ANN/THE STAR – Ever needed a collection of life hacks neatly organised in a single book for easy reference? Yet, for some, the idea of fetching a physical book might seem like more trouble than it’s worth! Here are a few useful tricks that you never knew you needed until now:
1. If you have silverware that’s turned blackish over the years, try cleaning it with a banana peel. Use the inside of the peel to rub your silver item, and then buff it with a clean piece of cloth.
Conversely, you could also collect a couple of banana peels and blend them together with a little water so that it forms a paste. Dab a piece of cloth with this and polish your silverware with it.
Use a soft clean cloth to buff it so that it shines. This works on lightly tarnished items, and probably not on really blackened silverware.
2. When you’ve squeezed your orange and left with the skin, don’t throw it out. Cut the orange peel into strips and place them into a jar. Add two tablespoons of baking soda, mix it up and seal it, then keep this in the fridge for a week. Remove the skin and what’s left is a natural citrusy detergent that’s safe for your hands! You can do this with tangerine or lemon peels, too.
3. Don’t keep avocado in water. Apparently it’s a breeding ground for bacteria. Instead, if you’re not using the whole fruit, keep the second half of your avocado face-up in a sealed container, together with some cut red onions!
Store this in the fridge and your avocado should still stay nice and green. The onion vapours supposedly keeps the surface from browning. After this, just use both fruit and onion for your savoury dishes. But probably not such a good idea if you’re doing desserts. Stick to lemon juice.
4. How do you wash your plates? You probably squeeze a few drops of dish detergent into a container and dilute this, then dip your sponge in, yes?
Instead, try pouring a couple drops of detergent into an empty soft drink bottle (500ml or smaller is fine) and fill it up with water.
Then, use a sharp object – cake tester needle, safety pin, paper clip or any sharp metal object – heat it up slightly and poke a hole right through the middle of the bottle cap.
Close the bottle with the cap and you have a DIY detergent dispenser that you can squeeze directly onto your sponge, which is more efficient as it won’t drip everywhere and it saves water.
5. If you love yoghurt and always have some in the house because you’re healthy that way, here’s another use for it.
Yoghurt makes a great natural tenderiser for meat.
Just mix a tablespoon or two with the meat (beef or lamb) you’re about to cook and set aside for a few hours. Beats using some store-bought chemical tenderiser.
6. If the salt in your salt shaker tends to clump up, especially towards the bottom half, put in a few grains of rice.
Somehow it absorbs the moisture and keeps your salt nice and sprinkly! – Patsy Kam
