Keep Kitties Out of the Kids’ Sandbox

Pop Quiz: What looks like water, is certainly inexpensive, has a pungent odor but is not toxic (in fact you can drink it if you like); is biodegradable, serves as a useful disinfectant and will repel kitties from your kids’ sandbox? Give up? Read on to learn the answer in today’s first great reader tip.

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SCAT CAT! Keep cats out of your kids’ sandbox by pouring distilled white vinegar around the box once each month. Keep in mind that vinegar will kill some types of grass and other vegetation so be careful where you pour it. Sally

CLEAN AND DEODORIZE ICE CHEST/COOLER. Add about 1 inch of water to the bottom of the cooler, drop in four Alka Seltzer tablets and allow to sit for an hour. Pour out the dirty water then rinse and dry. All odors will be gone making the cooler clean and ready for its next use. Claudio

GLASS BOTTLE CUTTING. Soak a piece of yarn or string in nail polish remover. Tie it around a wine or other kind of glass bottle right at the spot where you want the cut. Carefully light the soaked yarn with a lighter. Let the yarn burn all the way around for about 10-15 seconds then dip in a bowl of cold water. Give it a tap and you’ll get a perfect cut every time. (Caution: You’re dealing with a toxic liquid, fire and broken glass here. Take every precaution necessary!) Nita

NO AGE LIMIT. At a wedding I attended recently, I witnessed the sweetest thing. The grandmothers served as flower girls. They thoroughly enjoyed their flower-strewing duty as the audience stood and cheered. Zenda

BOOT FORMS. Rollup a couple of magazines and stick them into your boots to keep them standing tall between wearings. Works great and the mags can be reused many times. Janet,

PERFECT RATIO. A mix of 50 percent Kosher salt, 25 percent ground black pepper and 25 garlic powder makes the perfect seasoning combo to fill an all-in-one shaker. Edgar

RIBBON CADDY. Use multi-tiered pants hangers to store rolls of ribbon and other kinds of craft supplies that come on spools. Now with a single glance, you can see your entire collection. Hang this “caddy” in a closet and that will cut down on the clutter, too. Candace

SPA-STYLE LOOFAH GLOVES are awesome for outdoor window washing and for cleaning outdoor furniture. With a quick swish in the soap bucket and a wipe-down, the dirt disappears. Then, rinse everything off with a hose. Wear them on one hand or both. Loofah gloves are great for cleaning bathroom counter surfaces, too. Wilda

MIRACLE WORKER LAUNDRY STAIN REMOVER. Mix together 1 teaspoon traditional blue Dawn dishwashing liquid, 4 tablespoons Hydrogen Peroxide and 2 tablespoons baking soda. Scrub on stain, allow it sit for at least one hour, then launder. And don’t forget to be totally blown away that even THAT stain came out! This is particularly miraculous on baby stains, if you know what I’m talking about. Yes that one and the others, too. Marcie

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