Frugal tips

In case of fragrances building up from gym are less than ideal, throw some dry tea bags in running shoes or a smelly bag when not in use. The tea bags will help absorb the musky scents while imparting some of their own -more pleasant-aroma.




 To clean your shower curtain remove from the rings and toss it in the washing machine. You can toss in a few extra things but want the load to be free to move, so don't over pack it. Add a small amount of laundry soap - about half normal amount. Run the machine on regular cycle with cool or warm water - no hot. Pull it out, hang it back up and you're good to go.I've found it's best to avoid the spin cycle at the end. Do not put in the dryer!
Bonus cleaning... toss things like your kitchen sponge, scrub brush, etc in the dish washer with a load or with regular loads of laundry. Those things get funky and sour smelling! A wash will kill the funk and extend the life of an item you might normally throw out.



With halloween coming up I figured people might like to know that Olive Oil will remove the most obnoxious of halloween face paint, spirit gums and glues. Use a mixture of olive oil and castor oil as a my general face "wash", and was delighted to find it was able to get off the most stubborn of sticky Halloween goop when I did "zipper face" for a zombie party recently. Slightly sensitive skin, and some of the removers that come in the package with spirit gum and other face adhesives are pretty noxious. It still requires some rubbing, and if you can let it sit for a little while to work on the glues then all the better. For makeup you simply massage it into the makeup and remove with a warm-hot wash cloth. Also works like a charm on eyelash glue and stubborn eye makeup.



Alternative to Head and Shoulders? Apple cider vinegar diluted at 1/3 cup/litre works well. Stink washes off, and you can use other perfume agents if you like.


Clean carpets with hot water and white vinegar. 1 1/2 cups vinegar per gallon water. Used a rug doctor machine and worked AMAZING.
White Vinegar and baking soda made into a paste gets stubborn carpet stains out when rubbed into them. Elbow grease is needed as well.
Shop vac your A/C filters in your home to not have to replace them as often. Those things are pricey


Here is an idea that preserves the nice ends that your laces come with, leave very little eyesore, and trim the laces to exactly the length that you want them.
The idea is to trim lace starting from the middle and then to tie them back together.
Here is what I would do:

1. Measure how much length that I want to trim off from the shoe.
2. Trim that amount starting from the center of your lace.
3. Thread each of the lace-halves back into the shoe.
4. Tie the two ends back together at their frayed ends.

If you do it nicely, the knot will lay at the very bottom end of the shoe leaving it perfectly symmetrical, and possibly pleasing in that quaint, interesting sort of way, although it will be quite subtle. This leaves the original lace ends preserved.