Being a college student is difficult, and learning to stretch a dollar is even harder when your paycheck disappears within two days of getting it. These are common household items with more uses than the traditional use on its label to help you get more of a bang for your buck.
Tea Bags As Deodorizer
Put some used tea bags in a jar and place them in your refrigerator to absorb odors.
Salt As A Pan Cleaner
Shaking a little salt on a greasy pan before washing absorbs most of the grease.
409 As A Bug Killer
If menacing bees, wasps, hornets, or yellow jackets get in your apartment and you don’t have any insecticide, try a spray of Formula 409. Insects drop to the ground instantly.
Baking Soda As Drain-O
Before you drop cash on the drain-o to unclog the kitchen sink, try some baking soda instead. First, pour about 1 cup of baking soda down the drain. Then, add some white vinegar and let it sit for five minutes. Lastly pour about one gallon of boiling water down and check your results.
Cinnamon As Ant Repellent
Forget pricey pesticides. If you want to keep ants at bay, cinnamon may be all you need. Just sprinkle it around your home wherever you think you may have an ant issue.
Wax Paper To Unstick Pages
Insert paper between wet pages of a book. When they dry, they will be as good as new.
Hand Lotion As Shaving Cream
Have a can of shaving cream that just sputtered out? Grab a bottle of lotion as a stand-in. Bonus: Your legs stay moisturized afterwards!
Glue As Splinter Remover
Smart splinter remover: Just pour a drop of Elmer’s Paste Glue all over the splinter, let it dry, and then peel the dried glue off of the skin. The splinter sticks to the dried glue!
Toothpaste As All Purpose Cleaner
Save money by using toothpaste to clean sink fixtures and even eliminate garlic odor from your hands after cooking.
Alka Seltzer As Fishing Bait
Strangely enough, if you drop a few alka seltzer tablets into the water around your fishing hole it may help you score the big one.
Aspirin As Itch Reliever
Grind up some aspirin tablets and mix them with a couple of teaspoons of water to relieve the itch of a mosquito bite.
Coffee Filters As Window Cleaners
After you spray the windows down with cleaner use coffee filters to wipe them. They won’t leave streaks or lint.
Aluminum Foil As Scissor Sharpener
Fold a sheet of foil several times and cut through it with a pair of dull scissors to sharpen the blades.
Honey As Blemish Control
Cover your blemish with a dab of honey and place a Band-Aid over it. Honey kills the bacteria, keeps the skin sterile, and speeds healing. It works overnight.
Ali Proffitt, Resident Assistant