Pretty flower arrangement

Add marbles to the bottom of a vase to keep your flowers well arranged and make your vase to look playful and attractively gorgeous.

Recycle an old hose

Cut off a section of your old garden hose, make a slit down its length, and put it over a skinny bucket wire. Now you can comfortably handle your container.

Recycle a birdbath

Fill your birdbath with soil, reusing it as a planter, and you will have a pretty display. The lack of drainage will keep the soil moist, so you will need to water even less frequently than usual.

Preserving your fresh cut flowers

Add a few drops of bleach to the water in the vase to prevent bacteria growth and keep flower stems from mildewing.

Lubricant for garden shear

Rub a little amount of car wax paste on the hinge of a pair of garden shears so they do not get jammed.

Keep flowers fresh

Use a leftover party balloon to prevent freshly cut flowers from wilting when you have to transport them. Fill the balloon with some water, then slip the opening over the stems.

Hair Conditioner Day #2!

Generally used to coat the cuticle of your hair, a conditioner can also help you with some unexpected situations... Check some alternative uses for it...

Shrunken cashmere sweater

Fill a sink with warm water and dissolve 1 tbsp of hair conditioner in the liquid. Soak the garment for about 30 minutes, remove and stretch it back to its original shape. Lay flat to dry and leave overnight. Next morning it will be back to the perfect fit.

Rust in light bulbs

To prevent light bulbs from rusting in place, apply a dime-size dab of hair conditioner to the metal threads of the bulb before screwing into place.

Dusting wood furniture

Saturate a soft dry cloth with 2 tbsp of hair conditioner and use it to dust the furnishings. Surfactants in the product break down grime, and oils coat the surface with a soft glow look.

Dusty houseplants

Rub 1 tsp of hair conditioner into a damp washcloth and use the cloth to wipe the leaves clean.

Organizing holiday lights

Use a garden hose holder, rolling up the strings of lights round and round for knot-free storage. Next year you will not have any difficulties to hang your holiday light show.

Cleaning car glass windows

Use a glass cleaner without ammonia, which is bad for vinyl upholstery and the instrument panel. Buff the glass with a microfiber cloth.

Cleaning car paint

To clean contaminants and stained or scratched old wax off your paint, you have two options: 1) using a paint cleaner, which is a liquid that removes wax and clean the top layer of the paint by removing unwanted environmental chemicals that have bonded to it. It can also remove small scratches from the paint; 2) rubbing a small block of paint-cleaning clay (make sure it is clean) lubricated with a liquid cleaner wax.

Training vines on trellis

Dental floss is strong enough and ideal for training vines on a trellis. Do not tie it too tightly or it will crack the growing stem.

House plant fertilizer

Apply a solution of 2 tbsp Epsom salt to 1 gallon water once a month to boost green growth on your house plants.

Speed plants growth

Use a cake dome as a terrarium, covering small potted plants to help them to grow faster.

Hair Conditioner Day #1!

Generally used to coat the cuticle of your hair, a conditioner can also help you with some unexpected situations... Check some alternative uses for it...

Removing eye makeup

Use your ring finger to dab a thin layer of hair conditioner on the lids and under the eyes. Leave on for 10 seconds before wiping clean with a damp cloth.

Removing bandage

When it is time for a Band-Aid to come off, use some hair conditioner. Dab a little bit of the product on the bandage, let sit for 1 minute, and then peel it off. The sticky patch comes off easily and painlessly.

Perfect and smooth shave

In case you are out of shaving gel, coat your skin with hair conditioner and shave as usual. The product infuses skin with healing moisturizing compounds and softens the hair follicles as well.

Squeaky cabinet door

Apply 1 tsp of hair conditioner to a soft dry towel, then rub on the hinges. The product will lubricate them, coating the metal with a slick film.

Washing your car

Hand washing is the best way to examine and familiarize yourself with the car's surfaces. Do not use dishwashing detergent, which can damage any protective wax coatings, exposing the vehicle to possible unwanted marks, scratches, and stains. When you are finished with the wash, dry the surface with a rubber-blade squeegee.

Cleaning car tires

Use a nonacid product to prevent alloy wheels from oxidizing and pitting. Use a degreaser instead, but avoid detergents because they can damage paint if splashed. Yet, wheels and tires should be cleaned before you clean and protect your car's paint.

Cooking meat or fish

Always bring the meat and fish to room temperature before cooking. The outside of cold food will cook much faster than the inside, leaving you with raw meat in the middle and overcooked meat on the exterior.

Searing and browning foods

When working with foods like steaks, meatballs, or scallops, do not overcrowd your pan. A crowded pan will steam the foods rather than brown them, due to their release of moisture as they cook.

Making dough

Do not overmix the dough. Make sure you stop when the ingredients are just combined, otherwise the final product will be ruined.

