Bruce Lubin's Easy Solutions to Everyday Problems

1) MASCARA DRYING OUT?

-- Demo: Add drops of saline to mascara and shake.

-- Most of the time, your favorite mascara tends to dry out before you finish the whole bottle or maybe even half way through. Instead of throwing it away and buy a new one, you can extend the mascara life by adding 2 or 3 drops of saline solution into the bottle, replace the wand and shake. Savings: $10-28 per tube.

And if mascara is clumping, don’t throw it out! Smooth it out again by setting the closed tube in a teacup of near-boiling water for five minutes.

2) DON’T THROW AWAY STALE POTATO CHIPS

-- Demo: Place chips in microwave, eat them when they come out. -- You can even fix stale potato chips. Just give them a whirl for 30 seconds on a glass plate. Be careful when you bring them out: they may need to cool down a bit before you can eat them.

3) SAVE $600 A YEAR ON LAUNDRY DETERGENT!

-- Demo: Grate bar soap into the washing soda and borax mixture.

The average family of 4 spends almost $600/year on laundry detergent and stain removers, but you don’t have to. You can make both a powdered and liquid detergent easily, for pennies. -- Borax costs about $4.00, and washing soda is under $2.00. This is what laundry detergent IS! -- Baby shampoo is a great, inexpensive pre-treater for stains. Just use like you would any pre-treater, but it costs much less.
For powdered detergent: 2 cups borax, 2 cups washing soda, & 2 cups grated pure soap (like Ivory). Use 2 tablespoons per wash.
For liquid detergent: 3 tablespoons Borax and washing soda, 2 tablespoons Dawn detergent in a gallon jug of water. Use 2 tablespoons per wash.

4) REMOVE PEN MARKS FROM LEATHER WITH HAIRSPRAY

-- Demo: Write on leather with pen, then spray with hairspray and wipe off pen mark.

-- If your kid has decided to write a novel on your favorite leather belt, chair, or wallet, don’t panic.

5) FRESHEN DRAPES, UPHOLSTERY, AND STALE, MUSTY CLOTHES ---WITH VODKA!

-- Demo: Smell pillow, then spray it with spray bottle and smell again.

-- Vodka kills odor-causing bacteria, and doesn't leave a scent when it dries. For more information on Bruce Lubin, go to www.whoknewbooks.com or www.whoknewtips.com.

And, you can get Bruce Lubin’s book, “Who Knew? 10,001 Easy Solutions to Everyday Problems." on amazon.com.