Wacky Reader Tips!

Visitors to wackyuses.com have e-mailed in the following wacky uses for brand-name products:

Alka-Seltzer
"All good, experienced fisherman know how to attract fish on a slow day. When using hollow plastic tube jigs, simply break off a piece of an Alka-Seltzer tablet and insert it into the tube jig body. As the jig sinks in the water, it begins to produce an attracting bubble stream. It really works."
-D. Gibson
Scarborough, Ontario

Bounce
"Use Bounce fabric softener sheets to tame static-filled hair. Simply stroke a sheet of Bounce over the flyaway strands of hair and, magically, the static disappears! This trick is especially helpful for moms dealing with the little girls' hair disasters!"
-M. Cranfill
Lewisville, NC

"I put a Bounce sheet in my vacuum cleaner bag. It has a wonderful smell when you run the vacuum."
-J. Kearns
Douglas, GA

"Tape a sheet of Bounce to your air/heat vents. This will freshen a closed house through the air circulating through the vent."
-J. Johnson
Arnold, MO

"At one of my former jobs, we used to put a sheet of Bounce in the front of the paper trays on the computer printers. This helped feed the paper through more easily by eliminating the static cling that causes the printer to grab two or more sheets at a time. This was particularly helpful during the dry winter months."
-Donna
aol.com

"We use Bounce dryer sheets to repel mice. I put a sheet in the back of my kitchen drawers. My mom puts some all around the inside of her camper to repel them all year."
-Sue Lane
Iola, WI

"To the Bounce uses, you should add placing a sheet not only in a waste basket, but also in a diaper pail. Mothers will really appreciate that tip."
-D. Gist
Enterprise, AL

Carnation Nonfat Dry Milk
"If you add Carnation NonFat Dry Milk to your rinse water when washing clothes, it will neutralize the formaldehyde which is released each time a garment is laundered. This is useful for people with sensitive skin. It was recommended to my mother by her physician. Formaldehyde is used in the manufacturing process of some fabrics. I'm not certain but I think she put one-quarter cup in a full laundry load."
-M. Fauver
Santa Barbara, CA

Cascade Gel Dishwasher Formula
"I unplugged a stopped-up sink with Cascade Gel Dishwasher Formula. Draining all of the water that I could, I poured the gel formula into the drain and allowed hot water to flow slowly down behind it. In less than ten minutes, the drain was free flowing once more. This result was just as fast as the last time I used Liquid Plumber, and the Cascade Gel is cheaper to boot!"
-D. Cobb
aol.com

Chun King Soy Sauce
"Soy sauce quickly relieves the pain from a burn. I burnt my thumb on a hot pie plate enough to blister. I placed the burn in enough soy sauce to cover the area. After about three minutes, I had no pain from the burn.
-C. Smith
APO, AP

Coca-Cola
"Coke can also be used to relieve jelly-fish stings. Just pour over the sting."
-Diamond
aol.com

"My dad used to have a service station when I was young, and his customers had a terrible problem with road film on windshields and bug guts. He solved the grease problem by using a can or bottle of room-temperature Coke. Just shake it, spray on the windshield, and wipe it off. Then rinse off the Coke and the grease is gone."
-J. Slater
Melbourne, FL

"Use Coca-Cola to get grout between the tiles clean. I recently spilled Coca-Cola on the kitchen floor. Immediately the grout was immaculate."
-Dazzlin
aol.com

Dannon Yogurt
Clean out the plastic Dannon Yogurt cups and they are incredibly useful as:
1. Drinking cups.
2. Storage for small items, especially if you save the lids also.
3. Windshield scrapers. Dannon's cups in particular seem to have just the right sharp top edge and degree of firmness to remove ice.
4. Seedling cups. Take a largish nail and hammer and attempt to poke a hole in the center of the bottom of each cup. This will usually yield a three-pronged crack radiating out from the center, just the right amount of drainage for a seedling cup. Line the bottom with a small square of newspaper (or coffee filter), add your preferred potting mix, plant your tomato, pepper, or other seeds. An eight-ounce yogurt cup has plenty of room for two or three seedlings of most vegetables (only one of most cucumber family (squash, pumpkin, or melon varieties), so don't hesitate to put in three or more seeds, figuring at least one won't germinate. With plants such as the cucumber family that have delicate roots and don't transplant easily, plan to thin down to one plant per cup."
-J. Powell
Albuquerque, NM

