Home Remedies.....April 28, 2010

Did you know that drinking two glasses of Gatorade can relieve headache pain almost immediately-without the unpleasant side effects caused by traditional pain relievers?

Did you know that Colgate Toothpaste makes an excellent salve for burns?

Before you head to the drugstore for a high-priced inhaler filled with mysterious chemicals, try chewing on a couple of curiously strong Altoids peppermints. They'll clear up your stuffed nose.

Achy muscles from a bout of the flu? Mix 1 tablespoon horseradish in 1 cup of olive oil. Let the mixture sit for 30 minutes, then apply it as a massage oil for instant relief for aching muscles.

Sore throat? Just mix 1/4 cup of vinegar with 1/4 cup of honey and take 1 tablespoon six times a day. The vinegar kills the bacteria.

Cure urinary tract infections with Alka-Seltzer. Just dissolve two tablets in a glass of water and drink it at the onset of the symptoms. Alka-Seltzer begins eliminating urinary tract infections almost instantly-even though the product was never advertised for this use.

Honey remedy for skin blemishes... cover the blemish with a dab of honey and place a Band-Aid over it. Honey kills the bacteria, keeps the skin sterile, and speeds healing. Works overnight.

Listerine therapy for toenail fungus: Get rid of unsightly toenail fungus by soaking your toes in Listerine Mouthwash. The powerful antiseptic leaves your toenails looking healthy again.

Easy eyeglass protection... to prevent the screws in eyeglasses from loosening, apply a small drop of Maybelline Crystal Clear Nail Polish to the threads of the screws before tightening them.

Cleaning liquid that doubles as bug killer... if menacing bees, wasps, hornets, or yellow jackets get in your home and you can't find the insecticide, try a spray of Formula 409. Insects drop to the ground instantly.

Smart splinter remover: Just pour a drop of Elmer's Glue-All over the splinter, let dry, and peel the dried glue off the skin. The splinter sticks to the dried glue.

Hunt's Tomato Paste boil cure... cover the boil with Hunt's Tomato Paste as a compress. The acids from the tomatoes soothe the pain and bring the boil to a head.

Balm for broken blisters... to disinfect a broken blister, dab on a few drops of Listerine, a powerful antiseptic.

Vinegar to heal bruises... soak a cotton ball in white vinegar and apply it to the bruise for 1 hour. The vinegar reduces the blueness and speeds up the healing process.

Quaker Oats for fast pain relief... it's not for breakfast any more! Mix 2 cups of Quaker Oats and 1 cup of water in a bowl and warm in the microwave for 1 minute, cool slightly, and apply the mixture to your hands for soothing relief from arthritis pain.

Duct Tape, A Broken Dryer Vent Hose, and Me..... April 26, 2010

At this house, all maintenance (malfunctions, something breaks, etc.) is done by Mr. Maintenance, otherwise known as my honey/hubby. This afternoon, it all started when I dropped something behind the dryer, in the laundry room. I had to move the upright freezer to get to the little plastic lid (shoulda' left it there.) In so doing, I began to see dryer lint all over the floor and wall behind my appliances. (Could I just shove everything back into place and forget I'd seen this mess?) There, in full view, was the culprit; the dryer vent hose was broken, and the lint was coming inside rather than going out the vent.

I went to the shop and told Mr. Maintenance my story. He turned, without a word, and went into his store room, and returned with a roll of duct tape which he handed to me. I took it, and said "I'm probably going to need help." His response was "You can do this!" Who was this man that had invaded my honey's body? It sure looked like him, but the Bob Gorrell that I knew would never trust me to fix anything! That was HIS job.

After thoroughly cleaning floor, walls, and the back of every appliance; it was now time to be Miss Fix-It. Dryer vent hose in three pieces in one hand, and duct tape in the other - I was ready. After taping, struggling, uttering a few choice words, and a "Dear God, why did you let me get into this?", I got it together. Now, was the time to attach one end to the dryer and the other end to the vent. Right then, I knew why God had made me a woman instead of a man. I wasn't coordinated enough to put stuff together if it didn't consist of flour, sugar and eggs!

Finally, either the Good Lord felt sorry for me or I held my tongue just right; because suddenly it all fit back together! Very carefully, I moved everything back into place. I knew, from now on the dryer couldn't be moved, or duct tape and I would become fast friends. When I suggested to Mr. Maintenance that the dryer should not be moved, he said "You've been moving the dryer?" Right then, I knew I had earned the title of "One who broke dryer vent hose."

One thing for sure; the man either has fever, or he's been smelling too many paint fumes. What else would have given him the idea that I could fix anything? Tell you what; I'm just going to put a bucket under that leak under the kitchen sink, and I'm keeping my mouth shut!