Question: What is the best way to get mirrors and glass doors clean and streak free? Carol
Answer: Into a spray bottle combine one-third cup rubbing alcohol with two-third cups water. Clean with a soft, excellent quality microfiber cloth.
Question: A while back I used a plumbing “snake” to unplug my toilet. Sadly, it scraped the porcelain and left horrible grey marks. I have tried many cleaners, but nothing got it back to it’s original white. Thanks for your help. Barb
Answer: This is a common issue and many people have had excellent results by cleaning the toilet bowl with Bar Keeper’s Friend. Apply the product onto a non-scratching abrasive pad. Leave for 10 minutes and scrub.
Question: I bought a brand-new salt and pepper shaker set to place in the middle of my brand-new dining room table. The set is quite nice, but I find that the holes of the salt shaker were made too large. Salt pours out of the holes very quickly, and I end up over salting my food. Do you have any ideas in your bag of tricks as to how I can fix the shaker? Edward
Answer: Replace table salt with coarse salt so that each grain is larger, making it more difficult for salt to pour out of the shaker. Also, store rice inside the saltshaker to prevent the salt from clumping. If all else fails store something besides salt in the shaker such as cinnamon, sugar or baking soda.
Solutions galore
For people who use a plastic dish rack, here is an easy way to de-gunk it without having to use a scrub brush. Fill the kitchen sink full of hot water. Add a few drops of dish soap and stir in about two-third cups of bleach. Immerse the dish rack and let it soak for an hour. The gunk will lift right off. Rinse the rack with hot water. Cheers! Vincent
I use make-up pads that come in a plastic sleeve. When reaching the centre of these sleeves, I was having difficulty grabbing the pad, so I came up with a solution. I push the pads toward the top of the sleeve/tube, twist it, then tie it with a twist tie. Now the pads are once again at the top of the sleeve/tube and easy to get at. Ann
Next time you cook fajitas, add cooked pork, peppers, onions and seasoning to your baking pan. Next, cook powdered onion soup and water on the stove. Thicken soup with cornstarch (the way that you would gravy). Add this to the fajita pan for great flavour and texture. Mae
For fluffier boiled potatoes, pour off all the water after they are boiled and cover the pot with a double thickness of paper towels, then cover with the saucepan lid. In ten minutes, steam will be absorbed by the towels and your potatoes will be dry and fluffy. The idea behind cooking potatoes with the lid left ajar is to cook the potatoes in less time while preventing the water from boiling over. Terry
To cook cabbage, plunge the cabbage into a pot of boiling water, cover the pan only until the water returns to a boil. Remove the lid and let the cabbage cook gently until tender and still a vibrant color. Terry
Here is my best hack! The best and easiest way to crack an egg is to drop it directly into the frying pan. It cracks in half, cleanly. Ananya
Note: Every user assumes all risks of injury or damage resulting from the implementation of any suggestions in this column. Test all products on an inconspicuous area first.
Have a great suggestion or tip? Email reenanerbas@outlook.com
