Storing berries, citrus and grapes

Store in the refrigerator to keep fresh for up to 2 weeks. Find below a few additional tips for each of them:
• Grapes: store in plastic bags and do not wash until you are ready to eat them!
• Citrus: if you decide to store at room temperature, they will be fresh for about 1 week only. They still last longer than most other fruits because of their hard skin. Meyer lemons and limes have a shorter life and should go straight to the refrigerator.
• Berries: their real life time will depend on the variety (blueberries will stay fresh the longest). Do not wash until you are ready to eat them! The dusty covering you see on berries is a natural preservative that keeps them fresh.

Storing avocados and/or pears

Store any of these fruits at room temperature for up to a week until they are ripe, and then move them to the refrigerator, where they can keep for up to another week. For pears, check for ripeness observing the “neck” right next to the stem for a slight softness. To speed up ripening process of both fruits, place them in a paper bag. For avocados, throw them into the bag with a banana, which produces the most ripening-inducing ethylene of any fruit, and they will be guacamole-ready in about a day.

Keep out of the refrigerator

• Hot sauce: it will be just fine in the pantry for up to 3 years.
• Potatoes: store in the pantry in paper bags to maintain their flavors (plastic bags hold moisture and speed deterioration). They should last up to 3 weeks, depending on variety.
• Bread: keep what you will consume within 4 days at room temperature and freeze the rest. Refrigerator dries bread out fast.
• Onions: keep them in the pantry, inside their original mesh bag (allowing air circulation), and away from potatoes, which emit moisture and gases that can cause onions to rot.
• Garlic: store loose in the pantry for up to 2 months, so air can move around it.
• Tomatoes: leave them on a counter, out of plastic bags. Once ripe, they will last for about 3 days.
• Coffee: store in an airtight container in the pantry. The refrigerator creates condensation, which can change the flavor of both beans and ground coffee.
• Winter squashes: they will be fine in the pantry for about a month (varieties such as acorn, butternut, delicata and spaghetti).

Storing apples in the refrigerator

Place apples in a plastic bag before storing them in the fridge. They give off ethylene, a natural gas that can make lettuce and other produce turn brown, and the plastic will prevent that. It is also good to know that storing apples in the refrigerator will keep crisp for up to 4 weeks, while outside (in a cool and dry place) will keep crisp for about 1 week.

Cooking vegetable quiche

To make sure you achieve a less waterlogged veggie quiche, sauté the veggies before combining with eggs. They will release water but retain their textures.

Crunchy green beans

After you remove the beans from boiling water, immediately submerge them in a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process. You can help this trick even more, cooking them in a strainer, to make the quick dunk easier for you.

Transporting a tall cake

Your cake is too high and does not fit in your cake carrier. Just top some toothpicks with marshmallows, and then insert them around the cake before wrapping. They will provide enough distance to prevent the wrap from sticking to the frosting, and the marshmallows keep the toothpicks from perforating the plastic.

Preserve bacon left over

If you do not use bacon very often and hate when the rest of the pack goes bad before you can use it again, freeze it! Stack 2 or 3 slices together, roll up into cylinders (Swiss roll cake style), place them in a resealable plastic bag and toss in the freezer. Next time you need bacon, just remove, cook and enjoy your treat.

Water conservation in the kitchen

• Dishwasher: always fill it completely and choose the fastest setting.
• Washing by hand: soak dishes to soften residues first, then scrub, and only use running water for the final rinse. For pots, place them in the sink to collect used water, instead of soaking in clean water.
• Detergent: use less. Excess soap needs more water to be rinsed off.
• Washing a jar or glass: put in a small amount of soapy water and shake with the cover on. Then transfer the water to the next utensil, wipe and rinse.
• Cooking: make one-pot meals (like stew, casserole, chili, lasagna, stroganoff, risotto etc.) to save on washing.

Polish wood with baby oil

Polishing your wood furniture with baby oil will remove water stains and give the pieces a nice shine. Yet, you will get a pleasant "baby fresh" smell and a waterproof barrier (ideal trick before having a party at home).

Cleaning your keyboard

Use a makeup brush to dust and perform a quick swipe between your keyboard letters. Make sure to use an old brush, otherwise you will have to wash it meticulously before placing it back in your makeup bag.

Distressed wood look

If you want a frame, a cabinet or any other wood item to get that chipped-paint look, just apply some splotches of Vaseline on the areas where you want it to look distressed. Then apply a top coat of paint, let it dry, and sand off the splotches. The paint in those areas will come right off, giving your item the chic weathered look that you were looking for.

Secure your wallet

Do not overstuff your wallet! Besides the inconvenience of carrying a heavy purse (or pocket), you should not be taking personal information everywhere with you. With just your name and Social Security number, identity thieves can open new credit accounts and make costly purchases in your name. With a government-issued photo ID, they can do even more damage. To avoid any risk, remove from your wallet: Social Security Card (or anything else that may contain your number), Password Cheat Sheet (consider an encrypted mobile app), Spare Keys (keep them with a trusted person instead), Blank Checks, Passport, Multiple Credit Cards (carry only one or two, and have a list with cancellation numbers to call in another place), Birth Certificate, A Stack Of Receipts (a crafty ID thief can use the limited credit card info and merchant information on receipts to phish for your remaining numbers).

Get rid of rust in the bathroom

To prevent any metal from rusting and staining your bathtub, use clear nail polish to coat the objects. You can use it on the underside of your shaving cream can, on your metal soap dishes or any other item that can form rust due to the contact with water and humidity.

Keep stainless steel shinning longer

Clean and dry your sink as usual, apply some of your regular furniture polish to a cloth and wipe the sink (if it looks streaky, you have applied too much!), and then buff away any excess with a clean cloth. You can give the faucet and other items a quick swipe too. The new light layer will prevent the metal from looking water spotted and stained longer.

Easy fix for car dents

If your car has a dent on a metal panel (such as trunk, door, hood etc.), try to remove it with your blow dryer. Blast the dent on medium heat for about a minute until the paint feels warm, and then reach behind the dent and push it out. Hold it in place for another minute while it cools.

Cleaning summer espadrilles

The braided wedge on your pair of summer espadrilles started to look dirty and you do not want to cause any damage cleaning them in the same way you clean your other shoes. Try to use foaming carpet cleaner next time! Just apply some foam to the braid and gently work it in with a soft old toothbrush. Let it dry for about 30 minutes, and carefully brush away any residue going in the same direction as the braid.