COURTESY OF
KAREN CONNOLLY
TIGARD, OR
MY TIP IS TO sprinkle coarsely ground black
pepper on the carpet where you have a
trouble spot from your cat or dog. After
sprinkling black pepper in an area where our
pet loved to relieve herself, we’ve never had
any problems since. It’s a lot cheaper than pet
store chemicals and works better. A
COURTESY OF
KYUNG-HWA RAFFERTY
PRATTVILLE, AL
USING A COLORFUL STRING, hang unusable or
unwanted CDs from fruit trees around gardens
and in orchards. Birds like to eat cherries, plums
and other fruits, and the shiny surface keeps
birds away by reflecting sunlight and moonlight
as it spins in the wind. A
COURTESY OF
ANDREA FINK
EVERETT, WA
HERE’S MY “GREEN” IDEA: Costco apple
containers make excellent germination kits.
The see-through tops can open up to allow
sunshine and watering or come down to
keep seedlings warm and dry. A
COURTESY OF
VINAYAK SING
FORT WORTH, TX
IF YOU (OR ONE OF THE KIDS) have a bug stuck
in the ear (ant, etc., while being outdoors), try this:
Go to a dark room. Now take a small flashlight,
point it in your ear (get a friend or parent to do
it for you) and watch how the bug/ant finds its
way out.
It works! A
COURTESY OF
ROBERT DEMARTINI
IONIA, MI
“REROOFING” YOUR wooden steps is easy and
safe. Just take some flat shingles, cut off the tabs
and staple them to the treads of the stairs. Then
when it snows or rains, you will be much safer
and secure with your steps, and they last for
years to come. I’ve had them on my deck steps
for about 15 years and they are like new. A
COURTESY OF
PAM BREWER
SAN DIEGO, CA
ANOTHER USE FOR that “spongy” shelf
liner: I use it to line the deli and vegetable
drawer in the fridge. It protects the fruits
and vegetables, keeps the drawer clean
and helps keep moisture down so the food
lasts longer. A
COURTESY OF
JAMES SANDSMARK
NEWCASTLE, WA
COURTESY OF
DEIDRA BIGHAM
SAN DIEGO, CA
WE ALL WONDER what to do with the Styrofoam
packing material that is used to protect electronics
and other products. (Garbage recyclers will not
accept it.) My wife and I break it into small
pieces and use it as filler for planter boxes. Fill
the planter half to three-quarters full of the
Styrofoam, then several layers of newspaper, then
the rest of the way with potting soil. This saves
a lot of potting soil, and the planter weighs a
fractio n of one with soil only. A
TO DEEP-CLEAN your dry-erase board, spray
Lysol Disinfectant Spray on a paper towel and
wipe down the board. A
COURTESY OF
CHRISTINA C. PHILLIPS
CASTAIC, CA
COURTESY OF
RONA HACKETT
ROHNERT PARK, CA
DOGS HATE THE SMELL of coffee in the
garden and will stop digging it up, so
pour leftover coffee and grounds
in the garden every day. It’s
great for the plants, too,
especially roses. A
TO PREVENT LOST SOCKS, safety-pin the toes
of a pair together before washing.
USE THE SCENTED perfume ads in magazines
to line clothes drawers. A
