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DIY Household Tips And Tricks That Grandma Knew (PHOTOS)

The Best DIY Household Secrets
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From "1,001 Old-Time Household Hints: Timeless Bits of Household Wisdom for Today's Home and Garden":

It's a whole new year, the perfect opportunity to finally start growing food in that container garden you've been talking about, rid your house of nasty toxins, and actually reduce your carbon footprint once and for all. But you don't need to shell out big bucks for a fancy compact composter or spend extra on "green" cleaning products. Take a few resourceful old-time hints from your great grandmother and you'll soon be on your way to a simpler, more self-sufficient lifestyle.

The Best Old-Time Household Hints
Soak Greasy Tools in Coca-Cola(01 of07)
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Cola, while not so good for your teeth or love handles, can be put to good use cleaning tools and other sticky surfaces. Since cola was invented in the late 1800s, mechanics have been using it as a cleaner for tools and mechanical items. New Jersey textile designer and engineer William H. Carroll’s simple advice? “Soak in Coke! When tools and mechanical items get gummed up with oil and grease, soak them overnight in a bath of Coca-Cola. It will cut the grease and make them shine.” And we all know Coca-Cola costs less than water! (credit:Flickr/vwb5)
Non-toxic Cleaner: Baking Soda and Murphy Oil Soap(02 of07)
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A natural and effective bathroom cleaner can be created using baking soda and Murphy Oil Soap, a biodegradable, phosphate-free vegetable oil soap invented in 1905. Sprinkle some baking soda on porcelain bathroom fixtures and rub with a wet rag. Add a little Murphy Oil Soap to the rag and continue rubbing. Rinse well. For the toilet, apply baking soda inside the bowl and follow with a bit of Murphy Oil Soap. Scrub with a toilet brush. Wear an old pair of socks over your hands like mittens while you scrub with the soap. This two-handed method will have your furniture, mantels, tabletops, cabinets, blinds, and ceiling fans dusted in half the time. (credit:Flickr/kafka4prez)
Freshen Up a Room with Coffee Grinds(03 of07)
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A room or house containing a fireplace that has been unused for a long stretch of time will sometimes start to have a sooty odor from drafts circulating through the house. The Old Farmer’s Almanack for 1914 suggests this method for freshening up the air: Crumple old newspapers, put them in the fireplace, and sprinkle ground coffee on top of the newspapers. Light a fire and allow it to burn. The coffee scent will clear the sooty odor and you won’t be breathing in the neurotoxins commonly found in air fresheners! (credit:Flickr/INeedCoffee/CoffeeHero)
Save the Cooking Water(04 of07)
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When you prepare corn on the cob, pasta, potatoes, or other vegetables, don’t pour the hot water down the drain. Instead, remove the food with tongs or a slotted spoon. When the water has cooled dump it directly onto a thirsty plant, or save it in a large container to take out to your garden later. (credit:Flickr/miia ranta)
New Life for Old Christmas Cards(05 of07)
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This year, don’t toss out all your lovely holiday cards with the tree. Do like the Victorians and make old cards into gifts: gather inexpensive picture frames at discount stores and yard sales during the year and use them to frame your own card collages. You can also make tree ornaments for next Christmas using your cards: collect bits of fringe, trim, and ribbon from left-over wrapping to use as borders, then punch a hole through the top of each card and pull a ribbon through it to hang. Another way to extend the enjoyment of your cards is by using them to make gift tags. Cut around a desired swatch, such as a bell or wreath, or cut your own shape from a patterned or colored background. Additional shapes can be made using cookie cutters as guides. Use a hole punch to attach a ribbon to toe the tags to your packages. (credit:Flickr/pink.polka)
Make Plant Labels with Recycled Scraps(06 of07)
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It’s important to keep all of the plants in your garden labeled in order to properly keep track of them, but commercial plastic labels will never decompose. Instead, use objects you are already planning on recycling such as an aluminum pie tin cut into strips. Engrave the plant names into the soft aluminum using a large nail or ballpoint pen. Or try cutting white detergent or bleach bottles into strips, using a permanent marker to write the plant names. (credit:Flickr/Orin Zebest)
(07 of07)
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Get more household tips from 1,001 Old-Time Household Hints: Timeless Bits of Household Wisdom for Today’s Home and Garden, by the editors of Yankee Magazine, Skyhorse Publishing, January 2011.

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