Truly odd helpful hints from DUers......post 'em here!

[Maddy McCall]

Here is one I'd like to share. If you have a problem with dirt daubers building nests on your porch ceiling, paint it sky blue and they will not land nor build there because they think it is the sky.

And if you have a problem with flies at outdoor gatherings, fill up some ziplok bags with water and hang them hither and yon. Can't tell you WHY this works, but it really works at keeping flies at bay.

And if you step on a nail, there's no reason to go to the dr. (unless you haven't had a tetanus shot in the past 5 years). Just take a penny and a small slice of salt meat (such as cured bacon) and band-aid that to your foot. Somehow, the copper in the penny reacts to the salt meat and quickly cures the wound.

Finally, my father worked as a medic at a Texas oil refinery before I was born, and he swears by Tide. If you bruise, cut, sprain, or hurt yourself in any other way, just "soak it in hot Tide water." For sprains or bruises, it will "draw out the pain," and for cuts or rashes, it will help it heal quicker. Again, don't know why it works, but it really does work.

So, what are YOUR favorite ODD helpful hints? Think "Heloise" and post 'em here! I would love to print the thread out for home reference if we get enough responses.

[BrotherBuzz]

1. Milk, money saver

I purchase 2% milk and dilute in 50 percent with water to make an exacting 1% milk. It tastes really crappy but I save a lot of money.

[OneBlueSky]

16. when you open a new can of paint . . .

take a nail and punch holes every inch or two around the rim of the can, in the slot that the lids sits in . . . as you work, the paint will drain back into the can rather than collecting and spilling over . . .

edit: sorry . . . meant to post this at the end of the thread . . .

[unblock]

22. that's NOT 1% milk!!

true, it has only 1% milk fat, but i also has half the normal amount of milk solids and so on!!!

there's more to milk than the fat!

[BrotherBuzz]

31. Milk Solids!

Thank you. I forgot about the milk solid bit, I guess that's why it tasted so crappy and my son stopped drinking it entirely. I guess I was in denial as my financial scheme seemed so foolproof at the time, and to think I grew up drinking skim milk.

Does gasoline have milk solids in it? I tried to economize on that, too, but with less then sterling results.

[Robb]

2. Gettin' that omelette up

So the pan is medium-hot, you've poured in your beaten eggs, and it's cooking -- but how to get that spatula underneath cleanly?

Keep a bottle of water with a little liquor spout nearby. Pour just a little water in a ring all around the cooking eggs -- so it bubbles under the edges. The steam lifts up the edge of the cooking eggs quite well.

:)

[trof]

6. Oh, Robb...

I hate to sound know-it-all, but Julia Childs (the original one) taught me how to cook omelets (on TV).
No spatulas.
Get an omelet/sautee pan.
Teflon, with sloping, curved sides.
Use butter.
With a little practice, a very little, after it has set and the top is just barely runny (it'll finish cooking when folded), you start the omelet sliding around in the pan with a circular motion so it's not sticking anywhere. The with a little flip shove forward and up you fold 1/3 of it back onto itself. It WANTS to travel up the sloped side and back onto itself. Then grab the pan handle palm up and plate the omelet, folding the back over on top of the first fold you did in the pan.
Look ma, NO SPATULA.

Julia's rules:
2 eggs
a litle water beaten in, no milk.
3 ingredients MAX.
Give 'er a shot & lemme know how you fare.

[Robb]

10. Well, sure!

...If you want to use a ton of butter, you can flip anything! ;)

[trof]

11. I only use a hogshead.

;-)

[unblock]

32. one half second spritz of pam (olive oil) is all you need

no sticking, and very few calories.

if you want to use the real thing, dab a very small amount of olive oil onto a paper towel and smear it evenly around the pan.

[Maddy McCall]

24. Good one...

I will remember this, since my omelettes usually wind up looking like scrambled eggs for that very reason!

[JohnKleeb]

3. here are mine

lol
Vote Kucinich in the primaries :)
Dont call your little brother a donkey :)
oh yeah
Herbs cure everything and so do rations :)

[Capn Sunshine]

4. If you see a skunk tail sticking out from the vent under your house

Just leave it alone.

[Cheswick2.0]

5. When you can't find a Character you are supposed to be playing

give the character a costume, a pair of glasses or weird hair you would never wear. Dress that way for rehearsal. It takes you out of yourself and allows the other person to take over.

[trof]

7. Never cook bacon naked.

I wouldn't steer you wrong.
;-)

[alfredo]

15. And don't pee on an electric fence.

trust me on this.

[ima_sinnic]

8. ammonia-based window cleaner knocks cockroaches dead

(spray enough to put them in a little puddle) but if you leave the blue window cleaner too long on a formica countertop it will leave a blue stain--which can be removed with baking soda and white vinegar.

sticking a broom handle or yardstick into a fire-ant nest several times will cause the ants to abandon that nest.

burned deposits on glass cookware: add lots of salt to water and boil hell out of it.

[Maddy McCall]

25. I will try the ant hint tomorrow...

have some nasty fireant beds in my yard. I ought to be well enough to walk outdoors tomorrow, and I will definitely go pokey pokey.

[dolo amber]

9. Hiccups

Surefire way to get rid of hiccups, works for me everytime.

Take a very slow, long, deep breath, don't stop even if interrupted by hiccupping...hold it. Then, take your hand (either) and make a fist, press it as hard as you can into your diaphragm. Press out against your fist and hold as long as you can, then SLOWLY let out your breath. SLOWLY, while still applying pressure from within against your fist. My choir teacher in high school taught us this, since sometimes during performances people would get nervous hiccups. Never fails to cure mine! ;)

[jumptheshadow]

13. Hiccups

Or place a spoon in a glass of water and drink the entire glass of water. Don't take the spoon out of the glass.

