Silver and Gold Magazine Summer 2019 | Page 12

HOUSEHOLD TIPS + TRICKS Try baking some orange and lemon rind (or vanilla!) in your oven for a few minutes, before company comes over… for a beautiful, clean scent! Later, you can add the baked rind in your tea. Get rid of those coffee or tea stains inside your mug by swishing some white vinegar and a dab of baking soda inside. Works wonders for cleaning inside vases too. Try rolling your t-shirts rather than folding them, to minimize creases, see all shirts easier, and save on drawer space. Scuffed wood furniture? Cut a walnut in half and rub into the scratch, then rub with your fingers to buff. Be a responsible pet owner and buy some small biodegradable bags online or at the dollar store, for next time you take your pooch out for a walk. They may be more expensive than regular plastic bags, but they won’t sit in a landfill for 1,000 years. Clean your microwave easily! Cut up some lemon and place in a bowl of water, then microwave for 3-4 minutes. After that, wiping microwave clean will be much easier. Add a cinnamon stick to your vacuum cleaner bag to add a nice scent to the rooms every time you vacuum. Red fingers from cutting beets? Rub them with a lemon to remove all redness in a flash! Try our beet + goat cheese salad! Recipe online. DIY sew-free eco produce bags Although most supermarkets are charging for the purchase of plastic shopping bags, they continue to be used at an alarming rate. These bags do not EVER biodegrade and cause damaging ecological issues. Produce bags, continue to be picked up for every batch of apples or celery used, only to be tossed away because they’re flimsy and weak. Why not use your old t-shirts to make produce bags? The process is simple and doesn’t even require sewing! Simply cut fringes at the bottom of an old t-shirt and tie into knots, then turn inside out for an instant produce bag that can be easily washed and reused a thousand times over! They make great Christmas gifts too! For step-by-step instructions please our website for a link to 8 techniques. 12 Lots more online! www.silvergoldmagazine.ca