with the mixture, it is non toxic, no fumes and works.

While on the subject of vinegar, and keeping in mind the time of year, fill a spray bottle with one part water and three parts vinegar, spray it on the car windows in the evening; it'll prevent frost from forming and saving you a scraping job in the morning.
And just because I've learned a new trick, and it won't fill an entire article, if you don't have and wondered, those little clay discs that you put in the brown sugar container to keep it loose and soft really do work!

Send your tips to Rosemary at gazette@telus.net.