Cracking eggs

Crack eggs on a flat surface instead of on the rim of a bowl. The bowl causes more of the shell to shatter, leaving you with more shards in your food.

Storing herbs

To store herbs preserving their quality, wrap them in a damp paper towel and put the "package" inside a plastic bag.

Oversalting food

If you accidentally oversalt the food, add some type of citrus or acid to balance it out.

Using avocado in your dishes

To prevent pieces of avocados from browning, spray them with some juice from any acidic citrus fruit that you think will join well your dish.

Juicing citrus

Do not juice cold citrus, since you will not get as much juice as if you would when they are at room temperature. Yet, do not forget to squeeze the juice through your hands to catch the seeds.

Avoid accidents in the kitchen

When setting down the pans on the stove, turn handles to the side so you do not accidentally knock into them when walking by.

Get the best of cheeses

To appreciate the best flavors of your cheese, always bring it to room temperature either when serving or grating on salads or pastas.

Yogurt Day!

This creamy and healthy dairy product, produced by bacterial fermentation of milk, can do more than filling your hungry stomach. Check some alternative uses for yogurt...

Light dip and dressing

Replace your recipe’s required mayonnaise, sour cream or cream cheese with plain yogurt. Insert a coffee filter in a fine mesh strainer and place it over a small bowl. Put yogurt into the filter, cover with plastic wrap and leave in the refrigerator overnight to allow excess liquid to drain. Mix to your recipe as you usually do with regular ingredients.

Make the best BBQ

When grilling outdoors, use a yogurt marinade recipe. The lactic acid breaks down tough connective fibers and the thick consistency holds flavors to the meat’s surface. Combine 3/4 cup of plain yogurt with 1 cup of fresh mint, 1/2 cup of white wine vinegar, 1 tsp of sugar and 2 minced garlic cloves, and pour over meat. Let sit in the refrigerator overnight and grill as usual.

Frizzy hair

Make this conditioning hair mask: beat 1 egg white until soft peaks form, and then fold in 6 tbsp of plain yogurt. Massage the mixture into clean, damp hair, working from the roots to the tips. Leave on for 15 minutes and rinse with cool water. Lactic acid helps with the dull look, and milk proteins adds shine and strength.

Gassy pets

If your pet is creating a big trouble, a slow digestive system may be the reason. Mix 2 tbsp of plain yogurt with your pet’s dry food, at least once a day. This procedure will prevent excess gas and help digestion.

Cleaning tortoiseshell items

Rub 1 tsp of plain yogurt on the surface with a dry cloth and wipe away excess liquid with a clean towel. The tortoiseshell item will absorb the yogurt’s milk proteins and will be safely spotless and glossy.

Discolored copper cookware

Apply 1 tbsp of yogurt to unsightly spots, let sit for 5 minutes, rinse with cool water and buff dry with a soft cloth. Acids in the product dissolve the dark copper oxide.

Sunburned skin

Spread 2 tbsp of plain yogurt over the area, let sit for 15 to 30 minutes and rinse well with cool water. The yogurt’s milk fats replace lost moisture, preventing your skin from peeling, and its lactic acid works as a cooling agent.

Making burgers and meatballs

Avoid to work the meat too much while modeling and combining it with spices and seasonings, since it will make the meat tough and flavorless. Mix the meat with a spoon until it is just combined with the seasonings, do not overhandle it and be very gentle.

Caramelizing onions

If you desire to reach the real caramelized point of the onions that your recipe asks for, you have to take about 45 minutes to an hour of slow cooking over low heat to break down the sugars and avoid to get a softened result.

Grilling with sweet and sugary marinades

When grilling meats with sweet and sugary marinated, like honey-mustard BBQ sauce, only brush the sauce on at the end of grilling (about 5 minutes before you finish). Sugars in these kinds of marinades burn fast and leave an unpleasant taste on the outside of your food.

Rest meat after cooking

Resting meat after cooking, from 10 minutes for small cuts to 30 minutes for larger birds, allows the juices in the meat to redistribute, basically dissolving flavors into the meat. Cutting too early will spill out the juices onto the cutting board.

Make your pan hot first

When grilling, use a heavy pan and heat it up before adding your ingredients. Once the pan is hot, add the oil and when it is hot enough then add your meat or veggies.

Be prepared when grilling

Always make sure to have a safe and cool spot on the grill when cooking outside, where you can move food to in case of flare-ups. Occasionally it can happen to both, experienced and amateur, grillers.

Understand your oven

Every oven is different, and sometimes they have hot and cool spots. If this is the case, turn your cookies, or any other dish being baked, halfway through cooking. You can use an oven thermometer as well, that will precisely tell you the temperature in your oven.

