Tips or Tricks?

These tips were in my FB news feed today (shared with a photo from http://www.facebook.com/eve.bass).  Some of them sound pretty legit, and I’ll have to try them out.  Others, either because of the way they are worded or the actual ideas suggested I’m going to have to pass on.  Here are my favorites, either way.

2) Cornstarch: Untangle Knots
Sprinkling cornstarch into tough knots, such as shoe laces helps loosen them.

I’m always making a rat’s nest of knots when I winterize people’s swamp coolers.  Then in the spring I have to deal with my mess.  I’ll have to give this a try when spring finally decides to stop teasing us and get on in earnest.  But, I think I’d prefer to use nutrient-less white flour: flour just sounds better to me than starch.

4) Club Soda: Make Your Breads Fluffier
When baking, where recipes call for water, add club soda instead to make pancakes, waffles and any other breads fluffier.

You can probably use less baking soda this way.  There may even be some magical balance where you don’t have to use any baking soda.  But the two biggest reasons I probably won’t use this tip are 1) I’ll have to track the sodium added, and 2) I haven’t baked much for quite a while, and barring certain changes, probably won’t be for just as long.

7) Chap stick: Stops Bleeding When Nicked Shaving
Cut yourself shaving? Just swipe some chap stick over the cut to stop that constant bleeding. No more tissue squares!

I don’t often nick myself when shaving (that might require that I shave often).  But this sounds like a decent option.

8) Apple Juice: Removes Dandruff
Don’t ask how it works, but it does! Instead of buying a special shampoo, just wash your hair in apple juice to rid your scalp of pesky dandruff.

I’m skeptical, but when I do shave, I usually shave my head as well, so it’s hard to know if I have dandruff.  But I’d give it a shot.

15) Coke: Remove Blood Stains from Clothing
Soak the stain in coke until the stain is dissolved, then wash the clothing as usual. Wash before the coke dries, though.

The unquenchable emails about what diet coke can do make me skeptical about what might happen if I use this on delicate fabrics (see #39).

16) Honey: Remove Blemish Overnight
Have a blemish you need to get rid of by tomorrow? Put a dab of honey on the blemish and cover it up (it’s best to use a Band-Aid) and the honey’s natural antibacterial properties will clean out the bacteria by the morning.

What are we calling a blemish here?  Honey’s not going to remove the mole on my neck, nor your birthmark (hey, just sayin’… you probably don’t actually have one).

19) Chalk: Keep Ants and Slugs Out of the House
Ants and Slugs Won’t Touch Chalk. So, simply draw a line in front of your doorway where you are having problems with these pesky critters and they won’t cross it, meaning they won’t be able to get into your house.

This one’s just too awesome… draw a line on the ground and tell the ants “I dare you to cross!”  Even cooler would be if you could draw a chalk line in sand.

22) Tin Foil Ball: Replace Dryer Sheets Permanently
Instead of using a dryer sheet ball up one or a few sheets of tin foil and toss it in the dryer. It removes the static electricity from your clothes and one can last up to a year.

Nope.  Not going to try this one, not ever.  I can see all the fraying clothes now.  Especially if I were to use tin instead of aluminum foil.  My jeans will survive, but a lot of other clothes I don’t think will fare as well.

23) Banana Peel: Polish Leather Shoes
Use the inside of a banana peel to give shoes a professional and natural shine that will last for quite some time.

I’d like to try this one in combination with #19.  Smear a banana peel all over my shoe, then draw a chalk line around it, then dump some ants in close proximity and see if they try to find any yummy goodness on my shoes.

24) Mouthwash: Cure Athlete’s Foot
Pour mouthwash on cotton balls and then swab your feet. The alcohol will disinfect the bacteria completely if you continue this for a week or so.

It’s probably cheaper to use isopropyl or denatured ethyl alcohol instead.  Especially if you buy mouthwash without alcohol.

33) Apple Cider Vinegar: Relieve Diarrhea
Mix two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar into eight ounces of water to soothe your stomach. The taste may not be the greatest, but the antibacterial properties of the vinegar will end the unpleasantness of the bowel problems.

I don’t know… the unpleasantness of the taste of the one that coats, or of apple cider vinegar… I’ll have to give this one a try, but with the pink stuff on hand just in case.

35) Cheerios: Relieve Pain from Poison Ivy, Chickenpox and Sunburns
Pound one to four cups of Cheerios into a powder and add to your bath to soothe your skin while you soak. You may not feel relief while in the tub, but you will soon after.

I bet oatmeal will do the same, but cheaper.

39) Coke: Remove Oil Stains from the Driveway
Oil stains are very difficult to remove [from] pavement, but one method guaranteed to work is Coke. The highly acidic drink will eat away at the oil until clean.

I should probably try this, but I’m including it more for reference from above.

44) Salt: Cool Something Quickly
You know that feeling when you’re having a BBQ and someone asks for a drink and you realize that no one has put them in the cooler? There’s nothing worse than a warm drink on a hot day. Chill a drink quickly, by adding salt and water to your ice. The drinks will be cold in a matter of minutes; saving your party and making you look smart all at once.

Another trick is to roll the can in the ice water for a couple of minutes.  It would be cool to have a race and see which method is faster.

48) Banana Peel: Whiten Teeth
This may sound a little odd, but rub the inside of a banana peel on your teeth twice a day for two weeks and you will receive the same effect from a teeth-whitening kit. Plus, you’ll save yourself money and the hassle of using chemicals.

Yeah, I’m skeptical.  I guess I’ll have to try it.  But that’s a lot of bananas to eat, which will probably be the reason I never do try it.