Remember that Cascade dishwashing detergent I blogged about? Someone gave me some free Cascade, but I don’t have a dishwasher. That didn’t stop me from graciously accepting the Cascade, of course. :D So my daughters and I have been testing it out on other things. It is very versatile stuff.

For one, we found out that, if used as a laundry pre-treatment liquid, it removes stains from clothing. Then, I read that if you burn your cooking pan, just pour in a little Cascade gel with some baking soda and hot water and let it sit for a while. And then there was the day that we bought a new ceramic cooking pan (for lasagna) from WalMart– and I HATE it when the stores put all those nasty stickers and gorilla glue on the cookware, all to hold a sticker or paper?? We poured a little Cascade with water and let the pan sit– and voila! The gummy stuff came right off!

Yesterday, we ran out of Ajax scouring powder for our tub. I have to buy the gentle powder, because the tub is fiberglass and easily scratched. However, the tub is very old, and collects soap scum like molasses collects flies. It is a real chore to scrub that tub out, ugh. Well, we ran out of Ajax, right? My daughter got the bright idea to squirt a little Cascade gel in the tub. Amazing! It took the soap scum off! On the tough spots, she let it sit for a few minutes, and was able to buff it off. The tub is sparkling clean!

So I am loving the Cascade. Maybe someday we’ll get a dishwasher and try it out on actual dishes, lol! But for now, we’re experimenting with all sorts of things and trying to be as creative as possible (skipping things like horse supplies and animal shampoo, of course!). If you have any other ideas or requests about what else we should test it on, let us know.

Hoh boy, living in New York, I’ve seen my share of car accidents. What is it about New York and New England that makes people drive so CRAZY?! I’ve been in the crazies’ ways on more than one occasion. :( Not fun. I had no idea that I could have filed an insurance claim to recover my vehicle’s diminished value. I wish I had known that before the accident I had where some lady pulled into oncoming traffic (that would be ME) without looking and smashed into my van. Sure, the insurance company paid us $400 for the dented fender… but when that area completely rusted out and rotted two years later, we were left high and dry. I wish I had known that diminished car value claims are accepted in all 50 states for up to four years after the accident! Hmmm, I don’t remember the insurance company informing me of this little detail… how odd! :( I have a website bookmarked for a free diminished value estimate, to find out what I’m owed if that ever happens again. Judging by the way people drive around here, I may need it sooner than later… feel free to save the link to your bookmarks in case you have one of those “I shoulda, I coulda” moments.

I saw this posted at Forced Green- a great blog- and had to pass this on. Some of these I’ve tried, but others I haven’t. Wow! I’m going to try some of these! Here are my favorites, and I’ve added a few comments.

• Take your bananas apart when you get home from the store. If you leave them connected at the stem, they ripen faster.

Cool! I look forward to trying this, as the kids refuse to eat overripe bananas. I usually throw them (the bananas, not the kids) in the freezer for baking banana bread… but I don’t bake banana bread so much anymore… so it’s gotten to the point where whenever I open my freezer, all these frozen bananas come shooting out. Woe to the person with bare feet!

• Store your opened chunks of cheese in aluminum foil. It will stay fresh much longer and not mold!

Hm. Wouldn’t the cheese absorb the taste or odor of aluminum foil?

• Add a teaspoon of water when frying ground beef. It will help pull the grease away from the meat while cooking.

I do that, and it works.

• To really make scrambled eggs or omelets rich, add a couple of spoonfuls of sour cream, cream cheese, or heavy cream in and then beat them up.

My husband, who makes great omelets (but cannot cook anything else) adds regular milk.

• Expanding Frosting. When you buy a container of cake frosting from the store, whip it with your mixer for a few minutes. You can double it in size. You get to frost more cake/cupcakes with the same amount. You also eat less sugar and calories per serving.

Oh my gosh that is a great tip.

• Newspaper keeps weeds away. Start putting in your plants, work the nutrients in your soil. Wet newspapers, put layers around the plants overlapping as you go cover with mulch and forget about weeds. Weeds will get through some gardening plastic they will not get through wet newspapers.

I’m a gardener, and this is effective. It also helps to lay newspaper down before laying mulch down. However– be SURE to punch a few holes in the newspaper. A plant’s roots need oxygen and water– solid layers of newspaper may suffocate your plant.

• No More Mosquitoes. Place a dryer sheet in your pocket.It will keep the mosquitoes away.

This I have GOT to try. I’m desperate and will try anything. Although, here in the Northeast we have more of a problem with blackflies than mosquitoes. They are NASTY creatures.

• Squirrel Away! To keep squirrels from eating your plants, sprinkle your plants with cayenne pepper. The cayenne pepper doesn’t hurt the plant and the squirrels won’t come near it.

I’ve heard this and I also heard that sometimes a squirrel will be stupid by touching the cayenne pepper and then rubbing his eyes. This causes the poor squirrel intense pain and may even blind him. So I don’t use pepper. Squirrels eat bulbs, which are under the soil. I have found that if you lay chicken wire in the ground (above the bulbs but below the soil), the squirrels can’t scratch through to get your bulbs. I’ve also heard that if you plant daffodils (which squirrels hate) next to your tulips and lilies (which squirrels love), they will be less inclined to dig up your plants.

• Reopening envelope. If you seal an envelope and then realize you forgot to include something inside, just place your sealed envelope in the freezer for an hour or two. Viola! It unseals easily.

I am ALWAYS forgetting to include something so I waste a lot of envelopes. This is a great tip.

• Conditioner. Use your hair conditioner to shave your legs. It’s cheaper than shaving cream and leaves your legs really smooth. It’s also a great way to use up the conditioner you bought but didn’t like when you tried it in your hair.

Question: won’t this dull the razor blade? Here’s an extra tip– to make your blades last longer, dry the blades when you are done.

• Goodbye Fruit Flies. To get rid of pesky fruit flies, take a small glass, fill it 1/2? with Apple Cider Vinegar and 2 drops of dish washing liquid; mix well. You will find those flies drawn to the cup and gone forever!

Ah! Fruit flies are the plague of WalMart. We never have fruit flies until I buy WalMart produce! Since WalMart has effectively killed off competition and it is now the only store I can shop, I’m stuck with fruit flies. I can’t wait to try this tip!

• Get Rid of Ants. Put small piles of cornmeal where you see ants They eat it, take it home, they can’t digest it so it kills them. It may take a week or so, especially if it rains, but it works and you don’t have the worry about pets or small children being harmed!

I’ve heard this same tip with using grits. The ants never went with my grits, so I’ll try cornmeal. We are having an invasion of ants currently– it’s massive and like something from a horror movie– I’m looking forward to trying this, too!