Tips and ideas that will change how you go about everyday tasks around the home.
1. Sushi Seed Nursery
Clear plastic sushi or salad ‘clamshell’ containers make great mini greenhouses for getting seeds started. Just poke a few vent holes in the lid, fill the bottom half with seed raising mix and sow your seeds. Add a little bit of water, close the lid and place the container in a sunny spot. Yates
2. Test Old Seeds
Check packets for their ‘sow by’ dates in preparation for the new growing season. But before you rush to throw any out that have expired, do a germination test first. Space some of the seeds out onto a sheet of damp paper towel. Fold the paper towel over to cover the seeds then pop them into a lidded container. Move the seeds somewhere warm to germinate. Respray the paper towel if it dries out over the coming days.
After a week or two look for signs of germination – the smallest root or shoot counts. Now count how many seeds there are and how many have germinated to get your percentage success rate. Anything above 50% is fine. You’ll then know if you can eke out another growing season from your seeds or not. growveg.com.au
3. Peel Ginger With A Spoon
Ginger can be tricky to peel with all its bumps and irregularities. Rather than using a paring knife or vegetable peeler, reach for the spoon. Scrape it against the skin and it’ll come right off, following every contour and minimizing waste. seriouseats.com
4. DIY Rice Bag Warmers
Because rice retains and radiates heat for up to an hour, it is an effective and affordable ingredient in homemade heating pads. Make your own by sewing two 8″ x 10″ pieces of flannel together on three sides. Fill the bag with four cups of dry white rice, and then sew it shut. When you need extra heat, place the rice bag in the microwave for one to two minutes, then tuck it between your sheets or on top of your shoulders or slippers while you’re watching TV. bobvila.com
5. Roll Out Dough With A Vodka Bottle
Here’s an upgrade on the wine-bottle rolling pin hack: Use a bottle of frozen vodka to make your pie rounds in the summer (or in an overheated holiday kitchen). It keeps the dough cold — which means the butter stays solid, yielding a flakier crust. And a colder crust is less sticky and easier to roll. Roll the dough between pieces of parchment so it doesn’t absorb any condensation on the bottle. foodnetwork.com
6. Clean crevices around fixtures with a chopstick
If you thought chopsticks were only good for takeout, then think again. These handy utensils moonlight as powerful cleaning tools for getting gunk out of the nooks and crannies around your kitchen and bathroom. Just wrap a cloth around a chopstick to deep clean vents, grouts, faucets, and other small fixtures and crevices that can be tricky to reach without the right device. apartmenttherapy.com
