If you’re anything like us your Insta feed is full of home renovations and cats and puppies. Another must watch are home hacks. We can’t resist them. Here we present to you our silly, random and hopefully useful home hack list from around the PHG office. Tip: stock up on the hydrogen peroxide because it is a miracle maker as you’ll see in the many tips below.
Jeanne’s Tips
My secret power is I can get any stain out of any fabric. My mother recently gave me a box of my baby clothes, they were musty and deeply stained. I had little hope, but what did I have to lose? I broke out my super stain remover recipe and they came out like new! Mix 2 Tablespoons baking soda, 1/4 cup hydrogen peroxide and 2 Tablespoons blue Dawn dish soap. Don’t be shy, really apply that mixture to your stain. Let it sit for about an hour and then wash as usual!
I’m not sure why we didn’t do this the day we got our fridge. Keep an ice scooper in the ice maker- it's so much more pleasant to scoop out into a glass vs that sound of ice plinking cube by cube. How can it be so loud?
Sara’s Tips
If you make hard boiled eggs, save the water and let it cool. Water your plants with it. There’s calcium that they will eat up. You can also put the eggshells in the soil for an extra nutrient boost.
If you find yourself battling a stripped screw, put a rubber band over the head to help your drill or screwdrivers grip. You can combine this with sliding a thin flat crowbar or screwdriver under the head to help loosen the screw.
Melissa’s Tip
When I have a towel, dishrag or t-shirt that is passed it’s prime I cut it up and use it as the pad on my swiffer. I love being able to use them dry or wet, and just toss them in the washer for next time!
Clares Tips
My southern roots means something fried is always an option! I used to freeze the oil in a jar and dispose, but thanks to tik tok I learned a new hack! Take a piece of tin foil, mold it to your sink drain and pour the oil in there. Let it cool (while you’re enjoying that fried chicken) and simply wrap it up to dispose.
Rita’s Tips
There's nothing more valuable than your child’s favorite stuffed animal. When they need a little freshening up, we wash them in a pillow case. This helps protect the seams, the fabric and anything sewn on.
RLR was a life saver when my kids were in cloth diapers. It’s also great for vintage clothing and sheets! It strips mineral deposits and detergent that has been left behind. It makes your whites and colors brighter. Plus you can’t argue with the packaging. You can often find it at baby stores or on ebay.
If you want to get rid of wax from old candles, resist the urge to pour boiling water into the vessel because that only gets it everywhere. Instead, freeze it! When the wax is frozen you can chip it away easily. Once they’re clean I use the glass jars to organize the bits in my medicine cabinet.
Hydrogen Peroxide will clean up any blood stain on upholstery or clothing. Pour it directly on the area, let it bubble up, dab it with a rag. Then pour on again, dab dab. Repeat until the stain disappears.
Bonnie’s Tips
If you’ve ever had a confrontation with cat pee where it shouldn’t belong, you’ll want to bookmark this recipe. I absolutely swear by it: 16oz Hydrogen Peroxide, 1 teaspoon of dishwashing liquid, 1 tablespoon of baking soda. Mix together and apply to the area of horror. Let it dry, use the vacuum or a dry microfiber cloth to brush any white excess away. I am planning on using this mix in our power washer this spring for our back patio to get it nice and fresh as we have had some strays over the winter.
When it rains the ants come marching in. This ant killer works within 24 hours. Combine ¾ cup warm water, 1 tablespoon of Borax (pick up at the grocery in the laundry aisle or at Lowes), ⅓ cup of sugar. Mix together until sugar is dissolved. Soak up the liquid with cotton balls and place where there is ant traffic. Note that it WILL make the balls stick to the surface so we place them on thin cardboard squares so we can clean up easily.
I can get lazy with this one but when I do it, I feel totally accomplished. Store your sheet sets in the pillow case. Fold the fitted, top and 1 pillow case then put those into the other pillow case! It is so satisfying to pull the set out from your linen closet vs hunting around and messing up different piles.
Hacks are all about saving time and giving you those simple pleasures in life. It’s no wonder we love them, because that is what PHG is all about! If you’ve got one to share we are all ears- can’t wait to put it to the test !