Cool Uses for Ice Cubes All Around the House
If you're only using ice cubes to keep your drinks chilled, you're tapping just a fraction of their potential.
Use ice cubes to water hanging plants
If you’re constantly reaching for the step stool to water hard-to-reach hanging plants, ice cubes can help. Just toss several cubes into the pots. The ice melts and waters the plants and does it without causing a sudden downpour from the drain hole. This is also a good way to water your Christmas tree, whose base may be hard to reach with a watering can.
Find out the best flowers for planters.
Reheat rice
Does your leftover rice dry out when you reheat it in the microwave? Try this: Put an ice cube on top of the rice when you put it in the microwave. The ice cube will melt as the rice reheats, giving the rice much-needed moisture. (Make sure you always follow these tips to avoid food poisoning when reheating rice.)
Remove dents in carpeting
If you’ve recently rearranged the furniture in your living room, you know that heavy pieces can leave ugly indents in your carpet. Use ice cubes to remove them. Put an ice cube on the spot where the chair, sofa or table leg stood. Let it melt, then brush up the dent. Rug rehab completed!
These clever cornstarch hacks will also come in handy around the house.
Help iron out wrinkles
So your ready-to-wear shirt is full of wrinkles and there’s no time to wash it again. Turn on the iron and wrap an ice cube in a soft cloth. Rub over the wrinkle just before you iron and the shirt will smooth out.
Find out how aluminum foil can also help speed-up your ironing.
Stop sauces from curdling
Imagine this: Your friends are over for a Saturday brunch featuring eggs Benedict. But when you mixed butter and egg yolks to make hollandaise sauce for the dish, it curdled. What do you do? Place an ice cube in the saucepan and watch the sauce turn back into a silky masterpiece.
Remove gum from clothing
You’re just about to walk out the door when Junior points to the gum stuck on his pants. Keep your cool and grab an ice cube. Rub the ice on the gum to harden it, then scrape it off with a spoon.
Discover more cleaning hacks that can take the hassle out of housekeeping.
Smooth caulk seams
You’re caulking around the bathtub, but the sticky caulk compound keeps adhering to your finger as you try to smooth it. If you don’t do something about it, the finished job will look pretty awful. Solve the problem by running an ice cube along the caulk line. This forms the caulk into a nice even bead and the caulk will never stick to the ice cube.
Find out the home renovation mistakes that could send your property value into a tailspin.
Mask the taste of medicine
No matter what flavour your local pharmacist offers in children’s medicine, kids can still turn up their noses at the taste. Have them suck on an ice cube before taking the medicine. This numbs the taste buds and allows the medicine to go down, without the spoonful of sugar.
Pluck a splinter
Parental challenge #573: removing a splinter from the hand of a screaming, squirming toddler. Before you start jabbing with that needle, grab an ice cube and numb the area. This should make splinter removal more painless and quicker.
These brilliant baking soda hacks go beyond the kitchen.
Prevent a blister from a burn
Have you burned yourself? An ice cube applied to the burn will stop it from blistering.
Here are the emergency first aid kit essentials to keep handy.
Cool water for your pets
Imagine what it’s like to wear a fur coat in the middle of summer. Your rabbits, hamsters and gerbils will love your thoughtfulness if you place a few cubes in their water dish to cool down. This is also a good tip for your cat, who’s spent the hot morning lounging on your bed, or your dog, who’s just had a long romp in the park.
Find out the most common mistakes cat owners make.
Unstick a sluggish disposal
If your garbage disposal is not working at its optimum because of grease buildup (not something stuck inside), ice cubes may help. Throw some down the disposal and grind them up. The grease will cling to the ice, making the disposal residue-free.
Here’s how to clean absolutely everything in your kitchen, according to Charles the Butler of CTV’s The Marilyn Denis Show.
Make creamy salad dressing
Do you want to make your homemade salad dressing as smooth and even as the bottled variety? Try this: Put all the dressing ingredients in a jar with a lid, then add a single ice cube. Close the lid and shake vigorously. Spoon out the ice cube and serve. Your guests will be impressed by how creamy your salad dressing is.
These cooking hacks will save you time (and money) in the kitchen.
De-fat soup and stews
Want to get as much fat as possible out of your homemade soup or stew as quickly as possible? Fill a metal ladle with ice cubes and skim the bottom of the ladle over the top of the liquid in the soup pot. Fat will collect on the ladle.
Now that you’ve got these ice hacks under your belt, check out nine home hacks that’ll stretch your decorating dollar.
