HOW did I not think of that before??

[EmsMommy]

Handy if you have little ones in diapers:

Keep all of your plastic bags from the trip to the grocery store.  After a diaper change, throw the diaper in a plastic bag & tie shut, then toss in the garbage.  Keeps the smell from spreading so you don't have to take the garbage out twice a day.

[lilfox]

Handy if you have little ones in diapers:

Keep all of your plastic bags from the trip to the grocery store.  After a diaper change, throw the diaper in a plastic bag & tie shut, then toss in the garbage.  Keeps the smell from spreading so you don't have to take the garbage out twice a day.

Also good for this purpose:  used larger-size Ziploc bags (not icky-used, but if they're at the end of their food storage re-use cycle) or produce bags.

And some dollar stores carry a pack of diaper bag baggies (like store plastic bags but smaller and thinner), something like 70 for a dollar.  These are AWESOME for the diaper bag.

[Aggiesque]

bags for picking up Doggie "leftovers" also work well for baby diapers- and I see dog ones on clearance ALL THE TIME. I keep a roll in my diaper bag for stinky diapers when we are out-and-about. I use grocery/produce bags at home for stinky diapers. Wet diapers have never smelled to me unless they are more than 24hrs old and the ammonia has started to break down, or the child is dehydrated.

[alegria]

2)  Some of our common grocery items leak in the fridge upon thawing, making a mess.  I found a clear plastic bowl in the cupboard that fits one of the shelves perfectly, and it now is the place to put anything that might leak.  It's easy to pull out and rinse out as needed.

Sigh...why didn't I do this long ago?

good idea.  I put all leakers in produce plastic bags so they don't mess up the fridge.

We feed raw food to our dogs, so I have two cheap broiler pans in the downstairs fridge that we use for thawing the meat chubs and containing any leakage.  When the top pan gets too nasty, transfer the current contents into the pan below it and take the first one upstairs to wash, then replace it under the other one.  I also have a set of clear plastic shoeboxes that I got on clearance that are used for serving the meat and holding leftovers until the next meal - they can go in the dishwasher!

[gmama]

Just did this the other day and had to share...

I usually clean the wiper blades on my car every couple of months.  Normally I would get use a shop rag and spray some cleaner on it to wipe the blades, or use some paper towels if I'm at a gas station.  The other day I happened to have a pack of baby wipes in the car and though, "hmmm... why not?"

They really did an amazing job cleaning the blades! and it took a lot less time and I only needed one baby wipe to do both blades.  I was laughing like a maniac that afternoon when it started to rain as I was driving... and enjoying my streak free wiper blades!!

[Pinky830]

Handy if you have little ones in diapers:

Keep all of your plastic bags from the trip to the grocery store.  After a diaper change, throw the diaper in a plastic bag & tie shut, then toss in the garbage.  Keeps the smell from spreading so you don't have to take the garbage out twice a day.

I had a Diaper Genie when mine were babies, but at some point I realized that plastic grocery bags would have done just as well.

[AnnaT]

You know that rubbery stuff for lining shelves, that has almost a small basket weave pattern?  Well some genius cut that stuff in circles as an aid to removing lids from jars.  Works like a charm, although I can NEVER get the darned lid off of the sauerkraut I buy  if my husband isn't there to take it off.  I have to poke a hole in the lid to release the seal, then put a piece of plastic wrap as a barrier between the lid and the jar.  (It's not cut to fit the inside of the lid, but sticks out all around the lid so it doesn't get lost in the sauerkraut if I forget it is there and just dump it into the pot or fry pan.)  I love sauerkraut. 

This stuff.  http://www.stacksandstacks.com/shelf-liner-grip-it

Two tricks to try for getting hard to get off lids off:

*  you can actually slide the point of a knife between the glass of the jar and the lid (so going up the glass to the bottom of the lid - hold the jar upside down) - this will break the seal (but not the lid) and you can open safely.

