Handy Hints for Wednesday ~ 14
Week 14 of handy hints, where has the time gone? Sometimes I sit to write a selection and the mind goes completely blank. I wonder if anyone has a suggestion to help me overcome this problem? 
If you bathing sponge has become stale-smelling, just soak it in a strong baking soda solution for an hour and then rinse in clean water.
To relieve skin irritations, add baking soda to a bath filled with warm and not hot water. It will also sooth the itching from measles & chickenpox
A five minute shower uses about a third of the water of a bath. But power showers can use more water than a bath in less than five minutes.
To clean copper use left over lemon halves together with salt; the acid together with the abrasiveness of the salt really does the trick.
To ease aching muscles after the flu mix 1 tablespoon of horseradish in 1 cup of olive oil. Let the mixture sit for 30 minutes, then apply it as massage oil.
UPDATE: This is week 14 of the hints,and there will be a Special 14 on Saturday, so I am adding a little extra tip that I have stolen directly from Kenju who knows all about flowers!
This suggestion should have been posted a week ago! GUYS: If you are planning to order flowers for Valentine’s Day, don’t wait until Friday to do it!! And please consider ordering something other than red roses. The red ones are so ordinary and overdone - and there are many other gorgeous colors of roses available and many other types of beautiful flowers to buy instead of roses. Mixed bouquets usually last longer, too, assuming the flowers are in good condition when you get them.
Go to your local flower shop - and don’t call 1-800 numbers or florists listed on the web, unless you know their shop and can vouch for them. So many places these days are simply call centers which transfer your order to shops that use low grade flowers and charge the same as good shops would, but for inferior products. Part of the money you pay them for the flowers actually goes to transferring the order, so you are not getting full value for your money!
If you are willing to take delivery before Sat., you may be able to get a discount on delivery, and if you are willing to pick up the flowers and deliver them yourself, you’ll save a bundle on delivery fees.
Magpie11 said,
February 11, 2009 at 10:58 am
Baking soda again…alkali as opposed to acid in vinegar…interesting!
Another goody for cleaning copper and brass…Worcestershire Sauce! I’ve done whole pubs full that way!…ask not… why?
Flowers..good advice…but don’t put daffodils in with other flowers…they exude a slimy substance that seems to kill other flowers!
Also…along with the “aspirin in the water” tricks… Carnations seem to love lemonade!! (the real stuff not Lite).
Oh and azaleas should only be watered with rain water or melted snow!
Grannymar said,
February 11, 2009 at 11:13 am
Magpie,
Thanks for all the tips. You know……. there is enough info in that comment to keep you in posts for a week!
The first one I want to hear about is the ‘Worcestershire Sauce’ and Pubs!
Nick said,
February 11, 2009 at 11:39 am
When we had our bathroom redone, we insisted on having an ordinary shower and not a power shower to cut water use. It’s perfectly adequate and does the job just as well.
Ah, Valentine’s Day - a very special day. Not that Jenny and I need it to know our feelings for each other. And I don’t think we’ve ever given each other red roses….
kenju said,
February 11, 2009 at 12:40 pm
Thanks for sharing my Valentine flowers advice! We need to get that word out all over the world!!
If you want to save some of the water from a shower for other uses, place a 5 gallon bucket in the shower stall or bathtub with you. You’ll be amazed at how quickly it fills. That water can be used to flush toilets or water plants.
When your shampoo bottle is “empty”, run an inch of water into it and swirl it around. You’ll get 3-4 more shampoos out of it!
Grannymar said,
February 11, 2009 at 1:22 pm
@Nick - I am with you on the ordinary shower, as you say it does the job well.
Snap on the red roses; Jack was not one for giving flowers - he associated them with illness & death. On the one occasion that he broke his own rule and gave me flowers I became ill with a very bad flu. When flowers come into my house I seem to hear about someone who is ill or has died. The flowers don’t last more than a few days either…
@Judy - Thanks for the tips.
I have a sister-in-law who seems to work round the clock at this time of year. My brother sees little of her from early February until Easter. We have several St Hallmark days - St Val’s, St Patrick’s, Mother’s Day & Easter. Our Mothering Sunday is always the fourth Sunday of Lent. This year Mother’s Day will be 22nd March.
Darlene said,
February 11, 2009 at 6:05 pm
I think my URL is okay now. I hope the incorrect one doesn’t pop up again,
In almost all cleaning tips vinegar and baking soda are the main ingredients. Why waste money on expensive labels when you can get the same results without spending a fortune?
Baino said,
February 11, 2009 at 7:50 pm
Wow all this water saving, anyone would think you lived in Oz! We received our water saving shower heads and tap aerators free to encourage saving the precious stuff. As for horseradish massages? Mmm … I’ll save mine for the roast beef! And I’ll be buying my own flowers this Valentine’s day *sob* (my hort tells me to snip off the ends and add a teaspoon of sugar to the water. That’s probably why lemonade works in keeping them fresher longer)
Grannymar said,
February 11, 2009 at 7:55 pm
@Darlene - Emailed how to fix the URL.
@Baino - Oz is very much to the forefront of our minds and in our hearts right now, making it a good time to dwell on water saving ideas.
steph said,
February 11, 2009 at 8:09 pm
That’s very good advice from Kenju.
My hubby has never bought me flowers for Valentine’s Day. He grows his own and presents me with a little posy of fresh flowers at brekkie time.
Even if it’s only a tiny bunch of snowdrops, I enjoy them far more than I would any bouquet of half-dead roses.
Grannymar said,
February 11, 2009 at 8:15 pm
Steph,
What a lovely idea!
Darlene said,
February 11, 2009 at 8:37 pm
Thanks Marie. I hope it’s finally fixed.
Stop (blog) Thief « The Blog Pound said,
February 11, 2009 at 9:51 pm
[...] (blog) Thief I was thinking (I know, bad idea) about Grannymar’s handy hints and tips and I thought, hey, if she can do it then why can’t we. So I bring you TBP’s [...]
Diane said,
February 12, 2009 at 3:46 am
Hi
I am stopping by from Rummuser’s recent guest blog you so beautifully wrote.
I think baking soda is so versatile form your teeth to the porcelin sink and everything in between. Its such a gentle cleaner too. Thanks for all the tips! I think I am going to take a bath tonight just how you have recommended. My skin always feel so soft after a baking soda one!
grannymar said,
February 12, 2009 at 9:46 am
Diane welcome to the party!
Enjoy your long soak in the bath.
Conrad said,
February 13, 2009 at 5:05 am
I just came over after reading that delightful, magical story of you and Jack on Ramana’s blog.
Idea for that blank mind. When I sit down for my blog and try to “control” the entry, this happens to me quite a bit. But, if I let the entry go where it wants to, where the exit surprises me as much as the readers, it flows. I have no idea if that is universal…or just me.
grannymar said,
February 13, 2009 at 9:26 am
Welcome Conrad to the fun and games.
I will try to do as you suggest and give my thoughts the run of the playground!