Tricks and Tips from Japan

In the Kitchen : Easily Clean Up Egg Yolks

2011-06-29T11:20:00.028-07:00

You were trying to crack the egg into the pan, but you ended up with egg all over the floor.

Take some salt and sprinkle it over the mess. After about ten minutes you will be able to sweep up the mess with your broom.

Egg yolk is full of lipoproteins, when you add salt these dissolve leaving the egg less gooey and easier to clean.

Tackling the Great Outdoors : Find Your Direction Without a Compass

2011-06-29T11:20:00.027-07:00

You've been hiking all day in Colorado and you thought you were on the right trail, but for some reason it's longer than you expected. You can go any direction you want from the trail and you just want to get back to the car, but how do you tell with way is south?

All you need is your analog wristwatch. Point the hour hand of the watch at the sun. The point in the middle of the hour hand and the number twelve is due south. This works regardless of the time of day.

When you are in the northern hemisphere of the world the sun is usually to the south of you. The relationship between the placement of the sun and the time of day correlates so that an noon it is most accurate. It is accurate to within 20 degrees of true south.

Around the House : Clean Up Candle Wax

2011-06-29T11:20:00.026-07:00

The power went out last night and you had to light candles. Daylight the next day reveals a floor covered in candle wax.

Sometimes dry wax can be picked off a surface, but when that doesn't work a piece of paper towel and an iron will. Place the paper towel over the wax and iron over it smoothly with a hot iron.

Paper towel is made to soak up liquids. When heat is applied to the wax it melts and is soaked up by the towel from the other side.

Around the House : The Key to Streak less Windows

2011-06-29T11:20:00.025-07:00

Between finger prints on the inside and water marks on the outside how are you ever going to get your windows clean and free of streaks?

Newspaper is the key. Use newspaper with water or glass cleaner and you will find that your windows are clean and streak free.

Newspapers are made of newsprint which is full of lignin, a super absorbent substance. Lignin is usually removed from paper because it discolors it. Newsprint is made to be cheap and so the lignin is left in it.

Tackling the Great Outdoors : Keep Wind From Blowing out Your Candle

2011-06-29T11:20:00.024-07:00

You want to have a romantic dinner on your balcony, but the wind is making it impossible to light the candles.

Wrap your candles in paper. Newspaper, loose leaf, or magazine paper, it all works. Just wrap it tightly and make sure that the edge of the paper rises above the wick.

If the wind is allowed to blow directly across the flame it doesn't have a chance of staying lit, regardless of how big the wax is. The paper shields the wick and saves the candle from blowing out and the wax from getting all over the place, shortening your candles life.

In the Kitchen : Clean Tea Stains From A Mug

2011-06-29T11:20:00.023-07:00

You enjoy drinking tea, but if you don't wash that mug soon after you finish your drink, it gets stained. What do you do with all those stained mugs?

Take an orange or lemon peel and put some salt on it. Rub the peel over the stains and watch them disappear.

Oranges and lemons are acidic and oily. This acts as a stain remover and the abrasive salt scours the mug clear of stains.

Around the House : Remove Carpet Lint

2011-06-29T11:20:00.022-07:00

Regardless of what type of carpet you have, you are bound to have it covered in lint, dog hair, or even human hair from time to time. How do you clean it without having to pull out the vacuum cleaner, or worse yet, what if you don't have one?

Take an empty roll of paper towel and wrap eight rubber bands around it spreading them out across the face of the tube. Roll the tube across your carpet and watch as it grabs onto the lint and hair on your rug or carpet.

The elastic bands stick and grab the lint and hair and keep it attached to the cardboard tube. There is also static build up generated which attracts the hair.

In the Kitchen : Eliminate Tupperware Odor

2011-06-29T11:20:00.021-07:00

It doesn't matter what sort of stinky food you put in your Tupperware, the chances are it is going smell for a long time. Is there any way to get rid of that smell?

The secret is cabbage. Chop some up and put it into your stinky Tupperware. Leave it overnight or about half a day and you will find the smell is gone.

Cabbage has enzymes and other compounds made of sulfur that eliminate things causing the smells. When you chop the cabbage you increase it's surface area greatly, which helps it to absorb the bad smells in the container.

Laundry Tricks : The Secret to Fresh, Dry Shoes

2011-06-29T11:20:00.020-07:00

If you wear a set of shoes long enough they are bound to develop a certain stink. SO how do you keep your shoes from stinking up your shoe rack?

Take old newspaper and roll it up. Place the rolls in and around your shoes.