*  if you turn the jar over and thump the lid firmly against the bench (I normally use a wooden chopping block) in several locations around the rim, this will also help loosen the vacuum and get the lid off.

One or the other of these has helped me get the lids of countless jars - no man hands needed!

[cabbagegirl28]

You know that rubbery stuff for lining shelves, that has almost a small basket weave pattern?  Well some genius cut that stuff in circles as an aid to removing lids from jars.  Works like a charm, although I can NEVER get the darned lid off of the sauerkraut I buy  if my husband isn't there to take it off.  I have to poke a hole in the lid to release the seal, then put a piece of plastic wrap as a barrier between the lid and the jar.  (It's not cut to fit the inside of the lid, but sticks out all around the lid so it doesn't get lost in the sauerkraut if I forget it is there and just dump it into the pot or fry pan.)  I love sauerkraut. 

This stuff.  http://www.stacksandstacks.com/shelf-liner-grip-it

I've never heard of that! I just hit the jar lid on a table a couple of times, and that loosens it for me.

[ZaftigWife]

I usually whack the edge of the jar lid with the back of a spoon.

[Cutenoob]

You know those rolls of clear packaging tape, that come with or without teeth cutters on them? the rolls that are about 1" wide, and are used to tape up boxes?
Well, when doing my last batch of box-taping, I saw how after cutting the edge would flutter off and stick to the roll again, making it a PITA to remove. So I decided to stick the fresh cut edge to another box or scrap paper. This roll didn't have the holder plastic to hold the tape in place, it was pure loose tape. Duh, secure the sticky edge!

[IslandMama]

You know that rubbery stuff for lining shelves, that has almost a small basket weave pattern?  Well some genius cut that stuff in circles as an aid to removing lids from jars.  Works like a charm, although I can NEVER get the darned lid off of the sauerkraut I buy  if my husband isn't there to take it off.  I have to poke a hole in the lid to release the seal, then put a piece of plastic wrap as a barrier between the lid and the jar.  (It's not cut to fit the inside of the lid, but sticks out all around the lid so it doesn't get lost in the sauerkraut if I forget it is there and just dump it into the pot or fry pan.)  I love sauerkraut. 

This stuff.  http://www.stacksandstacks.com/shelf-liner-grip-it

I just tip the jar over, shake a couple of times and then turn it back and it opens easily as the product has penetrated the air seal.  Works on childproof stuff quite well also... that tip brought to you by my four year old.  *sigh*

[Luci]

If it is a metal lid, I run hot water over it sometimes.

I use the Oxo opener for wine jugs, large OJ jugs as well as just about everything else now.

http://www.amazon.com/OXO-Good-Grips-Jar-Opener/dp/B00004OCIV/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1320239545&sr=8-2

I just read the reviews and was shocked. I have had no trouble with it in 7 years.

[dawbs]

If you tie knots in extension cords, they don't unplug from each-other.

I need a picture because I can't describe it.

http://lifehacker.com/5833990/knot-your-extension-cords-like-a-carpenter-to-avoid-unwanted-unplugging

THanks dad, why didn't you tell me this 20 years ago?

[Pinky830]

If you tie knots in extension cords, they don't unplug from each-other.

I need a picture because I can't describe it.

http://lifehacker.com/5833990/knot-your-extension-cords-like-a-carpenter-to-avoid-unwanted-unplugging

THanks dad, why didn't you tell me this 20 years ago?

I watched the equipment guys setting up for a band performance, and they did that...I thought, "Huh. Great idea." and I've been doing it ever since.

[EclecticLaydee]

I can't remember where I read this, but it was a few years ago. I wish I would have figured it out long before.

When carving Halloween pumpkins, instead of cutting off the top and scooping out the guts, we now cut a large hole in the bottom. This solves two problems:

1. No more problems with the top falling in if you don't angle the cuts right.

2. No more burned fingers trying to light a candle inside a pumpkin! We light the candle, set it on the porch, then set the pumpkin over top of it.