More uses for everyday items

In March, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution ran a series about extraordinary uses for basic household items. Below are some more uses that readers submitted (and have not been independently tested, so try these at your own risk).

Baking soda

> Use baking soda and a slightly dampened cloth to polish up white shoes, sneakers, soccer balls, bike seats and purses.

Coffee filters

> Cover bowls or dishes when cooking in the microwave.

> Clean windows and mirrors. Filters are lint free.

> Protect good dishes by putting a filter between each dish.

> Filter broken cork from wine.

> Protect cast iron skillets. Place filter in skillet to absorb moisture.

> Recycle frying oil by straining through filter.

> Hold tacos. Filters make convenient wrappers for messy foods.

> Stop soil from leaking out of a plant pot. Line pot with filter.

> Poke Popsicle stick through filter to keep drips off your hands.

> Use strips of filters to wax eyebrows.

> Keep in bathroom. Great “razor nick fixers.”

Dryer sheets

> Place inside heating/air conditioning vents for an air freshener. They also will catch dirt.

> Collect cat hair. Rubbing the area with a dryer sheet will magnetically attract all the loose hairs.

> Wipe window blinds with a dryer sheet to clean them and prevent dust from resettling.

> Wipe up sawdust from drilling or sandpapering. A used dryer sheet will collect sawdust like a tack cloth.

Epsom salt

> Put a handful of Epsom salt in a bowl and add a little water. Apply solution to poison ivy periodically with a cotton ball to dry out the rash.

Nail polish

> Apply a small drop of clear nail polish to the threads of eyeglass screws before tightening them. It will prevent them from loosening.

Non-diet cola

> If you’re driving while it’s raining and your windshield gets nasty on the outside, after you stop, pour non-diet cola (some readers swear by Coca-Cola) all over the outside and it immediately clears it up.

Orange Pledge furniture polish

> Removes gasoline smell from hands.

Vodka

> Prolong the life of razors by filling a cup with vodka and letting your safety razor blade soak in the alcohol after shaving.

WD-40

> Removes stains from stainless steel sinks.

> Keeps ceramic/terra cotta garden pots from oxidizing.

> Camouflages scratches in ceramic and marble floors.

> It removes black scuff marks from the kitchen floor.

> Removes all traces of duct tape.