Home hints:
Georgina Bitcon shares great summer advice, including better barbecuing, keeping drinks icy cold on the go and sleeping well in the hot weather.
handy tips and clever tricks
ASK THE WEEKLY
QI love fresh grated turmeric, but I don’t love the yellow stains it leaves on my hands and nails. What’s the best way to remove them? S. McCallum, Fitzroy, Vic. Wipe away the stains with a cotton wool ball dampened with a few drops of lavender oil. If you don’t have lavender oil available, you can also wipe your hands with milk or scrub them with a mix of sugar crystals and a little water.
Flip for asparagus
If you’re barbecuing asparagus, thread a wooden satay stick through the top and bottom of several pieces at a time: they’re much easier to turn and they won’t disappear through the gaps in the grill.
Refreshing idea
In hot weather, keep a constant supply of portable icy drinks on hand by filling small water bottles about one-quarter full and freezing them on their sides, ensuring the neck of the bottle is not blocked. When needed, add more water or juice and you’re good to go.
Dip your toes for better sleep
If you find it hard to sleep in hot, humid weather, try keeping a plastic washing-up dish of cold or iced water by the bed and cooling your feet in it when you’re wakeful – it helps to regulate your whole body temperature.
A sticky solution
After using sealant or glue cartridges, wipe the nozzle clean and plug it with a ball of Blu Tack, to prevent it from clogging and drying out.
Freezer filing
Freeze food flat in ziplock bags, label them, then stand them vertically in plastic baskets to maximise your freezer space.
Garden mould be gone
To control sooty mould on gardenias and citrus, vigorously shake 250ml vegetable oil and 60ml dishwashing detergent in a screw-top jar until white, then use 2 tablespoons of the emulsion in 1 litre of water to spray plants thoroughly.
Line up your lids
Place a tension rod across one end (or along the side) of a deep pot drawer to keep all the lids neatly stored.
Space saver
When travelling, save space by putting bulkier garments, such as jumpers, into large zip-lock bags, then rolling the bag up to exclude as much air as possible before sealing.
A recycling scoop
Recycle the plastic scoops that come in laundry powder as handy measures to use in containers of dry goods and dry pet food. But first, be sure to wash and leave in the sun to remove all traces of perfume.
SHARE YOUR DOMESTIC SECRETS
Send your handy hints or questions to: Home Hints, The Australian Women’s Weekly, GPO Box 4178, Sydney, NSW 2001, or email openline@ bauer-media.com.au. We pay $75 for the reader’s prize hint each month. While every effort is made to ensure the efficacy of each hint, we cannot take responsibility for individual results.
When you’re soaking wooden satay sticks or skewers to prepare them for barbecuing meat or vegies, try adding a good handful of chopped fresh rosemary to the water for a little extra flavour.