Newspaper is great for absorbing moisture. The smells come from mold, which thrives in a moist environment. Take away the moisture and the moldy fungi will leave with it.

Around the House : Keep Your Plants Fed While on Vacation

2011-06-29T11:20:00.019-07:00

You're headed for a nice relaxing vacation, you don't have pets, but you have a few plants and you'd rather not pay someone to take care of them for the week.

Take a disposable baby diaper and soak it in water. Place the plant on the diaper and it will slowly water it throughout the week for free.

The absorbent part of a diaper is made of polymer powder and cotton to keep a baby dry. This surface can hold a lot of water and doesn't give it up easily. The hydrophilic material is a perfect babysitter for your plants.

Around the House : Remove Stickers From Any Mirror

2011-06-29T11:20:00.018-07:00

You've just moved into your dorm room and you find the ugliest stickers on the bathroom mirror. You've tried everything, they just won't come off.

Take some mayonnaise and smear it on a paper towel, or a tissue. Rub over the sticker or sticky film and then use a knife or another piece of towel to clean.

The main ingredients of mayonnaise are vegetable oil and egg yolks. It's the oil that does the work to dissolve the adhesive, making the sticker lift from the mirror. The thickness of mayonnaise also makes it a great applicator for any surface.

In the Kitchen : Keep Your Soda Carbonated For Longer

2011-06-29T11:20:00.017-07:00

Large bottles of pop are the cheapest way to buy soda. Unfortunately, they usually go flat long before you finish them.

After you open and pour your drink, before re-sealing the bottle give it a squeeze. Closing the bottle after crumpling it will make that soda last much longer.

Carbon dioxide dissolved in water makes carbonic acid. The result is carbonation. When you open the bottle of soda you release the gasses and speed up the flattening process (known as effervescence). When you squeeze the bottle and cap it quickly, you slow the process down again and your soda is preserved for a longer time.

Around the House : Revive Your Old Toothbrush

2011-06-29T11:20:00.016-07:00

Everyone knows that when your toothbrush bristles begin to fray, it's time for a new brush, but is there a way to extend the life of your toothbrush?

When your toothbrush looks frayed and you want to keep on using it, just run it under hot water for a minute or two and straighten out the bristles by stretching them. You will find the heated bristles respond well to it.

The reason the bristles become pliable after heating them is because they are made of thermoplastic. When this plastic is heated it is easily manipulated. Once it cools again, it will be as rigid as it was before being heated.

Around the House : Bring a Dead Plant Back to Life

2011-06-29T11:20:00.015-07:00

Your plants are looking wilted and mildewy, but you can't make the sun come out and renew your little buddies.

Garlic is the answer. Grate a clove with a couple cups of water and use that to water the roots of your wilted plant. Your dead plant will have new vigor.

When a plant isn't getting enough sun it often contracts fungus. Garlic contains phytoncide which is and anti-fungal agent that stops the fungus and prevents it from returning.

Around the House : Shine Up Your Silver Jewelry

2011-06-29T11:20:00.014-07:00

Your family is coming to town and you know your mother is going to want you to wear that silver bracelet she got you last year. Unfortunately you've let it tarnish because you haven't worn it all year.

Boil water and add a sheet aluminum foil to it. Add baking soda and some salt to the water and throw in your bracelet on top of the foil. After a few minutes your bracelet will look as good as new.

When sulfur attaches to silver it tarnishes. The result is a blackened coating that covers the silver. The ingredients of the boiling water and the aluminum foil create an electrolytic current which separates the sulfur from the silver.

Around the House : Keep Birds Off Your Windowsill

2011-06-29T11:20:00.013-07:00

Birds are wondrous creatures when they are not roosting on your sill, pooping and making a racket. What's the best way to be rid of these pests for good?

Sharpen up some pencils and tape them to the ledge where the birds roost. You'll find that pigeons and other birds aren't as interested in your sill.

Birds usually look before they land, especially pigeons. Once a few of them realize that they can no longer sit on your windowsill, the rest will follow. Larger buildings use spikes and nails to produce the same effect.

Around the House : Homemade Roach Trap

2011-06-29T11:20:00.012-07:00

It doesn't matter how it happened, if you have roaches, you know it. Greasy fingers and spilt food are the main causes, but what is the solution?

Place bowls filled half way with soda and leave near the entry ways and any cracks in your walls. You'll find your roach buddies enjoy the sweet pool.

Roaches are attracted to soda as much or more than any of the grease, but the difference is that they can't swim. It's not an appetizing soup to look at, but it gets the job done.

