House Hold Tips

Hello R, a_gopinathan, Kz,

Thanks for your information.

rsankar.

Hi rsankar,

You can check out Varshidi in TNagar,near Vani Mahal.They have very nice colors and patterns but its bit expensive there.I got one saree for 3500Rs and 2700Rs last year. Emb sarees are also available in Parrys,i got one for 300Rs,but the quality and the texture is completely different.Even Manmandhir is very nice but samething its bit expensive.Rangachari in Mylapore is good for cotton Salwars and Sarees.Sundhari Silks has got a good collection of sarees. Happy Shopping and Have a wonderful Trip.
Regards
Sk

Hello friends,

Thankyou all. I realy appreciate your reply. :)

rsankar.

Hi,

Does anyone know how to starch cotton clothes (sarees, churidhars and dupattas) in a washing machine. I tried the starch spray but it is not lasting even for 1/2 an hour. In India I used maida starch for my dresses and dried them in the sun. Here, I live in denver, where we have snow most of the time and if I air dry the clothes inside they are smelly. So, if anyone can suggest how to starch in a washing machine and to dry them in the drier. It would be very helpful.

Thanks,

Sudha

.del

How to keep bathroom smelling fresh, always -- like in Shopping Malls ? I have stuck on the wall the Airwick air-freshner circle, but after initial 2 days, can't smell the scent at all ?
Which type to use , even for WC -- the one which should put in the tank [like toilet duck] or the one to be fixed on the rim of the seat of the WC, which is more effective & lasting freshness ?
Someone please suggest ?

try the liquid ones...they come in bottles that look like the mosquito repellents bottles we get in India...U can use it if u've a plug point in the bathroom...

How to avoid or kill the black big ants(katerumbu)?

For the last few weeks, have been facing this problem. I tried killing the ordinary ant spray, did not find any major change.

Yr vaulable suggestions are most welcome!!

Thanks and Bye.

Thanks for responding Dev, but I don't have plug point in the bathroom. Plus, we don't have window also [only exhaust fan is there], so I have to keep the door ajar and sometimes esp. when we come back from outside and open the main house door, can smell some musty, old papers, wet carpets like smell.

Hello R,
For ants, the best remedy is tobacco -- 'poga ilai' , what the old servants, keerai sellers etc. used to chew in their mouth. I remember my mummy used to soak some of these in little water, after some time crush nicely. This juice she used to pour little by little into the cracks on the floor, outside our house door [vaasakkal] and some holes in the almirahs, wherever ants came . Esp. in summer, as our house will be cooler, ants used to visit often & this had immediate and lasting [upto about 2 - 3 weeks] effect.

You can also try powdering some bay leaves [brinji elai] with some salt, and spread the powder whereever the ants appear. Another alternative is kerosene, but not sure if it will last as it evaporates fast.
A friend of mine used to make some small balls for insects [esp. cockroaches, in kitchen] & keep them in the corners, like our napthalene moth balls. If you want, I can ask her & post how to make those insect balls .
Bye.

Thanks for the suggestions, Indu. Pls do ask yr friend; meanwhile, will try brinji leaves..

I also saw a kind of tablet for killing ants in a pharmacy. It is more or less similar to what we do in India to kill rats(the rats will eat and die outside).

Since I have a little one in our house, I did not try that.

Will let you know the result soon..

Hi,
Can anyone tell me how to clean gold ear rings? I have this ear ring which is like a "koodai" with complicated design and so the soap etc are accumulated in it and I am not even able to reach some points even with a tooth brush(to clean). Can anyone tell me how to remove those dirt??

Anandi

Hello friends,

India poi ammaa-vum, paappaavum hair kaanikkaiyaagha koduthu vittu (mottai adithu vittu) marubhadi thirumbha UK vara Airport-il anumadhi koduppaarghalaa? (or) hair nanghu valarndha piraghu dhaan UK vara anumadhi koduppaarghalaa?


Please help me.

rsankar.

Quick response would be highly appreciated.

rsankar.

For kid, it should not be a problem, guess. Last year, we put mottai to our daughter and left India in 20 days or so. So, hardly she got any hair in her head.

Though I am in USA, we came thro' British airways and did not find any problem either in London or US airports.

If you are still not satisfied, why dont you talk to the consulate general or airport officials?

Hello R,

Thank you for your reply. I really appreciate.

rsankar.

Hi Anandi,
Mix detergent powder with water and soak ur earings for a few hours...Mostly it takes all the dirt out..And also try cleaning with ear buds..Best for cleaning small gaps..

GVB

Thanks a lot gvb, but I had tried detergent-dont get that "new one" look. anyway, will try with buds and see..

Any tips on cleaning the basement becoz normal vacuuming or mopping is not possible becoz of the strong dirt?

Pls do share yr experiences.

Thanks in advance.

Try cleaning your earrings with shampoo.. Soak it in shampoo solution for an 1hr or so that should help..

Hi friends,

This is not about household or cooking. So, pls bear and reply me.

