Simple Life Tips

60 Uses for Salt

2008-03-03T00:30:00.001-08:00

1. Soak stained hankies in salt water before washing.

2. Sprinkle salt on your shelves to keep ants away.

3. Soak fish in water before descaling; the scales will come off easier.

4. Put a few grains of rice in your salt shaker for easier pouring.

5. Add salt to green salads to prevent wilting.

6. Test the freshness of eggs in a cup of salt water; fresh eggs sink; bad ones float.

7. Add a little salt to your boiling water when cooking eggs; a cracked egg will stay in its shell this way.

8. A tiny pinch of salt with egg whites make them beat up fluffier.

9. Soak wrinkled apples in a mildly salted water solution to perk them up.

10. Rub salt on your pancake griddle and your flapjacks won't stick.

11. Soak toothbrushes in salt water before you first use them; they will last longer.

12. Use salt to clean your discoloured coffee pot.

13. Mix salt with turpentine to whiten your bathtub and toilet bowl.

14. Soak your nuts in salt brine overnight and they will crack out of their shells whole. Just tap the end of the shell with a hammer to break it open easily.

15. Boil clothespins in salt water before using them and they will last longer.

16. Clean brass, copper and pewter with a paste made of salt and vinegar, thickened with flour.

17. Add a little salt to the water your cut flowers will stand in for a longer life.

18. Pour a mound of salt on an ink spot on your carpet; let the salt soak up the stain.

19. Clean your iron by rubbing some salt on the damp cloth on the ironing surface.

20. Adding a little salt to the water when cooking foods in a double boiler will make the food cook faster.

21. Use a mixture of salt and lemon juice to clean piano keys.

22. To fill plaster holes in your walls, use equal parts of salt and starch, with just enough water to make a stiff putty.

23. Rinse a sore eye with a little salt water.

24. Mildly salted water makes an effective mouth wash. Use it hot for a sore throat gargle.

25. Dry salt sprinkled on your toothbrush makes a good tooth polisher.

26. Use salt for killing weeds in your lawn.

27. Eliminate excess suds with a sprinkle of salt.

28. A dash of salt in warm milk makes a more relaxing beverage.

29. Before using new glasses, soak them in warm salty water for a while.

30. A dash of salt enhances the taste of tea.

31. Salt improves the taste of cooking apples.

32. Soak your clothes line in salt water to prevent your clothes from freezing to the line; likewise, use salt in your final rinse to prevent the clothes from freezing.

33. Rub any wicker furniture you have with salt water to prevent yellowing.

34. Freshen sponges by soaking them in salt water.

35. Add raw potatoes to stews and soups that are too salty.

36. Soak enamel pans in salt water overnight and boil salt water in them next day to remove burned-on stains.

37. Clean your greens in salt water for easier removal of dirt.

38. Gelatin sets more quickly when a dash of salt is added.

39. Fruits put in mildly salted water after peeling will not discolour.

40. Fabric colours hold fast in salty water wash.

41. Milk stays fresh longer when a little salt is added.

42. Use equal parts of salt and soda for brushing your teeth.

43. Sprinkle salt in your oven before scrubbing clean.

44. Soak discoloured glass in a salt and vinegar solution to remove stains.

45. Clean greasy pans with a paper towel and salt.

46. Salty water boils faster when cooking eggs.

47. Add a pinch of salt to whipping cream to make it whip more quickly.

48. Sprinkle salt in milk-scorched pans to remove odour.

49. A dash of salt in coffee improves the taste of coffee.

50. Boil mismatched hose in salty water and they will come out matched.

51. Salt and soda will sweeten the odour of your refrigerator.

52. Cover wine-stained fabric with salt; rinse in cool water later.

53. Remove offensive odours from stove with salt and cinnamon.

54. A pinch of salt improves the flavour of cocoa.

55. Remove grease-stains in clothing by mixing one part salt to four parts alcohol.

56. Salt and lemon juice removes mildew.

57. Sprinkle salt between sidewalk bricks where you don't want grass growing.

58. Polish your old kerosene lamp with salt for a brighter look.

59. Remove odours from sink drainpipes with a strong, hot solution of salt water.

60. If a pie bubbles over in your oven, put a handful of salt over the spilled juice. The mess won't smell and will bake into a dry, light crust which will wipe off easily once the oven has cooled.

About the Author

Timothy Firth B.Sc. provides of cheap e-books with master resale rights, premium e-books, audio books, software and home business opportunity suitable for everyone. For more information on Miracle Reports, visit E-Book Library Online - http://www.ebooklibraryonline.co.uk60

Tips On Talking To The Opposite Sex

2008-02-28T21:43:00.000-08:00

If you feel like you don't know how to talk to people of the opposite sex, you might be onto something!
Men and women definitely have different ways of communicating. Learning how the other half uses language will help to improve your communication with the opposite sex.
And if you're still not convinced, there is even a term that is specific to the different languages of the sexes. The term is genderlect. Suzette Haden Elgin coined the term in her book, Genderspeak. Her book talked about different methods men and women could use to better communicate.

