Shaving Tip of the Day

Guys, do you try to shave every day, but get discouraged because the mirror is so fogged up you can see your face? Sure you do. So here is a tip for you. Try shaving the mirror first. And if you're paranoid about getting the gunk from the mirror on your face, or just ruining the blade, you can leave the little plastic guard on while you shave the mirror. The advantage of this technique over the old use-the-towel-to-wipe-off-the-mirror technique, or better yet the just-use-your-hand technique is that it doesn't leave any streaks. And that means, there is one less thing that looks like it needs cleaning!

Organize-It Tip of the Day

I don't care how much of a neat freak you are, we all leave clutter around the house from time to time. You set your keys down on the table, the mail on the couch, the DVD you just watched on top of the TV, your jacket on the back of the chair. No big deal. Until, like me, you realize there is a trail of your personal effects in every spot you've been in the house.

To declutter the little things that accumulate over time, I tried having lofty goals. "Oh, I'll just make sure I always put the mail in this nice little bin out of the way." Or, "I'll always put my shoes over there." Well, it works for a day. And before you know it, it's far too hard to organize your life. Most clutter consists of items we use and rearrange every day. Clothes, toiletries, papers, shoes. Things that aren't used daily can easily be organized into closets, pantries, etc. But your everyday items have to be easily accessible if they're going to stay organized.

What I've found after a lot of clutter in my life is that there's no substitute for your daily routine. There's a reason your mail ends up on the kitchen table. And your shoes end up in the middle of the living room. You don't want your house to be the fourth reich of the Nazi regime (too soon?), you want it to be comfortable and feel like home. So taking your shoes off in the living room or reading your mail at the table is a good thing! The key to shoot for is form AND function. It needs to look good, and function as it should.

Because we are such creatures of habit, it's far harder to stick to an organizational strategy that involves us going out of our way. You're far more likely to get and stay organized if organization can become a part of your daily flow. So, the solution is to incorporate organizational methods into your "path," if you will.

Begin by allowing the house naturally clutter-up. Let it get pretty bad. And then start to look at where things are, and what is left out, and identify individual solutions for each clutter-zone. If there are important papers and mail on the table, consider putting a decorative basket or bin on the table itself. It may not be the best choice for decor, but it's better than clutter, and can easily be emptied if company is coming. In the bedroom, maybe there's a pile of clean(ish) clothes on the floor. Consider putting a clothes basket right there. In the living room, maybe there are keys, wallets, loose change, etc. on the coffee table. Put a bowl or bin right there. If your bathroom sink fills up with shaving cream, soap, razors and toothpaste that can't find their way into the cabinet, put a basket on top to house it all. In your kitchen, consider putting a nice serving tray on the counter to house cooking artifacts.

In all these cases, it'll be easy to get into the new habit if it feels like what you'd naturally do, and you'll be on your way to a clutter-free house!

Swiffer Tip of the Day

Want to do something productive during your "down" time in the bathroom? Keep a Swiffer™ within arms reach. If you have a small enough bathroom, you can easily turn a couple minutes while you sit there into some productive time by tidying up the floor with a quick sweep.

Greesy Tip of the Day

Sometimes it happens, a bottle of motor oil gets crushed and leaks all over your duffel bag. It happens to everyone. But instead of doing what you have always done, and just throw those clothes away, try this. Goo Gone is basically citrus powered magic. Spray it on, follow the directions and rub the grease out with a clean rag. It may take a couple of applications and the rest of your afternoon, but you won't have to throw your clothes away again.

Agasse Tip of the Day

It takes balls to wash your comforter! If it's time for your semi-annual down comforter washing, be sure to stock up on the cheapest tennis balls money can buy. Why, you ask? When washing anything down (comforters, coats, underwear, etc.) if you dry them, they'll go flat. But putting a few tennis balls in the dryer will help to re-fluff your comforter and make it as puffy as ever.

