General Chat

Muddy carpets. Sprinkle with salt. Leave for a few hours and hoover. If a jar lid is too stiff to open, either immerse the lid in hot water or run it under the hot water tap for a few minutes. Soak burnt saucepans in cold tea overnight and you will find it easier to clean them the following day. Clean discoloured glass containers by swirling with a little water and dry rice. If ivory or bone handles go yellow, lay them in a sunny place for several hours. To sharpen scissors, use them to cut a piece of aluminium foil. Place CDs in the freezer overnight to give a brighter, clearer sound! To prevent candles dripping, place them in the fridge about a half an hour before using them. Get rid of condensation on windows by placing a dish of salt on the window sill to absorb the moisture. Get rid of fish smells on hands and work surfaces by rubbing them with dry mustard and then washing as usual. Put sugar lumps in empty flasks to stop them smelling musty. Use raw spaghetti as a taper for lighting pilot lights or anything that's difficult to reach with a match. An envelope stuck down with egg white cannot be steamed open. Aileen xxx

Thanks for that tip Daff. I hate the smell of mothballs myself. Aileen xxx

Winter Drawers....brilliant tips...must point out though that Moth balls are poisonous to cats and I think some birds Bicarb apparently kills the vitamins etc, but does maintain the colour!! love Daff xxx

Slugs: Smear Vaseline an inch from the tops of your patio pots. This will prevent slug damage to your hostas. Cats: To keep them off your garden, scatter mothballs around favourite plants. To stop them fouling, sprinkle finly chopped orange peel over the flowerbeds. They hate the smell of orange peel. It works. Or, scatter some sprigs of holly which aren't so unsightly as orange peel.

To test how fresh an egg is, place it in a glass bowl of water. If the egg stands up on its end, it is stale, if it lies across the bottom of the bowl, it is fresh.

Put lots of Pepper in it drink it hot and its a good remedy for a cold. Hal.

A dry crust of bread in cabbage water will absorb the smell.

Nice one Harold.

To keep lettuce or watercress fresh in the fridge. Place in a poly bag with a piece of coal and twist to close the bag.

The Dye Comes out of 'Red Flannel' if you wear it to long in the Winter . and the best way to enjoy a meal with out the trouble of preperation is, Employ a Chef,or Dine Out. Hal.PHSL> :o))>

To stop potatoes sprouting, store them with an apple.

I always freeze the juices left after the meat and when frozen, scrape off the frozen fat..

Add bicarb of soda to green vegetables during cooking to prevent yellowing

A tablespoon of milk in cauliflower water keeps the flowers white.

Perfect pork crackling. Remove from the joint. Microwave on high for three minutes and leave to stand for a further three minutes. Aileen xxx

Fat free gravy. If you add ice cubes to warm meat juices the fat will solidify around these and can be removed easily. Aileen xxx