Sponges and Dish Rags

Photo courtesy of Horia Varlan on Flickr.com

So we have all had a sponge or dish rag that downright smells. You know in your gut this is not good. Do not clean with that mildew-infested cloth, try this tip instead:

To disinfect a sponge, get it really wet and place it in your microwave oven. Microwave it on high for 3 minutes. When it comes out you will have a like-new sponge. (When it starts to look like your child's well-worn lovie, however, TOSS IT! Trust me, you can afford a new sponge.)

As for dish rags, they need to be laundered in the hottest water possible on the longest wash cycle. Add a little bleach to the wash periodically and dry them on the hottest setting possible. If they still smell like mildew when you're done, the dish rag is past it's prime. Ask for a new set for Christmas or your Birthday if you have to!

Leftover Coffee

On the episode of the Racheal Ray Show that aired on July 16th, she answered a viewer's question regarding uses for leftover coffee. One of my favorites that I have been doing on a regular basis now is to pour the coffee into ice cube trays. You can use it to make iced coffee rather than ice that melts and waters the coffee down.

Here's my "recipe" for iced coffee:

Place 3-4 coffee ice cubes in a tall glass. (I like to use a stem glass. Makes me feel fancy.) Top with about a tablespoon of chocolate syrup. Fill the glass about halfway with leftover coffee from that morning then top off with about 1/2 cup of lowfat or skim milk. Garnish and stir with a pretzel rod, if you have one on hand.

Battery Life

I read in a recent issue of Real Simple magazine that you should store your batteries so that positive and negative ends do not touch. If they do, it can zap the energy right out of them. They suggested that you put a rubber band around them to keep all the positive and negative ends facing in the same direction. Great idea, huh?