A few years ago, I may or may not have stained our back steps while working on a post about making your own firestarters using egg cartons, dryer lint, and melted wax. (Okay, so I definitely did stain the step. But in my defense, I figured it would be relatively easy to pour the melted wax into an egg carton without making a mess. This did not turn out to be the case.) The greasy wax left behind an unsightly stain on the concrete steps, and to put it briefly, my husband was not pleased.

Even though I don’t really understand why something like a concrete stain would drive him crazy, I DO understand getting irrationally upset over little things once in a while. ;-) There are a hundred little habits of his that drive me up the wall, and sometimes I get a little more annoyed by them than I should. But that’s just part of being married for as long as we have, and we’ve found that trying to solve the problem usually helps smooth things over. So for my husband’s sake, I resolved to find a way to eliminate that stain for good and restore our clean concrete.

After a lot of digging around online, I finally came across a tip that sounded promising. Someone claimed that Drano (yes, the stuff you use to unclog drains) can help clean concrete. I was willing to give it a try, and let me tell you, it worked so much better than I could have imagined! The greasy, waxy stain virtually disappeared, as did the other small greasy stains I tried it on. Here’s how it works, so you can use this miracle concrete cleaner too!

How To Clean Concrete Stains

You’ll need:

• Drain cleaner*
• Stiff scrub brush
• Paper towels
• Hose

*Note: I used Drano Max Gel, but I’m sure other similar cleaners would work well too!

Directions:

Start by squeezing or pouring drain cleaner onto the stain to cover it. Let the cleaner sit on the stain for a few minutes to help it sink it.

Then take a stiff scrub brush and give the stain a good scrub (be sure to use a nylon brush as a metal brush can damage concrete). Use that elbow grease! :-)

Once the stain has lifted, use paper towels to mop up as much of the cleaner and stain as possible. (You may want to use gloves for this part to make sure you’re not making too much contact with the drain cleaner.) Dispose of the paper towels.

Finally, take your garden hose and rinse the area thoroughly with plenty of water. There won’t be very much cleaner remaining, but you’ll still want to dilute any remaining cleaner as much as possible so it doesn’t hurt the environment.

I think the pictures capture just how effectively this method works! If you have tough concrete stains that you haven’t be able to remove, I definitely recommend giving this method a try. And who knows, it could just save your marriage too! ;-)

Have you tried to remove a stain from concrete?

Here on my blog, I strive to share simple, everyday tips and tricks that can help make life a little bit easier. But sometimes, the tips that I want to share aren’t something I can write a whole blog post about, so I tuck them away to use at a later date.

I’ve built up quite a catalog of these quick tips and tricks, and I’m sharing another batch of them today! To explore other installments in this series, visit the “Why Didn’t I Think Of That?” series archive.

Use Baking Soda Twice

When it’s time to replace that box of baking soda in your fridge, don’t throw it out! You can still use that baking soda for its abrasiveness to clean things like countertops, sinks, bathtubs, and toilets.

Use Bread To Keep Leftover Cake Moist

When you’re finished serving cake and want to save the rest for later, here’s an easy trick to keep the cut edges from drying out. Simply use a couple of toothpicks to secure a piece of bread to the cut edges. The bread will become stale over time, but the cake behind it will stay moist and delicious!

Use A Muffin Tin As A Cooling Rack

Don’t have a cooling rack, or find yourself in need of an extra one? Use your muffin tin! Just flip it upside down and rest whatever you’re cooling on top. The spaces between the cups will allow for enough air flow that it will work as a cooling rack in a pinch!

Use A Dish Towel As A Placemat

Having a messy meal (or maybe you just have messy eaters)? A dish towel makes a great placemat in a pinch, since they’re easy to toss in the laundry afterwards. You can even use some dish towels as a placemat for two people sitting opposite each other, if you place it across your table.

Mix Almost Anything In A Blender Bottle

That blender bottle in your cupboard isn’t just good for mixing up protein shakes; it can also be a versatile kitchen tool! Use it to mix up salad dressings, pancake batter, scrambled eggs, and more.

Serve Treats In A Cereal Box

If you’re taking baked goods to a neighbor or a Bake Sale, you don’t have to give away or keep track of your storage containers! Just cut the front face off of a cereal box, line it with some parchment paper, and use that to serve or deliver your delicious treats.

