A-MUSINGS

We’ve all been there. You reach for your trusty       [insert gadget, cooking ingredient or beauty item here]     only to find out that somene has used it up and not replaced it, or moved it where you can’t find it.  Here are some of my favorite handy substitutes that I have used over the years — some I discovered on my own, others I read about or learned from my Mom.

Cleaning:

• Out of copper cleaner? Try ketchup. Really. Squirt the condiment onto your copper, spread it around, wait a few minutes and rinse off.
• No abrasive cleanser?  Use coarse salt and scrub using half a lemon.
• Your stain treatment is empty? Mix together equal parts ammonia, dish soap and water. It doesn’t smell good, but it works well, and it’s really economical.  Got an ink stain on clothes?  Soak the stain with hairspray and blot with a paper towel.
• Run out of jewelry cleaner?  Plain toothpaste can be used with a soft brush to gently clean gold, silver and diamonds.  But don’t use this with pearls, opals or other soft gems which could get damaged.

In the kitchen:

• Don’t have buttermilk? Add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar to each cup of milk. Let it stand for a few minutes before using.
• No more pastry bags?  Use zip lock bags. Fill with icing and snip away a tiny bit of the corner (or if you’re using cake decorating tips, cut away enough of the corner to accommodate your decorating tip coupling, then fill with icing).
• Can’t find a jar opener?  Use one kitchen glove to grip the lid and the other to grip the jar. Twist!

Beauty/Personal Care:

• Lost an earring backing?  Cut a small piece of a wide rubberband or the rubber eraser from a pencil tip and use it instead of the missing backing.
• Did you break the aglet at the end of your shoelace?  (Did you even know that thingy was called an aglet?)
  

  Duct Tape Aglet

  Tightly rap the frayed end with tape so the lace will fit inside the eye (my daughter prefers the cool, silvery look of duct tape or bright neon electrical tape, but cellophane or masking tape will also do the trick).

• No more hair conditioner?  Try mayonnaise. It takes a little extra effort to wash out, but it leaves your hair moisturized and soft.
• Don’t have anti-static spray?  Give your clothes (and hair) a gentle rub-down with a dryer sheet.
• No lint roller?  Lightly dampen your hand with water and rub across the surface of the clothing in one direction repeatedly. Really — just water.  You can also use one of those adhesive-backed airbill pockets from overnight couriers.
• Did someone eat the last cucumber you were going to use to cool your eyes?  Put a couple of metal teaspoons in the refrigerator for a few minutes then apply them to your eyes. Some folks have suggested using cool tea bags, which can help relieve puffiness, but the tannic acid in the tea has been thought to toughen the delicate skin around the eyes.

Miscellaneous:

• Looking for scissors to rip open tape on a package?  Grab a ballpoint pen (I recommend an inexpensive stick-type pen). Just stab and drag with the ballpoint end and slice the tape apart. The edge of a house key works well, too.
• No rock salt for frozen sidewalks?  Regular table salt will work in a pinch.
• Lost your bookmark? Come on, anything flat will do — sales receipts, a dollar bill, photos, gum wrappers, any scrap of paper — however, large rubberbands are really great — slip them around the portion of the book you’ve already read. It won’t fall out, and it keeps your finished pages out of the way.
• Needle and thread needed for a hem that’s falling down?  In an emergency, good old tape works wonders.
• Can’t find your ice scraper?  Whip out a credit card. No, not to buy a new ice scraper. Use the edge of the credit card and scrape downward to remove ice from your windshield and windows.

Hope you found some of these substitutes helpful. I’d love to hear ideas that have worked for you.