Why You’ll Find Hose in the Freezer
Move over, Heloise. Here comes Angeleno Jean B. MacLeod with “If I’d Only Listened to My Mom, I’d Know How to Do This” (St. Martin’s Griffin, $14.95).
A “compulsive collector of practical information,” MacLeod has compiled hundreds of helpful household hints and time- and money-saving tips in an easy-to-access A to Z format.
While a few fall into the any-idiot-knows-that category (when packing, place heaviest items in bottom of suitcase . . .) and others seem quite silly (for onions without tears, don a diver’s mask while chopping), the book has more than its share of nifty nuggets.
Ants? Put out sticks of mint chewing gum at entry points (no need to unwrap).
Pictures askew? They’ll stay straight if you place a corn pad at each of the lower back corners.
Bananas ripen too fast? Peel them, refrigerate them in a tightly capped jar. They’ll keep a week or so.
To keep the birds away from your fruit trees, cut a Mylar balloon into one-inch strips and tie them to the branches.
Cut flowers will stay fresh twice as long if you stick them in the refrigerator at night--but not near fruit, which is not flower-friendly. To keep tulips from drooping, put a few drops of vodka into their water.
If a dripping faucet is driving you mad, tie a string around it. The water will roll down the string, eliminating the noise.
For cobwebs on high ceilings, “throw a tennis ball wrapped in a cloth or pillowcase at the cobwebs.”
MacLeod swears that a fabric softener sheet will control flyaway hair, that sticking your fingers in the freezer will dry your nail polish quicker and that you’ll prolong the life of new pantyhose by freezing them for 24 hours. (Thaw before wearing.)
Watering those hanging indoor plants? Slip a shower cap over the bottom of the pot to catch the drips.
Lost the end of the cellophane tape? Stick the roll in hot water for a few seconds. (MacLeod also says that plastic wrap will be less tangle-prone if kept in the refrigerator). Finally, if I did have deer destroying my garden, I don’t think I’d ask my hairdresser to save his clients’ clippings so I could bag them and tie them to my trees. But thanks for the tip, Ms. MacLeod.
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