This versatile guide brings together more than 2,000 helpful hints, practical tips and remedies from days gone by and shows you how they can benefit your health, lifestyle, home and garden. All have been researched and tested and more often than not you’ll find the ingredients right there in your cupboard. Did you know you can make wooden platters look like new just by rubbing them with a solution of vinegar? Or that you can get your linen as white as snow by adding a few teaspoons of bicarbonate of soda to the washing powder? That a cold wristband can bring rapid relief to headache-sufferers? Would you like to learn how easy it is to make dried apples, apricots and other fruit without the use of preservatives? This versatile guide brings together more than 2,000 helpful hints, practical tips and remedies from days gone by and shows you how they can benefit your health, lifestyle, home and garden. All have been researched and tested for their practical application in today’s world and offer simple, effective alternatives to expensive products and those using toxic chemicals—and more often than not you’ll find the ingredients right there in your cupboard. The book includes: Safe, time-honored remedies to treat or prevent health problems Homemade cosmetics and traditional beauty tips to help you look your best Clever, environmentally friendly cleaning techniques to keep your home in tip-top condition Traditional advice for preparing great-tasting, nutritious food economically in the modern kitchen Tried-and-trusted principles of decoration and organization to make your home a welcoming haven The proven know-how of generations of gardeners to help you create a green space that is safe and chemical-free For each of the six areas of life covered in the book, topics are presented in an A-Z format with special features on topics of interest, such as essential home medicines, natural cleaning products, and a season-by-season guide to gardening.

"First published in 2012 as Home Hints and Tips Tested Through the Years by Reader's Digest (Australia)"--Title page verso.

Did you know you can make wooden platters look like new just by rubbing them with a solution of vinegar? Or that you can get your linen as white as snow by adding a few teaspoons of bicarbonate of soda to the washing powder? That a cold wristband can bring rapid relief to headache-sufferers? Would you like to learn how easy it is to make dried apples, apricots and other fruit without the use of preservatives? This versatile guide brings together more than 3000 helpful hints, practical tips and remedies from days gone by and shows you how they can benefit your health, lifestyle, home and garden. All have been researched and tested for their practical application in today’s world and offer simple, effective alternatives to expensive products and those using toxic chemicals—and more often than not you’ll find the ingredients right there in your cupboard. The book includes: • Safe, time-honoured remedies to treat or prevent health problems • Homemade cosmetics and traditional beauty tips to help you look your best • Clever, environmentally friendly cleaning techniques to keep your home in tip-top condition • Traditional advice for preparing great-tasting, nutritious food economically in the modern kitchen • Tried-and-trusted principles of decoration and organization to make your home a welcoming haven • The proven know-how of generations of gardeners to help you create a flourishing garden that is safe and chemical-free For each of the six most important areas of life covered in the book, topics are presented in an A-Z format with special features on topics of interest, such as essential home medicines, natural cleaning products, and a season-by-season guide to gardening.

SAVE MONEY, TIME, AND EFFORT repairing your household equipment Easy Fixes for Everyday Things is fresh, surprising, and honest: if something can be fixed we show you how; if it needs expert attention we say so; and if it is simply beyond hope, we tell you that, too. Maybe your smartphone fell in water or you spilled coffee on your computer keyboard. Perhaps your iron won't produce steam or your refrigerator is making an odd noise. It could be that your watch face has been scratched or the chain on your bike keeps falling off. Whatever the problem, Easy Fixes for Everyday Things has your solution. We all rely on devices, appliances and pieces of household equipment that break, misbehave or fail completely. With Easy Fixes for Everyday Things you can help yourself when disaster strikes, saving time, money and hassle (and cutting down on needless waste) simply by following a few straightforward steps. This fun yet practical book strips the mystery from repairs, enabling you to fix the seemingly unfixable and solve more than 1,000 everyday problems with phones, cameras, laptops, locks, washing machines, lawn mowers, water pipes, cars and dozens of other common household things.

