around the house
MAKE BUTTONS GLOW IN THE DARK • It happens all the time—the lights are dimmed, you grab the remote control to increase the TV volume and you hit the wrong button and change the channel instead. To put an end to those problems, dab glow-in-the-dark nail polish onto frequently used remote buttons. You can also use phosphorescent polish to mark keys and keyholes and other hard-to-spot items.
MARK YOUR THERMOSTAT SETTING • If you have a dial-type thermostat on your heater and you wake up with a chill and don’t have your glasses handy, it’s easy to adjust the thermostat if you have already preset it to your preferred temperature and made a thin mark with colored nail polish from the dial into the outside ring.
MARK TEMPERATURE SETTINGS ON SHOWER KNOBS • Don’t waste precious shower time fiddling with the water temperature. With the shower on, select your ideal settings, turn off the flow to the shower, and make a small mark with bright nail polish on the stationary lip of both the hot and cold knob indicating the handle position that’s best.
MARK LEVELS INSIDE A BUCKET • When you’re mixing something in a big bucket, it’s usually too heavy for you to be able to lift the bucket to check the quantity. Besides, the bucket you use for mixing might not have the measurements clearly marked on it at all. Make sure you know you’re using the right amounts by marking levels at a pint (500 ml), quart, (1 L), half-gallon (2 L), and gallon (4 L) with lines of nail polish. Use a polish color that stands out against the color of your bucket.
MAKE CUP MEASUREMENTS LEGIBLE • You’ll be able to find your measuring cup markings faster, especially if you like to measure ‘on the fly’ while cooking, if you use a highly visible color of nail polish to trace over the basic measurement levels. This also works well for late-night bottle feedings, when you need to see how much Junior has tanked up. And you won’t have to squint to find the correct dosage on little plastic medicine cups if you first mark them with a thin line of dark polish.
LABEL YOUR SPORTS GEAR • If you share a lot of interests with your golf partner, including the same brand of golf balls, make it clear who got on the green first, by putting a dot of bright nail polish on your golf balls. This also works well with batting gloves and other items that don’t have enough room to fit your name on them.
LABEL POISON CONTAINERS • If everyone in your home has easy access to all the cupboards, prevent someone from grabbing dangerous items in haste. Use dark red or other easily visible nail polish color to label the poisons. Draw an unmistakable X on the label as well as on the lid or spout.
Bottles of nail polish don’t come with instructions, so here are some pointers:
To keep nail polish fresh and easy to use, store it in the refrigerator. Keep your collection of bottles together in a little square plastic container.
Shaking a nail polish bottle to mix the color can cause bubbles to form. Gently roll the bottle between your palms instead.
Wipe the inside threads of your nail polish bottle and cap with a cotton swab dipped in polish remover before closing the bottle. It will open more easily.
SEAL AN ENVELOPE • Brush some nail polish along the underside of the flap, seal it, and it won’t open easily. Or try brushing your initial (or any design) in nail polish over the sealed flap tip, as a modern type of sealing wax that doesn’t need to be melted first.
SMUDGE-PROOF DRUG LABELS • Preserve the important information on all of your prescription medicine and other important medicine labels with a coat of clear polish, and they won’t be smudSed as you grab them after getting your glass of water.
WATERPROOF ADDRESS LABELS • When you’re sending a parcel on a rainy day, a little clear polish brushed over the address information will make sure your package goes to the right place.
PREVENT RINGS FROM METAL CONTAINERS • If your guests are going to peek into your medicine cabinet, you don’t want them to see rust rings on your shelves. Brush nail polish around the bottom of shaving cream cans and other metal containers to avoid those unsightly stains.
MAKE A GLEAMING PAPERWEIGHT
To create paperweights that look like gemstones, or interesting rocks for the base of your potted cactus, try this. Find some palm-sized, smooth clean rocks. Put about 1/2 inch (1 cm) water into a pie pan. Add a drop of clear nail polish on the water and polish will spread over the water’s surface. Holding a rock with your fingertips, slowly roll it in the water to coat it with polish.Set the rock on newspaper to dry.