Keep Your Picnic Blanket Dry With A Shower Curtain

Spring and fall provide perfect temperatures for heading outside for a picnic, but the ground can often be damp from rain or dew. Keep your blanket (and your behinds!) dry by placing a cheap shower curtain liner under your blanket. It’s a simple fix, and only costs a few bucks! Plus, this makes it so  you can use any blanket in your house as a picnic blanket. Even this super soft faux-fur throw blanket from our studio! :-)

Make Giant Ice Cubes In A Muffin Tin

When you’re serving a beverage or punch at a party, it’s a pain to keep adding more ice as it melts. You can make ice that will melt much slower by freezing water in a muffin tin or a silicone mold with larger cavities. Or, go all out and freeze one large ice cube in a bundt pan!

Wrap A Cake Without Ruining The Frosting

Wrapping up cake and cupcakes without ruining the frosting seems like an impossible task. But it’s easy to do with a few toothpicks or skewers! Just stick them into your cake or cupcakes, and drape the plastic wrap over the top. No more pulling off all that good frosting when removing the plastic wrap!

Make Salad Dressing In A Mayo Container

When your mayo container is mostly empty, you can get one last bit of life out of it by making a quick, creamy dressing right in the container. Just add some olive oil, vinegar, and herbs of your choice, and shake it up really well. Delicious!

The Best Ways To Make Your Home Smell Amazing

To make your house smell good, it’s best to tackle the process in two stages: first, getting rid of musty smells, stale air, and other unpleasant odors, and second, introducing fresh, clean aromas that that will keep your home smelling great. And since I try to avoid synthetic scents and harsh chemicals when I can, many of the tips and tricks you’ll find throughout this post are totally natural ways to make your house smell great — my homemade air freshener spray, as an example! 

Whether you’re looking for the best tips to get rid of odors, or easy and cost-effective ways to fill your home’s square footage with pleasant smells, you’ve come to right place! (We’ll start with the former, then move on to the latter.)

7 Ways To Deodorize And Freshen Your Home

1. Use Scented Cleaning Vinegar To Clean Your Home

If bad odors are making your home fragrant in all the wrong ways, start with a good cleaning session to eliminate odors at their source. I suggest whipping up some scented cleaning vinegar with a clean, refreshing fragrance like mint for maximum odor elimination. (Brush up on the dos and don’ts of cleaning with vinegar first for a reminder not to use it on porous stone and certain other surfaces!)

And if you can, open a few windows after deep cleaning your home to let in some fresh air — even a few minutes will make a huge difference! (Too cold out? An air filter or purifier makes a great alternative!)

2. Remove Bad Smells From Your Garbage Disposal

If your garbage disposal is a source of some unpleasant odors, the easiest way to clean it is to make frozen disposal cleaning cubes using white vinegar and lemon or orange peels. Just toss a couple of cubes down your sink drain, grind them up in your disposal, and it’ll make a huge difference.

3. Get Smells Out Of Carpet

Smelly carpet is one of the most overlooked sources of bad odors. Eliminate those odors by making your own deodorizing carpet powder with baking soda (a natural deodorizer), borax, and cinnamon or essential oils. Sprinkle the powder on your carpets, wait for a few minutes, and vacuum as usual. Not only does the powder help pick up dirt and hair, it also leaves behind a light, fresh scent of spices. This is the one of the easiest ways to help make your home smell nice all the time!

4. Fix Stinky Towels To Make Your Bathroom Smell Better

Residue from dryer sheets and detergents can cause bath towels to smell funky after a while, especially if dampness and mildew are added to the equation. Luckily, I’ve got a simple 3-step fix for smelly towels that will have your bathroom smelling fresh once more, and all you need is a bit of baking soda and vinegar.

5. Keep Pet Odors Under Control

To keep pet smells at bay, make sure to wash their bedding and toys regularly, and vacuum diligently to keep pet hair under control. Also, be sure to clean up pet stains immediately (sprinkle baking soda over it, if nothing else), and make sure any air fresheners or sprays you use are safe to use around pets.

6. Give Your Curtains A Whack

It’s all too easy to forget that curtains can develop a stale odor after a while. If your curtains are machine washable, toss them in the washer with your laundry. If not, try one of the expert tips from hotel housekeepers — take a hand towel and give your curtains a few good whacks to get the dust out of them!

7. Freshen Upholstered Furniture

Furniture can get smelly in a hurry, especially when pets are allowed on it, so it’s important to keep upholstered furniture clean by vacuuming it regularly. For a quick refresh, sprinkle baking soda over upholstery, let it sit for half an hour or so, then vacuum it up.

