five things we learned last week
Bright ideas we gathered from your comments.
1. You use baking soda for, well, almost everything. “Have you burned something to the bottom of your favourite pot or pan?” asks gina94984. “Fill halfway with water, add a tablespoon or two of baking soda and put on the boil for ten minutes. You may have to scrub a bit, but the pan will be saved.” Click to read how you can use it to soften beans, as an exfoliant, and to get hair squeaky clean.
2. Not only are many of you cleaning green, a surprising amount make your own cleaners. Says reader Elle, “Adding olive oil to a white vinegar/tea tree oil/water blend makes a fantastic wood polish!” Read more about readers’ favorite green cleaning products — including readymade versions.
3. Jellybath is weird, wonderful, and pricey. “I received this as a gift a couple of years ago and while at first it felt, well, just plain weird, I really enjoyed it,” says Dionna. “The water stayed much warmer longer, which I loved. The consistency made it a very fun soak. The dissolving solution they give you instantly dissolves the jelliness of the water — otherwise, it would be a pain to rinse off. All this being said, I’ve never plunked down the money to have the Jellybath experience again.” Does Jellybath appeal to you?
4. Your children have very good taste in music. We asked, you answered, and there’s a lot of kid-friendly music out there that adults like, too. (Dan Zanes is a popular mention.) Says Kerry, “They Might Be Giants are definitely my 2.5-year-old son’s favorite (and my favorite kids’ music, too)…Also second Dan Zanes and Laurie Berkner. We just saw Dan Zanes in concert this past weekend and my son danced for an entire hour. Too cute! And boy did he sleep well afterwards.” Get more great not-just-for-kids music recos here.
5. Your oven probably can’t double as a kiln. Meg C. wanted to know if there was food-safe ceramic paint she could “fire” in a regular oven. Reader Emily advises, “Your oven is likely only rated to about 500F. That’s not hot enough to melt a food safe glaze. It is hot enough to melt some glazes, but they’ll generally contain a toxic metal or two. Also, if the glaze melts in your oven for the initial cure… it’s likely to melt in later use. Not cool. Most cities have businesses that sell kiln time. If you poke around, you should be able to find one.” Have any more advice for Meg? Share it here.
