Everyday Cheapskate: A little appliance know-how saves money
If you've been reading this column for any length of time, you know that my husband and I have repaired or performed regular maintenance on a number of our home appliances. And I love hearing when my readers do the same.
EASY DISHWASHER MAINTENANCE. We began to see our dishwasher's efficiency steadily dropping even though it was only six years old. The dishes were coming out spotty, even after trying several different detergents. We assumed it needed replacing. My husband decided to examine it more closely and noticed that the spray holes on the rotating jet arms were plugged with debris. He cleaned out each of the spray holes, and my dishes have been sparkling clean ever since. Sadly, the owner's manual mentioned nothing about doing this procedure. We are thrilled that we saved ourselves the expense of a new dishwasher. — Jean, California
CORN MEAL FACIAL. I have used corn meal as a facial scrub for many years and with excellent results. I put some regular corn meal in the palm of my hand and use a cloth to exfoliate my face. My skin feels refreshed afterward, and it looks great! — Sue, Florida
PIZZA CUTTER CUTS DOUGH. My favorite use for my pizza cutter is to cut dough for chicken and dumplings. The dough is stickier than most and needs to be cut into small pieces. The pizza cutter works beautifully and gets it done in no time. — Joy, EC Blog
CELLPHONE SNAPS REPAIR PIC. I took pictures with my cellphone of a repair that needs to be done on our irrigation system.
CELLPHONE SNAPS GROCERY LIST. I make my grocery list on a whiteboard, take a photo with my phone and off to the store I go. — SZK, EC Blog
SQUEEZE BOTTLE SEPARATES EGGS. I use clean, empty squeeze bottles to separate eggs. First, I crack the egg into a bowl. Then I squeeze the empty bottle as much as possible and place the squeeze top directly over the yolk. Release, and the yolk will suck right up into the bottle. Repeat as necessary. This initially requires some patience, but then it's foolproof. — Arlene, Illinois
TWEETY BIRD REMOTE CONTROL. I attach my remotes with rubber bands to stuffed animals. They don't fall beneath the cushions or get lost under papers or covers. Snoopy is for my bedroom TV, Sylvester is for the VCR, and Shark operates my office TV. I can see them all from quite a distance, too. — Ann, North Carolina
SUPER GLUE A MUST-HAVE. My husband and I keep a well-stocked first aid kit with our emergency supplies. We include super glue, as it is great for "suturing" small cuts if there's no access to medical help during an emergency or disaster. — Kay, Florida