Once you’ve eliminated any musty, dusty, or unpleasant odors from your home, you can move onto the next step: filling your space with your favorite scents! (Not sure what aromas to use? Check out the bonus section near the end of this post!)

16 Ways To Make Your House Smell Good

1. Run A Diffuser To Make Your Whole House Smell Good

When it comes to fragrance and freshness, it’s hard to beat the results of an essential oil diffuser! Simply fill it with water, add a few drops of essential oils, and turn it on to emit a fine mist that will carry the fragrant oils throughout your house. (‘Tis the season to diffuse essential oils that smell like fall!)

2. Freshen Fabrics With A Scented Fabric Spray

Another quick and easy way to fragrance your home with essential oils: make your own fabric refreshing spray à la Febreze! Just add water, a bit of baking soda, and your favorite essential oil to a small spray bottle, then use it to lightly spray furniture, drapes, linens, or bedding.

Lavender oil is a great choice for this spray because of its calming properties, but citrus oils like lemon, tangerine, sweet orange, and grapefruit smell great and offer a natural energy boost as well! For wood furniture, try a DIY lemon-scented dusting spray — people associate the smell of lemon with a clean house!

3. Use Wax Melts To Fill Your Home With Fragrance

Those little warmers for scented wax cubes are another great way to fill your home with the scent of your choice — no need to light a candle! You can save yourself a lot of money by making your own scented wax cubes with beeswax, coconut oil and essential oils. It’s surprisingly easy, and you have full creative control to create a scent that is uniquely you.

4. Make Your Car Smell Great With DIY Air Fresheners

Okay, you car isn’t exactly in your home, but since most of us spend quite a bit of time in the car, I thought I’d include it anyway! Freshen up the air in your car by making one of these three homemade car-sized air fresheners.! 

5. Make Any Room Smell Great With DIY Gel Fragrance Jars

Gel fragrance jars are another great way to put essential oils to good use around the house. It’s surprisingly easy to make gel fragrance jars to freshen the air, and they make great gifts, too! All you need is water, unflavored gelatin, and essential oils to make them. Put one by an air vent to diffuse the scent throughout the room (like many hotels do!)

6. Use Plants To Clean The Air 

All potted plants are natural air purifiers, but some of the most effective ones are palm trees, orchids, and peace lilies. They not only look great, they help clean the air in your home around the clock!

7. Simmer Stovetop Potpourri For A Pleasant Scent

I love simmering stovetop potpourri during the holidays, but there’s no reason you couldn’t do it to freshen the air any time of year! Realtors and interior designers make use of this hack to give homes an inviting scent like citrus or cinnamon.

There are lots of great simmering potpourri recipes, and they are really simple to make. Fill a saucepan with water, add some aromatic herbs, fruit slices, or spices, and simmer on low heat. (You can also do this in a mini crockpot!)

8. Use Your Vacuum Cleaner To Freshen The Air

Use this vacuum hack to accomplish two things at once: clean your carpets and freshen the air in your home! Just add a few drops of your favorite essential oil or oil blend to a cotton ball, then place the cotton ball in your vacuum’s dust cup. As you vacuum, the air flow will disperse the scent of the essential oil and freshen the air as you go — sort of like a diffuser!

9. Prevent Stinky Trash Cans To Keep Your Kitchen Smelling Fresh

To avoid stinky trash cans, make sure to clean them well, and try to take the worst offenders (ex. seafood and produce scraps) outside instead of putting them in your kitchen trash can. Clean dirty trash cans using a solution of equal parts vinegar and water, add a homemade odor absorbing disk, and make sure it has a well-fitting lid.

10. Use Orange Peels To Neutralize Cooking Smells

Some people love the lingering smell of a home-cooked meal, but if you’re not one of them, you can easily neutralize those odors use orange or lemon peels. Just put a few citrus peels in a warm oven, and your kitchen will have a lovely citrusy scent in no time.

11. Make Your Bathroom Smell Like A Spa 

Make your bathroom feel like a high-end spa by bringing fresh eucalyptus into a warm, steamy shower. The heat and steam will activate and release its beneficial compounds that can clear your airways, and also help make your bathroom smell great. To take advantage of this aromatic eucalyptus shower, all you need are some fresh eucalyptus branches, which you can pick up at a florist (or from your own garden!)

