Smart Home-Management Tricks

1. Install a regular coat rack low on the wall to store shoes safely off the floor. This idea might be handy to use by the back door or in a mudroom, but it is also a cool idea for the back wall of a closet!

 2. Create a thrifty watering can by puncturing holes in the top of a used milk jug as an affordable and easier-to-handle alternative to those garden watering cans.

3. Remove pet hair from furniture and carpets with a squeegee rather than hauling out the vacuum for this job.

4. WD40 can be used to remove crayon marks from any surface!

 5. Prevent soil from escaping through the holes in the base of flowerpots by lining with large coffee filters instead of the small pebbles you may have used previously to line the bottom of the pots.

6. Store bed sheets inside their pillowcases for easy storage and access.

7. Drop a couple of denture cleaning tablets into the toilet bowl at night to clean off stubborn stains.

8. The best way to keep your dryer working for a very long time (and to keep your electric bill lower) is to take that filter out and wash it with hot soapy water and an old toothbrush at least every six months. That can make the life of the dryer at least twice as long!  

 9. Use a cut potato to easily remove a broken light bulb.  

10. Use chalk to remove grease stains from clothes. Simply rub white chalk on the affected area and wash as normal—the chalk will absorb the grease and be washed away in the cycle.

 By Arlene Bascom