Spring Weed Killer

Get a head start as spring is beginning to blossom (except for those in the Northeast). Mix one ounce of vodka or vinegar , a few drops of dish soap, and two cups of water in a spray bottle. This works best on weeds that grow in direct sunlight. The vodka breaks down the waxy coating that protects the leaves, and helps the weeds dehydrate. Ants also do not like to cross a path of the mixture.

Leather Stain Removing

If you have an oil stain on your favorite leather handbag, coat the stain with baby powder and let it stand overnight. By morning, the stain should be gone. If a bit still remains, repeat the process until the stain is completely gone. Also, add a few drops of vinegar in a bowl of water and scrub for water stains on leather shoes or boots.

Taming Odor Tips

Leave bar soap in the package and rest it somewhere out of sight. Hide an extra bar near your kitchen garbage can. Soap also lasts longer when it is dried. Open the your new soap bars and place them in closets, under the bed, in your armoire, in clothes drawers, or any place else you want to smell fresh, but not overpowering. Since it does not pick up odors, you can use it to shower after it becomes a bit hard.

Cat litter is good for eliminating cat odors, but can also be used to reduce other odors. Use cat litter in closets to reduce odors or put some in a coffee filter and stick in smelly shoes. If you have cats, be careful, as they might use the litter for their own purpose.

Put a large bowl of vinegar in a smelly room, such as the kitchen to eliminate unwanted odors. Put out a large bowl when you leave for work and when you arrive home at the end of the day, you will be surprised how well it works. Vinegar also works for wood furniture. Mix a 50-50 solution with water and wipe down the wooden furniture with a damp (not wet) cloth of the mixture.

I put used dryer sheets in clothes drawers and the pantry. They work for months. You can also put them in shoes to make them fresh. It is a good way to get a second use. They also work well in gym bags and luggage.

Baking soda is great to unstink a clothes hamper. Sprinkle on top of clothes. When ready, toss clothes into washer as usual. The baking soda also helps clean the clothes during washing. In fact, baking soda can replace detergent for washing clothes. Baking soda is also good for carpet stains or furniture odor. Sprinkle on, wait a while, then vacuum. Do not leave on for too long, or it may tend to bleach the fabric.

Coffee is the favorite of airlines to unstink airplane restrooms. Leave a dish of fresh, ground, unused coffee on a table and within hours the room smells better. If you travel, those little room packets of coffee are perfect to use in your bag with dirty laundry and at home for room odors.

Drain Fix

Grab some baking soda and sprinkle it in and on the drain. If it just sits on top of the drain, that's okay.
2. Pour white vinegar down the drain. Add as much vinegar as you can without overflowing the clogged drain. You will immediately be able to see the baking soda and vinegar start to go to work. Together, they will form bubbling carbon dioxide, which will naturally clear away any build-up.
3. Plug the drain with a stopper.
4. Allow it to sit for 10 minutes.
5. Remove the plug and run very hot water through the cleared drain pipe.

Nine Ways to Keep Food Fresh Longer

• Put onions in pantyhose, and tie knots between onion - will last up to 8 months.
• Freeze green onions in a plastic bottle. Make sure the green onions are completely dry before storing or they will get freezer burn.
• Use a vinegar solution to make your berries last longer.
• Spray leftover guacamole with cooking spray before putting it back in the fridge.
• Store potatoes with apples to keep them from sprouting.
• Add a dab of butter to the cut side of cheese to keep it from drying out.
• Wrap celery, broccoli, and lettuce in tin foil before storing in the fridge.
• Keep ginger in the freezer.
• Keep mushrooms in a paper bag, not a plastic bag.

Six Mosquito Bite Fixes

Here are a few things that will take the sting out of mosquito bites. Just rub on and the sting will go away. White vinegar, toothpaste, lemon juice, ice, Garlic, aloe. All work about the same, but some smell better than others.

Five Anti Ant Actions

This is the time of year ants are really having fun with us, but here are a few household things to keep them away for a while. These are all cheaper than the commercial insecticides.

Put some vinegar in a spray bottle. Spray around the areas they show up, like all your door jams. Vinegar leaves behind a natural ant repellent and the smell dissipates quickly.

Draw a wide line of chalk on the ground, ants will not cross over it, nor will a number of other little creatures. if you see a few ants, draw a circle around them and watch how effective it is.

Black Pepper is another natural safe item to use if the other methods are not available, try sprinkling some pepper around. They hate that. Sprinkle some by their nest to keep them from feeding the queen. Course ground pepper is less effective.

Cayenne Pepper has the same abilities as regular pepper and it also keeps the squirrels away if you mix it with a bit of Vaseline and put it on your fence. Of course you need to replace after a heavy rain.

Cinnamon is also good to bug the bugs and it smells great