12. Keep Your Refrigerator Fresh

Ever get a weird smell in your fridge, whether from a bowl of forgotten leftovers or a stray piece of fruit in your produce drawer? Go through the contents of your fridge and toss out anything smelly, then wipe down the surfaces of the fridge with hydrogen peroxide to clean and sanitize them. Leave an open box of baking soda in the fridge to absorb odors and keep your fridge smelling fresh.

13. Clean Your Kitchen Sponges To Keep Funky Smells At Bay

Deodorize stinky kitchen sponges with an overnight soak. Add a tablespoon of baking soda to a bowl of warm water, then place your kitchen sponge in the water. Let it soak there overnight to give the baking soda time to work its odor-eliminating magic! You can also pop a wet sponge in the microwave for a minute or run it through the dishwasher on the top rack.

14. Trap Toilet Odors To Avoid Bathroom Stink

Instead of using sprays to cover up bathroom odors, keep them where they belong — in the toilet — with a DIY toilet spray (a homemade version of the popular Poo-Pourri spray). Spray it before you go, and those bad odors will never have a chance to get into the air!

15. Use Vanilla For A Comforting Scent

Few scents are more comforting than aromatic vanilla, and you can fill your home with it quickly and easily! Just put a couple tablespoons of pure vanilla extract in an oven-safe dish, then pop it in your oven at 275°F for about twenty minutes before pulling it out and setting it on a trivet to cool.

16. Use Pine Boughs Or Pine Cones

A basket of fresh-cut pine boughs will smell great and look wonderful, too. You can also collect or buy pine cones and add a few drops of pine or spruce essential oil to them. These tips are ideal to use around the holidays!

BONUS: What’s The Best Fragrance To Fill Your Home With?

We all have different fragrance preferences, so “best” is relative. But after consulting a number of different sources where experts share their best home fragrance recommendations, there were a handful that were clear frontrunners, including:

1. Citrus (especially lemon)
2. Pine (preferably the real thing!)
3. Jasmine
4. Vanilla
5. Cinnamon

Any of these scents is sure to make your house smell wonderfully fresh and have a comforting, calming effect. Using these scents in the form of essential oils is a great way to enjoy their genuine aroma, and they last longer than a lot of other fragrance options normally would.

What’s your favorite way to make your house smell good?

Food storage is important! According to Money, the average household tosses out about 20% of the food they buy — about $1,500 worth of food waste per year for the average family. I’m sure you could think of plenty of ways to put that kind of cash to good use, and those ideas are bound to come in handy after you read this post!

Reducing food waste is as simple as learning a few tips and tricks about proper food storage so it lasts longer and is less likely to go bad before you can eat it. Here, I’m sharing 36 quick food storage tips for fruits and veggies, meat and eggs, pantry staples, and dairy products.

No matter what type of food you’re interested in learning how to store, you’ll find helpful tips right here!

36 Food Storage Tips That Keep Food Fresh Longer

▶︎ General Food Storage Tips

1. Check Your Fridge Temperature

Check the temperature inside of your fridge, which should be somewhere between 38-40°F. This is cold enough to keep your food as fresh as possible without freezing it. Eliminate the guesswork with a fridge thermometer, which you can buy for just a few dollars online.

2. Check Dates At The Store

Make sure to check the expiration date on foods while you’re shopping at the store. There’s nothing wrong with buying foods that are a day or two away from their expiration date, but you should only do it if you can make a solid plan to eat it ASAP.

3. Plan Around Your Fridge

One strategy that can help you cut down on waste is planning a few meals around what’s in your fridge and how long you expect it to last. For instance, if you have a bag of spinach in your fridge that is on its last legs, you could plan to use it in omelets the next day!

4. Grow Your Own

If you have the space for a garden (or even just a few pots), try growing your own food! Home-grown tomatoes, squash, and herbs are packed with flavor and can be picked and eaten the very same day. You never have to wonder how long your food was in transit or how long ago it was picked when you grow it yourself.

5. Buy From Local Farms

If you’re not much of a gardener, the next best option is to buy it from a local farmer. Local produce is sure to last you at least a few days longer than their supermarket equivalents, which have already traveled long distances before it arrives at the store. And it’s always good to support local businesses!

6. Prep Your Food

#6 – Clean and prep fresh food shortly after you get home according to how you plan to use it. If you do the prep work beforehand, you’ll be more likely to actually use it the way you planned to before it goes bad!

