Prevent Ice Dams in Your Gutters

Prevent Ice Dams in Your Gutters... now.

You can thank me later.

Ice Dams form in your gutters after a lot of snow has fallen, snow starts melting and then refreezes in your gutters.  In the interest of full-self-disclosure- I had never heard of 'ice dams' or gave them ANY thought whatsoever before last week, or rather- before the DC Snowpocalypse of 2010.  I personally like the term- KaiserSnoze, which I've heard bantered about, a little better :)

With that said, it's a good idea to INSULATE your roof... especially insulate the ends so heat doesn't escape- right where the gutters are.


You can buy insulation and put it tightly at the bottom of your attic, where the roof and ceilings meet.

I found a thorough article about Ice Dams and Preventing them at Do It Yourself Life.

Please click on the link for more information!

Happy Households... and roofs and gutters!

Have a 'Cleaning Bowl'

This Tip is pretty straight-forward,
but it's amazing how 'little tips', like this one,
make life so much easier.
And that's really what we're about here at HouseHold Tips, after all!


Have a bowl, or a stack of different size bowls that are for NOTHING,
but cleaning.
No food is ever in these bowls.
Write 'CLEANING' on them (that's what I did).

Keep them under your sink, or somewhere else very accessible.

Whenever you get some kind of stain- Get Out The Bowl,

Mix Hydrogen Peroxide and dishwashing liquid,

And soak the article of clothing,

in the bowl.

POOF!

It comes out, even BLOOD.

One of my first posts on this site was about
Hydrogen Peroxide,

and how fantastic it is as a stain remover!

So, Tip of The Day:

Have a designated 'Cleaning Bowl'; if you have it right there- you'll use it!

Easy!

Another Great Linen Closet Solution... Use White!

I've gotten a lot of response about my post on rolling your towels in the linen closet... people love the idea!  Here's another great solution to organizing towels and linens-

Use white!

If you use white towels for your bathrooms, and especially for spare towels (for company, etc.)... THEY ALWAYS MATCH!

HOLD ON- I know what you're thinking... 'White?!  How do I keep them clean and crisp?'

Since they are all white- you can throw them in the washer WITH BLEACH,

No Harm,

No Foul,

No Problem!

Thank You to Kristin,  a great Mom and extraordinary 'HouseHold Tipper'-

for this great idea...

She's so smart!

'Buying a Dishwasher' Tip

When buying a dishwasher, remember what you are paying for:

NOISE... basically.

Recently I purchased a new dishwasher.  I went with a Frigidaire because it was discontinued and therefor, drastically reduced (to $179.00).  It frankly cost more to have it installed, but that's another story :)

It's a nice looking dishwasher, it's stainless steel and matches the rest of the kitchen appliances,

AND most importantly, cleans dishes well, without a lot of dishwashing detergent.

It has some kind of hyper-efficient cleaning mechanism that most dishwashers have now-a-days.

So is there any downside?  Well... noise.

It's pretty loud when it runs.  Let's put it this way- my husband joked that he's glad that our son is not a baby anymore, because the dishwasher would wake him up.  That's a little exaggerated, 

but not completely off the mark.

So the tip for today sounds a lot like the Blender Tip I gave recently,
Yet different...

1. When buying Dishwashers AS WELL AS Blenders-
DO NOT go with a brand you have NEVER heard of,
you just don't start a 'dishwasher manufacturing business',
it must grow and develop-
go with a name you've heard of- like Frigidaire, Whirlpool, Maytag, etc.

2.  Think about noise level:
Most dishwashers clean dishes well;
at this point, in 2010, you're paying for a
lack of noise.
Ours is a little noisy, but you get used to it.
And it's still not as loud as that cheap inexpensive blender I bought!
On the other hand, an Electrolux dishwasher is SILENT,
and it's price tag reflects that.

It's your choice- go with what your lifestyle needs!

Happy HouseHolds!

Use Baby Wipes For Clean Ups Too!

Baby Wipes are a necessity in a house with babies, obviously.
But they are a good helper for any household.

I keep Pampers Baby Wipes in the bathroom for removing make-up,

and generic baby wipes in the pantry of my kitchen.  Why generic in the kitchen?

Because when it comes to baby wipes- you get what you pay for... Generic wipes are a little tougher and thicker- hence: perfect for cleaning up a countertop or wiping up a quick spill!

I know this isn't the 'greenest' practice in the world, but you can put them in with your recycling!

One Last Tip for Today:  Keep wipes (and any cleaning product) where you use it.  If you don't have space for it- make space.  If it's right there, you will use it; If it's not, it becomes inconvenient and a chore.

A Great New Cleaning Tool

I found a great new cleaning tool
to get marks off of paint,
more specifically- painted walls!

I think everyone (especially those of us
with kids) has walked through a room and
thought,
'How did that mark get on the wall?'

My hallway was so marked up that I was
begrudgingly thinking of painting the whole thing again.

So I did something as simple as Googling 'cleaning painted walls',
and Mr. Clean Magic Erasers came up.  I think they are pretty new, I hadn't heard of them before, so I tried them...

* Mr. Clean didn't pay me or give me free Magic Erasers to try*

And...