Laundry Tricks : Write on Your Clothes Without Smudging

2011-06-29T11:20:00.011-07:00

You've bought a plain shirt so you have have some fun marking it up with permanent marker, but every time you try and write it smudges and crinkles making your art look more like chicken scratch.

Take some hairspray and soak the surface of the shirt you want to write on. You'll be able to write as easily as you would on a piece of paper.

Hairspray contains copolymer, an oil blocker that will prevent the marker from spreading between the fibers. Once dried the spray also keeps the shirt rigid, so it won't crinkle.

In the Kitchen : Make an Egg Salad Without the Chopping

2011-06-29T11:20:00.010-07:00

You enjoy an egg salad sandwich, but all that chopping of the eggs makes you less likely to make it.

Take an old mesh bag that held oranges from the supermarket and simply squeeze the hard boiled eggs through the bag. The result is finely chopped eggs without the chopping.

The mesh bags, made of durable polypropylene, have perfectly spaced holes which chop soft objects like hard boiled eggs to a nice size for salad.

Around the House : Make Your Soap Bigger

2011-06-29T11:20:00.009-07:00

Bar soap has great lather, but when it shrinks it is hard to use and often ends up in a pile at the corner of the shower. Can those pieces be re-used?

Sure, simply toss your tiny piece of soap into the microwave and turn it on. You will find that your soap grows!

When you heat conventional soap in a microwave it expands. This is because the air and water within it. As the soap heats it softens and the pressure created by the pockets of air and water push through the soap and make it bigger. The end result is a lumpy bar, but it will be larger, and useable.

All About Beauty : Smooth Skin at the Joints

2011-06-29T11:20:00.008-07:00

Every winter you end up with the same problem, rough and dry skin on your knees and elbows making them pale and flaky compared to the rest of your skin.

Avocados aren't just good for making guacamole they can also smooth the skin. Take the rind of an avocado and rub it gently across your rough skin for several minutes. You may re apply this treatment as often as you like.

Sterolins, or plant steroids, help the skin repair itself from a variety of ailments such as scaring, sun spots, or dry skin. These oils are abundant in avocados. As well as sterolins, avocados contain many lipids, which are easily and readily absorbed through dry areas of the skin such as the knees and elbows.

Laundry Tricks : Remove Cigarette Smells

2011-06-29T11:20:00.007-07:00

Every time you go out to a bar you have the same problem. All your clothes smell like cigarette smoke by the end of the night. Is there a way to freshen up the shirt?

Place a moist towel over the soiled shirt and iron it. You will find that the towel smells bad, but the shirt is nice and fresh.

The steam from the moist towel and hot iron react with the tar on your shirt, lifting out the smell and depositing it on the towel. The molecules of stink are not gone, but they aren't on the shirt anymore.

Laundry Tricks : Eliminate Dirty Cuffs

2011-06-29T11:20:00.006-07:00

You always wear nice collared shirts, but you find that even if you don't sweat, the cuffs and ends of the shirt get soiled. Do you really have to dry clean those shirts everyday?

Protecting those problem areas is the key to keeping them clean. Baby powder does the trick. Simple dust some over the areas that are likely to soil and you will eliminate unwarranted soiling.

The oils on your skin collect dirt much more easily than your clothes. The baby powder, which is not going to hurt the clothing, acts as a barrier between these oils and your shirt. Whether it's on the neck or the cuffs, a little bit of baby powder will go along way to keep those areas looking great. Because baby powder is white, it doesn't work as well on dark colored clothing.

Tackling the Great Outdoors : Keep Your Shoes From Slipping When it Rains

2011-06-29T11:20:00.005-07:00

It's wet and rainy outside and your on your way to work, but your work shoes slip all over the place in the rain.

Band-aids are good for more than just covering up boo-boos. Apply one to the heel and one on the ball of the shoe and you will find that your shoes are as stable as rain boots.

The reason your shoes slip is because the water gets in between the sole of the shoe and the street. The gauze of the band-aid absorbs the water and helps the shoe retain it's natural grip.

Tackling the Great Outdoors : Stay Standing on a Crowded Bus

2011-06-29T11:20:00.004-07:00

Your morning and evening bus rides are the worst part of your day. It's busy and stuffy and to top it all off, you keep getting pushed over every time the bus stops and starts.

Stand facing the front of the bus with your feet at a 45 degree angle. Teach others around you to stand in this fashion and everyone's ride will be a lot smoother.

The stance is the key. Sports professionals use it, why not you? Not only is it the most sturdy position for your feet it is also the easiest to change your position from. Facing front will allow everyone to see what's coming and prepare for it.