Use the last drop of a spray bottle

When your spray bottle has only a few good spritzes to go and it is not discharging any more drops, open it, place a few small marbles (gravel or river rocks) inside and refasten the top. The material will raise the baseline of the fluid, making easier to spray out.

Storing tablecloths

Storing tablecloths in overstuffed cabinets or drawers can cause them to wrinkle. An easy way to keep them ready for use is to clip the fabrics to the racks of a tiered skirt hanger (place a folded tissue under each clip to avoid marks), and then hang in a closet. They will stay flat and less susceptible to wrinkling.

Hide an adjustment on your garment

If an alteration left your garment with visible lines of stitches, simply wet a clean rag in a solution of equal parts distilled vinegar and water, and pass it over the lines. Using an ironing board, place your garment on it, and iron until the stitches disappear.

Long life to silk garments

Wash your silk clothes by hand, in cold water, with a few shots of baby shampoo. Test for colorfastness first! Protein in this kind of non-alkaline product will feed the proteins in silk, and garment will be clean without any chemical damage.

Improvise a quick pedicure

When you do not have time to go to a salon, soak your feet in a bowl of whole milk for about 15 minutes. The lactic acid helps skin to retain water, reducing the appearance of cracked heels and promoting an overall glow. You can also add a cup of rose petals to tight and tone the skin on your soles.

Never forget to reply an e-mail

If you have a daily overcrowded inbox that you have to go over to decide what to respond and what to delete, and you do not want to miss or forget anything important, try this trick. When you read an important one, hit “reply” and save the blank response to your drafts folder. When you finish reviewing all received e-mails, go to that folder, compose and send all your important responses. You will never forget anything important again, and you will not force yourself to rush and answer it as soon as you read it.

Squeezing lemon slices

To prevent lemon juice from going all over the place, instead of just to your glass, make some slits in each wedge before squeezing. That will break up the fruit’s center membrane and the juice will come out easier.

Save overbeaten egg whites

If your egg whites clump up in the middle of making a meringue, just slowly beat in a fresh egg white. It will remoisten and smooth out the lumps.

Perfectly cut steak-fry potatoes

To make the job easier, cut each potato in half crosswise, and then use an apple corer to get the perfect slices.

Accomplish extra tall meringue

To ensure a high meringue pie, when beating the egg whites, start the mixer on low speed and beat for 1 minute. Then switch to high speed. Beginning on low allows proteins to loosen and take in more air.

Picking parsley leaves from a bunch

Instead of picking parsley leaves off the stems one by one, hold the herb with leaves facing away from you and graze a chef’s knife along the length of the bunch. Keep the blade almost parallel to the stems, and all the leaves will come right off.

Chopping nuts without a mess

Place your cutting board inside a rimmed baking sheet before you star chopping nuts. They may roll off the board, but they will stay within the limits of the pan, keeping the job clean.

Cooking artichokes

To cook perfect tender artichokes, just watch their outer leaves while they are on the stove. When you can easily pluck off one of them without lifting the whole head out of the water, it is done.

Keep fruit tart shells crisp longer

To prevent fruit tart shells from becoming soggy, use a pastry brush to coat the inside of the shells with melted white chocolate. Once chocolate hardened, you can fill them with cream and fruits. Your tarts will be crispy with an extra nice flavor.

Hair with split ends

Spray a large round brush with hairspray, roll the ends of dry hair under and hit with a blast of heat from your blow dryer. Do this for all ends. Spraying the brush, instead of the strands, will coat the hair from all angles.

Make reassembling items easy

When you need to fix an object that has a lot of screws and bolts, as you take it apart, lay each tiny piece onto the sticky side of some duct tape in the order you remove it. When you have to reassemble the item, you will know the order for putting everything back together.

Painting the ceiling without drips

Before you begin the job, poke your brush through the bottom of a coffee filter so the paper curls up in the direction of the brush. You will catch paint drips while you work, and prevent mess all over the place.

Release a rusty screw

Pour a capful of club soda over the screw to dissolve the rust and sediment that prevent it from turning. The carbon dioxide will bubble the rust and dirt away.

Hand-washing silverware

Next time you have to hand-wash a large number of utensils, place a colander in the sink before starting the job. As you wash each piece, put in the colander, and just rinse all together at the end. You will save a significant amount of time and water in the process.

Quick fix for cracked cuticle

When your cuticle is dry and cracked, and you cannot treat it right away, dampen the area with water and apply a little lip balm to it. The balm seals in moisture, keeping the skin from drying out even more.

Storing tall boots

Slip empty 1L soda bottles into the calves of the knee-high boots, and then zip them up before storing. The bottles will keep them in perfect shape.

Quick fix for a pimple

Combine a pea-size amount of honey with 1 drop of orange juice and apply to the area. Let sit for about 5 minutes and rinse with cool water. The citric acid in the juice removes excess oil, while the antioxidants in the honey speed healing.