One day when I was rushing to put my shopping away, the fruit bowl was out of reach, so I put the fruit in the colander. It worked so well that I’ve been using the strainer this way ever since. And if I need a sieve, no problem. I turn the fruit on the counter, drain whatever I need to drain, and put the fruit back. Giving a kitchen tool two or even three jobs is a great way to make this easy.
Patti, today’s first tipster, has an idea that I would never have thought of. This is a good one!
STORAGE CONTAINERS
Bamboo steamers are naturally airtight to allow air to circulate while steaming. This makes a bamboo steamer an ideal storage container for onions, garlic and shallots that need ventilation and shouldn’t be refrigerated. – Patti, email
COPPER CLEANER
Use a dollop of miracle whip or ketchup to remove tarnish from copper bottomed pots. Simply wipe up with a paper towel, leave a little and wash. It sounds strange, but it works. – Thelma, Wyoming
STAIN REMOVER
I use glycerin to remove tea, coffee and cocoa stains from fabrics. I apply the glycerin to a fresh stain and then gently rub it into the stain. When the stain is old, I let the glycerin soak into the stain for a while. – Roberta, Michigan
BABY ORAJEL
Our teenage daughter hit her toe badly and we had to cut her nail. Unfortunately, because of the pain, she didn’t let us go near. My wife found a tube of Baby Orajel and covered the area with a cotton swab. It was like magic. It numbed the area so well that I could take care of things. I never thought of using baby Orajel this way. – Randall, Texas
SPONTANEOUS CLEANING
I have a bottle of Dawn, a car brush, and an old toothbrush in my shower. Dawn cuts the lather and leaves no gross residue. Just don’t overdo it as it can get quite slippery! – Laurel, email
SHOE CLEANER
I’ve found the best cleaner for my dirty golf shoes: Shout Laundry Stain Remover. It works like a charm to get into the folds and crevices to get the ground in dirt out. My golf shoes are made of leather and it didn’t harm them or the color. – Brenda, Michigan
NAIL POLISH REMOVER
Accidentally red nail polish was spilled on my carpet, leaving a long red streak. A friend told me to use Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. The polish was already dry, but with a little elbow grease and several erasers, it all came out of my carpet. – Carolyn, Tennessee
FAST CLEANING
I use a 50/50 mixture of hydrogen peroxide and water in a spray bottle to clean pretty much everything in my house. It works great on windows and freshen up my wooden cutting boards. It foamed on the edge of my sink, cleaning what I thought was rust. And the best part is that it’s cheap. – Carol, Ill.
FOAMING BUBBLES
I took my foaming bath cleaner out of the bathroom and started using my walls, floors, patio furniture, kitchen – basically anything and everything. It cleans everything. When we removed the carpet in the hallway, the old vinyl floor underneath had seen better days. After using the foam on the floor, dust and carpet fibers came in and I didn’t have to replace the floor right away. For most things, just spray on, wait a few minutes, and wipe away the dirt. Also disinfects! – Jennie, email
Mary invites you to visit her at EverydayCheap skate.com, where this column of links and resources for all of our recommended products and services is archived. Mary invites questions and comments at https://www.everydaycheapskate.com/contact/, “Ask Mary”. Tips can be submitted at tips.everydaycheapskate.com/. This column answers questions of general interest, but letters cannot be answered individually. Mary Hunt is the founder of Every dayCheapskate.com.
a thrifty life blog and author of the book “Debt Secured Life”.