# The "I'll be damned, it actually works" helpful tip thread **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 30, 2010, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ill-be-damned-it-actually-works-helpful-tip-thread/562425 "2010-11-30T16:59:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 12
**Author:** ![stpauler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@stpauler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stpauler)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2010, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ill-be-damned-it-actually-works-helpful-tip-thread/562425/221 "2010-12-29T14:08:12Z")
I moved into an apartment years ago that had plastic venetian blinds in the bathroom right next to the shower. Needless to say, these were pretty filthy with the accumulated dust and humidity, I could scratch off a layer with my thumb but the standard dusters wouldn’t make a dent in them. I pulled them down, hung 'em in the bathtub and spray them liberally with Easy-Off Oven cleaner. After waiting ten minutes, I hosed them down in the shower without even scrubbing and they were as clean as new. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2010, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ill-be-damned-it-actually-works-helpful-tip-thread/562425/222 "2010-12-29T15:20:13Z")
> [@OldnCrinkly](#): > > I have five children, taking them for immunizations was always a disaster. When the first one cried, the rest would be terrified and start crying before they even got the shot. My solution, which has worked wonderfully for me, is to let them cuss. Either hell, shit, or dammit, one time only, as loudly as they want when they get it. But if they cry, no cussing allowed. They really seem to get a thrill from it. I usually warn the nurse. Yeah, this is great! ---
**Author:** ![Lare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/53a042/32.png) [@Lare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lare)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2010, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ill-be-damned-it-actually-works-helpful-tip-thread/562425/223 "2010-12-29T15:38:36Z")
> [@Dung\_Beetle](#): > > I’m going to be testing the toothpaste-for-scratched-CDs trick sometime soon. The disks I got from the library were so scratched my player wouldn’t even accept them. All other wonderful properties aside, toothpaste contains an abrasive. What’s going to happen is that you’re going to scratch the CDs more than they already are. It may work because you might remove a layer of crud keeping the optics of your CD player from being able to read the almost-microscopic data on the disk, but in the long run, I don’t think this is a good plan. If you want to clean CDs, you should use a soft, lint-free cloth, maybe a mild cleaner, and rub from the center of the disk to the edge in a straight line. In other words, don’t make circles on the disk. Instead, think “spokes on a bicycle wheel.” When I clean a CD I start with warm, distilled water, no cleaner at all. This has worked for me so far, but I try not to let the CDs get too dirty in the first place. If water alone doesn’t work, I’ve been told that isopropyl alcohol is acceptable. Never use a petroleum-based solvent as it can seriously damage the disk. YMMV, and probably will. ---
**Author:** ![butler1850](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@butler1850](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/butler1850)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2010, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ill-be-damned-it-actually-works-helpful-tip-thread/562425/224 "2010-12-29T19:48:07Z")
Baby wipes should live in any car or home. Even without babies in residence. They clean stains from clothing, they clean dirty hands (even grease), and feel great when you done doing something sweaty and you use them to clean yourself up. (face/hands/pits/bits.) ---
**Author:** ![stpauler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@stpauler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stpauler)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2011, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ill-be-damned-it-actually-works-helpful-tip-thread/562425/225 "2011-02-11T19:21:04Z")
> [@gotpasswords](#): > > For really nasty, grotty soap scum buildup on a fiberglass shower, don’t waste your time with Happy Scrubby Bubbles from the grocery store. Go to Home Depot and get a bottle of ZEP Shower, Tub and Tile Cleaner. (Blue bottle with a purple label) > > This stuff really works - Spray some on, let it do its thing for five minutes, then just a little swishing around with a scrub brush and my shower pan went from nasty to gleaming white. Before I tried using this stuff, the best I could manage with anything from the grocery store was off-white. > > Best of all, it’s cheap! Two bucks for a bottle. I’m bumping this thread because I kept this product in the back of my mind for months and while waiting for CostCo to open next door, the Home Depot was open. I popped in there, found the ZEP stuff and bought a bottle. And after having tried to Comet out the tub with little success, the ZEP stuff worked beautifully. Actually, to be fair, I sprayed it on in the morning after a shower and forgot to clean it off. Later that day I peeked in the shower and without even scrubbing I turned on the shower head and have a nice white shower pan. Great suggestion! ---
