Cold Winds, Warm Fire
(Page 2 of 3)
January/February 1988
By the Mother Earth News editors
My mailbox is a good ways from the house and across a busy highway. It was annoying to walk that distance (especially in winter), dodge the traffic and then find the box empty. I always wondered if I just didn't have any mail that day or if it hadn't yet been delivered and I'd have to make another trip. I decided I needed a signal I could see from the house. I tied an 18-inch-long piece of bright ribbon to the top of the mailbox door, tucked the ribbon inside and closed the door. When the mail is delivered, the ribbon tumbles out as the door is opened; when I pick up the mail I just flip the ribbon back inside till the next delivery.
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— George F. Tutterrow
Crossville, Tennessee
Twice as Good
I read with interest D. Gallagher's hint in issue 106 about coating the bottom of a power lawn mower with no-stick cooking spray. I use the same product on my snow blower when the snow is wet and sticky. Spraying the auger and the throat of the blower prevents clogging and helps the snow flow freely through.
— Jean Schneider
West St. Paul, Minnesota
Versatile Vinegar
One of my favorite time- and money-saving tricks is to fill a plastic squirt bottle (the kind with a flip-top cap that shampoo and ketchup come in) with a mix of one part apple cider vinegar to four parts water. I keep this in the bathroom and use it a) as a rinse after shampooing to make my hair squeaky clean and restore its pH balance; b) to soothe a sunburn — I just splash the solution on or add it to my bath water; c) as a cleanser to make the bathroom mirror and windows sparkle; and d) mixed into a paste with baking soda to scrub the tub.
— Nanette J. Blanchard
Bayfield, Colorado
Rub-a-Dub-Dub
When my children were quite young, my little girl begged to take baths with her baby brother, who was just able to sit by himself. I kept all three of us happy by setting him in the bathtub inside a plastic laundry basket. I didn't worry, because he was safe; she had fun with her brother; and he enjoyed playing with the water as it flowed in and out of the woven sides of the basket.
— Maureen Fuller
Trumansburg, New York
Three Cures for Clogs
Our kitchen sink has clogged more times than I care to remember, and the cause is usually an accidental grease spill. I got awfully tired of removing and cleaning the drain trap every time this happened, so I tried something easier — and it worked. I hold a pan of very hot tap water under the trap, submerging that section of the pipe. In a few moments the grease melts enough to be washed away, and I don't even have to clear the sink.
— Dean Olsen
San Pedro, California
Though I threatened my husband with exile if he ever again poured grease down our kitchen drain, it still ran slowly and sometimes not at all. I had to find another solution. I now follow a weekly procedure that keeps the drain free of clogs and of odors, too. I pour a cup of baking soda down the drain and follow that with a cup of vinegar. Once the mixture stops foaming, I pour in a pint of boiling water. This method works so well in the kitchen drain that I've gone on to use it in my other sinks and in the bathtub as well.
