Helpful Hints & Tips Archive

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Natural De-Icer

Used coffee grounds being sprinkled from a paper filter onto a slippery patch of winter ice.

Sprinkle leftover coffee grounds on your freshly shoveled walk or driveway to help melt the ice—it’s a natural and environmentally friendly way to add more traction underfoot.

Keep Moisture Out

Silica gel desiccant packets with warning labels scattered on a bright pink textured surface.

Save those silica gel packets you receive with various purchases and reuse them to keep moisture out of boxes of personal photos and important documents.

Winter Storage For Garden Items

Weathered terracotta flower pots stacked upside down in storage with visible moss and mineral deposits.

Store breakable items like terra-cotta pots, rain gauges, and other garden decor before hard freezes settle in.

Here’s a nifty apple pie trick: before you place your sliced pie apples in the pie shell, microwave them on high in a microwave safe dish and heat for 5 minutes until apples are slightly soft to the touch. Drain the water and add to your pie.

DIY Scents For Your Home

Dried orange slices, cinnamon sticks, star anise, and whole cloves arranged on a dark slate surface.

For a sweet-smelling home without the use of artificial fragrances, add cinnamon sticks, cloves, and orange rinds to a pot of water and simmer.

No More Egg Shells

Illustration of a raw egg with two yellow yolks in a clear glass bowl on purple background.

If you crack eggs on a flat surface rather than the side of a bowl, you’ll get fewer pieces of shell in your eggs. But if a piece still gets in, use a wet finger to snag it and scoop it out.

Picking The Right Pumpkins For Cooking

Slice of pumpkin pie with whipped cream next to a whole pie and a small pumpkin.

Pumpkins labeled “pie pumpkins” or “sugar pumpkins” are the best varieties of pumpkin for cooking. They are smaller than traditional carving pumpkins and have a sweeter, less-watery flesh. Select a pumpkin with a stem at least one to two inches long. Stems shorter than this will hasten the pumpkin’s decay. Misshapen pumpkins are fine for

Quiet Your Cough Naturally

Fresh yellow lemon wedges and a half lemon sitting on a white surface with mint leaves behind.

Got a cough? Grab a lemon. Cut it into wedges and place in the microwave for 10 seconds. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper and suck on a slice until your cough quiets down.

Freezing Blueberries

Frosted blueberries piled high in a clear glass bowl seen from a top down perspective.

Place fresh blueberries in a single layer on a cookie sheet and place in the freezer. After they are frozen, transfer them into an airtight bag or container and place back in the freezer where they will last 6-8 months. For best results, make sure your blueberries are completely dry before freezing. No need to

Make Cooler Corn!

Yellow ears of corn on the cob boiling in a pot of hot, bubbling water.

Make corn on the cob in a cooler! It’s a unique way to feed a crowd at your next cookout. Simply shuck your corn and place the ears in any size clean, sturdy cooler (not styrofoam). Add boiling water (2 quarts per 12 ears) and snap down the lid. Let sit for 30 minutes, drain,