**Author:** ![The\_Weird\_One](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@The\_Weird\_One](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Weird_One)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2011, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ill-be-damned-it-actually-works-helpful-tip-thread/562425/226 "2011-02-11T19:54:00Z")
As long as this thread is already bumped, I want to express my appreciation for whoever said to use ammonia to get body-oil stains out of sheets. Totally worked! I have a few of my own to add, too; forgive me if they’ve already been mentioned. 1. If you’re screwing a top on something and can’t get the threads lined up correctly, press the top down gently and turn it backwards until you feel it click down. That means the threads are lined up; turn the top forwards and it’ll screw on perfectly. 2. If you over-cook your rice and it sticks to the pan, leave the heat on low and pour in a little water. The stuck-on rice will come right off. 3. I love making milk-based chowders, but milk scorches and sticks to the bottom of a pot so easily. To get it off, put some water in the pot and boil it on the stove. Most of the scorched milk will come off by itself, and the rest can be scrubbed off fairly easily. 4. If you have a cast-iron pan or griddle, here’s a great way to get any crusty stuff off and improve the finish: heat it up on the stove just until it’s warm. Then pour in 2-3 tablespoons of oil and about a tablespoon of salt. Kosher salt works well because it’s coarser than table salt. Scrub the pan with the oil-salt paste until all the crusty stuff is gone or, if the pan was clean, until the salt looks dirty. Then rinse it well with warm water and dry it off. If you do this regularly, the salt will grind out any coarse texture in the metal, and the bottom of the pan will eventually (like, in a few years) be mirror-smooth. ---
**Author:** ![gonzoron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a6a055/32.png) [@gonzoron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzoron)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2011, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ill-be-damned-it-actually-works-helpful-tip-thread/562425/227 "2011-02-11T20:08:49Z")
While the thread is bumped, a request: Any ideas for dog urine in a rubberized rug pad? My steam cleaner gets it out of the rug pretty well, but there are still stains on the pad. pic of the kind of pad I have is on the right here: [http://caravanhsv.com/rug\_pads](http://caravanhsv.com/rug_pads) ---
**Author:** ![pepperlandgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@pepperlandgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pepperlandgirl)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2011, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ill-be-damned-it-actually-works-helpful-tip-thread/562425/228 "2011-02-11T20:40:25Z")
Oh my god, toothpaste IS a miracle of science. I just used it to clean some very stubborn grout from the shower. I only did a small portion, but I plan to get an electric toothbrush and scrub every inch down with toothpaste. So cool. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2011, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ill-be-damned-it-actually-works-helpful-tip-thread/562425/229 "2011-07-01T03:06:11Z")
I have a new helpful hint: For the past few months Dole has offered their fruit in a limited edition glass jar. It’s a nice shape and I thought it’d work great for candle-making. This plan hit a snag when I realized that the labels were nigh on impossible to remove. I tried several of the methods people suggest for babyfood jars and no dice. Then I thought about the degreaser, Mean Green, I bought at Dollar Tree. It’s wicked caustic and will even dissolve rust stains on sinks, so I figured what the hell. So I spayed the jars down throughly and wrapped them up in plastic bags, and let them be for a couple of days. Using a tongue depressor, I was able to cleanly remove the labels in a few seconds 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![GameHat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ed655f/32.png) [@GameHat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GameHat)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2011, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ill-be-damned-it-actually-works-helpful-tip-thread/562425/230 "2011-07-01T03:15:47Z")
> [@Lare](#): > > All other wonderful properties aside, toothpaste contains an abrasive. What’s going to happen is that you’re going to scratch the CDs more than they already are. > > It may work because you might remove a layer of crud keeping the optics of your CD player from being able to read the almost-microscopic data on the disk, but in the long run, I don’t think this is a good plan. > > If you want to clean CDs, you should use a soft, lint-free cloth, maybe a mild cleaner, and rub from the center of the disk to the edge in a straight line. In other words, don’t make circles on the disk. Instead, think “spokes on a bicycle wheel.” > > When I clean a CD I start with warm, distilled water, no cleaner at all. This has worked for me so far, but I try not to let the CDs get too dirty in the first place. If water alone doesn’t work, I’ve been told that isopropyl alcohol is acceptable. Never use a petroleum-based solvent as it can seriously damage the disk. > > YMMV, and probably will. Eh, not so great advice here. Toothpaste is too locally abrasive; isopropanol and a soft cloth is great for smudges but won’t do jack for scratches. The commercial disk resurfacers (think [SkipDr](http://www.amazon.com/SkipDr-Manual-Disc-Repair-System/dp/B0015ACUKC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1309489788&sr=8-1)) are all based on abrasives. CDs and DVDs have a relatively thick layer of polycarbonate covering a very thin data layer. If the disc is dirty, then water or isopropanol + soft cloth is best. If there’s a scratch, the disk needs to be polished and smoothed. Toothpaste + scrubbing on a particular scratch is likely to be imprecise, and there’s a good chance you polish too much in a particular area. Better to use a practical device that polishes the disc radially evenly across the whole thing. I have discs that I’ve “polished” 4-5x, I’m still nowhere close to the data layer. Just get a decent (~$20) disc resurfacer. ---