▶︎ Tips For Keeping Fruits & Vegetables Fresh

7. Moisture Control

Line the bottom of the produce drawers in your fridge with paper towels. The paper towels will help absorb excess moisture and keep many foods fresh so they don’t rot prematurely.

8. Mushrooms

You can help keep mushrooms from getting slimy by wrapping them in paper towels before refrigerating.

9. Tomatoes

If you notice your tomatoes are starting to get a bit wrinkly, they’re probably on their last legs. Buy yourself an extra week or so by roasting your tomatoes in slices or chunks. Place the roasted tomatoes in a container with olive oil, and they’ll stay good in the fridge for about a week.

10. Berries

Wash berries in water and a small splash of vinegar before refrigerating them to help keep them fresh. Store them in the plastic container they came in or a ziplock bag, and place them in the back of the fridge where it stays coldest.

11. Lettuce

Wrap lettuce in a damp paper towel before storing it to help keep it fresh. If your lettuce has started wilting, you can usually revive it by soaking it in ice water for several minutes.

12. Greens

Store kale, collard greens, Swiss chard, and other hardy greens with their stems in a glass of water. Cover the greens loosely in a plastic bag, and they’ll stay nice and crisp longer.

13. Crunchy Veggies

To keep celery, carrots, and radishes fresh, chop them and store them in the fridge in a container of water. They’ll stay fresh for a surprisingly long time this way!

14. Squash

Coat whole squashes in a thin layer of vegetable oil and store them in your pantry. They can stay good for months this way!

15. Apples

Store apples separately from other foods. Apples give off ethylene gas that can cause other foods to decay more quickly than they would otherwise. (But on the other hand, this effect can come in handy in cases when you want to quickly ripen bananas for banana bread!)

16. Green Onions

You can triple the lifespan of green onions by storing them in a jar of water on your countertop. The tops will keep growing and you can snip them off as needed!

17. Asparagus

Asparagus will last longer in the fridge if stored with its ends in water. Just stand the bunch up with the larger ends at the bottom, and stick it in a shallow glass of water.

18. Bananas

Avoid separating bananas before you plan to eat them. They stay fresh longer when kept in a bunch! Store bananas at room temperature until ripe. If they’ve over-ripened, stick them in the freezer to use in a future batch of banana bread.

19. Garlic

Don’t store bulbs of garlic in a closed container. It will last much longer if stored in an open basket or a paper bag.

20. Avocados

When buying avocados that need to ripen, store them at room temperature. If an avocado is ripe but you don’t want to eat it right away, stick it in the fridge to prevent it from ripening further.

21. Freeze Fresh Herbs

Keep herbs fresh by storing them in whole bunches. Just rinse the bunch, put it in a ziplock freezer bag, and toss it in your freezer. It should stay fresh for up to a month this way! When you’re ready to use them, just chop them up and toss them in whatever you’re cooking.

▶︎ Tips For Keeping Meat, Fish, & Eggs Fresh

22. Fresh Fish

Fish should be kept in a bag on top of a bowl of ice inside your fridge. Eat it as soon as possible! You can also freeze fish to keep it fresh for longer.

23. Eggs

Store eggs in their original carton. If you can’t decide if your eggs are still fresh, place one in a cup of water. Fresh eggs should sink, while old eggs usually float.

24. Meat & Poultry

Meat and poultry should be kept in their original packaging if you’ll eat them in the next day or two. If not, wrap it in tin foil or stick it in a ziplock bag, then store it in your freezer. To freeze smoked meats like bacon, ham, etc., wrap them in a vinegar-dampened cloth, then cover in wax paper and freeze.

▶︎ Tips For Keeping Bread & Pantry Staples Fresh

25. Flour

Freezing flour for 48 hours is sure to kill any insects that may be present. After that, transfer it to a tightly sealed container. Store the container in a cool, dark location.

26. Coffee Beans

Buy whole-bean coffee and grind as needed to get the best flavor. Store your coffee beans in an airtight and opaque container to keep them fresh, and use within 3-4 days. (If you bought more than you can use in that period, you can freeze the rest to keep it fresh!)

27. Dry Ingredients

To help keep weevils at “bay,” store your flour, rice, or cornmeal with a bay leaf in the container. The scent of the bay leaf should deter weevils from moving in.

28. Bread

Storing bread in the fridge can actually make it go stale faster because it’s such a moist environment. For best results, keep bread out on your countertop in a tightly sealed bag or container.

