tip of the week: alternative uses for common products

Often times, the hardest problems have simple solutions. And often times, the simple solutions are the ones least thought of, right in front of your eyes. We all laughed at the home remedies discussed in "My Big Fat Greek Wedding," but the truth is that home remedies are often the best remedies. If you believe the numerous books written on the topic, the most useful household product might be duct tape. You can spend hours figuring out new ways to take advantage of the sticky gray tape often mis-pronounced as "duck tape" (quack, quack). But did you know that there are thousands of other solutions to everyday problems using common household items? I'm only going to list a few of my favorite items, but the real tip here is this: Always google household solutions to a problem before you spend money on fixing it.

Ok, so here are my top three favorite useful item tips:

1. Rice - Accidentally stick your cell phone in the cup of water in your car's cup-holder (I have) or drop it in a toilet (check me off for that one too) or get your cell phone wet in some other fashion? Best way to dry it out involves rice. Always be sure to immediately remove the battery first. Remove your Sim card while you're at it too. Stick the phone in a Rubbermaid container full of dry rice overnight. It will soak of the water. For full instructions, click here.
2. Quarters - Ever have a flashlight die only to find out it takes D batteries and you don't have any (who keeps D batteries around anyway?) but don't feel like (or can't) drive to the store? Do you have C batteries lying around? You can use C batteries and fill the gap left with quarters to complete the connection. Don't believe me, read it for yourself.
3. Aluminum Foil - We've all used aluminum foil to enhance our antenna reception (at least we did) and to build an alien-resilient helmet (at least I thought about it), but did you know that aluminum foil has many additional uses including sharpening your scissors? Just cut through about 5 or 6 layers of aluminum foil and those scissors should be good as new.

Bonus: Click here to see how your freezer can solve the following 6 problems:

1. Unpopped popcorn
2. Waxy candlesticks
3. Candles burning out too quickly
4. Photos stuck together
5. Dirty pots
6. Smelly items like old books

You may not like all the solutions out there. Let's face it, I'm never using mustard on my chest to eliminate congestion! But you might be amazed by how many cool homemade remedies and alternative product uses there are out there. Check some out for yourself. Be sure to share any you have with me.