It works.

[dawgman]

12. Don't cure syphillis with mercury.

http://democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=111&topic_id=5803

[alfredo]

14. English plantain is good for poison ivy

Honey and mercurochrome heal wounds quickly

urine works better than plantain for poison ivy.

two lumps of sugar or a teaspoon of sugar will cure hiccups.

Brake fluid and power steering fluid are both hydraulic fluids, and can be interchange in if needed.

Gas line leaks in your car can be temporarily fixed with chewing gum and tape.

Alfalfa tea is an aphrodisiac. It tastes good mixed with mint and honey.

Hot boiling water works well for stopped up drains. All that draino does is chemically heat the grease.

Hot peppers give great temporary relief from hay fever.

[marzipanni]

19. Oh yeah- Itches, healing, alfalfa

If you have poison ivy or oak rash on a body part which can be easily held under the faucet in sink or bathtub (hand, arm, leg or foot, for instance) hold in stream of water as you open tap. Start out with cool water then turn to hot, keep your hand on the tap handle because just before the water is about to reach scalding temp. you will feel an increase followed by sudden cessation of itchiness. Not to be used on young children, because the itchy person has to control the turning off of the hot water before it hurts!
Urine has urea, which is very good for your skin- it's an ingredient in good skin creams and lotions. I knew a woman who had some skin cancer removed from her face and her doc told her that urine is an excellent thing to put on the healing areas.
I have heard personal testimony that alfalfa helps ease arthritis pain (either tea or powder in gelatin capsules)
on edit : here's a good home remedy site:
www.healthcentral.com/peoplespharmacy/pp_remedies/pp_remedies.cfm

[alfredo]

20. It must overload the pain receptors.

I used the urine cure while on a camping trip. It worked well.

I will try the Alfalfa for my arthritis.

Valerian for stage fright, yep, that will relax you. Mix valerian root and chamomile for restful sleep.

Honey will do the same thing. It stimulates seratonin.

the coconut macaroons are used by Crohn's sufferers.

Tumeric is good for cuts.

[OneBlueSky]

17. smooth surfaces when refininishing . . .

when finishing or refinishing a piece of furniture or other wood product, sand it as smooth as you can before applying the first coat of finish . . . after the first coat dries, re-sand with a very fine sandpaper (say 400 grit) and a light touch . . . when you put your final coat on, it will look like it came from the factory . . . a nice coat of wax completes the operation . . .

[jono]

18. Freezing pies

If you ever make fresh pie mix and then freeze it so you can enjoy it in the winter without paying winter prices for fruit, here's a tip. If you dump the pie mix into a tupperware, you'll have to thaw it later. Instead, take an empty pie pan and line it with plastic wrap. Drop your mix into the wrapped pan, cover the top, and freeze. When you take it out of the freezer, you can simply unwrap your mix and drop the block into a new pan that has a crust. No waiting on thawing!

Sorry, my grandmother shared this with me today (for the second time - she's getting senile) and I had to pass the tidbit on, even though I've never baked a pie myself. :)

[Maddy McCall]

26. GREAT hint...

I love apple pie! Will have to abandon the atkins diet to try this one!

[Lady Freedom]

34. The greatest hint!

DUCK TAPE!!!!!
(How many knew that was it?hehe }>)

[mitchum]

21. 1) Tap on a jar lid with a heavy spoon...

this will break the seal, and make twisting off the lid much easier

2) It's not that easy to move a body by yourself

[MercutioATC]

27. Regarding #2, mitchum,

Friends help you move.
REAL friends help you move bodies.

[Lady President]

23. A couple more

Common ones:
1. Put ice on gum stuck in hair or on clothes. Also, try soaking hair in Coke.
2. Hairspray removes ball point pen ink

Couple more:
1. If you ever have a kidney infection, take your antibotics, but also drink two beers at night (just two). It will take away the back pain.
2. For ingrown hairs or a bad pimple make a paste of lemon juice and yeast (either powder or solid). It will smell horrible, but the infection rises to the surface where the lemon juice dries it.
3. Jelly beans for morning sickness. Take the ones with fructose, not the spicy ones. I have never had any need to try this one, but friends say it works.

[alfredo]

28. For the guys

swollen prostate from too much cycling or other activities. Eat sardines three times a week, and take vit C. If you don't like sardines, eat sunflower seeds or take a zinc supplement.

Adjust bicycle seat.

[The Lone Liberal]

29. Never, ever

Chew on the electrical cord of an ordinary house lamp. An article in the July edition of JAMA advises against that practice. According to the article, written by two physicians from the Mennenger Clinic, nine times out of ten it will have an adverse outcome on mortality and morbidity.

[Nikia]

30. For hard to wash pots and pans

If you have a pot or pan that has something burnt to the bottom or otherwise has difficult to scrape out food, boil some soapy water in it. If you are lucky, the food will float to the top. Even if it doesn't, it will be much easier to remove.

[catzies]

33. To remove the last bit of candlewax that sticks to holders

Pop the holder into the freezer if you can for about an hour. The wax will contract and pop right out without damaging the candleholder. But let it come back to room temperature before lighting another candle in the holder.

[dofus]

35. To remove onion odor from your hands

pour salt on them, scrub well, and rinse in COLD water. Hot will retain the onion smell.