Tips to Make Life Around the House a Little Easier

NEW YORK — Some practical solutions from Family Circle magazine to make common household chores easier:

--Refrigerating bananas: To keep bananas from turning black in the refrigerator, put them into a white --not transparent--plastic bag and store in the crisper drawer. Days later the skins will be as yellow as the first day.

--Slide renewer: The “zip” on a swing-set slide can be renewed with spray starch. Cover the slide with a generous coating, wipe with a paper towel, then watch as the youngsters come speeding down.

--Fat free: To separate fat from soup stock, pour the stock into a jar, screw the lid on and store upside-down in the refrigerator. The fat will solidify at the bottom of the jar, allowing you to easily pour out the soup.