Tips for The Home, The Body, Saving Money… any kind of helpful tip I come across, or remember, will continually be added. Send your own tips to vicki@vickishomestyling.com. Please give your name and, if you remember, the source of your tip.
THE HOME:
Get rid of white moisture spots on wood furniture:Rub mayonnaise on to the white spot and put aluminum foil over this so the oil doesn’t dry out. In a few hours, clean off the mayonnaise and the spot should be gone. If there is some remaining, do the procedure again. I have successfully tried this many, many times. From friend and News correspondent, Edie Magnus.
Great Cleaner for shinny surfaces: Brillianize for windows, glass, stainless steel, granite, LCD. Treated area becomes fingerprint resistant.
Cleaning Wine off Fabric: White vinegar is great for cleaning lots of things. On a velvet chair, I applied white vinegar to a huge 7 month old red wine stain and with repeated application, the stain came out. Vinegar also gets rid of mildew, cleans stains from pots and pans when boiled with equal parts water…the list goes on. A great book to get is “Extraordinary Uses for Ordinary Things“, put out by Reader’s Digest.
Stains on Clothes: NYT also recommends Shout Advanced Ultra Gel as best at getting stains out on first wash. Other stain removers seemed to need two washings.
Stains on Marble: According to a New York Times article, buy “Aqua Mix Poultice Stain Remover”, $6.99 a quarter jar. For store locations, (877) 278-2311. Or go to: aquamix.com
Interested in Estate and Tag Sales? Sign up for estatesales.net for sales in your area
Keep ants away from picnic: If food is on table, place table legs in small bowls of water. If picnic is on the ground, sprinkle talcum powder on the grass around you. From Better Homes And Gardens
Banana Tip: If you keep bananas from touching each other, they won’t ripen all at the same time. From Reader’s Digest
THE BODY:
Brush Away the Gray: Instant Touch-Up, they’re called. I LOVE these mascara-like brushes which come in basic colors that, of course, won’t match your hair exactly. But you can use them to hide gray roots until you can get the next touch-up. Get them from most huge cosmetic stores. At the Palisades mall, the store is Cosmetics A-Z. You can order from Dr. Leonard’s Catalogue at 800 785-0880. Item numbers are: #769 Black; #768 Light Brown; #767 Blond; #84012 Dark Brown; #84020 Auburn. Cost: $3.99 Colorists also say you can use a foundation cream if blond, regular mascara for blacks-browns, and eye shadow.
Have an itch? It could be from anything, a mosquito bite to a rash. Rub lavender oil over the area and the itch goes away. From friend, Cis Wilson.
Swimming Pool & Hair: To help save the condition of your hair, first wet it thoroughly with water. Then, of course, put on your bathing cap. When hair is already saturated, the chlorine can’t saturate it as well. Of course, one can also use creme rinse instead of water, but then this leaks into the pool water. Told to me by a seasoned swimmer at my health club and confirmed by several hair dressers.
Weight & Eating with Friends: Often when out eating with friends, we become full but, having to remain at the table, we compulsively eat what’s left on the plate. An overweight friend of mine, once he felt full, would put ketchup, pepper or some other substance all over the remaining food. This technique helped him to lose a lot of weight. Larry Schnur
Arthritis Pain: This comes from a 75 year woman who should know but….She says soak yellow raisins in gin until they swell up. Eat 7 of these a day and no more pain.
SAVING $
Best Cell Phone Saving: Use StraightTalk.com prepaid Unlimited voice, text and web plan instead of Verizon’s pricier Nationwide Connect Unlimited. Both use Verizon wireless network.Consumer Reports
Save $ on Prescription drugs: Have your doctor prescribe double strength dose of monthly medication. Then cut pill in half. That’s one expenditure for 2 months of medicine. Search “pill splitting” at aarp.org for more details.
Use of Detergent: Many appliance repairmen say product directions tell you to use more than necessary. Thus, cut amount use by 1/4th.
Best Toilet Paper for softness and price: White Cloud, says Consumer Reports, saves a family of three a $130
Top Bargin in GPS: Tom Tom One 140 offers good performance for price. Consumer Reports
