To remove odors from your fireplace after you clean it, place a shallow
pan of baking soda for a couple of hours or overnight.
To save of heating bills, keep curtains and shades open during the
day on the side of the house where the sun shines in. After sundown, close the curtains and shades to retain the heat.
If you are doing an outside chore and are unable to wear gloves, coat
your hands with petroleum jelly or baby oil. This will coat your hands and you won’t feel the cold as much.
Coat your keys with petroleum jelly and put them in the keyholes of
your house and car. This will help keep the locks from freezing.
If you expect frost or ice overnight, cover your car wind shield with
an old sheet or plastic. Use your wipers and car doors to secure the sheet to keep it from blowing off.
If you have a radiator, you can make it work more effectively
by making a reflector. Tape aluminum foil over corrugated cardboard and place this behind the radiator. The foil reflects
the heat away from the wall.
To prevent freezing, cover padlocks on outdoor sheds and other buildings
by placing tape over the key hole and cover the lock with a plastic bag.
Dry wet boots and shoes with a metal clothes hanger. Bend the hanger
to form two loops. Put the boots through the loops upside down, and hang. The air will circulate to dry them.
Add floor wax to your snow shovel to keep it from rusting and to help
the snow to slip off easier during shoveling.
To keep ice from forming on windows, add 1/2 cup of rubbing alcohol or
antifreeze to each quart of water used. Rub the inside of windows with a sponge dipped in mixture. Polish with paper towels
or newspaper. Moisten a cloth with glycerine and rub on window, leaving a little glycerin on the inside of the glass.
Coat pinecones with paraffin wax and use as fire starters. Add cinnamon
sticks to logs for wonderful scent.
Hang a shoe bag on your kitchen door or in your "mud room" to store gloves,
scarves, and hats so they will be handy on cold days.
If your angora sweaters are shedding, put them in a plastic bag in the
freezer for awhile before they are worn.
When the cuffs and waistline of your woolen sweaters are stretched out,
dip them in hot water and dry with a hot blow dryer.
After handwashing sweaters, rinse with 1/4 cup white vinegar in cool
water to remove any residue of detergent.