29. Shelf-Stable Foods

Store your dry foods in airtight containers, rather than the packaging they came in! This will help keep pasta, cereal, pretzels, and other foods fresh for longer. I like to use mason jars, but any airtight container will do!

30. Salt

If you live in a humid area, you’ve likely experienced salt clumping up in your salt shaker. To prevent this, put a pinch of dry rice into the shaker too. The rice will absorb excess moisture and keep the salt from sticking together.

31. Brown Sugar

Store brown sugar in your freezer to keep it from hardening. For brown sugar that has already gone rock-solid, toss a piece of bread or a marshmallow into the container to soften it up.

32. Honey

Honey won’t ever really spoil, so there’s no need to toss it out when you see crystals or cloudiness. Just microwave it on medium power in 30-second increments until it clears up and thins out.

▶︎ Tips For Dairy & Cheese

33. Cheeses

Before storing cheese in your fridge, wrap it tightly in wax paper to allow airflow while sealing out moisture. After cutting the cheese, you can rub butter on the cut part to help keep it fresh. To freeze shredded cheese for later use, simply shred it, toss it with cornstarch, and store it in a freezer bag.

34. Milk

Keep milk in the main part of your fridge rather than in the door. The shelves in the door are typically warmer than the rest of the fridge, and your milk will stay fresh longer if you keep it nice and cold!

35. Cottage Cheese & Sour Cream

To keep cottage cheese or sour cream fresh, store it upside-down in your fridge! Inverting creates a vacuum inside the container that will help reduce the chance of mold or bacteria growing on the surface.

36. Butter

To keep butter fresh in the fridge, keep it in its original package. To freeze it for later use, seal it up in a freezer bag and store it for up to 6 months.

With the help of these tips, you’ll be reducing your household’s food waste in no time (and keeping more money in your pocket while you’re at it!)

What’s your best tip for keeping food fresh?

I know as well as anyone how easy it can be to damage delicate clothing, but I don’t want to spend all day laundering my clothes by hand. I’m also the type to see a challenge where others might see a warning, so the fact that I tasked myself with learning how to avoid washing delicate clothes by hand shouldn’t surprise anyone!

I’ve written previously about how certain dry clean-only items can be machine-washed, and after reading this post, you’ll be able to safely clean many “hand wash only” items in your washing machine too. After learning a few simple rules for washing delicate clothes in your washing machine, you can machine wash your delicate items with confidence!

How To (Safely) Wash Delicates In Your Washing Machine

The best (and most simple) way to protect your delicates when washing them in a machine is by zipping them into a mesh laundry bag. Sometimes called “lingerie bags,” these simple mesh bags protect their contents from getting snagged, stretched, twisted, or otherwise harmed in the washing machine.

A good set of mesh laundry bags can keep a wide variety of delicate clothing in tip-top shape for years to come. (There are plenty of other uses for mesh laundry bags, too!)

Which Mesh Laundry Bags Should I Buy?

I may be biased, but I genuinely love the mesh laundry bags I offer in my shop! They’re attractive, sturdy, effective, and thoughtfully designed, which is everything I could ask for in a laundry bag!

And you don’t just have to take my word for it! Here are a few glowing reviews from OGT readers:

Great product! I purchased a set of the mesh laundry bags for myself and loved them so much, I ordered a set of both sizes for my daughter.

Ramona

The answer to washing my heirloom crocheted tablecloth and the bobbin lace tablecloth. The bags are big enough to contain the table cloths, one only in a bag, and they are safely tucked in because of the secure zipper. There is enough room for good water flow for the soapy water and rinse water to do their jobs well.

Martha P.

I’ve been using laundry bags for many years and have enjoyed the ones I have. When I saw these from Jillee I knew I had to give them a try. They are bigger than what I have and are very well made. I like the fact that you can tuck the zipper in at the end. I now prefer these over my other ones.

Claudette

Highlights of these bags include:

• Sturdy honeycomb mesh construction
• Protective elastic zipper sleeve
• Two useful sizes to choose from:
  • Small (10.25″ x 9.5″ x 4″) – Perfect for bras, socks, underwear, etc., with expandable sides for added capacity
  • Large (16″ x 19.5″) – Flat and roomy, great for chunky sweaters and other bulky items
• Both sizes are sold in sets of 3 or you can get a combo pack with 2 of each size

If you’re ready to upgrade your laundry routine, now is the perfect time. During my Birthday Sale, all single products are 20% off, and all kits are 30% off—but that’s not all!

