How To Use Common Household Products in Very Uncommon Ways

Visine: Visine doesn`t just get the red out of itchy red eyes, it will also take the red out of a blemish. Apply a little Visine to a stubborn blemish and let dry before applying make up.

Popsicle Sticks: 1. Use a wet popsicle stick to apply caulking. 2. Use them as garden markers. Write the type of seeds you have planted on the stick with permanent marker and push into soil.

Borax: Mix 1/4 cup of Borax to a sink full of hot water to get your china sparkling clean. (Be sure to rinse properly before use)

Hair spray: 1. Spray hair spray on freshly polished brass or copper pieces to prevent tarnishing. 2. To remove fresh ink or dye stains on fabric spray with hair spray and then blot.  Wash as soon as possible.

Coffee Grounds: 1. Work used coffee grounds into the soil around rose bushes bushes. 2. The next time you go fishing, add used coffee grounds to your bait box. The grounds are lighter than soil so the worms will be easier to find. The coffee also comes off of hands easier than dirt.

Corks: 1. Attach an old cork to your keys before you go boating: if they fall into the water they will float. 2. Burn the end of a cork and use as face black at  Halloween.

Buttons: Replace lost game pieces with buttons that are the appropriate colors. Perfect for bingo and backgammon.

Plastic Jugs: 1. String several plastic jugs ( the type with the handle) on long lines to mark designated swimming areas at the cottage. 2. Cut the bottom from a plastic jug with a handle and use as a scoop. This is especially handy for pet food and large bags of potting soil.

Bottle Caps: 1. Screw or nail bottle caps upside down in rows onto a piece of plywood

to make a boot scraper. 2. String caps together and hang in your gardens. They will scare the birds away.

Tennis Balls: 1. When the kids are feeling artistic and want to paint pictures, cut a tennis ball in half and make a hole in the middle and slip their paintbrush through the hole. The tennis ball will catch the drips that would otherwise run down their arms. 2. Hang a tennis ball from a string from the garage ceiling so that the ball touches the windshield when the car is being parked. When the ball touches the windshield, you are where you should be.

Old Hammocks: 1. Using two hooks, hang an old hammock high up in the garage,basement or utility area to store footballs, soccer balls or other sports equipment. 2. Using hooks, hang a hammock kitty-corner in your child`s play room or bedroom to store stuffed toys.

Tea Bags: 1. Apply wet tea bags to burns or scrapes to ease the pain (Chamomile is best as it is more soothing than regular tea) 2. Plants will thrive when watered with weak tea one every week or two.

Tires: Old tires painted bright colors make perfect planters for strawberries or flowers.

Aquariums: The old aquarium that the kids lost interest in but is still sitting in the garage. Haul it back into the house and use it to plant an indoor herb garden. Aquariums are also just the thing to use to force bulbs so that your winter days can be bright with color.

Old Headboards: Old brass headboards make unique garden trellises.

Pantyhose: 1. Cut the entire leg off of pantyhose and use to stake tomatoes in the veggie garden. They wont dig into the plants like string. 2. Use old pantyhose to store onions so they don’t sprout. Fill the legs with onions, tying a knot after each onion and hang in a cool dark place. When you need an onion, just cut between the bottom knot. 3. Use pantyhose feet to strain paint that  has been sitting. They fabric will catch any chunks that may have formed.

Dried Beans: 1. Place a handful ofdried beans in a pie shell and bake when your recipe calls for a pre-baked shell. The beans will prevent the bottom of the shell from puffing up. 2. For quick relief of neck pain, fill a sock 3/4 full of dried beans and microwave for two minutes. Wrap sock around neck and enjoy the heat.

Denture Tablets: Soak stained tea cups and spoons in warm water with a denture tablet over night. In the morning the stains will be gone.

Beer: 1. Rinsing hair with beer will leave it shiny and manageable. 2. Pour a small amount of beer into jar and make a small hole in the jar lid . Place jars around your yard/garden to trap bugs. The beer will attract them, but they won`t be able to escape.

Bread: 1. Put ½ slice of bread into the container with your brown sugar container. The bread will prevent the sugar from going hard. 2. Use a piece of bread to pick up small shards of broken glass. They will stick to the bread rather than piercing your skin.

Dental Floss: 1. Sew rips in leather garments with Dental floss. It is stronger than regular thread. (If the leather is a dark color, darken it with a magic marker before sewing) 2. Use dental floss to cut a cake into two layers. It does a better job than a knife.