Bring to a boil X Put into boiling water

Whatever grows below ground (like potatoes or carrots) should be placed in room-temperature water and brought to a boil. Whatever is grown above ground (like Brussels sprouts) should be placed in boiling water and then cooked until done.

Cooking with grains

Toast grains like quinoa, couscous or rice in a dry frypan before cooking to bring out their nutty flavor. Then cook them with whatever flavors you would like them to absorb.

Balance your living room

Decorate your room from top to bottom as well. Consider adding items that will make people’s eyes to move up and down, and not to stop at the sofa level. A mirror, a ceiling pendant lighting, Chinese screens, wall art, tall plants and high-back chairs. If you have a large combination of furniture at one end of the space, create a new seating area to stabilize it at the other end.

Choosing the right rug

Every great room needs an eye-catching rug. First you have to decide how you plan on using the area. If it is a big, open area for meetings and conversation, go with a large sisal that can handle foot traffic. If you want a detached space for dining, place a rug in just that location to create a natural boundary. If you want people to feel comfortable and cozy, choose a luxurious wool or shag rug and throw floor pillows down to inspire a casual ambiance.

Decorating your living room

Living rooms need a focal point to help to define their function. A fireplace, beautiful artwork, a cool light fixture or a nice view. If you do not already have a natural focal point, you can create one by showing off your favorite item: an oversize piece of art, a decorative mirror, a big flat-screen TV, or a statement sofa with bright pillows. Use your creativity.

Dishwasher Day!

The definition for dishwasher is "a mechanical device for cleaning dishes and utensils", but I have already heard about silly alternative uses for a it... Why silly? Think about washing your broom ends or vaccum attachments in there... Icky!!!... How about following that recipe that tells you to cook salmon inside of the appliance? Even if the food is completely sealed in a wrap, it sounds just disgusting, unless you are trying to really impress someone with your creative cooking skills... Well, lets check only the alternative uses that sounded okay to me...

Cleaning home items

Cabinet knobs, vent covers, fan grilles, switch plates and light-fixture covers do well in the top rack of the dishwasher, as long as they are made of ceramic, plastic, aluminum or steel. Do not use the dishwasher if they are antique, enameled, painted or plated.

Washing vegetables

Vegetables that you will be cooking in high heat later and need to be well washed before all, such as potatoes and carrots, can get nice and clean in the top rack of your dishwasher with a rinse-only cycle (no detergent). This process will also speed your cooking time.

Cleaning tools, hairbrushes and combs

You can safely wash tools with metal or plastic handles in your dishwasher. Hairbrushes and combs made of plastic (not wood or natural boar-bristle) can also be placed there and they will be totally fine and very clean.

Cleaning toys

Place action figures and other small toys in a mesh lingerie bag on the top rack of your dishwasher and you can get clean and sanitized toys back to your kids. Do not wash dolls with hair, and use your common sense to choose what you will be placing there.

Washing personal items

Baseball caps can get bent in the washing machine but hold their shape if you clean them in the dishwasher. Shin guards, knee pads, and mouth guards can be safely clean and sanitized when washed in there as well.

Get your drink cold faster

If you have about 20 minutes to wait, wrap a wet paper towel around the bottle or can and put it in the freezer (do not let your drinks freeze all the way). Placing your drinks in a bath of ice water will work even faster than in the freezer, 10 to 15 minutes. If you add salt to the ice water it will take about 8 minutes. But if you also add alcohol to the mix (1/2 bottle to each gallon of water), you will speed the process even more, and your drink will be ready in 3 to 5 minutes.

Iced tea stain

Iced tea do not set into fabric as quickly as hot tea. If you have a fresh stain, simply take an ice cube and rub it over it, and then pat the area with dry paper napkins or paper towel.

Position your sofa

A good rule for a living room is to place your couch facing the door, whether it is angled in a corner, floating or along a wall. If you do not have a choice and are forced to place it with its back to the entrance, add a console table behind it with items that you like so it looks more inviting.

Happy 4th of July to everyone!!!

Buttered corn stain

Sprinkle some sugar on the stain and pat it in to absorb the grease. Let it sit for a few minutes and brush off. Then, treat the area with a stain remover and wash in the hottest water possible.

BBQ sauce stain

Place a layer of paper towels over the stain and work from the inside of the fabric, flushing with cold water transferring some of the bbq sauce to the towels. Then, pretreat with liquid laundry detergent to break up the stain, let sit for several minutes and rinse well. Sponge the stain with white vinegar and rinse again. Pretreat again and wash.

Mustard stain

Stains from mustard are a little hard to remove, but scraping most of the excess off will make the job less overwhelming. Immediately, wash the splatter with cold water. As soon as you can, apply a prewash stain remover and wash in warm to hot water.