HELPFUL HINTS I BORROWED THESE HINT FROM ANOTHER SITE. THEY SOUND GOOD. A LOT OF THEM ARE THINGS I DO. No Dogs Allowed To prevent dogs from tearing into your garbage bags while waiting for garbage pick-up, simply spray the garbage bags with ammonia. No more nasty trash to pick up. Baker's Secret Try this mess-free way to fill a pastry bag! Before you fill it, place the bag inside a large glass or jar and fold the top of the bag down over the rim. When it's filled, just lift the bag out, and you're ready to go. Clean Pans Do you have darkened aluminum pans? Try this! Boil them in two teaspoons of cream of tartar mixed in a quart of water. Ten minutes should do it. Winter Boot-Saver Remove salt rings from boots and galoshes in a snap by wiping them with a cloth dampened in a solution of vinegar and cold water. They'll look like new. Chip Savers Tired of buying chip clips at Wal-mart just to have them break in a week? Try using clothes pins. They work just as well and are much cheaper! Bread Crumb Substitute Out of bread crumbs? Just crush some dry unsweetened cereal with a rolling pin or in a food processor and you've got instant bread crumbs. Clean Sweep Dip your new broom in hot salt water before using the first time. This will toughen the bristles and make it last much longer. Easy Clean Windowsills After washing windowsills, cover them with a thin coating of floor wax. It protects the painted surface, prevents dirt from adhering and makes cleaning as easy as a wipe with a damp cloth. Ashtray Clean-Up Try waxing your ashtrays. Ashes won't cling, odors won't linger, and they can be wiped clean with a paper towel or disposable tissue. This saves daily washing. Tomato Paste Tip Cut open both ends of a can of tomato paste and push all the contents out. You'll have no waste and leftovers can go in a plastic freezer bag. Sweet Smelling Cabbage Do you avoid cooking cabbage because of the distinctive fragrance it leaves behind? Here's a sweet smelling solution that'll let you put this healthy veggie back on the menu. Cook a stalk of celery in the pot with the cabbage and you'll have no more unpleasant odors. This will also work with brocolli and cauliflower. No More Fading Are you tired of buying expensive clothing only to have it fade the first time it's washed? Just soak your colored cottons overnight in strong salt water. No more fading. Quick Cleanup For Scorched Pans To clean burned pans, sprinkle charred areas liberally with baking soda, adding just enough water to moisten. Let paste stand for several hours and you'll be able to lift the burnt portion right out of the pot. Safe Picture Hanging Protect your walls when hanging pictures by heating the nail with a flame before driving it into the wall. It will help keep your plaster from chipping or cracking. Slice Hard Boiled Eggs With Ease If the yolks of hard-boiled eggs crumble when you slice them, dip your knife or egg slicer in cold water first. They'll slice cleanly every time. Fresh Hands I just hate that odor on my hands after slicing or cutting up an onion...don't you? Try rubbing some fresh lemon juice on your hands. It takes away the odor and leaves your hands smelling fresh. Bug Proof Kitty Dish Keep ants out of your pet's food by placing her dish inside of a larger one. Then pour a little water between the two dishes to create a "moat" that will keep out all the creepy-crawlies. Eliminate Fishy Odors After cooking fish, get rid of any odor by placing a pierced lemon in the oven at 300F for 15 minutes and leaving the door open a bit. No More Soggy Chips Make soggy or stale potato chips crisp again by microwaving them on high for 30 to 60 seconds. Let'em cool and they're ready to eat. No More Fleas Here's an easy way to rid a room of fleas overnight. Place a bowl of water mixed with dishwashing detergent below a lamp. The fleas will gather around the bulb for warmth, then drop into the sudsy water and drown. Produce Preserver Place a few damp sponges in the bottom of your produce bins. The added moisture helps keep fruits and veggies fresh much longer. White, Bright Tennis Shoes When washing tennis shoes, add a quarter cup of lemon juice to the final rinse of the wash cycle. They'll come out sparkling. Protect Your Curtains To keep curtains out of the way when you're washing windows or sills, loop them over a hanger, then hang the hanger from the curtain rod so the curtains will be protected from cleaning products. Keep Cheese Fresher Longer A few cubes of sugar kept in the same container as your cheese will keep mold from forming. Cheese will last forever. Loosen A Sticky Lock Got a lock that sticks? Try this trick! Place a drop of oil on the key and insert it. A few turns will lubricate the lock, making it as easy to open as when it was new. Get Rid Of Rust Spots To remove pesky rust stains from sinks and tubs, try this little trick! Pour a few drops of hydorgen peroxide on the stain, then sprinkle it with cream of tartar. Let it sit for half an hour then wipe off with a sponge. The stains will be gone. Shine Without Waxing A cup of vinegar poured into your mop water will make your kitchen floor gleam. On waxed floors, it helps cut through years of wax buildup,leaving the surfaces bright. No More Scuff Marks Do you hate those scuff marks on your floors? WD-40 will take them right up. WD-40 also works on that pesky glue that remains after peeling off labels. Fantastically Clean Next time you give the blades of your ceiling fan a good cleaning , coat them with a thin layer of floor wax. It'll help keep future dust from clinging so you'll never have to scrub the blades again. Banish Water Spots If you're tired of scrubbing water spots from stainless steel sinks, create a spot-resistant surface. After washing and drying your sink, polish the sink with a few drops of baby oil and buff till it's shiny. Shiny, Clean Showers Keep tile and fiberglass shower walls clean! After washing well, apply a thin coat of car wax and buff to a sheen. This will repel most soap buildup and whatever does adhere will wipe off easily. Shovel Snow With Ease To speed through even the toughest shoveling jobs with ease, try spraying your shovel with nostick cooking spray before heading outdoors. Snow won't stick. Emergency Traction If your car is hopelessly stuck on a patch of ice of snow, use one of the floor mats for traction. Just place it under the stuck tire and off you'll go. Keep Eggs Fresher, Longer Don't store eggs in your fridge's egg holder! Leave them in the plastic or cardboard container they come in. Eggshells are very porous and absorb fridge odors when you store them outside their containers. A Quick Fix For Zippers Got a zipper that keeps unzipping? Spray a quick shot of hairspray along the teeth. The zipper will stay zipped! P.S. -just be sure to protect the fabric alongside the zipper by covering it with paper towels while you spray. Keep The Dust Off Mix four parts water with one part liquid fabric softener. Use this solution on your dust rag when you wipe down your fridge, glass-topped table, or any other nonwood surface that's a real dust magnet. Dust will be less attracted to these areas because the solution eliminates static electricity.