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More Tips From Reena

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Published: March 12, 2009

3 Wipe your hair with a fabric-softener sheet to control static electricity.

Tip: Keep an extra fabric-softener sheet in your jacket pocket for this purpose, especially during dry months.

4 Drop a capful of liquid fabric softener into a litre of water to make your own lint-free cleaner for regular glass and Plexiglas.

5 Store used fabric-softener sheets in a jar with some liquid fabric softener. When drying a load of clothes, squeeze out the excess liquid from one of the sheets and add it to the dryer.

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6 Make your own static eliminator: Mix 1 part liquid fabric softener and 20 parts water. Store in a spray bottle.

1 Rub a new fabric-softener sheet over slips, dresses, hairbrushes and nylons to guard against static.

2 Put used fabric-softener sheets in dresser drawers and closets as a substitute for perfume and soap. 7 Spray carpets with 1 part liquid fabric softener to 5 parts water. This will help prevent static shocks.

8 Mask the smell of cigarettes in your home by filling and setting out bowls of vinegar or a mixture of 2 tablespoons ammonia in 1 cup of water. Also, lay fabric-softener sheets inside of air vent grilles.

9 Clean eyeglasses by wiping them with a fabric-softener sheet. This will also discourage them from fogging up.

Tip: Wipe shower doors with a fabric-softener sheet to dissolve soap scum.

10 Buff shoes to a high gloss using a fabric-softener sheet.

11 Place several fabric-softener sheets under the front seat of your car to freshen stale air. Tip: Try putting a fabric-softener sheet inside shoes to reduce foot odour.

12 Lay fabric-softener sheets near places where ants and mice crawl to deter them. 13 Tuck a fabric-softener sheet inside of: old books, suitcases, sleeping bags (before rolling them up), tents, vacuum cleaners and hampers.

14 Tie a fabric-softener sheet to your belt loop to repel mosquitoes. Also, keep bees away by putting a fabric-softener sheet in your pocket.

15 Eliminate static electricity from your television screen, computer screen and Venetian blinds by wiping them with a fabric-softener sheet, thereby discouraging dust from settling.

Note: Clean up sawdust, cat and dog hair by rubbing the area with a fabric-softener sheet.

Reena Nerbas is the author of the national bestsellers, Household Solutions 1 with

Substitutions, Household Solutions 2 with Kitchen Secrets and the soon-to-be-released book Household Solutions 3 with Green Alternatives available online

and in stores across Canada. She graduated as a home economist from the University of Manitoba and speaks professionally on the subject of fixing

life’s messes by using products behind everyone’s cupboard doors. As well as being a columnist, Reena

can be heard on radio and TV programs across Canada and the U. S.

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