House Tips

If an idea works, why not share it with others? Here are a few such ideas.

Muddy holes under outdoor faucets can be prevented. Remove some soil under the spout and fill the area with gravel. This is a big help in keeping mud away off the shoes and feet of small children who turn on the faucet to get a drink.

Petunias planted in a tubular cake pan make an unusual centerpiece for an outdoor umbrella table. The umbrella can be inserted through the openings in the pan and table.

To pull poison ivy safely, slip your hand into a plastic bag. After uprooting the ivy, peel the bag from your hand and down over the vine before you dispose of it.

Work gloves still have some use after one glove wears out. If your right-hand glove always deteriorates first, take two left-hand gloves, turn one inside out, and presto! A new pair.

Turn one of your long-handled, two-pronged forks into a Jack-of-all-trades by bending the top inch of both prongs forward until each prong forms a right angle. Now you have a tool for pulling hot food, cakes or baked potatoes from the oven. It also comes in handy for reaching articles on high shelves and in narrow spaces.

When you’re through with a plastic bottle of dish-washing detergent, fill it with water and put it in the car. There’s enough detergent left to make soapy water for washing dirty hands.

A sign-out sheet helps family members keep track of tools borrowed from the workbench.

A magnet inside a kitchen drawer keeps a bottle opener in place.

When you’re painting a chair, drive two-inch nails one-half inch into the bottom of each leg. That will do away with collars of excess paint at the bottom of the legs.