They work Great!  They get marks off of paint easily!!  I'm so excited to find this new cleaning tool!

My hallway looks freshly painted, brand new!

My dining room looks great too- no chair marks on the walls!

To be fair to readers I went to CVS and found their generic brand of these 'Magic Erasers':

No Difference, the CVS generic brand works great too!

These erasers work on a lot of surfaces,

they are FANTASTIC on paint.

Enjoy!

Winter Roof Tip

Tip for Today:  Take Care of Your Roof!

We happen to have a slate roof,
but whatever type of roof you have-
take care of it!

We found a very good, honest roofer in our area,
and every March, after the snows and cold weather,
we have him come over to inspect our roof and
replace any slates that need it.  It doesn't cost very much, and frankly, you are gradually,
replacing your roof;
you never have problems with it,
and it's very cost effective.  

So take care of the roof you have, and it'll never give you any worry!

Snow Removal

Today some tips on Snow Removal!
You may have heard, the DC Region has gotten pummeled
with over 3 feet of snow this past week,
so I have become an 'instant expert' in snow removal.

1.  Dig out in stages.  Don't wait til it's all over.
It's easier to go out every 2 or 3 hours and dig out,
especially for your back, heart, and sanity.

2.  Don't pile up snow around your house (aka- your foundation).
This prevents possible leaks when the 'big thaw' comes.

3.  Have fun!  Make other paths that are 'snow forts'.
My son loves this!

Always Have Firewood

Okay, I tried to upload a cute image of firewood, but I was unable to.
That is because we are in the middle of our 2nd blizzard within a week...
And I'm using my husband's computer; my laptop is broken right now,
and I'm unable, once again, to get to the Apple store.

So now, for the HouseHold Tip: even if you never use your fireplace,
like us,
Always have at least a small pile of firewood on hand,
in case the power goes out.
We learned this the hard way,
so for this 2nd blizzard:
we are equipped with
firewood,
kindling,
newspapers,
emergency lights,
and batteries.
I'll be back with more HouseHold Tips in a couple of days when things... and the weather, are back to normal :)

Don't 'Go Discount' on Blenders

You live, You learn.

Case in Point: this blender, pictured on the left.

I have, believe it or not, never bought a blender before last week.  We got one as a wedding present and I've been using it for the last 12 years.

The blender we got was a nice one, but not a 'ridiculously-priced gizmo that that blends, dices and tells you the time of day'.  It was a blender, and it lasted 12 years.  So, since I have no experience with buying blenders, I figured-

'A blender is a blender.'

And that's not quite true.  The blender to the left was on sale at Target for $13.99.  What did I learn?

DO NOT buy a blender that is $13.99.

It is SO LOUD, it deafens the ears.  It even scared my 6-year-old son, and he doesn't really 'get scared' anymore.  I'm not mentioning the brand name (which I'd never heard of- another red flag), (I think you can read it on the front of the blender), because they didn't do anything wrong- they are selling a very, cheap, blender; 

It's just that I found out it is not worth saving a few dollars to go cheap on a blender.

It is worth a few more dollars to get a nice blender, that isn't CRAZY LOUD,

and rattles,

and scares small children.

So, I went back to Target and got an Oster 12-Speed Blender, that even crushes ice for smoothies... 

in seconds... silently,

for $37.99.

You know what?  Just about ALL the blenders at Target were between $30 and $40 dollars.

This is probably a good price range to look in when buying a blender :)

Once again- You Live.  You Learn.

Enough Said.

Use All Your Space... Coat Closets

Today we are talking about Efficiency.

One way to be efficient is to-

Use All Your Space!

Here is a great example:  you'll see in the picture to the left  that I'm using all the space in the bottom of the coat closet.

I got this little storage container from The Container Store. I put purses I frequently use on the top, my husbands' baseball caps in the middle drawer, and all gloves and hats in the bottom.  And there's a little space left over for my son's boots (to the right) and a couple of bags I use (to the left).

Now, everything has a place that is out of sight; no clutter, no baskets full of mittens- Yey!

Use Smaller Paper Towels

Here's an easy HouseHold Tip!

Make a point to buy those perforated,

half-sheet rolls of paper towels.

You usually only need a half a sheet anyway...

You'll save resources- you green, money-saving machine!

Always Improving Containers

It's great to re-use and conserve...

BUT, every so often, you should evaluate your containers.

Case in point:  my nail box to the left.

I use this all the time to touch up my nails.  And now, because HouseHold Tips are always on my mind, I thought-

"Wow.  This is old, dusty, filled with things I don't use (old bottles of nail polish) and too big."

SO, I happen to have an extra container (the 1 on the right) and transferred the nail items I do use to that

Smaller,

Cuter,

and more efficient container.

It takes up less room in the closet!

It's great to have a container for everything.

Just remember, once you have a container, your work is not done,

you can even improve your containers,

to fit your lifestyle changes.

Have a great day!

Make Your Kitchen Sink Look Better... Easily

A Theme here at HouseHold Tips is putting things away.
Get stuff off your counters.
Have a place for everything,
and decide on that place according to how often you use a thing.

