Artsy drawers

It's the first day of the new year and if you're like me, you have several 2009 calendars to dispose of. Before chucking them all in the garbage or recycling bins, first see if you can re-use them.

Calendars of all sizes made of paper stock (not cardboard), as long as one side is blank and the paper is not too thin that the print shows through, can be used as note/memo paper. Just cut them into squares or rectangles in the size of your choice. This is best done with a paper cutter or an X-acto knife with a steel ruler and cutting mat; but lacking either, scissors will do, though it will take longer.

The bigger wall calendars that are made of card stock, especially the ones with paintings, photographs and illustrations, make for great drawer and cabinet liners. I use them everywhere, from clothes drawers and the closet we use to store toiletry products to our kitchen cabinets.


Lay the loose sheets down on the drawer bottom, making sure that each piece overlaps with the others. When you are satisfied with both the coverage and the placement of your favorite designs, keep the sheets together with adhesive tape. Pay special attention to the corners—you don't want to accidentally tear the sheet out while getting something near the bottom of the drawer.

These liners may not be as pretty as the big drawer liners you can buy at home centers, but they're more eco-friendly and much sturdier, being able to withstand several years' use as long as there are no accidental spills from food and bath products. And chances are, you will always have replacement sheets every year at no extra cost.

Next, how to re-use smaller card stock desk calendars.

Erasing dirt like magic

Remember that article about keyboards being dirtier than toilets? I didn't just post it here—I also emailed it to a lot of friends and colleagues and may have caused a keyboard cleaning binge at work (and in Multiply).

Anyway, my husband—who originally sent me the link to that article—didn't stop at just disinfecting his keyboard. He decided that he wanted the keyboard to be as white as the day he bought it. Thanks to Mr. Clean Magic Eraser, he did.

I read a few forum topics about keeping computers and gadgets clean, and this product keeps getting recommended. After seeing my husband's keyboard, now I'm recommending it too. Since the sponges are kind of large, I suggest you cut it up first. Aside from saving a little money, you'll also have more surface area to clean with.

I am happy to report…

This is really just an update to two old posts, to let you know that they actually work. Just click on the links to read the original posts.

1. My girlfriend finally tried that recipe she found for removing tarnish and texted me to say that it really works. However, if the silver is heavily tarnished or if the object is large, you have to dip it twice.

2. After taking my own moisturizing advice for half a year, I am happy to report that… Oh forget it—it's too embarrassing to say. Let's just say it that it works.

Give your silver a bath

I got this recipe for removing tarnish from silver from Glam Exchange, which says it was concocted by Anne Marie Helmenstine, who has a Ph.D. in Chemistry. She calls it a "non-toxic electrochemical dip."

Since Glam Exchange is a fashion blog, it was presented as a way of caring for silver jewelry. But if it works for silver in general, it should be great for silverware too. Also silver teapots, serving trays, chafing dishes, whatever. Of course, you just might have to use your bath tub, rather than just a pan or the sink.

Ingredients:

• Sink or glass pan
• Hot water
• Baking soda
• Salt
• Aluminum foil
• Tarnished silver

Directions:

1. Line the bottom of the sink or a glass baking dish with a sheet of aluminum foil.
2. Fill the foil-lined container with steaming hot water.
3. Add salt (sodium chloride) and baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) to the water. Some recipes call for 2 tsp baking soda and 1 tsp salt, whereas others call for 2 tablespoons each of baking soda and salt. Personally, I wouldn't measure the amounts… just add a bit of each substance.
4. Drop the silver items into the container so that they are touching each other and resting on the foil. You will be able to watch the tarnish disappear.
5. Leave heavily tarnished items in the solution for as long as 5 minutes. Otherwise, remove the silver when it appears clean.
6. Rinse the silver with water and gently buff it dry with a soft towel.

Silverware by Oneida

The day after

Three Kings Day (officially, it's called the Feastday of the Epiphany in the Catholic Church) also marks the last day of the Christmas season for most Filipinos. In its most shallow sense, it means that's when we take down all our Christmas decorations.

And that's what I have to start doing tonight.

• Remove the ornaments and lights from the tree and dismantle it
• Remove the ornaments from the wreaths on the doors and take them down
• Remove the ornaments from the garlands on the banister and screen and take them down
• Walk around the house and pack up all the decorations I put all over the place
  
• Wrap each piece of the creche in bubble wrap and put them in their box
• Change the runner on the buffet table
• Wash the regular dinnerware and change the Christmas-themed one we've been using
• Take down the capiz parol outside the house and return the security light

Obviously, this list is for my use because I might forget something otherwise. And it's going to take me the whole week since I can only do it at night when I get home from work.

Like brand-new eyeglasses

If you wear eyeglasses, and use metal frames, you probably hate how the nose pads get green gunk (corrosion? fungus?) and eventually turn yellow. A quick and cheap solution: change the nose pads.

I got this tip from an office mate who told me that replacement nose pads are actually available in optical shops. I never thought of replacing them, though I totally detest the gunk and yellow color. So when we ate out last Sunday at a mall restaurant, I went to an optical shop and got two pairs. Just make sure you get the right kind for your eyeglasses—turns out that there are several types depending on how they're attached to the frame. I guess you can ask the shop to change the pads for you (I'm so DIY it didn't occur to me to make them do it because I knew that I would).

When we got home, I changed the pads of my distance glasses. Suddenly, my black frames look so much newer than my gold ones (my reading glasses) when they're actually two years older. (I used the second pair for my husband's frames and I completely forgot to count my reading glasses—next time.) Anyway, my friend said that the pads turn yellow in about a year's time so an annual change would be fine. But for the green gunk, you really just have to remove the pads every couple of months to clean them thoroughly.

One squirt stove cleaning

Another kitchen product that I love is SC Johnson's Mr. Muscle Kitchen Cleaner. If you read the label, it says you can use it to clean almost anything in the kitchen (except things you use to cook and eat). I mostly just use it for the stove after cooking, because I'm such a messy cook there's bound to be a spill or two on it always. Just squirt Mr. Muscle Kitchen on the spill, leave it on for a minute or two, then wipe it off. No scrubbing needed whatsover.