Product Description

With his trademark folksy wisdom, Earl Proulx tells you how to recycle those things we all have lying around the house into ingenious household solutions without spending money on fancy cleaning products or pricey gadgets. Some of Earl's particular favorites are cat litter (as a cleaner for oil spills and as a base for a soothing facial mask) and, of course, vinegar (to clean just about anything, unclog showerheads, as well as trap fruit pests), duct tape (as both tick remover and a protection against blisters), and milk jugs (bird feeders and clothespin holders). His fun and inventive ideas also include: lAnt-proof your home with lemon juice lCover up furniture scratches with a dab of iodine lUse powdered milk to soothe sunburn and remove makeup lMake an earring holder out of window screen lRecycle bubble wrap for a toilet tank insulator Organized by location inside and outside of the house, this essential compendium will make you pause each time you start to throw something (old blue jeans, ice cube trays, coat hangers, egg cartons) out in the trash.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #58988 in Books
• Published on: 2004-02-21
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 400 pages

From the Back Cover
Throw out a candle stub, some sour milk, that leftover bag of cat litter?

Not on your life!

You might think of these things as waste that's headed for the trash can, but there are hundreds of practical ways you can save money, time, and natural resources by reusing these and other common objects around your house. Follow Earl Proulx and the editors of Yankee magazine as they show you how to:

* Make soothing facial mask from cat litter
* Cover up furniture scratches with a dab of iodine
* Turn an old teacup, a sandwich bag, and some sugar into an elegant pincushion
* Clean car grease off your hands with olive oil
* Unstick a window with the stub of an old candlestick
* Clear a clogged showerhead with vinegar
* Ant-proof your home with lemon juice
* Make an attractive country picture frame from an old six-pane window
* End static cling with hair spray
* Stop foot blisters with duct tape
* Keep bait worms fresh with coffee grounds
* Make an earring holder out of window screening

More Than 1,000 Creative, Fun, and Ingenious Tips

Clever to the core, Earl Proulx has been coming up with ingenious ways to reuse things since his career as a handyman started nearly 70 years ago. Every month, he shares his solutions and home hints with the more than two million Yankee magazine readers who enjoy his "Plain Talk" column.

About the Author
Earl Proulx died in March 2003. He was 88 years old and had edited Yankee's "Plain Talk: column for 22 years. He will be missed.

Customer Reviews

Amazing
What a wonderful resource for alternative uses for everyday things. Chockful of ideas and humor! With everyone 'going green', a good resource for making your own cleaners and re-using things that usually end up in the trash.

Excellent Money Saving Tips
My mom has a copy of this book and I would always call her to ask her to look something up for me! I decided that I needed a copy of my own now that I own a home! Many of the little tricks in this book work and it was very well worth the money I spent!!!

Full of money saving & recycling ideas
A great book that shows you how to save money and solve common household problems with items you have lying around the house. I loved the bathroom chapter - dozens of ideas on how to pamper myself without having to spend a penny.

The chapter on gifts is worth the price of the book alone. I got lots of ideas for gifts and ideas for presenting them with panache without having to spend money on gift-wrap, bows, etc.

There are chapters on hobbies, gardening, saving money on celebrations and more. No area of home life is left uncovered by Earl.