In the case of dishwashing liquid-
we're making an exception.

I use dishwashing liquid all through the day, everyone does.
The vast majority of people sit their dishwashing liquid by their kitchen sink (I don't know where those other people put it).

If it has to be out- why not make it look good??!!

I buy blue dishwashing liquid to match my kitchen AND...
put it in this container to the left.
It looks so much nicer!

For the record- this is officially a 'Gourmet Oil Bottle' I bought at The Container Store for $9.99.

This little idea rocks because I love thinking 'outside the box' about organization and
you end up conserving dishwashing liquid because it comes out in drips and little streams!

PooF!

That was Easy!

Keep A Grocery List... DURING the week

That's right! Keep a grocery list during the week. This may sound simple, it's a great thought; but if you actually do it-

It saves time AND money!

Get a small notepad, better yet- go to your local drugstore or supermarket and get a pack of small notepads.

Take 1 and devote it to grocery shopping.  Yep, this 1 is strictly for grocery lists, period.

Next, do not leave it out on a counter, or even in an out-of-the-way corner.  If you leave it out- it's OFFICIALLY CLUTTER, and we do not allow clutter here at the HouseHold Tips Blog.

It gets it's own place in a drawer or cupboard.  Find a little space that is easy to get to, and place it there, WITH it's own pen.  DONE.

Now, during the week when you're upstairs and you notice that you're low on toilet paper, you won't say to yourself, 'Remember to get toilet paper at the store next time.'  You will just write it down on your 'grocery' pad.  This way, at any given time, you have itemized things you need for your HouseHold.

You won't forget it when you're at the store, or when you're making a list right before going to the store because it is already ON THE LIST.

I have also found that making grocery lists PREVENTS over-buying, and thus, wasting food,

which as you can see by the post below, I do not like to do!

Make your Life a Little Easier.  Make the Effort to Make a Space for a List.

Pretty Soon It Will Become A Habit.

Happy HouseHolds!

Use Up Your Kitchen Pantry!

Let's talk today about economizing, efficiency... as well as, BEING GREEN!  You can do these 3 things quite easily- by simply using up your kitchen pantry!

All that stuff you have in your pantry- take it all out and make some new recipes for dinner!  Gravy packets, crackers, rice... whatever!

This is also a great way to declutter!!  Yey, another bonus!!

And thank you to one of my favorite Eco-Friendly Bloggers for originally giving me this idea over a year ago; I LOVE THIS IDEA and do it every few months!  It's fantastic!

And check out The Green PhoneBooth for more GREEN IDEAS !!

Great Linen Closet Solution!

Here is a great linen closet solution!

ROLL YOUR TOWELS!

You know immediately HOW MANY you have...

And it looks nice!  No?

I love this idea, I do it with towels, as well as sheets.  It's especially good for sheets and pillow cases!!

It organizes your linen closet- presto!  

Thanks to my Mother-in-Law for introducing this idea to me!

Decluttering

We're going to talk a lot on this blog about 'Decluttering'.  

Why?  Because I hear about it a lot.  

It seems to be hard for some people, 

but I'm here to tell you it's not!

We'll get into details in other posts, but to start-

For Decluttering you only need to do 2 Things-

1.  This first one is psychological.  A lot of people are comforted by having 'stuff'.  Concentrate on yourself, not your 'stuff'.  'Stuff' is just that- stuff.  Any items in your home that do not do anything, serve a purpose, or are not decorative-

You Do Not Need.

Give them to charity or throw them out!  Take a deep breath, and repeat.  Give them to charity or throw them out!

2.  Have a Place for Everything.  That's it.  

Have a place for everything.  And don't have it be the counters.  Everything should be put away, so everything should have somewhere to be put.

This 2nd one involves the big secret of decluttering, so I'll whisper it...

shhhhhh-     being organized     -shhhhhh   

You need to organize your drawers and closets so you have somewhere for things to be 'put away'.  Do not worry, we will tackle those things and more on this blog!

Just think about those 2 things today-  *you don't need 'stuff' and *have a place for everything.

Happy Households!

Get Stains Out With Hydrogen Peroxide! Even Blood Stains!

HYDROGEN PEROXIDE is fabulous when it comes to helping around the house!

It has many uses.  It is a weak acid.  It has strong oxidizing properties, and is a powerful bleaching agent.  It is used as a disinfectant, antiseptic and oxidizer.

You can find it at any grocery store or drug store... and it's INEXPENSIVE-

YEY- another plus!

I'm so psyched about the uses of Hydrogen Peroxide that I'm making it a label for this blog, and I'm starting out by telling you about Hydrogen Peroxide and blood stains...

Hydrogen Peroxide absolutely gets out blood. period.

If it's a fresh stain on clothing, when you apply the peroxide, the blood stain will 'fizz'- literally.

If it doesn't come out right away, just soak it a little...

And you're done!

Happy Households :)

Welcome To Household Tips!

Welcome to Household Tips!

It's a New Year!

A New Decade!

And a New Blog!

Household Tips is a free resource for you! 

Let me know how you like it...

Leave a comment, or 'Contact Me' with a household hint you want to share !!!!!