ALCOHOL
#I. Pepper neutralizer.
If your hands burn
and sting after handling hot peppers, pour rubbing
alcohol over them.
#2. Windowsill cleaner.
If your wooden windowsills are rain spotted or discolored, refresh them by wiping them with a little
diluted rubbing alcohol on a soft cloth.
#3. Bathroom cleaner.
Keep a bottle of rubbing alcohol handy to shine chrome fixturs and to remove hair spray from mirrors.
#4. Knicknack polish.
Carefully clean crystal and porcelain
with rubbing alcohol.
ALUMINUM
#1. Sun box.
Remove the top and one side from a cardboard box; line the other three sides with aluminum foil. Place your plants in the box and place it near a window, the foil will reflect light, helping the stems to grow straight instead of bent toward the sun.
#2. Wallpaper.
Cut foil into 1-foot squares; coat one side with wallpaper paste and apply in a haphazzard, over-lapping fashion.
#3. Platter.
Make a convenient disposable dish for picnics by covering a piece of cardboard with heavy-duty aluminum foil.
AMMONIA
#1. Furniture renewer.
If an old piece of furniture is heavily stained, rub it with a cloth dampened with full-
strength ammonia; when the cloth gets dirty, rinse it in water and reuse.
#2. Wax remover.
Before waxing a dirty resilient floor, remove the old polish with a solution of 1 cup ammonia in 1 gallon water.
#3. Jewelry cleaner.
Soak gold jewelry in equal parts ammonia and luke-warm water for
10 minutes; rub with a soft brush and let dry without rinsing.
#4. Silverware polish.
A quick way to brighten shine; combine ammonia with paste polish and apply with a soft cloth to your silver
-plated and stainless-steel cutlery.
APRONS
#1. Portable cash box.
Turn up the bottom of an apron and stich several pockets so that you can wear your cash box around your waist during your garage sale, keeping your coins and bills seperated and safe from theft.
Ladder tool pocket.
#2. An efficient way to hold your tools while working on a ladder is to tack or staple a carpenter's apron to the top step.
ASHES
#1. Fertilizer.
Don't dicard wood ashes; sprinkle them onto the compost pile or work them into the soil in the spring- but not around acid-loving plants, such as rhododendrons and azaleas. (Store ashes in a metal covered container, well away from buildings and flammable material; even long-dead ashes harbor hot embers that sometimes burst into flames.)
#2. Halloween makeup.
For that ghoulish look, rub ashes all over the face and arms.
#3.
Grease cutter.
When camping or barbecuing, soak greasy pans and utensils in ashes mixed with water or make a thick ash and water paste for scrubbing.
#4. Pest repellent.
To discourage slugs and snails, build low ridges of wood ash around plants and between row crops.
ASPRIN TINS
#1. Sewing box organizer.
A neat way to store snaps, sequins, buttons and beads is in individual asprin tins in your sewing box. Lable the lids or glue on a sample of the contents for easy identification. Also a good way to take needles and thread in your purse when you leave home.
#2. Stamp saver.
Prevent stamps from sticking together by storing them in an asprin tin.
#3. Birthday keepsake.
Decorate the outside of a tin, line it with felt or silk, and insert a penny from the birth year of your friend.
#4. Broken jewelry box.
Keep all the little pieces safe and together in an asprin tin.
#5. Workshop helper.
The tins are great for storing brads, glazing points, setscrews, lock washers, and other small items.
#6. Earring keeper.
Prevent pairs of small earrings from straying; store them together in asprin tins.
#7. Mini safe.
Hide the keys to desks and lockboxes-it's unlikely that a thief will suspect an innocent-looking asprin tin in your glove compartment.
#8. Fuse cache.
You'll always know where your spare car fuses are if you store them in a tin in the glove box.
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