**Author:** ![GameHat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ed655f/32.png) [@GameHat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GameHat)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2011, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ill-be-damned-it-actually-works-helpful-tip-thread/562425/231 "2011-07-01T03:23:28Z")
missed the edit: And if you’re wondering if a disc can be resurfaced, just hold it up to a bright light. If you can see points, scratches or lines where light goes through the data area, data is irreparably lost. If not, it can be polished and resurfaced. ---
**Author:** ![lindsaybluth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/90db22/32.png) [@lindsaybluth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lindsaybluth)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2011, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ill-be-damned-it-actually-works-helpful-tip-thread/562425/232 "2011-07-01T14:14:23Z")
I thought this was in the thread already but apparently not: the [Downy Ball](http://www.amazon.com/Downy-thomaswi-Fabric-Softener-Ball/dp/B000VA2VV0). Fill it 1/2 way with white vinegar and the rest of the way with water\*. Pull the stopper up then dump in with the rest of your clothes. No more waxy buildup on your clothes nor less-than-absorbent towels. It’s super cheap and it actually _works_, better than regular fabric sheets. I love it. \*for top-loaders. For front loaders simply add 1/2 cup of vinegar for medium and 2/3 or 3/4 cup for large loads to softener dispenser. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2011, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ill-be-damned-it-actually-works-helpful-tip-thread/562425/233 "2011-07-06T14:15:16Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > I have a new helpful hint: > > For the past few months Dole has offered their fruit in a limited edition glass jar. It’s a nice shape and I thought it’d work great for candle-making. Great idea, but have you burned one yet? I’m always nervous about using repurposed glass for candle making, 'cause I don’t know if it can handle the heat without shattering. Is there an easy way to tell if it’s heat resistant enough? ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2011, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ill-be-damned-it-actually-works-helpful-tip-thread/562425/234 "2011-07-06T15:18:07Z")
Don’t know how I missed this thread the first time around, some really great things here. My offerings; Ants? Peel a cucumber and put the peelings into every crack or gap where they might be getting in. I learned it from my 100yr old gran, while living in student digs, crawling with ants. I was skeptical. There was a side door, zillions of cracks and gaps, which opened onto a bar/restaurant parking lot. Tried it and was stunned with the results. Lived there 5 yrs and never saw another ant. Cucumbers grow on the ground but you never see ants on them, hmmm. Cleaning the glass in the woodstove door. Those caustic cleansers are horrible and expensive, as is oven cleaner. A damp paper towel dipped into (cooled) fine ash, right there in the stove, is the bomb. Works every time, no matter how black the window is, truly. Awesome! Headcold? Sinus congestion? Sinus headaches? Apple cider vinegar, taken like a shot of tequila, 1-2 ounces a day, for a few days, (brush your teeth afterward, vinegar is hard on tooth enamel), will thin the mucus, (something in the apple skins, concentrated when fermented into vinegar), and so improve drainage that your body will fight off the cold by it’s own self. No drugs, not expensive and, bonus - it will clear your sinus’ within minutes of taking it. I learned this from the surgeon who did my sinus surgery and it works wonderfully. I never buy over the counter cold products now. He told me to stay away from decongestants, they are just turning, what’s clogging your sinus, into gummy bears, though it’s providing temporary relief by shrinking the inflamed tissue. One more sinus related relief. Drink a hot beverage, well, actually, pour it into your mouth and hold it there as long as you can before drinking it down, you will feel the relief almost instantly. You probably drink hot beverages anyway, so give it a try! ---
