# Share your best household-type hint **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 24, 2008, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-your-best-household-type-hint/461104 "2008-08-24T15:56:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Carson\_O\_Genic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cdc98d/32.png) [@Carson\_O\_Genic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carson_O_Genic)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2008, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-your-best-household-type-hint/461104/61 "2008-08-26T00:21:24Z")
The fastest most economical method I’ve found for removing skins from tomatoes uses a blowtorch; mine is propane with a finger click igniter, which gets used for creme brulee and the like. Just dance the flame around the fruit 'til it blisters and peel off. ---
**Author:** ![Walpurgis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/7ea924/32.png) [@Walpurgis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walpurgis)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2008, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-your-best-household-type-hint/461104/62 "2008-08-26T06:44:27Z")
[QUOTE=WhyNot] :smack: And one of those things you have to grit your teeth and endure is Dopers assuming you’re American! Sorry. The clay in question is a form of [zeolite](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeolite) , which I think you can also get at pet stores in chunk form (it’s used in aquarium filters). Maybe a few chunks of zeolite in your fridge would help, if it’s an all-over moisture problem. [/QUOTE] Hehe, no worries. And thanks for the details! Now I’ll know what to ask for. ---
**Author:** ![Risha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/5fc32e/32.png) [@Risha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Risha)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2008, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-your-best-household-type-hint/461104/63 "2008-08-26T15:22:53Z")
[QUOTE=Rhythmdvl] Cats’ box is in the basement. Pooches don’t think of them as litter boxes so much as “Tootsie Roll pans with sand that needs spreading.” Door came off hinges. Triangle about seven inches per side came off the lower corner. [/QUOTE] Brilliant. _stares in awe_ [QUOTE=Rhythmdvl] If you’re at all interested, let me know and I’ll describe the Worlds’ Best Solution to preventing pooches from eating the cats’ food. [/QUOTE] Yes, please! ---
**Author:** ![The\_Chao\_Goes\_Mu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_chao_goes_mu/32/3191_2.png) [@The\_Chao\_Goes\_Mu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Chao_Goes_Mu)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2008, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-your-best-household-type-hint/461104/64 "2008-08-26T16:43:58Z")
My tip: Forget going out and paying $4-$5 (USD) on furniture polish. Just keep a few lemons around and a bottle of mineral oil which is about $1.50-$2. For my living room furniture I squeeze one lemon into a bowl and add about a tablespoon of mineral oil. I grab an old ratty washcloth or some paper towels and wipe all the woodwork down. It cleans, disinfects, polishes and won’t kill your pets if you have a zoo like I do. (6 cats and a dog) I bought a pint of mineral oil back in May and I’m not even 1/4 of the way through it and I polish weekly. Cat or dog hair stuck to your furniture? Forget lint rollers and duct tape, if you’re inclined to use latex (or vinyl) gloves while cleaning, start with the furniture. Just put them on, wipe your hands over the the fabric and the fur will just ball up and you can pluck it off. This works really well with mine since the fabric is such that the fur sort of embeds in the fibers. A mere vacuum cleaner just doesn’t have enough suck to pull them out. The gloves work wonders. A few drops of fabric softener mixed with water is a great way to wipe down lampshades and when you turn the lights on you have the nice subtle fresh laundy scent around the room. To add to what others have said about polishing silver with toothpaste, it works well on brass too. I love this thread. I’m taking notes! ---
**Author:** ![GilaB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8e7dd6/32.png) [@GilaB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GilaB)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2008, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-your-best-household-type-hint/461104/65 "2008-08-26T16:49:23Z")
For easy, free vegetable stock: store any vegetable trimmings you have (carrot peelings, the ends of onions, wilty outer layers of celery, parsley stems, tiny garlic cloves too small to chop, etc.) in a gallon-sized ziplock bag in the freezer. When the bag gets full, dump into a small stockpot or large saucepan, mostly fill with water, and add a bay leaf and a few peppercorns. If you don’t have much in the way of onion or carrot trimmings in the bag, add an onion or carrot; don’t both to peel it. Bring to a boil, and simmer for an hour. Strain out the solids, and voila! Stock from garbage! Bear in mind that any strongly colored (like beets) or very strongly flavored (like asparagus or rosemary stems) trimmings will affect the color and flavor of your stock. I like to reduce it down after straining it by bringing it to a rapid boil until there’s only about 1/4 of the original volume, then freezing it in ice cube trays. Each ice cube is then equivalent to 1/4 cup of stock - when you want to use it, drop it in a measuring cup, fill with water to the 1/4 cup mark, and melt. You can also do something similar for chicken stock. Save the bones leftover after you serve roast chicken (rinse off any strong sauces or flavorings) in a bag in the freezer. When it gets full, bring it to a boil with a few carrots, an onion, a few stalks of celery, and a bay leaf, and let it simmer for at least 3 hours for nearly free chicken stock. You can do the same reduction in ice cube form as above. