Odds & Ends ~ Tips & Tricks

This Post is about useful tips and tricks as well as suggestions that can help us all live in a better world, one step at a time, each one of us can make a difference!!

WORDS TO LIVE BY EVERY DAY!!

Okay, here goes....

To remove RED WINE from a cloth surface, upholstery, clothing, carpeting, etc... pour white wine on the stain and it will neutralize the color. Blot with a dry towel until it is removed. Follow with dry cleaning, Hand washing or delicate cycle on your washing machine. I know it sounds crazy but it works!

To remove OIL of any kind from fabric, treat the area with Dawn dish soap then launder as usual. Make sure to soak the treated fabric prior to washing it. I got massage oil on my clothes that were packed in a suitcase and the treatment worked for every item of clothing. Saved the day and my clothes too =)

To remove candle WAX from FABRIC, place a brown paper bag on top of the wax, place a hot iron on the paper bag and the wax will melt to the bag. Repeat this process until all the wax is removed then launder as usual. I have saved window treatments, carpets and clothes with this method. Make sure the iron is not too Hot, you don't want to risk burning the paper.

To remove candle WAX from GLASS candle holders, candle jars, etc. put the container in the freezer for a day or two; the wax will harden and will pop right out of the holder when coaxed with a dry dish cloth or a small spoon. be careful if using a metal spoon to get the wax from a glass vessel, you don't want the glass to break.

To encourage the entire family to RECYCLE PLASTIC, GLASS, & CARDBOARD I have placed a brown paper bag in the kitchen for recyclable items that are then placed in the recycle bin every Thursday night for Friday morning pick up. If I leave the bin just outside the back door, more items that could be recycled are thrown away, out of site, out of mind. Keeping it simple for us all.

To RECYCLE NEWSPAPER easily, Collect the papers after you are finished with them and stack up in the same place. The papers fit nicely in a brown paper bag and when the paper bag is full the entire bag can be dumped in the recycle container outside your local grocery store. I save the plastic bags as well and after the bag in the laundry room is full of them I have them dropped off also.

RE USE SHREDDER PAPER ~ If you have a paper shredder at home or the office, local pet stores are usually happy to take the shredded paper off your hands for Free as they use it as fresh bedding for the animals in the pet store. Just call around and ask when is a good time to drop it off, Recycling the paper and keeping the pets comfy too!

DONATE HOUSEHOLD GOODS & CLOTHES ~ Do you find yourself with extra un-used household items, clothes and shoes that you just don't wear anymore? There are many shelters for domestic violence that accept donations of all kinds for women who are struggling to get back on their feet after leaving an abusive situation with not much more than the clothes on their back. These women usually have children and are grateful for any assistance they receive as they take their life back!

DONATE MENS CLOTHES to the local homeless shelter, they are usually happy to accept the donation and it may help a man down on his luck, struggling to get back on his feet. There are coat drives every year as well and that is a good time to DONATE USED COATS, it will keep someone warm all winter long.

What a Blessing we can be to others if we open our hearts and empty our lives of stuff that is just hanging around, stuff that you know you don't need any longer, will not use any more or it will just take up space and collect dust. Why not make room for new things in your life by blessing someone else with the items you are no longer in need of? Your trash is another persons treasure ~ that is a true statement.

This I know is TRUE!

I vow to continue to be a Blessing to others in any way where I can help. It sets a good example for my children, keeps things being used and re used, recycled and the BONUS is the Blessing we can be to total strangers ~ I am choosing to Pay it Forward because that's what I believe in!