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Summary
Summary
Discover ingenious ways to use or reuse more than 250 common household items to replace, restore, repair, or revive almost anything in your household--including yourself.
When you have a household problem, don't run to the store and waste good money, just open your pantry door--and EXTRAORDINARY USES FOR ORDINARY THINGS. You'll be amazed at what you can do with baby oil, bleach, duct tape, tea, rubbing alcohol, and dozens of other handy items. This book will open your eyes to over 2,300 creative and helpful uses you can make of familiar household products. You will discover how to save time and money with items in your pantry, medicine cabinet, wastebasket, and recycling bin that you can use to solve common household problems or to substitute for products that you would otherwise buy.
The over 2,300 extraordinary uses includes:
* Aspirin can revive a dead car battery and a coating of petroleum jelly will keep the battery's terminals from corroding
* A dab of shaving cream can keep your bathroom mirror from fogging and can remove juice stains on carpeting
* Petroleum jelly makes a great lip balm, makeup remover, and moisturizer
* A turkey baster is the perfect tool for watering Christmas trees and hard-to-reach plants
* Beer can be combed through your hair as a setting lotion, used as lure to trap insects, and polish gold jewelry
* Sandpaper can be used to sharpen needles and scissors, roughen slippery soles of new shoes, remove ink stains and scuff marks from suede, and remove stains on grout lines
* Wax paper will prevent a cast-iron skillet from rusting, restore the nonstick surface on your iron, and use on the bottom of a microwave when cooking messy foods
If you hate to throw things away or if you delight in dreaming up new ways to use ordinary items, then you'll love the ideas in this book. You'll be amazed at the problems you can solve. It's a book you'll be sure to turn to again and again for helpful ideas, trustworthy advice, and entertaining reading.
Reviews (1)
Library Journal Review
Use car wax for scratches on compact discs and ketchup to shine copper pots. This collection of tips and odd fixes is arranged alphabetically by ingredient or item. Under each topic is a list of what marvelous things you can do with that item that you would never have dreamed of. The text is chatty and informational, including boxes that give history or tips for a particular item or projects for kids and students. Some of this advice isn't new, reminiscent of Hints from Heloise. The detailed index can help you find the right solution for your problem. Fun and somewhat helpful; for larger collections. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Table of Contents
Top 10 most useful items for the house | p. 14 |
Top 12 most useful items for the cook | p. 18 |
Top 11 most useful items for health and beauty | p. 20 |
Top 10 most useful items for cleaning | p. 22 |
Top 11 most useful items for the garden | p. 24 |
Top 11 most useful items for outdoors | p. 26 |
Top 13 most useful items for Storage | p. 28 |
Top 15 most useful items for kids | p. 30 |
Top 14 most useful items for quick repairs | p. 32 |
A Adhesive tape | p. 36 |
Alka-Seltzer | p. 37 |
Aluminum foil | p. 39 |
Aluminum pie pans | p. 47 |
Ammonia | p. 49 |
Apples | p. 53 |
Ashes | p. 54 |
Aspirin | p. 55 |
B Baby oil | p. 58 |
Baby powder | p. 59 |
Baby wipes | p. 60 |
Baby wipes containers | p. 61 |
Baking soda | p. 62 |
Balloons | p. 75 |
Bananas | p. 77 |
Basters | p. 78 |
Bath oil | p. 80 |
Bathtub appliques | p. 81 |
Beans (dried) | p. 82 |
Beer | p. 83 |
Berry baskets | p. 84 |
Binder clips | p. 85 |
Bleach | p. 86 |
Blow-dryer | p. 89 |
Borax | p. 89 |
Bottles | p. 91 |
Bottle opener | p. 96 |
Bread | p. 97 |
Bubble pack | p. 98 |
Buckets | p. 99 |
Butter | p. 101 |
Buttons | p. 103 |
C Cans | p. 104 |