Domino Sugar
"To remove the odor of fish from your hands, after cleaning them, use a tablespoon or two of Domino sugar and wash with water, as you would using a bar of soap. Then rinse the sugar off and wash your hands using soap and water, and the odor will disappear. This also works to some degree to remove the smell of gasoline from hands."
-R. Gordon
Oshawa, Ontario

Easy-Off Oven Cleaner
"Easy-Off will remove puck marks from a helmet visor."
-B. Noskey
Peace River, Canada

"While overhauling a car engine, I discovered that Easy-Off is a great big parts cleaner. It removes all the grime, grease, and paints. Really good parts cleaners have been taken off the shelf for environmental reasons. Oven cleaner work great!"
-C. Simon
Maineville, OH

"Easy-Off Oven Cleaner also is great for cleaning oil deposits from engine parts like valve covers and cast iron cylinder heads. But not aluminum parts like aluminum cylinder heads and pistons."
-R. Hawkins
Asheville, NC

"As a woodworker I use Easy-Off Oven Cleaner to clean my table saw blades. They get gummed up from sap that slows down the cutting action. Spray with the oven cleaner, let soak for a few minutes. Wearing rubber gloves and eye protection, use an old toothbrush to clean out around the teeth. Rinse with water. It works much better than the commercial stuff."
-A. Kaufmann
Simpsonville, SC

Efferdent
"To remove yellow stains from finger nails, drop a couple of Efferdent denture cleansing tablets into a glass of water and scrub your nails with a nail brush and the solution."
-R. Kendrick
Canberra

Elmer's Glue-All
"I found from personal experimentation that Elmer's Glue-All can be used in place of those new clear pore strips by Pond's or Biorge. After washing your face and patting dry, apply glue liberally to facial areas (avoiding your eyes). Allow to dry and peel. Rewash face."
-L. Levey
West Palm Beach, FL

Heinz Vinegar
"To clean soap scum from vinyl shower curtains, add one cup of Heinz White Vinegar to a full size load of warm water with laundry detergent in your washer. Set the washer for warm rinse. Remove and rehang the shower curtain immediately after the rinse cycle is completed."
-L. Smith

"To prolong the life of automobile wiper blades and improve their wiping action, clean them with Heinz White Vinegar."
-D. Yang
yahoo.com

"Prevent lint from clinging to clothes. Add one cup Heinz Vinegar to each wash load. I do the same thing during a rinse cycle in lieu of fabric softener. It removes soap from the clothes and also helps people with skin allergies to detergent.
-D. Hamilton
Oklahoma City, OK

"Stretch and Sew classes used to teach us to use a spray bottle of vinegar to make permanent creases in slacks."
-F. Muller
Whittier, CA

"I was on the swim team in high school. As a result of practicing every day, my hair got a horrible chlorine build-up that could both damage my hair and turn my hair green due to the reaction between the chlorine and my blonde hair. To prevent this, I applied Heinz Apple Cider Vinegar to my hair, let it set for fifteen minutes, and rinsed it out. The vinegar acts as a powerful shampoo that deep cleans your hair down to the roots to remove dirt and grime."
-C. Shea
Westland, MI

Hellmann's or Best Real Mayonnaise
"Mayonnaise can be used to remove pine sap from a car finish. The sap has to be fresh (not caked on for weeks). Just rub some mayonnaise on the sap, use elbow grease if necessary, then wash the car. The sap comes off rather well without stripping the car finish."
-D. Hunton
Huntington, VT

Jif Peanut Butter
"Use Jif Peanut Butter to remove fish, onion, or garlic smells from your hands."
-H. Rubio
Laredo, TX

"If you have a case of hiccups, eat one teaspoon of Jif Peanut Butter. The hiccups will go away. I have used this on my family and friends for years."
-R. Thomas
Dahlgren, VA

Kool-Aid
"You can also use the military issue Kool-Aid called 'bug juice' which comes in the package that you add 5 lbs sugar to make 5 gallons of Kool-Aid. The guys on my husband's boat use it to clean toilets, metal parts, and the sight tubes for the various tanks on board. And they also drink it."
-M. Traber
Canterbury, CT

"I have also used Kool-Aid to dye wool from my sheep before spinning it. The acid in it helps cut through the lanolin on the wool and makes the dye take better."
-M. Traber
Canterbury, CT

Listerine
"Dog got sprayed by a skunk again? Don't use tomato juice, use Listerine. It will remove the smell of skunk spray when it is applied full-strength to the affected areas. Avoid getting the product in the eyes or the ears. Rinse or shampoo the animal after applying the Listerine. It works! I wrote the company years back to tell them about this wonderful discovery we made."
-W. Lomas-Kruger
Gap, PA