Deborah Tannen went into even more detail about gender communication in her book, entitled You Just Don't Understand: Men and Women in Conversation (1990, Ballantine.) Tannen says that even when a man and woman are raised in the same neighbourhood or even in the same home they will grow up in different language worlds.
The question of how to talk to people of the opposite sex really needs to first be answered by understanding the ways men and women differ in how they express themselves.
Here are some of the biggest differences, starting at a very young age:
1. Girls talk or use language as a way to be liked. Little boys often talk to be boastful.
2. A little girl will request something. A boy? He makes demands.
3. Girls tend to use language as a way to create harmony - to get closer to someone. If you guessed that young boys keep conflicts going by talking, you are right!
4. Girls talk using words and will use more words to explain something. A young boy is more likely to use actions to emphasize what he is trying to say.
As we grow and learn how to talk to people, being aware of these differences can help (especially when the people you are talking to are of the opposite sex.)
Many of those early traits continue, as we grow older. Men will continue to use communication as a means of staying independent, while women will continue to use language as a tool for intimacy.
Grown-up men often will talk to establish status (remember the boasting as little boys?) Women will connect themselves to others by using language to build up rapport.
Tannen calls these differences ‘report-talk' (men) and ‘rapport-talk', for the women. Understanding this one specific difference can really show how women quite often take what men say, personally, when they really were only ‘reporting' on a situation.
Learning how to talk to people is made a lot simpler when you understand genderlect - the language of the sexes.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/communication-articles/how-to-talk-to-people-of-the-opposite-sex-14356.html

About the Author:
Peter Murphy is a peak performance expert. He recently produced a very popular free report: 10 Simple Steps to Developing Communication Confidence. Apply now because it is available only at: conversation starters

Brainstorming: What Does It Mean to Think Outside The Box?

2008-02-10T21:46:00.000-08:00

You hear that to be more creative you need to think outside the box, but what is the box? It is your normal ways of thinking, and all the hidden assumptions you make. Imagine actually living in a box, and knowing the outside world only through the pictures and descriptions written on those four walls. Even the best pictures and most accurate descriptions couldn't encompass the totality of the world outside, so you would have all sorts of assumptions about the world that might not be too useful or true.

This metaphor is a great one for understanding how limited our thinking can be, and it suggests an obvious solution as well. Your thinking and assumptions are like those pictures and descriptions, and they form the "walls" of your box, limiting what you can see or know about the world. The solution? Stop looking at them and get outside the box! Here is one of the best ways to do that.

The Best Way To Get Outside The Box

Perhaps the best way to get out of your habitual thought patterns and have some new and creative ideas is to identify the assumptions you are making and challenge them. This is a powerful way to deal with everything from personal to business to artistic problems and issues. Let's look at some simple examples.

Suppose a young single man wants to buy a house, but he doesn't seem to be able to. He doesn't have the money saved for a down payment. Also, he can barely make his rent and a house will cost more per month than that. He is ready to give up when he decides to try thinking outside the box. Specifically, he remembers an article he read about identifying and challenging one's assumptions, so he tries that.

He starts by explaining to a friend why he thinks he can't buy a house. There are no more zero-down mortgages lately and he has no money saved. He doesn't even have enough extra income to save a down payment. His job doesn't pay enough to cover the costs of owning a home. "I may just have to wait a few years until I get a better job," he says. He clarifies this into the following list, even though he sees some of them not as assumptions, but as reality:

1. A down payment is necessary.

2. I have nothing for a down payment.

3. I can't save money for a down payment at this time.

4. My job has to pay enough to cover all the expenses of owning a home.

With the help of his friend, he challenges these assumptions one-by-one. Is a down payment really necessary? Maybe there are government programs that can help. Does he really have no down payment? His friend points out that he can use the money in his retirement account, and even avoid the usual tax penalty since he is a first-time home buyer. He also has some things he could sell to raise money. Can't save? If he worked overtime it could all go towards savings.

The problem of income seems irresolvable at first. He has been looking for a better job, he says. His friend points out that the idea of needing a better job is just another assumption. That makes him think about starting a business on weekends, but he doesn't hold out much hope for that. Then he again returns to the assumption that his job has to pay for the house. What if this wasn't true? What if something else or someone else helped pay for it?

That's when he remembers a friend of his who rented out rooms in his house. He got $400 per room per month. Looked at this way, a house might be far cheaper than renting. Working with this and the other ideas, he is soon in a new home and in better financial shape than ever.

You can see how assumptions create a "box" that is tough to get out of. Argue about how to save Social Security and you might not notice the assumption that it's worth saving, rather than scrapping it in favor of something better. Assume that motorcycles need wheels and you'll never invent the first "motorskimobile" for use in snow. You need to both identify and challenge your assumptions to think out of the box.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/motivational-articles/how-to-think-outside-the-box-318453.html

About the Author:
Copyright Steve Gillman. There are many other ways to think outside the box. To learn more, go get your free Radical Thinking Course , at: http://www.RadicalNewThoughts.com

How To Break Bad Habits

2008-02-07T21:51:00.000-08:00

Millions of people around the world make new years resolutions each year. A very high percentage of them are in hopes of breaking bad habits that have seemingly overtaken their lives, but have left many disappointed, and realizing just how difficult breaking un-wanted habits can actually be.