When you spend $60 or more, you’ll get to choose a free gift, and one of the options is a set of large mesh laundry bags—the very same bags I swear by for protecting delicate clothing! You can also pick from a bottle of lavender essential oil or a 4-pack of makeup remover cloths.

Don’t miss this chance to grab high-quality laundry essentials at a great discount—and score a free gift while you’re at it!

CLICK HERE TO SHOP

4 More Tips for Protecting Delicates in the Wash

1. Fasten Everything

Hooks, buttons, zippers, and other closures can cause clothing to snag during a wash cycle, even in a mesh bag. Closing any fasteners before washing items that have them will ensure they won’t damage other items.

2. Don’t Crowd Your Bags

When using mesh laundry bags, it’s also important to avoid overfilling them. A mesh bag will protect the items inside from damage, but packing them full of clothing may prevent the items inside from getting properly washed or rinsed.

3. Use A Gentle Cycle And Cold Water

Many modern machines have a delicate or hand wash cycle that’s perfect for cleaning silk, wool, embellished clothing, and other delicate items with minimal agitation and a slower spin cycle. Some such cycles use cold water by default, but if yours doesn’t, you’ll want to select the cold water option manually.

4. Always Air Dry

Don’t risk damaging your delicates by subjecting them to the heat and friction of your tumble dryer. Instead, hang them on a rack or lay them flat to dry. Air drying is the safest way to dry just about anything you might wash in your washing machine, including delicate clothing.

While following the 5 tips above works wonderfully 9 times out of 10, there are certain exceptions, including especially delicate lace items and lightweight items with heavy fasteners. Learn more about safely washing items like these in my do’s and don’ts for handwashing clothes.

Have you tried putting “hand wash only” items in the washing machine?

Some things in life seem highly appealing to begin with, only to lose their sheen once you actually experience them for yourself. And for the longest time, that was exactly how I felt about using the self-checkout machines at the grocery store!

The idea of quickly scanning and bagging my own items was very appealing at first. But when I actually attempted it, I found the self-checkout machine to be a lot more finicky than I had expected it to be, and it seemed to be fond of repeatedly alerting the attendant for unknowable reasons!

But I didn’t let that less-than-ideal first experience stop me from trying again. After a few more attempts, I had picked up a few tips and tricks that made it much easier and less anxiety-inducing to go through self-checkout!

In today’s blog post, I’ll be sharing 7 of those useful self-checkout tips for those who could use a bit of coaching on the subject themselves! By the end of this post, you’ll be armed with all the knowledge you need to breeze through the self-checkout lane like a total pro. :-)

7 Tips For Using The Self-Checkout Lane Like A Pro

1. Set Expectations

Want to use your own reusable shopping bags in the self-checkout lane? Be sure to communicate that to the checkout machine before you start scanning your items.

Look for a button on the checkout screen that says “I brought my own bags” (or something similar.) Hitting that button before you start scanning will let the machine know to expect the additional weight from your bags in the bagging area. (If the machine doesn’t know to expect that weight, it will likely alert the attendant and slow you down.)

2. Know When To Avoid It

Depending on the situation, self-checkout isn’t always the best option! For instance, you may want to avoid self-checkout when…

• You’re alone and have a full shopping cart. It will take a while to scan and bag all those groceries on your own, so why not save yourself some time and effort by having a cashier scan them for you?
• You have several coupons you want to use. Self-checkout machines often require an attendant to verify your coupons or enter them into the system for you. Even if you’re just buying a few things, that process may cancel out any time you might have saved by choosing self-checkout anyway.

3. Use The PLU Code

The most time-consuming part of using self-checkout is scanning your produce items, because most don’t have scannable bar codes. To scan produce items using self-checkout, you can look up items up by name, photo, or by entering its 4- or 5- digit price look-up (PLU) code.

Entering the PLU code is a big time-saver, and it’s usually displayed right on the produce sticker, label, or wrapping. (Experienced cashiers may have hundreds of PLU codes memorized, enabling them to blaze through produce items with ease!)

4. Don’t Skip Steps

When you’re scanning a large item, like a bag of pet food or a big box of soda, you may not want or need to put it in a bag. But that doesn’t mean you can just put it right back in your cart after scanning it, because the machine’s scale will expect the added weight.

