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Clever Uses for Mayonnaise Outside the Kitchen

December 18, 2014 by

You might think that you need to cut out mayonnaise in order to maintain a healthier lifestyle. While that may be true when it comes to your diet, mayonnaise has a number of creative uses in other parts of you life. Here are some of the most helpful and creative ways to use mayonnaise.

  1. Fix cracks in wood furniture. It seems unlikely, but mayonnaise is a great tool to fix cracks in your older furniture. Smear it over the crack and let it sit for a few days, and the oils will cause the wood to swell and fill in the space where the crack used to be.
  2. Condition your hair. You can splurge on the priciest hair mask at the beauty supply store, but few things work better than regular old mayonnaise. Coat your hair in mayonnaise and let it sit for a few minutes under a shower cap before thoroughly rinsing.
  3. Remove crayon stains from walls. If energetic children mark up your walls with their crayons, let mayonnaise soak on the stains for a few minutes and they’ll wipe right off.
  4. Clean tar off of your car. Smear mayonnaise on any parts of your car that are covered in tar, sap, or other sticky substances. Let it sit for a few minutes and then wipe the area with a clean cloth.

20 Uses for Mayonnaise [All You]
11 Home and Beauty Uses for Mayonnaise [Reader's Digest]
9 Surprising Non-Cooking Uses for Mayonnaise [Every Day]
10 Unexpected Home Uses for Mayonnaise [Wise Bread]

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3 Uncommon Uses for White Vinegar

December 4, 2014 by

If you want to make some steps toward a more natural, chemical-free household, a good place to start is with the cleaning products you use. Simple white vinegar makes a great replacement for many of your most frequently used cleaners and beauty products, and it’s completely natural. Check out these uncommon uses for white vinegar!

  1. Static Remover. To remove static cling from your clothing, add 1/2 cup of white vinegar to your washing machine along with your usual detergent. The acid in the vinegar will work against the static.
  2. Sweat Stain Remover. If your white t-shirts or gym socks are riddled with unpleasant sweat stains, don’t throw them away quite yet. Soak them overnight in a solution of one cup white vinegar and boiling water, and rinse them out the next morning to find your clothes clean and bright.
  3. Teeth Whitener. Brush your teeth once a week with white vinegar, and you’ll be left with pearly whites in just a few applications.

45 Uses for Vinegar [All You]
150+ Household Uses for Vinegar [Reader's Digest]
1001 Uses for White Distilled Vinegar [Vinegar Tips]

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Love to Cook? Master These Must-Know Knife Techniques

November 20, 2014 by

If you love to cook, you know how important it is to use the proper cutting techniques in every recipe. Many people don't know the proper names of these techniques, however, which often leads to using the wrong one. Here are three important types of cutting that are essential for everything from entrees to desserts.

  1. Julienne. To julienne, you want to cut vegetables or other food items into stick-shaped pieces that are long and thin. Start by cutting the item into a square, then slice it into rectangular-shaped pieces lengthwise. Repeat the same step on each of the rectangles until you're left with pieces that resemble matchsticks.
  2. Chiffonade. This type of cut sounds fancy, but it actually just refers to cutting herbs or thin leaf vegetables. Roll the herbs up into a tight tube, then roughly chop across with a sharp knife. It doesn't matter how the cuts look, just that the pieces are small enough to sprinkle throughout a dish.
  3. Dice. Dicing is similar to chopping, but it creates entirely uniform pieces for dishes like stews or fruit salads. Begin with a rectangular shape and continue to cut it both directions until you're left with uniform pieces in the size that you desire.

Knife Skills: Different Types of Cuts [The Culinary Cook]
Top 10 Knife Skills [How Stuff Works]
Perfect Your Knife Skills With This Chef's Guide to Knives [Lifehacker]

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Essential Beauty-Enhancing Products You Already Have at Home

October 16, 2014 by

The next time you want to try a new beauty product, you might want to start by browsing your kitchen cabinets instead of heading to the drugstore. Many common foods and oils can double as creams, scrubs, and skin treatments! Here are a few beneficial beauty products that you likely already own.

  1. Tea bags. Instead of investing in a pricey eye cream to get rid of those dark circles after a night out, use some tea bags instead. Soak two green tea bags in warm water and lay them on your eyelids. The caffeine will shrink the appearance of blood vessels, while the antioxidants reduce inflammation.
  2. Oatmeal. Make your own face treatment by using your favorite breakfast oats. Place a handful of whole oats inside of a washcloth and secure it closed with a rubber band. Soak the whole thing in a sink of warm water until the water turns cloudy, and then splash it onto your face. This will create a protective barrier on the skin that seals in moisture and provides anti-inflammatory properties.
  3. Oranges. Use oranges to get rid of pesky dry patches on the skin. Squeeze half of an orange into a bowl and mix in 1/4 cup of granulated sugar and 1/4 cup of olive oil. Rub the other half of the orange on dry knees or elbows to loosen the dead cells, and then rub on your homemade scrub to slough them away.

Have A Spa Day…At Home! 10 DIY Beauty Treatments! [Seventeen]
Our Favorite All-Natural Home Beauty Treatments [Fitness]
Crazy Beauty Tricks That Really Work [Whole Living]
6 All-Natural Beauty Fixes [Woman’s Day]

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Tackle Spring Cleaning With These Helpful Tips

May 14, 2014 by

The change from winter to spring is typically accompanied by a desire to have a bright, clean home. You're tired of the dingy, cold effects of winter snow and ice, and everything just feels a bit less than fresh. If you’re planning a spring cleaning routine but don’t know where to begin, these seven tips will help you get started.

  • Set all clocks ahead one hour for Daylight Savings Time.
  • Change the batteries in things like smoke detectors, remote controls, and alarm clocks.
  • Flip or rotate your mattress to ensure that it lasts for years to come.
  • Protect hardwood floors against scratches by adding padded, adhesive discs to the legs of chairs and tables.
  • Clean the refrigerator using a few teaspoons of baking soda diluted in hot water. Also be sure to toss out expired or unused food items.
  • Wash pillows to prevent seasonal allergens common in the springtime from accumulating inside.
  • Re-stock cleaning supplies to prepare yourself for any number of household messes and spills that come with the spring season.

    Spring Cleaning [Martha Stewart]
    28 Spring Cleaning Tips [Country Living]

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