Helpful Household Tips

Have you ever found yourself needing to remove a red wine stain from a tablecloth or researching methods for catching pesky fruit flies? Wouldn’t it be nice if someone was willing to share their tried-and-true methods with you.

In February 1959, Heloise Bowles pitched the idea of “Readers’ Exchange” to the Honolulu Advertiser. This column became “Hints from Heloise,” which, now written by her daughter Ponce Kiah Marchelle Heloise Cruse Evans, is internationally syndicated. After dozens of books, articles, speaking engagements, and websites, the hints never seem to run dry. Heloise adapts her material to the changing environment while reiterating the classic tips that still hold today. There is always something that we are struggling with that we wish Heloise could help solve.

Some of our favorite tips over the years:

📌 Organizing the Family Calendar
Designate a different color pen for each family member. Write each person’s activities in their special color. Choose another different color for whole family events. Not only will this help keep you organized, but it will help spruce up your calendar. You might want to also create a legend for easy reference of colors.

• Snack bowls (my personal favorite)
• Use as a separator when staking dishes/pans.
• Use to clean windows and mirrors.
• Keep in your car and use as wipes/napkins on the go.

📌 To Conserve Toilet Paper
This tip would have really come in handy during the toilet paper shortages of 2020 (hard to believe we went through that!). Give the roll a little smoosh to flatten it a bit before putting the toilet paper roll on the holder. If it is not perfectly round, you can’t get that spinning action going and will have to make more of an effort to get the toilet paper off of the roll. This is especially helpful for those with kids.

📌 Plastic Ice Cube Trays for Drawer Organizing
The options of what a simple ice cube tray can be used to organize are endless (buttons, cufflinks, screws, paperclips). I use them to organize my earrings and like that they can be stacked.

📌 Vinegar is one of the most versatile items in your home.

• Use to freshen a sink drain by pouring ½ cup of baking soda down the drain and then 1- 2 cups of vinegar. Let it bubble for a few minutes, and then flush thoroughly with water.
• Add 1/2 to 1 cup of vinegar to 1 gallon of water to make your own window cleaner. Use a reusable spray bottle for easy application.
• Rinse your hands with apple cider vinegar to remove any fish or onion odor. Speaking of odor, in a pan on the stove, boil 1-2 tablespoons of vinegar per cup of water to help with cooking odors.
• Pour a cup of apple cider vinegar into a small bowl or jar with a few drops of dish soap to trap pesky fruit flies.
  
  

📌 How to Remove a Red Wine Stain
To remove red wine stains from a tablecloth, pour a generous amount of salt on top of the stain to absorb the liquid. Next, put the tablecloth into cold water and try to rub out the stain. Lastly, soak for 30 minutes and then launder in the hottest water that is safe for the fabric, using an enzyme detergent.

📌Use a Pro/Con list.
It might seem old-fashioned, but a pro/con list can be a helpful decision-making tool. Divide a piece of paper down the middle and list the pros on one side and 

cons on the other. Focus on the side that is longer as well as has a more compelling argument. 

We hope that you have found these tips as useful as we did and encourage you to check out our other helpful blogs.