Household Hints - Cooking - Found a great way to soften brown sugar

It's pretty frustrating when you open up the canister of brown sugar and find that it's somehow become a huge, organic, solid lump. Sort of like a sandy rock, and totally impossible to use! I'm a big fan of a slice of bread stuck inside to keep the brown sugar nice and moist.

But, what can you do when the brown sugar is ALREADY completely hardened?

I put the canister (microwave safe) right into the microwave and microwaved on high for about a minute. I'd heard of this tip before, but had never tried it. It worked!! I could get out the brown sugar I needed. It's definitely the fastest way I've ever tried to soften brown sugar. Hope it helps!

Household Hints - Cleaning - Sweeping Tips

Here's a handy hint to help with your household sweeping...

Spray a little furniture polish on the bottom of your brooms bristles. It'll make it easier to sweep stuff up, and dirt, pet hair and other gunk won't as easily accumulate on the bottom!

Household Hints - Cleaning Hints - Easy Lemon and Boiling Water Trick to Clean the Microwave

This is my new favorite way to clean the microwave. And it's so easy and all-natural, with no chemicals for cleaning!

1. Pop a quarter or half lemon into a microwave safe mug or bowl filled with water. (Whatever old lemon you have left in the fridge will work just fine.)
2. Set power to high and microwave for about 5 minutes or so - long enough to get a good boil happening.
3. Let the steamy bowl or mug stay in the microwave for about fifteen to twenty minutes without opening the microwave door. All of that glorious steam will make cleaning the microwave super simple later on.
4. Dunk the lemon into some salt or baking soda and use as a little scrubber in the microwave to remove any burnt on bits of food. (Be careful - the lemon will still be a bit hot!)
5. Finally, wipe all the gunk and mess away with a moistened sponge or cleaning cloth. And enjoy your beautifully clean new microwave oven!

Want more housecleaning hints? Visit http://www.happyslob.com for the Happy Slob's Guide to No-Hassle Housecleaning...Housecleaning for the rest of us.

Household Hints - Saving - Change Jar to Save Money

Here's an easy way to let your pennies, dimes and quarters accumulate into larger savings! Have a family change jar, where every member of the family dumps their extra change every week or so. Have the kids roll up the coins, and take the coin rolls to the bank. Use the extra money for savings, or towards a family vacation or special dinner out. It's a great way to teach kids (and adults too!) how small savings can really add up over time.

Household Hints - Cleaning - Cleaning Plastic Toys

Plastic toys can seem incredibly hard to clean, but using a paste of baking soda and water is a natural way to scrub those toys clean. Just use the baking soda/water paste on the toy, dipping a damp clean cloth into the paste and then using the baking soda as a natural abrasive. If a little extra cleaning power is needed, add a small squirt of natural liquid soap to the baking soda before adding a little water to create the paste.

A nice, natural way to clean plastic toys!

Household Hints: Lampe Berger Lamps Remove Stubborn Household Odors

Lingering, stubborn household odors such as cooking odors, pet odors or smoke can really be frustrating to remove with any success. My favorite way to remove these types of odors is by using a Lampe Berger fragrance lamp. This lamp, complete with a catalytic burner is briefly lit and then left to 'eat up' odor molecules in your home! It was originally developed for hospitals in France, and along with bad odors also kills 67% of airborne bacteria.

I have one, and my current scent is a wonderful Spiced Pumpkin oil. You can get lots of different scented fuels for the lamps (and you must use one of the Lampe Berger oils - not just any alcohol blend will do). Some of the most popular scents are:

- Neutral - if you don't want to add scent at all, just want to take bad odors out
- Eucalyptus - a fresh, green scent, perfect for bathrooms and nurseries
- Creme Brulee - a rich, warm vanilla scent (perfect for the kitchen or any other room!)
- Grapefruit Passion - very light, grapefruit citrus scent. One of my favorites.
- Green Apple - another light fruity scent that is very popular
- Lavender Fields - a really pretty lavender scent, smells like real lavender essential oil

and many more!

Natural Way to Keep Drains Running Smoothly

A great way to prevent nasty clogs in drains is to pour a kettle full of boiling hot water down the drain about once or twice a month. This natural alternative will help keep your drains running smoothly - and thus prevent nasty old clogs!

Get Rid of Stinky Onion and Garlic Odors - Rub Your Hands on Stainless Steel!

Did you know that by rubbing your hands after cooking with garlic and/or onions, you can remove the odors? You can invest in a cute little stainless steel 'bar of soap' like the one below:





OR...you can rub your hands on the inside of a stainless sink, or even a stainless steel spoon for the same effect! Just wet your hands first under clean water, and then let the stainless steel get rid of the lingering odors. Works like a charm!