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2008, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-your-best-household-type-hint/461104/66 "2008-08-26T17:11:41Z")
[QUOTE=GilaB] For easy, free vegetable stock: store any vegetable trimmings you have (carrot peelings, the ends of onions, wilty outer layers of celery, parsley stems, tiny garlic cloves too small to chop, etc.) in a gallon-sized ziplock bag in the freezer. When the bag gets full, dump into a small stockpot or large saucepan, mostly fill with water, and add a bay leaf and a few peppercorns. If you don’t have much in the way of onion or carrot trimmings in the bag, add an onion or carrot; don’t both to peel it. Bring to a boil, and simmer for an hour. Strain out the solids, and voila! Stock from garbage! [/QUOTE] You can also freeze the water from cooking potatoes or veggies and se that for the stock. My father was cleaning up once and Mom was dismayed that he threw away her potato water. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Enright3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/enright3/32/2897_2.png) [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2008, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-your-best-household-type-hint/461104/67 "2008-08-26T19:39:51Z")
[QUOTE=don’t ask] If you are too lazy to go upstairs to the toilet don’t piss in the sink until you have shut he front door. [/QUOTE] Rats! I came in here to post that you should always move the dishes out of the sink before taking a piss. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![The\_Chao\_Goes\_Mu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_chao_goes_mu/32/3191_2.png) [@The\_Chao\_Goes\_Mu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Chao_Goes_Mu)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2008, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-your-best-household-type-hint/461104/68 "2008-08-26T19:47:10Z")
[QUOTE=Enright3] Rats! I came in here to post that you should always move the dishes out of the sink before taking a piss. 🙂 [/QUOTE] Ew. Please tell me you’re a bachelor. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![ASAKMOTSD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/919ad9/32.png) [@ASAKMOTSD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASAKMOTSD)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2008, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-your-best-household-type-hint/461104/69 "2008-08-26T20:11:23Z")
[QUOTE=The Chao Goes Mu] Ew. Please tell me you’re a bachelor. 😉 [/QUOTE] I think \*\*she \*\*may really be married… 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2008, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-your-best-household-type-hint/461104/70 "2008-08-26T20:13:52Z")
Those are the only ones I do that to. Mushrooms will still be ok if you take them out of the plastic. They dry out, but they don’t slime. I’ll still use them in sauces and stuff - they rehydrate a little. With celery, I don’t use individual ribs. I cut a bit of the leafy end off and throw it away, then slice whatever amount I need of the whole stalk. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Chao\_Goes\_Mu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_chao_goes_mu/32/3191_2.png) [@The\_Chao\_Goes\_Mu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Chao_Goes_Mu)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2008, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-your-best-household-type-hint/461104/71 "2008-08-26T20:21:26Z")
[QUOTE=ASAKMOTSD] I think \*\*she \*\*may really be married… 😉 [/QUOTE] :smack: Now, I’ve seen guys sidle up to a sink and take a piss but a woman? That takes effort. You have to drop trou, then heft yourself over the sink, ass dangling over the tupperware… wow. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![pinkfreud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pinkfreud/32/17603_2.png) [@pinkfreud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pinkfreud)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2008, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-your-best-household-type-hint/461104/72 "2008-08-26T20:52:01Z")