Candles | p. 106 |
Candy tins | p. 107 |
Cardboard boxes | p. 108 |
Cardboard tubes | p. 112 |
Car wax | p. 115 |
Carpet scraps | p. 115 |
Castor oil | p. 117 |
Cat litter | p. 118 |
Chalk | p. 119 |
Charcoal briquettes | p. 120 |
Cheesecloth | p. 121 |
Chest rub | p. 122 |
Chewing gum | p. 123 |
Chicken wire | p. 124 |
Clipboards | p. 125 |
Clothespins | p. 125 |
Club soda | p. 127 |
Coat hangers | p. 128 |
Coffee beans | p. 130 |
Coffee cans | p. 131 |
Coffee filters | p. 133 |
Coffee grounds | p. 134 |
Coins | p. 135 |
Colanders | p. 137 |
Cold cream | p. 138 |
Compact discs | p. 138 |
Cooking spray | p. 140 |
Corks | p. 141 |
Cornstarch | p. 143 |
Correction fluid | p. 145 |
Cotton balls | p. 146 |
Crayons | p. 147 |
Cream of tartar | p. 148 |
Curtain rings | p. 148 |
D Dental floss | p. 150 |
Denture tablets | p. 151 |
Disposable diapers | p. 152 |
Duct tape | p. 153 |
Dustpans | p. 159 |
E Earrings | p. 160 |
Eggs | p. 161 |
Egg cartons | p. 161 |
Emery boards | p. 162 |
Envelopes | p. 163 |
Epsom salt | p. 164 |
F Fabric softener | p. 166 |
Fabric softener sheets | p. 167 |
Film canisters | p. 169 |
Flour | p. 171 |
Flowerpots | p. 172 |
Foam food trays | p. 173 |
Freezer | p. 174 |
Funnels | p. 175 |
G Garden hose | p. 176 |
Gloves | p. 177 |
Glycerin | p. 178 |
Golf gear | p. 179 |
H Hair conditioner | p. 180 |
Hair spray | p. 181 |
Hydrogen peroxide | p. 183 |
I Ice-cream scoops | p. 184 |
Ice cubes | p. 185 |
Ice cube trays | p. 187 |
Ice scrapers | p. 189 |
J Jars | p. 190 |
Jar lids | p. 191 |
K Ketchup | p. 193 |
Keys | p. 194 |
Kool-Aid | p. 194 |
L Ladders | p. 195 |
Lemons | p. 196 |
Lighter fluid | p. 202 |
Lip balm | p. 202 |
M Magazines | p. 204 |
Magnets | p. 204 |
Margarine tubs | p. 205 |
Marshmallows | p. 206 |
Masking tape | p. 207 |
Mayonnaise | p. 208 |
Meat tenderizer | p. 210 |
Milk | p. 211 |
Milk cartons | p. 212 |
Mothballs | p. 213 |
Mouse pads | p. 214 |
Mouthwash | p. 214 |
Mustard | p. 216 |
N Nail polish | p. 217 |
Nail polish remover | p. 222 |
Newspaper | p. 224 |
O Oatmeal | p. 228 |
Olive oil | p. 229 |
Onions | p. 230 |
Oranges | p. 231 |
Oven cleaner | p. 232 |
Oven mitts | p. 234 |
P Paintbrushes | p. 235 |
Pantyhose | p. 236 |
Paper bags | p. 242 |
Paper clips | p. 247 |
Paper plates | p. 248 |
Paper towels | p. 248 |
Peanut butter | p. 250 |
Pencils | p. 251 |
Pencil erasers | p. 252 |
Pepper | p. 253 |
Petroleum jelly | p. 254 |
Pillowcases | p. 258 |
Pipe cleaners | p. 260 |
Plastic bags | p. 261 |
Plastic containers | p. 267 |
Plastic lids | p. 268 |
Plastic tablecloths | p. 269 |
Plastic wrap | p. 270 |
Plungers | p. 271 |
Popsicle sticks | p. 271 |
Pots and pans | p. 272 |
Potatoes | p. 273 |
R Return address labels | p. 275 |
Rubber bands | p. 276 |
Rubber jar rings | p. 278 |
Rubbing alcohol | p. 278 |
S Salt | p. 280 |
Saltshakers | p. 289 |
Sand | p. 289 |
Sandpaper | p. 290 |
Sandwich and freezer bags | p. 292 |
Screening | p. 297 |
Shampoo | p. 298 |
Shaving cream | p. 301 |
Sheets | p. 301 |
Shoe bags | p. 302 |
Shoe boxes | p. 303 |
Shortening | p. 303 |
Shower curtains | p. 304 |
Skateboards | p. 306 |
Soap | p. 306 |
Socks | p. 307 |
Soda pop | p. 308 |
Spices | p. 310 |
Sponges | p. 312 |
Spray bottles | p. 313 |
Squirt bottles | p. 314 |
Steel wool | p. 315 |
Straws | p. 316 |
String | p. 317 |
Styrofoam | p. 319 |
Sugar | p. 320 |
T Talcum powder | p. 322 |
Tape | p. 323 |
Tea | p. 327 |
Tennis balls | p. 330 |
Tires | p. 332 |
Tomato juice | p. 332 |
Toothbrushes | p. 333 |
Toothpaste | p. 334 |
Toothpicks | p. 336 |
Twist ties | p. 339 |
U Umbrellas | p. 340 |
V Vanilla extract | p. 341 |
Vegetable oil | p. 341 |
Vegetable peelers | p. 342 |
Vinegar | p. 343 |
Vodka | p. 370 |
W Wallpaper | p. 372 |
Wax paper | p. 372 |
WD-40 | p. 375 |
Weather stripping | p. 384 |
Window cleaner | p. 384 |
Y Yogurt | p. 386 |
Z Zippers | p. 387 |
Zucchini | p. 387 |
Index | p. 388 |