Hilarious & Helpful Household Hints

Who says Fun Friday is the only day we can have fun? Check out these hilarious Household Hints brought to you by Gypsy Rose's World. Note: We have not tested these yet! (Yet.)

1. Budweiser beer conditions the hair.

2. Pam cooking spray will dry finger nail polish.

3. Cool whip will condition your hair in 15 min.

4. Mayonnaise will KILL LICE, it will also condition your hair.

5. Elmer’s Glue – paint on your face, allow it to dry, peel off and see the dead skin and blackheads if any.

6. Shiny Hair – use brewed Lipton Tea.

7. Sunburn – empty a large jar of Nestea into your bath water

8. Minor burn-Colgate or Crest toothpaste

9. Burn your tongue? Put sugar on it!

10. Arthritis? WD-40 Spray and rub in, kill insect stings too.

11. Bee stings – meat tenderizer.

12. Chigger bite – Preparation H.

13. Puffy eyes – Preparation H.

14. Paper cut – crazy glue or Chap Stick (glue is used instead of sutures at most hospitals).

15. Stinky feet – Jell-O!!

16. Athletes feet – cornstarch.

17. Fungus on toenails or fingernails – Vicks vapor rub.

18. Kool aid to clean dishwasher pipes. Just put in the detergent section and run a cycle, it will also clean a toilet.

19. Kool Aid can be used as a dye in paint also.

20. Kool aid in Dannon plain yogurt as a finger paint, your kids will love it and it won’t hurt them if they eat it!

21. Peanut butter – will get scratches out of CD’s! Wipe off with a coffee filter paper.

22. Sticking bicycle chain – Pam no-stick cooking spray.

23. Pam will also remove paint, and grease from your hands! Keep a can in your garage for your hubby.

24. Peanut butter will remove ink from the face of dolls.

25. When the doll clothes are hard to put on, sprinkle with cornstarch and watch them slide on.

26. Heavy dandruff – pour on the vinegar!

27. Body paint – Crisco mixed with food coloring. Heat the Crisco in the microwave, pour into an empty film container and mix with the food color of your choice!

28. Tie Dye T-shirt – mix a solution of Kool Aid in a container; tie a rubber band around a section of the t-shirt and soak.

29. Preserving a newspaper clipping – large bottle of club soda and 1/2 cup of milk of magnesia, soak for 20 minutes and let dry, will last for many years!

30. A Slinky will hold toast and CD’s!

31. To keep goggles and glasses from fogging, coat with Colgate toothpaste.

32. Wine stains, pour on the Morton salt and watch it absorb into the salt.

33. To remove wax – Take a paper towel and iron it over the wax stain, it will absorb into the towel.

34. Remove labels off glassware etc. Rub with peanut butter!

35. Baked on food -fill container with water, get a Bounce paper softener and the static from the Bounce towel will cause the baked on food to adhere to it. Soak overnight. Also: you can use 2 Efferdent tablets, soak overnight!

36. Crayon on the wall – Colgate toothpaste and brush it!

37. Dirty grout – Listerine.

38. Stains on clothes – Colgate.

39. Grass stains – Karo Syrup.

40. Grease Stains- Coca Cola, it will also remove grease stains from the driveway overnight. We know it will take corrosion from batteries!

41. Fleas in your carpet? 20 Mule Team Borax: sprinkle and let stand for 24 hours. Maybe this will work if you get them back again.

42. To keep FRESH FLOWERS longer Add a little Clorox, or 2 Bayer aspirin, or just use 7-up instead of water.

Well, like I said, we haven't tested these yet, but comment back if you try (or have tried) any of these! Let us know what works!

Photo Credit: Moody Mommy, Like a Warm Cup of Coffee, New Moon Journal, Little Jenny Wren, and Modern Vintage Homemaking.

Fun Friday: Get Your Organization On

I know! I know! You read the word "organize" and "fun" in the same title and you have lost all trust in me. Hold your horses. I know that organizing is not exactly a sufficient substitute for the birthday clown at your seven-year-old's party. Rather, organizing is the necessary evil in our domestic lives, and since it is necessary, why not jazz it up and make it interesting. So kick the label-maker and the cardboard boxes, because today's Fun Friday is where art and creativity meet functionality. Feast your eyes on these brilliant ideas!