We are planning to take our kids in one of the weekend(June) to Claws and Paws which is a pet feeding zoo in PA. Anyone from there or have been there can tell me whether it is worth to go and see.

Becoz, some places are not good, but the advt. in the site will be so exaggerating!!

Try to answer me soon.thanks in advance.

how to get rid of fruit flies the small kind of flies called molambu in tamil. i left over ripe bananas outside uncovered and a whole lot of flies have somehow come in and now they aren't going. please help!
Kz

Hi R:

I saw ur posting abt the petting zoo. I am planning to take my daughter to one here in chicago but from what i heard is that its worth as the kids really would get to touch and feel and feed the animals. Its considered safe as they are domesticated.

I will share my experience once I visit and request you to do the same. Check if they have any local petting zoos.

Bye

Seetha

Thanks, seetha..The problem you know, here in NJ, there is one, but it is very small and the distance is quite far from our place which is not at all worth to visit.

Anyways, I think that pennsylvania has some interesting places to visit like pet feeding zoo, maize the maze etc; worth to visit, as u said, for the kid's sake.

Will surely let you know my opinion as well as my daughter's feeling and vice versa!!

Bye.

Numkitchen has a huge collection of useful kitchen tips and also
more interesting kitchen tips are added every week @ www.numkitchen.com

I sure will share my experience with ya R after my visit. Happy outing!!

Seetha

U get nice cling freshners for just .60 cents.U can hang these inside the toilet bowl where the water flushes. It keeps the whole bathroom odor free.

I would like to apply egg whites on my hair. Would someone tell me which egg to buy for that. There seems to be too many varieties in the stores here . I live in Bayarea,CA.
Whats the shelf life for eggs. bcos I dont consume eggs (except cakes :))

Thanks
GV

You can use any eggs. the expiry date will be printed on the egg carton itself. keep it refrigerated. any white eggs will do.you can also use the eggyolk for ur hair.

Kz

Hi friends,

Can any of you suggest me where to buy indoor swing(sofa pattern)(teak or rosewood with a good design) ?

Thanks in advance.

Need advice on buying an electric hand held mixer.
Mine got burned within 2 yrs and i am looking for one which will last long.

Thankyou!
Kz

The cheaper ones are good! You get to change them every 2 years! How much did you pay for that??

I paid 15 $ for it, it is good for beating egg or buttermilk etc, but when it comes to mixing icing and cake batter the motor gets smoky. so looking for better one which doesn't get broke the first time i use for stiff icing batter.

Kz

Hi R / CI :

Can I get any inputs on how to get rid of spiders other than cleaning? I would appreciate all/ any suggestions?

Seetha

Hi,

Could anybody help me with tips on cleaning hardwood floors? Will really appreciate it.

Thanks!
Aaraam

Easiest way is to sweep weekly and once a month use murphy oil soap to mop it. You will have to add one or two capful for a gallon of water. Twist the mop really well so that there is not too much of water. Wood can absorb water which is not good. That's all is there to clean the hardwood floors.

If they start looking dull, you might want to polish it once or twice a year. There are many products available for polishing. I haven't done it, so maybe someone else can give you some hints.

CI.

CI is right. Once in a month, cleaning is sufficient as wood absorbs water, then it will expand which is not good.

Dont have to polish frequently; we moved into our new house around 3 to 4 yrs back and the polish is still there and looks shiny too!!

Hi Seetha,
I have no idea how to get rid of these creatures without killing them. I kill them whenever I see one. I don't have too many in our house. Probably they are getting inside through some hole or some opening? Check it out and try to close it. It could work. If you keep spiders away, you don't have to clean their web.

Check this out:
http://calstaging.bemidjistate.edu/s...tch/howto.html

There are some sprays which can kill them. If you have a baby at home (I know you do), I wouldn't suggest it though.

Another Tip I found on web:
Wash windows inside and out with a combo of ammonia & water. When windows dry (almost automatically outdoors) go over the entire window (metal frame too, if necessary) with newspaper and kerosene. The kerosene also evaporates immediately but leaves a residue that repels spiders, flies and mosquitoes.


I hope it helps.

CI.

Hi Seetha,

A couple of months back, we had lots of carpenter ants all of a sudden; since we have woods at the back or dont know, it was uncontrollable. I was trying to sweep it out or tried to kill, but more was coming.

So, atlast, used this spray HOT SHOT and sprayed at the corners of all over the house in the night so that it will evaporate in the morning and many ants died and after a couple of days, could not see one.

The above spray is not only for killing ants, also for roaches, spiders etc. Since my daughter is also small, I was hesitating to use this; but, it was very yuck to see them coming all over the kitchen and when I asked the pest control people, their estimate was way too high!

Try the above spray in the night and hope, it will work out for you too. Sometimes, would get up very early in the morning and would spray all over the house and leave some windows too opened. So, by the time, my kids came down, no smell would be there.

Good luck.

Thank you CI & R for your valuable inputs.
CI, I think your input that there may be a gap somewhere which has to be plugged. I shall check the spray R.

Thanks again.

Seetha