Quirky solutions for every day problems. And sanding your skin off with coffee. A little bit of everything!

One high point of being an overly inquisitive person is that I collect loads of information, useful and a lot of useless but fun facts.  So this is my version of that column…Heloise? I think that’s what it was called. Simple, quirky solutions for all kinds of things.

Did you know….

You should begin to use wrinkle cream when you’re 30.  Doctors say most of wrinkle prevention is simply that….prevention.  If you missed the boat, of course loads of sunscreen and moisturizer goes a long way, and so does Retin-A! Satin pillowcases are also suggested, since they don’t pull your face while you sleep and hold it in one position (like when you sleep on your side and your face is smushed up against the pillow for 6-8 hours!).

Apple cider vinegar is a long standing, tried and true solution for virtually everything! I drink it straight when my IBS kicks in, and it instantly aids in my digestion. Leaving far fewer stomach gurgles, which is also a plus! You can also use it to help with gout and acid reflux. Externally, it’s a great way to get shiny hair when used as a rinse, or to stop itchy bug bites and reduce the sting of sunburn. I also use it as a spray on my dog, who suffers from mange.  You have to use the one with the "mother", I use Bragg's.

If you have a beetle problem in the garden, begin collecting beetles in a jar for about a week. Once you have enough, use an old blender or coffee grinder to chop them all up. Mix water and beetle “choppings” in a spray bottle, and spray the beetle infested plant (usually my roses!). Beetles smell their dead, so they will avoid any future chowing down on your plants when they realize it’s been the site of a beetle massacre. And now I'm posting an uncomfortably close up beetle pic just to make you squeamish. You're welcome!



You can clean your microwave by leaving a cup of white vinegar in the microwave overnight. The vapors loosen up the stuck on “accidents” that have built up over time.

Peroxide is a really effective way to lift stains out of your carpet.

You can clean your chrome with baby oil, and it shines up just like it does using chrome cleaner.

You can clean your coffee grinder (which are always impossible!) using a handful of white rice. It absorbs the residual oils and smells and leaves you with a nifty, shiny grinder to go ahead and get dirty all over again.  Although I wouldn’t use this solution after the beetle grinding… just buy a new one!

You can refresh musty clothes by spraying the clothes with vodka. It kills bacteria, but doesn’t leave a scent. Hang them out to dry after application. Hopefully, you have enough vodka and haven’t killed the bottle and you can now drunkenly spray your clothes.  I should probably list a hangover solution.  

You can remove that funky smell in your freezer that makes your food taste like crap  by wiping out the freezer using a cotton pad with vanilla extract on it.  The fridge can be un-funktified by using a 50-50 mix of water and vinegar.

You can prevent the red stains on your Tupperware after you store pasta by spraying it down with non-stick spray before filling them up.

You can decrease the dungeon smell in your basement by cutting an onion in half, leaving it down there overnight, and toss it out the next morning.  Once the onion smell fades, the basement smell will be gone!

 You can refresh your skin by applying a coffee mask. It tightens your skin, and brightens it up.  Use your left over coffee grinds from your morning coffee, making it a double win! Blend your grounds with milk (which has soothing properties) or honey (astringent properties) and apply in small circles, which will also exfoliate your face. Let it stand until it hardens (about 10 minutes) and rinse with warm water.  Since I conducted this experiment, I can't tell you that it's important to use finely ground coffee. Mine turned out looking and feeling like gravel, as you can see below. It did, however, exfoliate my skin. As far as I could tell, between the tears.



You can also use the coffee grounds in your garden, rose gardens in particular love them!

So there you have it, the first installment of quirky, somewhat helpful hints. Now you can go drunkenly spray your clothes, after cleaning your chrome, performing a beetle massacre and de-funktifying your basement. Sounds like a Saturday night to me!  Oh, this is me after my anti-aging skin refreshing mask...I look 20 years younger!