Home Organizing & Cleaning Tips, Hints

Can’t find the flashlight?
Put (Luminous) NEON paint on the end of the flashlight so you can see it in the dark

Hide the key
As an emergency way to get into your home; no one would expect you to hide a garage key

DOUBLE HINT*** Hide that key in your neighbor's yard, not in your own……..

Hole too big in a piece of wood?
No Problem, Fill it in by gluing a dowel or toothpick in the hole and just drill the hole again for a tight fit.

Fill a nail hole
Sand some of the wood, if it is a finished piece, sand it off the underside of the piece. Mix the sanding dust with a little glue and when you stain it, it will look exactly the same color as the rest…no light or dark spot.

Slipping tools,
Do you find that when your hands are sweaty that it is hard to hang on to a certain tool? No problem, just put a few rubber bands around the handle, it will solve your problem

Glue bottle opening closes after use
Stick a nail, a pin or a tack in the end of it.

Mice and Insects in the garage
Crush up some mothballs and spread them around, it will eliminate your problem

Get Tar off your car, tractor, wheelbarrow etc.
Use any kind of laundry PREWASH and a soft rag, it will come right off

Can’t find the string, wire, etc.
Everyone has margarine containers. Cut an ‘X’ in the lid, nail the container to a board that you will have in a handy place on the wall, put your ball of string in it, pull the string thru the ‘X’ and you have a string dispenser. Works great with wire too. Keep a scissors on a string, hanging on a nail below it and you can do the job easily.

Who borrowed my hammer?
Paint the ends of your handles on your tools or engrave your name in the tool.

**Hang a clipboard in the garage, when someone borrows a tool, have him or her, ‘sign it out’

Don’t have a wet stone?
Use a clay flowerpot, works great!

Taking something apart that has many pieces.
Either put it in a small snack bag and label with what the item is

OR if you are working on it for a short time

Take a piece of masking tape, turn it the wrong way, lay it on your workbench and put all of the pieces on it. They will not fall off and get lost.

A screw rolled under the workbench and it is the only one you have but cannot reach it.
Put a little Vaseline on the end of a ruler or yardstick and you can get it very easy.

Stud Finder
Use an electric razor. Turn it on, run it along the wall, when you get on a stud, the sound changes.

Have a small spot to sand and no sandpaper?
Use an emery board, the rough side is 120 grit; the smooth side is 220 grit.

Screen Cleaning the EASY WAY!
Mix ½ cup of ammonia, ¼ cup of baking soda and put in a container that you can attach to your garden hose. Spray the screens and wash off. No mess, No fuss!

Weather Strip the Garage Door
Use a length of rubber hose, attached to the bottom and sides of the garage door on the inside. It will last longer than the kind you buy in the store and will be totally secure.

Hang Tools on the wall
Want a neat idea for all of those garden tools that don’t fit anywhere?

Take an old belt, flat piece of rubber, strip of heavy plastic (floor runner plastic) and cut it into strips. Nail or screw this (every so many inches) to the wall and insert garden items. Works great!

DOUBLE HINT** SHOE BAGS ARE GREAT FOR THIS TOO!

Store Highly Combustibles
Old refrigerators do come in handy, to store all things that can explode, paint, mineral spirits, oil etc.