**Author:** ![Ambihelical\_Hexnut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4491bb/32.png) [@Ambihelical\_Hexnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambihelical_Hexnut)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2011, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ill-be-damned-it-actually-works-helpful-tip-thread/562425/235 "2011-07-06T18:21:45Z")
My experience with cleaning scratched CDs / DVDs: > [@What is the best way to fix scratched CDs?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-way-to-fix-scratched-cds/577460/8): > > My experience was with a new game DVD that had two scratches; one was on the surface of the shiny side, the other was a really nasty zigzag scratch that was embedded in the plastic (the game’s title screen wouldn’t even load). > > I didn’t want to go through the hassle of returns from Amazon Marketplace sellers just for a very cheap game, so I set about fixing the problem myself. There was nothing that could be done about the embedded scratch, but I thought maybe it would work OK if I fixed the surface scratch. > > I tried toothpaste, 2 different brands of furniture polish and car wax. The toothpaste was totally ineffective; it did nothing to improve the original scratch, and succeeded only in introducing dozens more tiny scratches. Furniture polish fared slightly better - there was some improvement in the appearance of the original scratch, and it didn’t introduce any more scratches. Car wax was the best; it almost totally eliminated the original scratch, as well as the vast majority of the small scratches caused by the toothpaste. Alas, the embedded scratch was the problem, so the game still didn’t work. > > One thing I would suggest is not to try buffing it out too many times. I tried each of the above substances 2 - 3 times (so maybe 9 or 10 attempts in total). After all this, the two layers of plastic that make up the DVD were beginning to peel apart, so the disc had to be trashed anyway. ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2011, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ill-be-damned-it-actually-works-helpful-tip-thread/562425/236 "2011-07-06T21:32:09Z")
I went camping over the holiday weekend and got nailed by elebenty-zillion mosquitoes and stupidly enough nobody in our group had medicated or cortisone cream. Previous home remedies for the itching/histamine reaction (toothpaste, Listerine, Tiger Balm, some other stuff I forget) hasn’t worked for me in the past. I had some apple cider vinegar in the van, rubbed it on the hysterically itchy throbbing red welts…WORKED! Really quite magically. Probably plain white vinegar would do the job as well. PAM or any spray-on cooking oil removes soap scum instantly from glass shower doors and surrounds. Baby oil - probably any sort of skin-friendly oil - removes solvent-based paint, tar and other oily substances from skin. Ditto the above tip for white vinegar in the final rinse - clothes come out soft and smell nice. Vinegar is also excellent for removing the odor and staining from pee and poop on carpets or upholstery or even mattresses (I found this out when a kitten pissed liberally on my futon.) A friend in animal rescue suggested it…worked amazingly well. Simmering a can of tomato sauce for 20-30 minutes in a pan that’s got hardened black goo from burned rice or whatever stuck inside removes the black goo. A liberal splash of bleach in a toilet bowl removes hard-water rings. Also works great on dingy sinks, tubs and shower pans. Let it sit about five minutes before rinsing. ---
**Author:** ![PandaBear77](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@PandaBear77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PandaBear77)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2011, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ill-be-damned-it-actually-works-helpful-tip-thread/562425/237 "2011-07-06T22:07:11Z")
Vinegar (any kind) will take the sting out of a sunburn. Shaving cream will take nail polish out of a carpet. My mother swore by this one: if you have trouble with leg cramps at night, take a bar of soap and stick it in a sock, then put the sock near your feet at the end of the bed. No more cramps. Sounds nuts, I know, but it works. Srsly. ---
**Author:** ![Chef\_Troy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/85f322/32.png) [@Chef\_Troy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chef_Troy)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2011, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ill-be-damned-it-actually-works-helpful-tip-thread/562425/238 "2011-07-06T22:22:13Z")
Have a dry-erase board that someone has accidentally written on with a non-erasable marker? Take a dry-erase marker and go directly over the “permanent” marks, and almost always you’ll be able to erase cleanly. ---
**Author:** ![redtail23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/3e96dc/32.png) [@redtail23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/redtail23)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2011, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ill-be-damned-it-actually-works-helpful-tip-thread/562425/239 "2011-07-06T22:52:33Z")
Enclose a piece of bread in your brown sugar to soften it. I’ve heard this forever but never tried it until recently when I had a rock of brown sugar. It was amazing how well it worked. ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2011, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ill-be-damned-it-actually-works-helpful-tip-thread/562425/240 "2011-07-07T03:15:47Z")
> [@redtail23](#): > > Enclose a piece of bread in your brown sugar to soften it. I’ve heard this forever but never tried it until recently when I had a rock of brown sugar. It was amazing how well it worked. An apple works too. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ill-be-damned-it-actually-works-helpful-tip-thread/562425.md?page=11) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ill-be-damned-it-actually-works-helpful-tip-thread/562425.md?page=13)