Marshmallow Fluff
"Marshmallow Fluff makes really wicked hair straightener/dressing if you thin it first with a little cooking oil."
-M. Yaffe
Somerville, MA

Maxwell House Coffee
"Mix one-eighth teaspoon of fresh coffee grounds and a small amount of water, and rub the mixture on your hands to remove garlic odor after handling raw garlic."
-R. Pushka
Merrillville, IN

"Maxwell House Coffee cans make good dishes for the barbecue grill. If you don't want to ruin a pan, use a Maxwell House Coffee can. We use it to grill bratwurst in a solution (like beer, broth, or water). Just fill up the can with your choice of liquid, boil on the grill, and bingo! You have a good grill pan. This also works well for cooking over a campfire."
-E. Bond

Morton Salt
"For wine stains on carpet, pour Morton Salt over the stain. The salt will absorb the wine from carpet."
-H. Browder
Clearwater, FL

Murphy's Oil Soap
"I have used Murphy's Oil Soap to remove campfire soot from my wind breaker. It also took permanent marker off of a varnished wood door. I use it at the school where I teach to remove permanent marker from desks and tables. It also miraculously helped take hot wax out of the carpet."
-K. Randolph
Atkinson, NE

Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice Cocktail
"Mix two cups Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice Cocktail and one cup lemon juice, then pour through hair to instantly remove the green build-up from chlorine!"
-Cait
Ann Arbor, MI

Pam Dishwashing Detergent
"Use a small amount of Pam (blue) dishwashing detergent to give a dog, cat, or other pet a flea shampoo. I have used this on my dog and it instantly kills the fleas! I have seen this work several times and it works much better than some prescribed flea shampoos. I have, and do personally recommend this! (I have no idea if there are any side- or long-term effects aside from killing fleas and cleaning the hair and skin.)"
-J. Ross
E. Greenbush, NY

Pledge
"I use Pledge furniture polish to get a quick, long-lasting wax job on my car. The Pledge goes on and comes off very easily and leaves a great protective shine. The carnuba wax in the Pledge is the same wax used in high quality auto waxes."
-A. Sacks
Howell, NJ

Preparation H
"Makeup artists swear by Preparation H to get rid of puffiness around the eyes. Smooth it on to the eye area and wait. It acts as a vasoconstrictor and really works. However, this should not be used very often. Also, be careful not to get Preparation H in your eyes."
-R. Kendrick
Canberra

Rolaids
"Did you know that the best remedy for an insect bite is a Rolaid? Yep, just mix it with a little water to make a paste, put it on the bite, and within a few seconds the itch is gone. It's great for chiggers. Trust me, I know!"
-S. Shadden
Independence, MO

7-Up
"Pouring a can of 7-Up over a wild goose helps to cut the gamey taste."
-J. Alexander
Alexandria, VA

Smirnoff Vodka
"While staying in a hotel and having forgotten my aftershave, I used a small bottle of Smirnoff from the bar fridge instead. It did a really great job, I have to say, and would make a great substitute if you don't react well to the perfumes in a lot of aftershave."
-W. Brice
Lismore, NSW

"Smirnoff Vodka is excellent for diluting perfume that is too strong. It makes the intensity milder, without changing the actual fragrance of the perfume. Smirnoff Vodka is also useful for preserving diced fresh ginger in your refrigerator. Peel and chop fresh ginger, put in a jar, top up with Vodka. The ginger will last up to one year in your refrigerator, and it's very convenient to have on hand."
-K. Parry
Pittsburgh, PA

Tang
"Sprinkle Tang on a bowl full of snow and eat with a spoon. I have done this from childhood and my children now do it."
-D. Coddington
Webster, IN

Velcro
"Several of my kitchen cabinet doors have broken hinges. To keep the doors closed, I have placed adhesive-backed Velcro tabs on the inside corner of the doors and corresponding frames. I guess the wacky part of this tip is that my husband owns a cabinet shop. You know the old adage about "the cobblers children having no shoes!"
-D. Talley
Kansas City, MO

Wrigley's Juicyfruit Gum
"If you have moles tearing up your yard, buy a package of Wrigley's Juicyfruit Gum. Put on a pair of rubber gloves (to avoid leaving a human scent on the gum), unwrap one stick of gum, slide it in the ground where you see the path the mole has been taken. Moles love Juicyfruit Gum! They eat the gum but cannot digest it, so they die. I have no moles in my yard."
-Mary
aol.com