Whiteboard Tip of the Day

Hopefully this hasn't happened to you, but that you have seen it happy to someone else because it is pretty funny. A little over zealous about scribbling some notes on the white board, you grab the nearest marker and go to town. Only after you fill up the entire board with notes do you realize that Sharpies™ and white boards don't mix. Luckily the solution to this otherwise expensive problem is fairly simple. You have to trick the white board into thinking it was written on by a dry erase marker. Just mark with a dry erase marker (double check this time) over all of the "permanent" markings, and then erase as normal. White boards aren't very bright, so this is all it takes to get them to release the Sharpie marks.

Open with Tip of the Day

If your Mac is anywhere near mid-life, it probably has multiple copies of the same program under the "Open With…" menu that you get when you right-(or command)-click a file. Just download this AppleScript and run it!
MacFixIt - Multiple, errant entries in the "Open With" contextual menu

Meth Tip of the Day

If you happen to sudden smell unwavering cleaning-supply odors in your townhouse that began strangely near the time new neighbors moved in next door, don't jump to hasty conclusions by calling the Nicholasville Police on a potential meth-lab bust. Have someone sniff around the room with you first, in an attempt to uncover the source of the smell, which may happen to be some Windex-laden cleaning rags thrown out in your office trash can.

But, should you suspect there still is a meth-lab nextdoor, cross check that information with this site.

Scotland Tip of the Day 4

I picked this tip up from an actual Highlander, and yes, I know there are easier and less smelly ways to do this now a days, but if you feel like going old school...a way to clean and waterproof your kilt is to wash it in human urine! Yes, it's true. Back in the old days of the clans of Scotland, kilts were only washed once a year. The winter kilt was washed in the spring and the summer kilt was washed in the fall, and the were indeed washed in urine. I'm sure glad I wasn't visiting Scotland back then!

Doggy Tip of the Day

Instead of just filling your dog's bowl with regular water, just throw some ice cubes in it. Giving them cold tasty water for a little while and then turning in to regular old water after that. As an added bonus, you're not going to spill as you move their bowl from the sink to the doggy breakfast nook.

Deodorant Tip O Da Day

If you wear the clear gel deodorant, don't think that it means you won't get any on your clothes. You must wait until the deodorant dries before putting on that shirt or you may find wet spots on your shirt that do not dry clear and just proves deodorant is bound and determined to show up on an outfit.

Trim & Carpet Tip O Da Day

So if anyone has a wild and crazy idea to paint trim, do yourself a favor and replace your carpet too if you have any. Then you do not have to carefully and painstakingly paint your trim in order to not get any on the carpet. Trim is 1000% easier to paint with the concrete slab you can slop all over.

Oxy Tip of the Day

OxyMagic/Deep/Clean/_____ works like magic to get blood out of a variety of materials.

Microwave Cleaning Tip of the Day

An easy way to clean your microwave is to put water into a bowl and put it in for several minutes. This water will evaporate, making the caked-on food particles easier to remove.

Summer Tip of the Day

If you are a teacher/student and choose not to work in the summer, here are some productive things you can do to occupy your time:

• Clean the Microwave
• Scrape paint off the front door
• Exercise
• Knit a dish rag
• Paint your bathroom

And here are some fun things you can do:

• Meet friends for lunch
• Read a book
  
• Shopping
• Watch a movie
• Take a trip
  

Travel to Europe Part I

Packing and planning is an important part of any trip. Here are some things you need to make sure you have before you leave the country:

• Passport (obviously) - leave at least 6 weeks to get it if you don't already have it AND check your expiration date
• Paper copies of everything (tickets, plans, emergency contact, etc) - make sure another member of your group also has this information
• Sleeping Pills - this will revolutionize your way of travel - bite the bullet and get them!
• Tide Pen/Shout wipes - you never know when you're going to get dirty (like I did on the first day)
• Camera - You're going to Europe; take a camera and take lots of pictures. You won't regret it.
• Good shoes - This includes shoes for walking as well as "hot shoes" that only match with one outfit (again, it's Europe - splurge a little).
  

Cereal Tip of the Day

When you open a new box of cereal instead of opening up the entire bag make a hole just big enough to pour your cereal out. This will reduce spilling and help keep your cereal fresh.

