6 unusual uses for household items

I just received my first issue of Real Simple – it turns out it is more of a girl magazine than I realized. It looks like every ad in the magazine is geared towards women somehow. So, being a guy, I didn’t get that much of a kick out of it, but Linda seemed to enjoy it quite a bit! That said, I did find a very useful article in it that mentioned some common household items that have unusual, but practical uses. It talks about a bunch of ways to recycle or reuse common items that most people have laying around the house. These were my faves…

1. Sandpaper as a scissors sharpener

When your scissors go dull, just use them to cut through sandpaper a few times and voila! – they will be sharper. I prefer sharpening them with a knife sharpener, but this is a nice quick fix.

2. Use a candle to release a stuck zipper

If you have a stubborn zipper, you can just lightly rub a candle along the teeth on both sides. Then pull your zipper back and a forth a few times and it should be working better!

3. Paper-towel tube to store plastic bags

This one is much needed for us. We have a drawer dedicated to plastic bags from the grocery store or Target that is overflowing. They suggested just taking a paper towel tube and stuffing them in there. I think I am going to go spill something on the floor so I can use up all the paper towels to try this!

They also suggested using a Kleenex box as well.

4. Use a toothpick to mark your packaging tape

You know how you have a roll of tape that you can never find the end of? Their suggestion was to just put the end of the tape over a toothpick, then you can always find the end with ease.

5. Use Spaghetti as a candle-lighter

I haven’t tried this one yet, but apparently you can light a spaghetti noodle and it will hold a flame for a while. This is much more convenient than burning your fingers trying to use a match to light 10 candles.

6. Baking Soda as Silver-Polisher

I have tried this one on some of Linda’s jewelry and it works wonderfully. Here’s how:

Take a large container and line it with aluminum foil. Place the silver items on top of the foil. Pour boiling water over the items and quickly add 1/4 of baking soda and a few teaspoons of salt to the water. A chemical reaction takes place and silver cleans up nicely. Let it sit for a few minutes and repeat if necessary.

What about you? Got any items that you have an uncommon purpose for?  

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