Canada Day Trivia: What does the word Canada mean?
1. Tackle chap-stick on fabrics by dabbing waterless hand cleaner onto the area. Rub gently and wash as usual. Hang to dry. For chap-stick stains that have gone through the washer and dryer; soak the clothes in hot water and Oxy Clean or soak each garment separately in half-cup Arm and Hammer washing soda and enough hot water to cover the clothes for 30 minutes. Wash as usual. Air dry. Repeat until stains are gone. Submitted by Dawne O.
2. Speaking of chap-stick. Rub chap-stick on paper cuts to stop the pain immediately and heal the cut. Submitted by Rick P.
3. Keep breading on meat while frying by adding half teaspoon of sugar to the batter. Submitted by Brian P.
4. To grab the full benefits of flax seed in recipes, grind the flax in a coffee grinder. Add ground flax to cereals, muffin and cake recipes. Flax is high in alpha linolenic acid which is a type of plant-derived Omega 3 fatty acid, similar to that found in salmon. Submitted by Angela R.
5. Prevent mosquitoes from breeding in your bird bath by adding a few drops of canola oil or any vegetable-based oil to the water. Doing this will create a light surface coating that won't harm birds but will stop mosquitoes from making more mosquitoes! Submitted by Jim D.
6. "Un-gum me you fool!" Remove sticky labels on jeans by wiping the area with rubbing alcohol and gently scraping with a plastic putty knife. Submitted by Tracia S.
7. About twenty years ago we had a serious infestation of silverfish. I don't remember where I learned this solution, but it worked. A mixture of powdered sugar and boric acid spread in a few places along the baseboards did the trick (take caution around children and pets). No fumigation necessary. I haven't seen a single silverfish since. Submitted by Flora.
8. Don't toss out the bread crusts that your family won't eat. Soak them in two-third cups buttermilk for 10 minutes. Squeeze out excess milk and add to meatloaf before baking. Moist and yummy! Submitted by Natalie L.
9. Shiny hair is possible with a bit of coconut oil. Rub oil onto your scalp once a week. Wash hair in the morning. Submitted by Leslie D.
10. For smooth skin use a version of the secret recipe that Cleopatra used. Into your bath water drop two cups of powdered milk. Submitted by Angel L.
11. On the topic of milk, Wendy from B.C. wrote, "Tackle a fresh milk spill in the back of a car. Sprinkle a box of baking soda over the offending odour and cover the area with newspaper, leave undisturbed for three days. Remove newspaper, vacuum up baking soda. Voila no more smell."
12. I use the powdered laundry detergent that is sold in plastic pails. It is such a struggle to get the lid off with each use, so now I just rest the lid on top of the pail. This allows moisture in, causing a problem with clumping. I decided to toss in a couple of packages of the silica gel that is sold with shoes. It keeps the laundry detergent dry and works amazingly well! Submitted by Veronica S.
13. Whenever I drop hair dye onto the carpet, I quickly pour the lotion from the home hair dye kit onto the area and dab it with a white cloth. The lotion is great at lifting the colour out of the carpet. Submitted by Hair Girl
14. Use ketchup at the bottom of your nearly-empty bottle. Add a little water or vinegar and shake, then use the liquid to flavour soups, stews or salad dressings. Submitted by Martha S.
Canada Day Trivia: Speaking of penny pinching, everyone will soon be walking much lighter, as the penny approaches its 100th birthday, there's a growing movement to kill the coin and, according to documents obtained by CanWest News Service it's clearly an issue on the radar of the government and the Mint.
15. Got grout? Scrub with Listerine mouthwash and an old toothbrush; cleans stains, messes and general day to day grout gunk. Submitted by Olivia D.
You'll be the life of the party with this little trivia tid bit: The word Canada comes from a Wendat (Huron-Iroquoian) word, meaning village or settlement.
Solutions sleuth Reena Nerbas is a home economist and speaks professionally on the topic of household challenges; she is also the author of two national bestsellers, Household Solutions 1 with Substitutions and Household Solutions 2 with Kitchen Secrets. She can be heard on radio and television programs across Canada.
