Wednesday, April 15

My Earliest Memory ~ Redux

When you have nothing to post and can't think of anything to write - you can pop back into your archives and find something old to post. Enjoy.

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I finally managed to do something necessary today. I took a load of junk to the dump and I have another box ready to go to Goodwill tomorrow. It feels good to rid my house of stuff we don't need anymore. Now if I could just convince myself to sort through the 5,000 other things I don't really need - we'd be in good shape. (You think I'm exaggerating, don't you? I can assure you I am not.) When my daughter-in-law and two granddaughters were here Sunday, I let them go through the boxes to see if there was anything they wanted to take. Lo and behold, they took some things, but most of it was not items I thought they would want. But I was happy to share and pleased that they found some things they wanted.

Occasionally I get some junk mail that masquerades as a "newsletter". The last one had a list of household hints, from which I have gleaned the better ones. I can't personally vouch for the efficacy, but they might be worth a try:

1. One way to clean artificial flowers is to pour some salt into a paper bag and then add the flowers. Shake vigorously. The salt will absorb all the dust and dirt and leave the flowers looking like new. Or so they say. After that, you'd have to hire someone to re-arrange the flowers for you.....LOL.

2. When using a pastry bag, instead of putting the ingredients directly into the bag, wrap the ingredients in plastic wrap and cut the end off, then place in the pastry bag. This keeps the bag clean.

3. Put any musty smelling old books into a brown paper bag with baking soda in it, close tightly, and let sit for approximately one week.

4. In a pinch for a long match, use a piece of spaghetti. Just light the end. It's great for lighting water heater pilot lights, etc. I never knew that spaghetti would burn like that.

5. Use glow-in-the-dark paint to dab dots on your light switches and doorknobs. This way you can easily find your way when the lights are off at night.

6. Oil a metal tape measure with WD-40. It will remove rust and help it slide more easily.

7. The next time your mascara runs dry, don't toss it out. The brush is the perfect size for cleaning small nooks and crannies. Shampoo the bristles and allow them to dry - and get to work!


15 comments:

Anonymous said...

Isn't it amazing how much "stuff" we can accumulate over the years?
We've found that the purging can be sometimes more rewarding than the gathering.

MaR said...

Adding spaghettis to my grocery shopping list :)

Gilly said...

All good hints, I am sure (will definitely try the spaghetti one!) until the last. I am NOT bothering with teeny crevices and a mascara brush! (Dirt will have to stay!)

But junk mail just fills our paper recycling bag every week - what can you do???

Grannymar said...

I am off to test a few of those hints. If they work you might see them at my place some Wednesday!

Thanks Judy!

bobbie said...

Interesting. Must try some of these.

Having moved house a few times, I can certainly empathize with the fact that we accumulate an amazing amount of "stuff" without realizing it. Tons and tons of it!

Arkansas Patti said...

Good hints there which I will try some of. Like the glow in the dark paint idea.
I agree with Seamus, sometimes it really feels good getting rid of "stuff" especially if it goes to someone who thinks is usable.

Star said...

I will definately be using the book hint! Most liely will make use of the spaghetti hint. If the crevice is so small that only a masacara brush will clean it, it is likely to remain dusty.

Pat said...

Snap! My step-daughter has just relieved us of a baby's cot, a chair, two large cushions, about 10 framed pictures, a large decorative glass bottle,a large brass tray, a brass preserving pan and various brass bric a brac. All of them stuffed up in the attic - and lots more left!

Evil Twin's Wife said...

Very interesting! I'll have to remember the spaghetti trick. I always have tons of it on hand.

kenju said...

Has anyone looked at the link?

robin andrea said...

That's a grand hint list.

rosemary said...

all very helpful hints...and more reason to keep extra salt, bags, mascara brushes, faux flowers, books, messed up tape measures and a ton of spaghetti!!!

Joy Des Jardins said...

Hey, some good hints here Judy. I'm going to try some of these. I like the glow-in-the-dark paint on the light switches...clever. Like the spaghetti one too. Thanks.

srp said...

I never knew a spaghetti would burn either.... think I'll try it later! I have heard about the paint dot though!

You should check out some of the stuff and make sure it isn't worth a lot on ebay or craig's list. You never know!

Travelin'Oma said...

The way I finally cleaned out my stuff was to move. I gave away a bunch of bits and pieces, and then started packing the rest. By the third day of packing boxes, my prized possessions were rapidly being demoted to junk. It cleaned out my mind, too.

Short of moving, I changed rooms around: moving the bedroom stuff out, and the office stuff in gave me a good look at everything. It looked old and wornout and boring.

Right in the middle of the redo I visited TJ Maxx and discovered treasures that looked new and fresh. I bought a few for minimal $$ and was able to haul a lot of old stuff to the salvation army to create space for my three new objets' de art!