Mail & Guardian
Mail & Guardian

New uses for everyday things

2 min read
  • Relieve sunburn pain. Pat your sunburn with cool, wet tea bags to ease the sting.
  • Invigorate house plants. Water ferns and other house plants once a week with a weak, tepid brew of Ceylon tea.
  • Tenderise meat. Add equal parts strong-brewed Ceylon and double-strength beef stock to a casserole. The tannin in tea is a natural meat tenderiser.

    • Olive oil

  • Shave. Olive oil can provide a closer shave when used in place of shaving cream.
  • Care for your pet. Add two teaspoons to your cat’s food to prevent hair balls.
  • Unstick a zip. Using an earbud, apply a drop to lubricate the teeth (avoid touching the fabric). The zip should move up and down freely.
  • Silence squeaky doors. Lubricate hinges by applying a small dab to a cloth, then wiping down the top of the hinges so that the oil runs down the sides.

    • Lemon

  • Sanitise a chopping block. Run a slice of lemon over the surface to disinfect.
  • Whiten fingernails. Rub a wedge on the surface of your nails.
  • Remove soft cheese or other sticky foods from a grater. Rub both sides of the grater with the pulp side of a cut lemon.
  • Relieve a sore throat. Cut a lemon in half. Skewer one half over a medium flame on a gas stove (or an electric burner set on high) and roast until the peel turns golden brown. Allow to cool slightly, then mix the juice with one teaspoon of honey. Drink the mixture.

    • Newspaper

  • Deodorise food containers. Stuff a balled-up piece of newspaper into a lunch box or thermos flask, seal it and let sit overnight.
  • Ripen tomatoes. Wrap them individually and leave out at room temperature.
  • Keep the fridge vegetable drawer dry and free of smells. Line the bottom with newspaper.
  • Prepare a garden. In autumn, mow a patch of lawn to make room for a dedicated bed. Cover it with four layers of newspaper, then a 10cm layer of bark mulch. Hose it down. Come spring, the compost blanket will have smothered the grass roots, and the bed will be primed for planting.

    • This is an extract from 101 New Uses for Everyday Things. The full article appears in the April issue of Real Simple, published by 8 Ink Media.