Here on my blog, I strive to share simple, everyday tips and tricks that can help make your life a little bit easier. But sometimes, the tips that I want to share aren’t something I can write a whole blog post about! And since I simply cannot waste a good idea, I tuck them away to use at a later date. Today I’ll be sharing some of those tips and tricks with you in the thirteenth edition of my ongoing series “Why Didn’t I Think Of That?”
Missed the last installment, or want to revisit some of your old favorite tips? You’ll find links to every post in the “Why Didn’t I Think Of That?” series at the end of this post!
Be sure to scroll down to see some of these brilliant hacks in action on video!
1. Remove Splinters With A Potato
Sometimes a splinter gets buried juuust deep enough that you can’t get to it with tweezers. In those cases, grab a potato! Cut off a small section of raw potato and apply it to your skin where the splinter is. Tape it on with a bandaid (or any other tape you happen to have on hand), and leave it there overnight. In the mooning, you’ll be able to remove the splinter easily!
How does it work? It’s uncertain, but some think it’s because the potato draws moisture away from your skin. Skin tightens as it loses moisture, exposing more of the splinter and make it easier to remove.
2. Microwave Your Cleaning Rag
Hot water works is more effective than cold water when it comes to cleaning, and the same is true of the water you use to dampen your favorite cleaning cloth. Use your microwave to heat up your damp cleaning cloth and watch how it powers through gunk and grime!
Soak a clean rag/cloth in water, and give it a gentle squeeze so that it’s wet, but not dripping. Pop the wet rag in your microwave and heat it in 15-second increments until it’s hot, but not too hot to handle. Reheat your rag as needed to make all your cleaning projects easier!
3. Eliminate Odors With Rice
Have a closet or room in your house that has been smelling a bit musty? You can use dry rice to freshen it up! Just put a cup or two of rice into a mason jar and add 10 drops of your favorite essential oil. Place a thin, breathable cloth over the jar opening (like a flour sack towel or some cheesecloth) and secure it in place with a canning ring.
Put the jar in the closet or room that needs freshening, and leave it there for a week or so. The absorbent rice will help absorb and eliminate those musty smells, and leave the area smelling much fresher!
4. Wash Small Items In Your Dishwasher
Using your dishwasher is a great way to keep things clean without a lot of extra effort on your part. But small items can be tricky, because dishwasher racks will allow small stuff to fall through quite easily. But not if you put them in a mesh laundry bag first!
This works well for keeping kitchen items like measuring cups, mason jar lids, and other small items that tend to get lost in the dishwasher. But you can also use a mesh laundry bag to safely clean non-kitchen items in your dishwasher, like LEGOs and other plastic toys. The mesh bag will keep them safe and sound, and they be clean in no time!
5. Keep Your Microwave Clean
You might already use paper towels to cover bowls and plates in your microwave to help keep it clean. But paper towels can be expensive, so why not use coffee filters instead? Paper coffee filters keep your microwave just as clean as paper towels, but they are a lot cheaper and you can buy them in bulk!
6. Grind Your Red Pepper Flakes
Love red pepper flakes, but hate those big pieces that get stuck in your teeth? Get a cheap pepper mill and use it to grind up your red pepper flakes! You’ll be able to enjoy the added heat on your pizza without worrying about what the state of your teeth will be like after dinner.
7. Travel Tip For Shoes
When you’re packing for a trip, it can be difficult to figure out how to put your shoes in your luggage without them dirtying up your clean clothes. That’s why I always keep a shower cap on hand! Put your shoes side-by-side, then wrap a shower cap around the soles of both shoes. It’s an effective and inexpensive way to avoid that problem entirely!
The “Why Didn’t I Think Of That?” Series
More Ideas You'll Love
- For even more simple tips and tricks that will make your life easier, check out the other installments in this series, including ones you may have missed!
- Explore the “Why Didn’t I Think Of That?” series archive.
This potato thing is as old as the hills… I’m 63 and my mother used to use
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Slices of potatoes to take out thorns etc…..
It’s amazing how many natural remedies there are…..
I’ve been doing the coffee filter thing for years because it is so cheap and I add a little water to them to help them stay in place and keep food from drying out.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Great idea!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.The shower cap for shoes is nice, but a grocery sack will do just as well.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Some great ideas
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Love this! Worth it alone for the coffee filter tip in the microwave! We recently bought an off brand of filters that were shallower and didn’t work well in the coffee pot, so was saving them for glass cleaning and paper snowflakes, but this is much more practical and way better than paper towels because of the shape and stiffness. Thank you!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Those newspaper bags or plastic bags are great for disposing of food that can’t go down the garbage disposal- cucumber peels, potato peels. Also back when I worked in restaurants we would use the coffee filters for cleaning the glass and also the windows.They don’t leave the little bits behind that paper towels can.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Working in commercial cleaning in Bristol I had heard of most of these. But not the potato for removing splinters!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Rather than wasting paper towels to cover food, I use an inverted plate over bowls.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Easier just to go to Dollar Tree or any dollar store and get the coves for the microwave. I got 4 for $2.00, 2 large and 2 medium sized.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Join the discussion…
The additional covers are also very handy when microwaving a meal to keep warm while heating up the second meal. I used to rely on foil to keep the meal warm, but no more.
But you have to wash them. I don’t want to add more things to wash.
I do get tired of washing my microwave covers – it’s every day…
In addition option to potatoe to pull a splinter is a piece of onion. Take a piece of onion and draw a knife across the skin to release the juice. Then place on your skin and tape it on. Work with wood or metal splinters, rose thorns and just about anything else you can get caught in your skin.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Is there a reason why you can’t just wet a rag with hot water instead of heating a cold wet rag in a microwave???
Please log in or create a free account to comment.You could, but you might waste a lot of water waiting for it to get hot. Also, the microwave uses much less energy than your water heater.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Heating the rag itself adds a small bonus, but a rag wet with hot water is pretty close! :-)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Bonus tip is heating up the wet rag in the microwave creates steam that loosens spatters so you can also use the rag (or a coffee filter) to wipe out the microwave.
Great tip Vicki!
I loved the idea of heating the rag in the microwave. I live in the Eastern Cape in
Please log in or create a free account to comment.South Africa, which is going through a severe drought. So anything to save a few drops of water!!
I love your series on Why Didn’t I Think of That? But I feel cheated. The hint for grinding red pepper flakes and putting a coffee filter over something in the microwave were in Part 12, so a short list of 7 ideas is really only 5. Jillee, I need more help, please!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Sorry for the disappointment, Kathi! I’ll make sure the next one has plenty of tips – I definitely don’t want you to feel cheated :-(
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Plastic zip bags, in which sheets, etc. are packaged, is what I pack shoes in for travel.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I save the bags that my newspaper comes in and they are the perfect size for shoes when traveling.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I never throw those away either. They work for so many things. I have gift wrap and gift bags and tissue paper in one. I have a small one that I keep birthday cards etc. Blankets and coverlets and throws are easier for a shorty like me to get up on the closet shelf, too.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Some cloths can burst into flames in a microwave. I have had it happen to a sock I was using as a heating pad and to a cotton hot pad that accidentally got left onto the bottom of a dish.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Yes, me too – burnt a towel. Also some paper products are not safe to use in the microwave . This may eliminate use of some coffee filters.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Heating in 15 second intervals should eliminate that concern. Nothing is going to burn, singe or in any other way cause damage in that short period of time. And when you check each time, the cover has some time to cool down.
A little common sense is always in order when using the microwave.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.That can happen if the cloth is dry! Thanks for the warning. For this tip, I’m suggesting placing a wet rag in the microwave :-)
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