Neighbor Tip of the Day

Before you perform a ridiculous action like the one I'm about to describe, or one even more ridiculous, do yourself a favor and look all around to be sure there are no neighbors watching. Otherwise when one greets you AFTER the ridiculous performance, you'll not only be scared, you'll be morbidly embarrassed. Here's an example of such a scene:

EXT. JASON'S HOUSE -- DAY

JASON has just caught a mouse, and disposed of the body in an all-purpose Wal-Mart bag. Carrying the bag as if it contained 3 tons of nuclear waste, JASON attempts to open the outside TRASH CAN without breathing. He drops the bag in the can, and realizes tomorrow is trash day, so decides to wheel the can to the curb.

The can gets wrapped around his HOSE and nearly tips, and nearly yanks the house out of the wall.

JASON (under breath)
&$%@!
JASON continues to wheel the can toward the curb, only to almost step in dog doo, which is NOT from his dog (as his leash prevents him walking in this area.)

JASON (under breath)
&$%@ *$%#!
Gently avoiding the multiple landmines, JASON then begins to lose control of the unwieldy trash can and it nearly tips over to the front. Performing a pseudo-dancing-with-the-stars / ju-jitsu maneuver, JASON saves the can and looks MOSTLY all around to make sure no one notices. He's clear.

JASON shakes his head while prancing to the door.

NEIGHBOR watches, unseen on porch directly next to JASON'S.

NEIGHBOR
Good morning.
JASON
Eh... How's it going? (slams door)

Coffee Tip of the Day

A coffee filter can make a great little snack bowl. It's like a paper towel with edges!

TP Tip of the Day

According to Rosie, you can't use just one...sheet of toilet paper as Sheryl Crowe believes.

House Tip of the Day

A big big house may not be all its cracked up to be. That's a whole lot to clean. If you really really hate cleaning, a 300 square foot house may just be the thing for you.

Cleaning, at least, seems a snap – the whole house in just one or two Swiffer laps.

Jen Garner Tip of the Day

Or, better known as: "Things 'Garnered' From Watching Alias." If one of your missions sends you to an adult theater in Zurich (and let me stand on my soap box for one second...WHY has the word "adult" become associated with all that is evil, vile and foul?) and you happen to find a human head in a box under a seat, you might want to let a manager know. I mean, they should seriously fire their janitorial staff. To "overlook" a human head in a box is pretty much grounds for instant dismissal. Plus, who would WANT to be a janitor at an adult film theater? I'm sure a human head is only one of many disturbing things that could be found.

Sweetea Tip of the Day

We all know that sweet tea from Chick-Fil-A is the best on the planet. Just be careful when consuming it in the car. Before placing your cup o' tea in the cup holder, do a quick sweep to make sure no pointed objects are in the cup holder, say for example, a pen or pencil. If so, you'll come to a stop-light, go to take a refreshing swig, and think at first, "hmm, this feels light--have I seriously drunk this much sweetea?" After you pull the cup up and feel it "piddling" on you, you'll realize, "OH SHIZZLE, we've sprung a leak." And trust me, it's not fun cleaning sweetea out of a cupholder. :-(

Key Tip of the Day

For anyone who has heard my numerous key stories, I have another one that has prompted me to write a Tip O Da Day. In turn, I will follow my own advice. Making the switch from an apartment to a house lends itself to many adjustments, one of which is the ability to lock doors from the inside prior to leaving the house and simply pulling the door closed with no dead bolt option, as is the case in my new garage. After a long night of housework, which may have been a contributor to the night’s events, I start to collect my things and was very concerned that my coworker Rick had all his belongings. You can imagine me asking repeatedly, “Do you have all your stuff? Do you have your keys?” as I ran around trying to collect my own things. Well, I am sure you can see where this is going! I found myself in my garage with Rick, his stuff, and all of my stuff minus my keys--which ironically were the most important item. It sure didn’t take long for me to have my first house adventure! After unsuccessfully attempting the credit card trick to unlock the door, we headed to my apartment to break into it and retrieve the second set of car and house keys. As you will see, God had His hand in this situation. With the recent warm weather, I had opened my kitchen window to enjoy the unseasonable warmth and when winter weather returned I closed it, but never locked it, so the breaking and entering into the apartment simply entailed taking the screen off and voila--I was in! So, needless to say, the next task on my to do list was to get copies of my house key made and make sure they are in the hands of more responsible adults, considering my history with keys and continuing mishaps of this sort. So there you have it folks, copy those keys, stash them with friends, relatives, at the office, or anywhere outside of a potential lock-in area!
-Jen

