Natural Indoor Tips
Turning your mattress every six months will help prevent permanent depressions from your body. To turn the mattress, turn it over, then turn it around so that the foot is at the top.
Make photocopies of credit cards, social security cards, etc., and keep them separate from your wallet or purse. If these things are lost or stolen, you will have the numbers readily available.
To unclog the nozzle of a spray bottle, remove sprayer from bottle, immerse it in hot water, and pump it a few times. Pump the water out of the sprayer.
Make your broom last longer by dipping the bristles (not plastic bristles) in hot salt water before you use it.
Store extension cords nealy by placing them inside empty paper towel rolls.
Make everything in a cupboard (in the bathroom or kitchen) easy to find by placing items on a lazy susan.
Insert a cup hook just about anywhere for hanging keys.
A pencil eraser can be cleaned for use by rubbing it over an emery board.
As an emergency ruler, use money. A paper bill is 6-1/16 long, and a quarter is 1 inch.
As an emergency yardstick, hold your arms both straight out to the side. This measures a yard for most people.
As an emergency tape measure, use your foot. Count how many steps it takes you to go from one end of your couch (etc.) to the other. In a store, simply walk the same amount of steps.
Move heavy furniture much easier by sliding it. Put a sock, throw rug, or paper plate under each leg. The furniture will not only slide easily even on carpeting, it won't scratch a wood or tile floor.
Keep long tools from damaging walls when stored by putting the tip of a rubber glove finger over the top of the tool.
Make your own large rubber band by cutting 1/4 to 1/2 inch off the opening on rubber gloves.
Recycle empty tissue boxes. Use one for dryer lint, for used tissues while you're in bed, or for scraps used in crafts or sewing.
Before moving your computer, color code the cords and their connection slots. Mark each in pairs of one color of marking pen, and you can reconnect all cords quick as a wink.
Natural Houseplants
Fertilize ferns with nitrogen using ammonia. Give them a drink of weak ammonia water.
Seashells added to plant pots will increase the humidity around them if they are kept upside down like little bowls.
Keep potted plants from leaking soil, place a coffee filter in the bottoms of the pots.
Use pots that are the right size for each plant. Pots that are too large will inhibit leaf growth.
Water houseplants with bottled water if possible. If not, let tap water set out for 24 hours to let the chlorine dissipate.
Coat new terra cotta pots, inside and out, with a coat of acrylic sealer to keep them clean.
Clean plants with large leaves with socks. Put socks over your hands, get the socks damp, and rub over the leaves.
You can water houseplants while you're gone. Take a piece of yarn or fabric, push one end into the soil and the other end into a large dish of water. The plants will suck up the water from the pan.
Water houseplants while you are gone by placing them into the bathtub, on top of towels. Be sure the bottom of each pot has a drain hole, and fill the tub with several inches of water. The water will be drawn into the pot.
Plants grow better when you duplicate natural sunlight with a Full Spectrum Light Bulb.
Natural Jewelry Tips
Place a piece of chalk in your jewelry box to prevent costume jewelry from tarnishing.
Don't wear your good jewelry in a pool or hot tub. The bleach can dull or pit the surface of some stones, and it can make the gold brittle over time.
Keep jewelry away from bleach, denatured alcohol, turpentine, acetone, and ammonia.
Don't wear your wedding ring while working in the garden.
To help prevent tarnish on sterling silver jewelry, wrap the piece in jeweler's tissue paper and place it inside a sealed freezer bag.
Men working with machinery should not wear a ring at all, it can get caught in the machinery and result in injury or loss of a finger or arm.