To break bad habits one must first understand what they are and how they are developed in the first place. Until one can really understand how these habits are developed, they will never accomplish the task of getting rid of them. So I have personally put in thousands of hours to find effective ways in helping people get rid of what I like to call their "hook habits", of which, I am now ready to share my conclusion with those who have an interest. So let's get started.

What Are Bad Habits?

Bad habits are repetitious actions, deeds, and motives that have no profitable outcome for one's life at all. In almost all cases, bad habits either do harm to a person's body, causes them to look bad, feel shame, get in trouble with the law or their spouse, lose friends and love ones, or to spend a lot of money just to start the negative repetitious process all over again. It sounds like something someone would really want to be a part of huh? Well, don't be surprised, there are millions of people throughout the world who are trapped, hooked and overtaken by bad habits, and some would do almost anything to get freed from them!

How Do People Develop Bad Habits?

Most people develop bad habits by practicing or emulating what they see or hear in others. People in general have a tendency to pick up a little "Character Development" from here and there, although often time, the very thing they pick up is definitely not what they need.
There is also a percentage of New Born Babies born with what I call "Fixations". They are born with that something within that causes various behaviors not taught nor exposed to them, to manifest themselves in their characteristics at a very young age. For instance, you didn't have to teach little Johnny to lie about the cookies he took out of the cookie jar when you weren't around, although, you did ask him if he had taken the cookies, and of course, he said no. Did you teach little Johnny to tell that lie? No you did not, but it was in him all the time, he was born with it in him. But there is good news; all bad habits can be broken!

Surely most bad habits weren't developed over night, and I can assure you that they won't go away over night either. But those who take in the following information will surely find their way to victory over these un- wnated and un-needed habits:

Instead of making new years resolutions every New Years Eve, start making changes by replacing every bad habit with a better habit. That's right! It's just that simple. Most people try to go "Cold Turkey" when it comes down to breaking a bad habit.
But I have found out in my personal experience, that if a person would find something they enjoy doing (that's not a bad habit of course), and they don't mind it becoming habitual, then that person should gradually replace the bad habit with the better habit until the better habit becomes the new habit.
How is this task accomplish, buy simply being conscious of every time the bad habits manifest themselves, and then stopping the bad habits one by one immediately once noticed, while at the same time implementing the new things you enjoy doing until they becomes the replaced habits.

Sincerely written by,
Michael Bell
http://www.buymusicfromus.com

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/self-help-articles/how-to-break-a-bad-habit-38283.html

About the Author:
Michael Bell, Lansing, Michigan.

Why You Should Improve Your Communication Skills

2008-01-30T21:41:00.000-08:00

Improve your communication skill and you can slowly work your way towards success. In today's world of information, it is essential to improve your communication skill in order to move forward and prosper.

Being able to effectively communicate with others means that you have the capability to receive and relay information, a very important asset considering that information today has become a valued asset.

Being able to communicate effectively means more than just being articulate. Many other factors are required for effective communication. You have to know them in order for you to improve your communication skill.

Good communication skills also rely on having a keen ear aside from having a way with the spoken word. Here are some tips that will be able to help you improve your communication skill.

Effective communication relies on your ability to listen. Being an attentive listener allows you to gather all the information that you can get from a certain conversation. Being an attentive listener also means that you focus on what is being said and make sure that you comprehend the point.

A good way to improve on your comprehension is by learning to get involved in the conversation. Know how to ask questions whenever you think you miss out on a certain point. Try to make use of your other senses during an ongoing conversation. The more you involve your other senses, the more you would stay interested on what is being said.

During conversations, try to respond instead of trying to react. Responding entails the use of your mind before you speak whereas reacting usually involves your emotion. Responding always keeps you in control as you mindfully oversee what you wish to say. Reacting, on the other hand, can let a conversation get out of hand, which is not the aim of effective communication.

The most important tip that you need to do to improve your communication skill is constant practice. Try to participate in as many discussions and social interactions as you can. Try to practice the art of listening as well as contributing to the conversation. As you go along, you will notice a considerable improvement on your communication skills. If there is a lack of possible discussions to participate in, you can always practice on your own friends and family. After all, effective communication can be used in different aspects of your life, be it at work at play. Always remember that effective communication is a way of building relationships.

As you strive to improve your communication skill, you will eventually find success along the way.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/self-improvement-articles/improve-your-communication-skill-and-succeed-319931.html

About the Author:
Let Michael Lee show you how to easily persuade and influence people to eagerly do what you want them to do… guaranteed! Go to http://www.20daypersuasion.com and get phenomenal persuasion tips FREE.