Neat things I found in the Reader's Digest book Extraordinary Uses for Ordinary Things.

• Aluminum Foil
  • Sharpen your scissors - Fold foil strips into several layers and cut through it 7 or 8 times.
  • Reflect light for photography - Tape together three pieces of cardboard (so that they fold up) and cover in foil.
• Aspirin
  • Remove perspiration stains - Crush 2 tablets and mix into a half cup of warm water. Soak the stained part for 2-3 hours.
• Baby Oil
  • Clean your bathtub or shower - Wipe surfaced with a teaspoon of baby oil on a cloth. Use another cloth to wipe up excess oil then spray with a disinfectant with kill any remaining germs.
  • Shine bathroom and kitchen sink fixtures
• Baking Soda
  • Rid hands of food odours - Wet hands and rub vigorously with 2 teaspoons of baking soda instead of soap.
  • Clean a cutting board - Scrub with a paste made of 1 tablespoon each baking soda, salt, and water. Rinse thoroughly with hot water.
  • Remove musty odours from books - Place book in a brown paper bag with 2 tablespoons of baking soda. Tie it up and let sit in a dry environment for about a week.
  • Clean bathtubs and sinks - Apply a paste of 2 parts baking soda to one part hydrogen peroxide. Let sit for about a half hour then scrub and rinse well.
  • Soothe tired, smelly feet - Mix 4 tablespoons baking soda with a litre of warm water. Regular foot baths can be an effective treatment for persistent foot odour.
• Balloons
  • Mark your campsite
  • Make and ice pack. You can even mould it to a certain extent into shapes (weigh a little down to make a flatter pack for backs, etc.)
• Beer
  • Remove coffee or tea stains from carpet - Pour a bit of beer on top and rub lightly. You may have to repeat a couple times.
• Bottles
  • Place in toilet tank - Fill an empty 1 litre bottle with water and put it in the toilet tank to cut the amount of water in each flush and save money.
• Candles
  • Make a pincushion - The wax will help pins and needle glide more easily through fabric.
  • Weatherproof your labels - And addressing a package, rub a white candle over the writing to protect it.
• Cardboard Tubes
  • Keep Christmas lights tidy - Wrap lights around a tube and secure with masking tape. Put small strands inside the tube and seal the ends with masking tape.
• Chalk
  • Polish metal - Put some chalk dust on a cloth and wipe.
• Chest Rub
  • Stop insect bite itch.
• Club Soda
  • Make pancakes fluffier - Substitute club soda for the liquid called for in the recipe.
  • Remove fabric stains - Clean grease stains by applying club soda and scrubbing.
• Flour
  • Freshen playing cards - Drop the cards in a paper bag with enough flour to cover. Shake vigorously and remove the cards. The flour with absorb the oils, and can easily be knocked off.
• Freezer
  • Eliminate unpopped popcorn - store popcorn kernels in the freezer.
  • Remove wax from candle holders - Leave the holder in the freezer for a while then pick off the frozen wax.
• Gloves
  • Grip a stubborn jar lid - Use rubber gloves for better grip.
  • Remove cat hair - Put on a rubber glove and rub against the upholstery.
• Lemons
  • Cleanse your face - also exfoliates. Skin should improve after several days.
  • Soften dry elbows - Mix baking soda and lemon juice into an abrasive paste then rub into your elbows.
• Nail Polish Remover
  • Remove ink stains from skin.
  • Remove stickers from glass.
• Newspaper
  • Clean and polish your windows - Use instead of paper towel when washing windows.
• Oatmeal
  • Make a dry shampoo for cats - Grind up some oatmeal and add some baking soda. Rub into their fur, leave for a couple minutes then brush out.
• Olive Oil
  • Clear up acne - Mix 4 tablespoons salt with 3 table spoons olive oil. Pour into your hands and work around your face. Leave on for a minute or two, then rinse off with warm soapy water. Apply daily for a week, the cut back to two or three times weekly.
• Pantyhose
  • Wrap up wrapping paper - Keep used rolls from tearing and unravelling by storing them in tubes made by cutting the leg sections off old pairs of pantyhose.
• Paper Bags
  • Cover books
• Petroleum Jelly
  • Tidier nail polish application - Dab some along the sides and base of your nails. If polish seeps off, just wipe off.
• Rubber Bands
  • Wipe your paintbrush - Wrap a rubber band around the paint can from top to bottom, going across the middle of the can opening. When you fill your brush, slide across the rubber band to get rid of excess paint instead of the side of the can.
• Salt
  • Clean artificial flowers - Place flowers in a bag with a quarter cup of salt. Give a few gentle shakes and remove.
• Sugar
  • Soothe a burned tongue - Sprinkle a pinch or two of sugar on the effected area.
• Tea
  • Reduce razor burn - Apply a wet tea bag to the affected area.
  • Condition dry hair - Use a litre of warm, unsweetened tea as a final rinse after your regular shampoo.
• Vinegar
  • Wipe away mildew
  • Erase ballpoint pen marks from painted walls.
  • Un glue stickers, decals, and price tags
  • Remove carpet stains.
  • Keep windows frost free.
  • Remove water rings - Mix equal parts of vinegar and olive oil, apply with a soft cloth while moving with the wood grain.
  • Condition hair - Mix 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar with 2 tablespoons olive oil and 3 egg whites. Rub into hair then keep covered for 30 mins. Shampoo as usual.
  • Banish bruises - Speed healing by soaking a cotton ball in white or cider vinegar and leaving it on for an hour.
  • Soothe a sore throat - Gargle with a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar mixed with one teaspoon of salt dissolved in a glass of warm water.
  • Use as a facial treatment. Mix a quarter cup of apple cider vinegar with a quarter cup of water. Gently apply to your face and let dry. Dilute this treatment to make a toner.

Vinegar is ~*magic*~