Use a tray to utilize more vertical space in your cabinets. Be sure to put a gripping material (like non-slick rug gripper) on both sides of the tray to keep glasses from sliding.

Use a door rack inside your cabinet to store cleaning supplies.

Who says labeling has to be dull? Make things interesting with scrabble pieces to label your kitchen.

Use tension curtain rods as dividers for cupboard shelves.

All it takes is two boards to convert a cabinet into a functional wine rack!

Got a drawer full of recipes? Stick them in clear scrapbook pages and a fun notebook and make your own cookbook!

Drawer organizers are very handy, but they often don't have the right dimensions for your needs. Make your own by assembling tins in your drawer.

Need a place to store jewelry? Icing tips make for great ring storage.

Organization means to utilize the space you have. Go vertical in your bathroom by using a coatrack for towels.

With the holidays around the corner, you might be regretting last year's choice of wrapping paper storage. Make it better for next year by using an old hamper for storage.

Also check out these two awesome articles from Real Simple: Organizing for Your Personality and How to Recycle Anything!

Credit: Better Homes and Gardens, Better Homes and Gardens, Better Homes and Gardens, Home Made Simple, Martha Stewart, Martha Stewart, Martha Stewart, Martha Stewart, Real Simple, Real Simple

Sandy Hayden

It's Never Too Late for Spring Cleaning

I know what you’re thinking: “The heat index has averaged 115ºF for the last two weeks... it’s not spring anymore.” But hear me out, it’s never too late for spring cleaning. What happens every year when the pollen count spikes and allergies launch into full swing, if you’re like me, is that you end up seeking shelter in the great indoors despite the gorgeous weather. Those flowers are great and all, but my nose is running and I think I have a migraine. If that sounds like you, you might have also noticed that despite the air-conditioned refuge you seek, the sniffles don’t leave. How is this possible?

Sounds like your refuge needs some spring cleaning. Modern homes are so well built and insulated that they are nearly air-tight. While they keep the warmth and air-conditioning inside, they also allow contaminants—such as dust and mold particles—to build up to potentially irritating, even unhealthy, levels.

So why bring this up now? Believe it or not, fall is actually on its way. Although the allergy triggers are slightly different than those in spring, the symptoms can be equally miserable. If you tackle the big cleaning projects now, then by the time allergies are back, it’s just a matter of maintenance cleaning. Check out the following tips on “spring” cleaning and consider giving your home a good scrub-down in the coming weeks.

1. Always start at the top. As you clean higher-up items, like ceiling fan blades and top shelves on bookcases, you’ll knock dust down to a lower level. You don’t want to resoil an area you have already cleaned!


2. Stay focused on the task at hand. When cleaning out a closet or drawer, it’s easy to get drawn in by old photo albums and keepsakes. Set aside time for the fond memories later—you’re on a mission!


3. Don’t be a pack rat. You don’t want to throw away precious keepsakes, but try to limit the junk laying around the house. If you haven’t used it in a year or two, throw it out, or better yet, sell it in a garage sale!


4. Hit the hidden areas. We all avoid the hated, hidden areas in our homes, but now is the time to face the monster dust bunny under the bed. Be ruthless!


5. Tackle the big projects first. It happens every year: We start with the best intentions to scrub down our homes from top to bottom, but somewhere in the middle, we run out of steam. Tackle the biggest projects first, or you may never get to them.


6. Yard sale time! Don’t just chuck your unwanted items. Put them up for sale! You may be surprised to see what could bring in a couple of bucks.

Of course, if spring cleaning isn’t your cup of tea, just give us a call. Here at SERVPRO we have a professional tools and a knack for nooks and crannies. We’ll have your home sparkling in no time!

Don't forget to fill out the poll to the right (if you can't see it, please go to the home page: servprolexingtonsc.wordpress.com)! We'd love to know how you heard about us!

Sandy Hayden