Rancid Tip of the Day

Today's tip is brought to us by my dear, sweet Grammy who is visiting! Before she came, I tried hard to make sure that our house didn't look completely like the bachelor pad it is. This even included cleaning out the fridge. But, apparently something was lacking.

We opened the fridge, and out wafted the nastiest, foulest smell to ever be unleashed from a refrigerator. Grammy tried to shield her nose, but this smell reached her too. I sought her advice as to what could be causing this odiferous malady. She said the culprit undoubtedly was two-week-old hamburger patties (that's right, from our kick-A Superbowl party).

So, Grammy's tip ended up being this: Don't keep beef (or any other meat) in the fridge for more than one week. I felt Grammy might be just a bit over cautious, but I listened to her wisdom. When I tried removing the rapidly-decaying patties, I was alarmed that the bottom of the package had become wet with bacteria-encrusted nastiness. The cardboard had affixed itself to the fridge! Grammy was right--there was NO way that meat was edible.

We'll see if it helps the smell. But, thank you Grammy for this AMAZING tip!

Conditioning Tip of the Day

For those of you who's cars' interiors happen to be enveloped in the hide of a once bellowing, cud-chewing bovine, this tip applies to you. We all know that overtime that once soft, plush leather tends to weather and crack. To prevent this unfortunate circumstance we are told by car manuals, dealerships, and car loving fanatic message boards and websites around the world to be sure to condition the leather every so often with some sort of expensive, slippery compound that would have worked great at sending us careening that much faster down the Slip 'N' Slide® in the days when our physique didn't play a crucial role in the bathing suit we bought or how often we wanted to put it on. However, as many of us lead very busy lives and don't have time to lotion the car, this simple tip will actually allow you to kill two birds with one stone. Next time the need to feed yourself strikes, immediately locate the establishment with the greasiest food possible. Go to the drive through and order your next heart stopping meal to go. Here's the catch: don't ask for napkins. After downing your curly fries and double quarter whatever sandwich, simply smear your slimy phalanges around the steering wheel, shift knob cover, or the seat next to you (just make sure no one happens to be sitting there). Oh, and also make sure you can actually maintain control of the vehicle once the wheel has been thoroughly lubricated.

-Matt

Housekeeping Tip of the Day

Is there an errant flying insect loose in your house? (Chances are, it's sluggish because any housefly with brain matter--no matter now infinitesimal that gray matter might be--should know not to venture out in January.) Anyway, is the incessant buzzing reminiscent of a Blackhawk hovering overhead? If you have a cat, chances are, it prefers a buzzing insect to 9-Lives any day of the week. Hold cat up to resting level of housefly and watch as she A) gobbles the insect up, or B) bats the insect into its sluggish motion again (note: this is not a good time for you to have your mouth open.). Later, she will "tree" the insect on the counter behind the soap dispenser and eventually dispose of it, leaving no mess.

Fragrant Tip of The Day

To help preserve that Christmas cheer well in to January, we offer you the following tip: When removing your Christmas tree (this only works with real, formerly living, trees) make sure to knock it over, play on it and otherwise shake as many pine-needles loose as possible. When you get the tree out the front door if you see a giant pile of green then you should have enough for the next step. If you can still see your carpet, bring the tree back in the house and repeat. Once you are sure you have plenty of pine needles, grab the vacuum (Guys: make sure the bag is not already full) and begin to vacuum up the mess. Great you did it! Now every-time you vacuums the house will be filled with the fresh scent of Christmas, which I must say is much better then the usually dust smell archived with "standard" vacuuming.

(Warning: Pete & Jay and not responsible for any type of sap damaged caused by following this tip.)