An updated edition, now fully illustrated and in color, of the classic guide to using common household items to replace, restore, repair, or revive almost anything in your household—including yourself. When you have a household problem, don’t run to the store and waste good money, just open your pantry door—and EXTRAORDINARY USES FOR ORDINARY THINGS. You’ll be amazed at what you can do with baby oil, bleach, duct tape, tea, rubbing alcohol, and dozens of other handy items. This book will open your eyes to more than 2,000 creative and helpful uses you can make of familiar household products, such as: • Aspirin can revive a dead car battery and a coating of petroleum jelly will keep the battery’s terminals from corroding • A dab of shaving cream can keep your bathroom mirror from fogging and can remove juice stains on carpeting • Petroleum jelly makes a great lip balm, makeup remover, and moisturizer • A turkey baster is the perfect tool for watering Christmas trees and hard-to-reach plants • Beer can be combed through your hair as a setting lotion, used as lure to trap insects, and polish gold jewelry • Sandpaper can be used to sharpen needles and scissors, roughen slippery soles of new shoes, remove ink stains and scuff marks from suede, and remove stains on grout lines • Wax paper will prevent a cast-iron skillet from rusting, restore the nonstick surface on your iron, and use on the bottom of a microwave when cooking messy foods. If you hate to throw things away or if you delight in dreaming up new ways to use ordinary items, then you’ll love the ideas in this book. You’ll be amazed at the problems you can solve. It’s a book you’ll be sure to turn to again and again for helpful ideas, trustworthy advice, and entertaining reading.

An indispensable volume for beginning and advanced sewers alike that guides readers through necessary equipment, techniques, fabrics and more. First published in 1978, Reader’s Digest’s popular Complete Guide to Sewing has become the standard stich-and-seam reference book for both beginner and seasoned sewers. Now, Reader’s Digest has refreshed this tried-and-true volume for the modern era, adapting it to current trends while preserving the comprehensive, practical and inspiring content within. Reader’s Digest Complete Guide to Sewing gives sewers of every experience and comfort level everything they need to know to create the wardrobe of their dreams and beautify their homes with original decorative accents. Clear, simple instructions written by experts in the field tell you what to do and how to do it. Plus, thousands of illustrations and diagrams throughout the book’s 384 pages illustrate each stage of the process. Key elements of the book include: A detailed list of the basic equipment you’ll need before getting started sewing. Tips for choosing the right fabric for your project. A step-by-step photo guide that shows you how to take measurements. Instructions in a variety of essential hand-stitching techniques. 20 timeless projects— more than half of them new to this edition—to practice your skills including shirts, dresses, bags, and more. Plus, the book has received endorsements from a variety of trusted sources: “…and I always recommend the Reader’s Digest Guide to Sewing. It’s very comprehensive and very user-friendly.” —Tim Gunn “…abundant and precise line art, enticing photographs, simple-to-follow instructions and valuable information on tools, supplies, materials and techniques.” —The New York Times “A woman who takes sewing seriously, or who wants to learn to sew, won’t want to be without this book.” —Portland Oregon Journal “Here is everything you always wanted to know about sewing—a veritable encyclopedia of stitching facts.” —The Austin American Statesman

What's in the aisles of your favorite dollar store and how can you use them in multiple ways? 99 Cent Solutions contains 1465 smart and frugal uses for everyday items that save you time and money. 99 Cent Solutions helps you save money, time and aggravation with 1465 ways to use common, everyday items found at the dollar store, grocery store or hardware store! Save money on groceries, health and beauty, cleaning supplies, housewares, tools and more. Did you know you can... -Use bubble wrap to protect freshly planted trees? -Use ketchup to make copper glow? -Use a bandage to in place of a thimble? -Use a bungee cord as a yoga strap? -Use a party balloon as an ice pack? -Use baking soda between paving stones to keep weeds away? Chapters: -Groceries -Healthy & Beauty - Outdoor Spaces -Cleaning & Home Supplies -Housewares -Notions -School & Party Supplies -Tools