Instead, you can do one of two things. The first option is to scan the item and set it in the bagging area without actually putting it in a bag. The second is to hit the “Skip Bagging” button and then put it back in your cart. Either option will help you avoid triggering the machine to call for an attendant!

5. Team Up

One of the best ways to breeze through self-checkout is to team up with a partner! It works best when one person is charge of unloading the cart and handing stuff off, and the other person takes the items, scans them, and puts them in the bagging area.

These roles keep both people out of each other’s way, and it makes it less likely that you bag things out of order and confuse the machine. With a little bit of teamwork and practice, you and your partner will be self-checkout professionals in no time!

6. Scan In Order

Scanning items in a certain order can make things go a lot more smoothly, both while you’re checking out and later on when you unload your groceries at home. So when it’s your turn at the self-checkout stand, scan your items in order of how you plan to bag them.

For each new bag, start by scanning a few larger or heavier items, then scan a few smaller, lighter items to add on top. You may also want to group similar items together in one bag, such as frozen foods or produce. A little planning can go a long way here! :-)

7. Be Ready To Pay

When you’re on your way to the self-checkout lane, take an extra 30 seconds to make sure you know where your wallet is before you get there. No matter how quickly you scan and bag your items, stopping to dig around in your purse for your debit card is going to slow you down big time (not to mention the people standing in line behind you!)

Do you prefer to use self-checkout, or do you normally go to a cashier?

But luckily for all of us, there are a couple of methods you can use to clean your headlights and restore them to full brightness. But before we dive into the how-to of DIY headlight restoration, let’s talk about why and how our headlights turn hazy in the first place.

Why Are My Headlights Hazy?

There are two main factors that contribute to hazy headlights: road debris and UV rays. Brand new car’s headlights have a protective coating on the lens that helps keep them clear, but damage from road debris and sunlight eventually wears away the coating and causes them to become oxidized and cloudy.

But the problem has a fairly simple solution—remove the damaged coating on the headlights, then put a new protective coating in place. And as you’ll see in the next section, there are two easy ways to accomplish the task of cleaning headlights.

How To Clean Headlights

Method #1: For Slightly Foggy Headlights

If they are only slightly foggy or hazy, you can clean your headlights using toothpaste and some good old fashioned elbow grease. For the toothpaste method, you’ll need an abrasive toothpaste (look for a tube of toothpaste with baking soda), a couple of soft polish cloths, a spray bottle full of water, and a headlight sealant or coating product.

1. Start by cleaning any grime off the headlights with soap and water.
2. Next, use a soft cloth to apply a fingertip amount of toothpaste onto the wet headlight. Scrub the toothpaste around the headlight in a circular motion, adding more toothpaste as needed and spraying water as needed to keep the surface wet. Spend about five minutes using the soft cloth to scrub each headlight to achieve the desired effect.
3. Rinse the toothpaste off the headlights and then let them dry for one to two hours.
4. Finally, apply a clear headlight coating according to the instructions on the package. This will help protect your headlights and keep them clear and bright.

Method #2: For Very Foggy Headlights

If you’ll be cleaning headlights that are badly fogged, you’re better off purchasing a headlight restoration kit online or at an automotive supply shop. Look for kits that contain more than one grit of sandpaper, a plastic cleaner, polishing cloths, and a protective coating. (One kit should be sufficient to restore both of your car’s headlights.)

1. Your first step should be thoroughly reading the instructions including those in the headlight restoration kit. Make sure you understand each step and be prepared to spend up to 20 minutes on each headlight. (After all, you’ll be removing years of oxidation plus the original coating!)
2. Start by wetting the headlight with a spray bottle and then begin sanding. As you sand, feel the headlight with your hand to detect any remaining rough spots, and sand them until smooth. (Be careful not to scratch your car’s paint during the process of sanding—it may be helpful to tape around the lights with masking tape to help protect it, but be aware that even masking tape may remove the paint from old cars.)
3. When you’re done sanding, allow your headlights to dry completely before proceeding to the next step. The headlights may still look hazy after you sand them, but don’t worry, they’ll clear up once you apply the coating.
4. Apply the protecting coating or sealant to your dry headlights, then allow it to dry for several hours or overnight before driving the car (or else you might end up with bugs or dirt stuck to the coating!)

That’s everything you need to know about how to clean headlights! Regardless of which method you use, the new protective coating you apply will help keep your car headlights clear for up to one year, which means one year of bright, clean headlights and safer driving! :-)

Have you ever restored foggy headlights on your own?