About once a month I hand-squeeze a lot of lemons and limes for homemade lemonade and limeade. After I’ve squoze out all the juice (and pulp, I love the pulp), I pour it into one-piece plastic ice cube trays and put the trays in the freezer. When frozen solid, I flex the trays and dump all the juice cubes into a large zip-style plastic bag. The bag stays in the freezer until it’s time to make a batch of lemonade or limeade. I just grab some juice cubes and throw 'em into some sweetened water. It’s as easy as making Kool-Aid. In case anyone is interested, I do a **lot** of lemon and lime squeezing, and I get the best results by using a Good Grips wooden reamer made by [Oxo](http://www.amazon.com/Oxo-Good-Grips-Wooden-Reamer/dp/B0007VO0DA/). This little thing is amazing. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2008, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-your-best-household-type-hint/461104/73 "2008-08-26T21:07:13Z")
Oh, I forgot to give my Awesome Tomato Paste Can Trick. If you’re using a can of tomato paste, it’s a real pain to try to get it out with a spoon or something. Just use your can opener to open BOTH ends of the can and use one end to push the whole shebang out the other end like one of those popsicle things. ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2008, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-your-best-household-type-hint/461104/74 "2008-08-26T21:23:12Z")
[QUOTE=Rhythmdvl] Don’t eat half-eaten chicken drumsticks left in opens bins for weeks. [/QUOTE] Instead, give them to the dog! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2008, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-your-best-household-type-hint/461104/75 "2008-08-26T22:31:42Z")
Pool owners: Don’t bother with those cheap winter pool covers that only last two seasons and you have to mess with all of those water tubes or water boxes on the edges. (and if you have one of those fancy expensive covers, just move along) Go to Home Depot and buy: A 20’x100’ roll of their thickest black plastic 20 bags of mulch, in an appropriate color for your landscaping. Use the black plastic for the cover, weighing down the edges with the bags of mulch. The bags won’t leak like the water tubes and they will hold down the edges in the strongest winter storm. In the spring, just bundle up the black plastic and put it out for the trash. Use the bags of mulch for your landscaping. ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2008, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-your-best-household-type-hint/461104/76 "2008-08-26T22:50:34Z")
[QUOTE=Rascal’s Mom] Seriously? Then this would work with crusty stove top drip trays, wouldn’t it? [/QUOTE] Yes, it does. Be warned-- ammonia stinks and makes your eyes water. Be sure to use it in a well-ventilated place. ---
**Author:** ![ladybug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/46a35a/32.png) [@ladybug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ladybug)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2008, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-your-best-household-type-hint/461104/77 "2008-08-26T23:38:55Z")
[QUOTE=Zsofia] Oh, I forgot to give my Awesome Tomato Paste Can Trick. If you’re using a can of tomato paste, it’s a real pain to try to get it out with a spoon or something. Just use your can opener to open BOTH ends of the can and use one end to push the whole shebang out the other end like one of those popsicle things. [/QUOTE] Good idea! I’m going to try it the next time I make pizza sauce. Here’s my tip: If you have sandals that are kind of smelly but too good to throw away, put them in plastic storage bags and stick them in the freezer for 24 hours. I’ve tried this, and it works wonders. ---
**Author:** ![Digital\_Stimulus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Digital\_Stimulus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_Stimulus)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2008, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-your-best-household-type-hint/461104/78 "2008-08-27T00:09:01Z")
To hard boil eggs: [ul] [li]Put eggs in pot, filled with just enough cold water so the eggs are submerged.[/li][li]Turn the heat on high and bring to a boil.[/li][li]Just prior to the point where the eggs will begin knocking each other (leading to cracked eggshells), move the pot to another burner.[/li][li]Let water cool to room temperature.[/li][/ul] I’ve found that I can’t trust using a timer, and the above has worked every time. ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2008, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-your-best-household-type-hint/461104/79 "2008-08-27T00:30:20Z")
If you have a screw hole in a wall that is worn down such that a screw won’t thread in there, break a couple of toothpicks in it. The new wood will take the threads from the screw. ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2008, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-your-best-household-type-hint/461104/80 "2008-08-27T02:01:16Z")
[QUOTE=Morbo] If you have a screw hole in a wall that is worn down such that a screw won’t thread in there, break a couple of toothpicks in it. The new wood will take the threads from the screw. [/QUOTE] If it’s in solid wood and you want a fresh start, squirt in some glue, tap in a golf tee, clip it off, and re-drill. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-your-best-household-type-hint/461104.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-your-best-household-type-hint/461104.md?page=5)