PREVENT RUSTY TOILET SEAT SCREWS • If you’re installing a new toilet seat, keep those screws from quickly rusting. Paint them with a coat or two of clear nail polish. It will also help prevent seat wobble by keeping the screws in place.
PAINT SHAKER HOLES TO RESTRICT SALT • If your favorite saltshaker dispenses a little too much salt, paint a few of the holes shut with nail polish. It’s a good idea if you’re watching your salt intake.
TARNISH-PROOF COSTUME JEWELRY • Inexpensive costume jewelry can add sparkle and color to any outfit, but not if it tarnishes and the tarnish rubs off the jewelry and onto your skin. To keep your fake jewelry and your skin sparkling clean, brush clear nail polish on the back of each piece and allow it to dry before wearing.
SEAL OUT SCUFFS ON SHOES • On leather shoes, it’s the back and toes that really take the brunt of the wear and tear that leaves scratches on the surface. Next time you buy a new pair of shoes—especially ones for a kid or an active adult—give these areas the extra measure of protection they need. Paint a bit of clear nail polish on the outside of the back seam and over the toes. Rub the polish in a little to feather out the shine of the polish. After it dries, you’ll be a step ahead of those perennial shoe problems: “driver’s heel” and “jump-rope toe.”
KEEP LACES FROM UNRAVELING • Neaten the appearance of frayed shoelaces and extend their life by dipping the ends in clear nail polish and twisting the raveled ends together. Repair laces in the evening so that the polish can dry overnight.
PROTECT YOUR BELT BUCKLE’S SHINE • Cover new or just-shined belt buckles with a coat of clear nail polish. You’ll prevent oxidation of the metal buckle and guarantee a gleaming first impression.
GET RID OF A WART • Warts are unattractive, embarrassing, and infectious. In order to get rid of warts and prevent spreading the virus to others, cover them with nail polish. The wart should be gone or greatly diminished within a week.
in the sewing room
PROTECT PEARL BUTTONS • Delicate pearl buttons will keep their brand-new sparkle with a protective coat of clear nail polish. It will keep costume pearl buttons from peeling as well.
PREVENT LOSS OF BUTTONS • Keep that brand-new shirt in good shape by putting a drop of clear nail polish on the thread in the buttons. It prevents the thread from fraying, so taking this precaution in advance could save you some embarrassment later on. Put a dab on recently repaired buttons as well.
MAKE NEEDLE THREADING EASIER • Do you fumble with your needle and thread, licking and re-licking the frayed thread end until it’s too floppy to go through the eye? Try dragging the cut thread end through the application brush of nail polish once or twice, then roll the thread end between your thumb and forefinger. It will dry in a second, and your thread end stays stiff enough to thread in a flash. Your sewing box is a great place for a nail polish color you no longer use.
PREVENT FRAYED FABRIC FROM UNRAVELING •Do you have wisps peeking out from the bottom of your skirt? Is the nylon lining of your jacket fraying at the cuffs? You can tame those fraying strays by brushing them in place with some clear nail polish.
KEEP RIBBONS FROM FRAYING • The gift is perfect, so make sure the wrapping is just as nice. Brush the cut ends of ribbon with a little clear nail polish to stop them from unraveling. This is also the perfect solution for a little girl’s hair ribbons on special occasions. At least one part of her will stay together all day!
STOP RUNS IN PANTYHOSE • Runs in pantyhose are a real pain. Happily, you can stop them for good and prolong the life of fragile pantyhose with a dab of clear nail polish. Simply apply polish to each end of a run (no need to remove the pantyhose), and let it dry. This invisible fix stops runs and lasts through many hand washings.
making repairs
MEND A FINGERNAIL • When you split a nail, but don’t have a nail repair kit handy, just grab an unused tea bag instead. Cut the bag open, dump the tea, cut a piece of the bag into the shape of your nail and cover it with clear nail polish. Press it onto your nail and apply colored nail polish. You’ll be good to go until the break grows out.
STOP A WINDSHIELD CRACK FROM SPREADING • If you’ve developed a small crack in your windshield, stop it cold with some clear polish. Working in the shade, brush the crack on both sides of the glass with polish to fill it well. Move the car into the sun so the windshield can dry. You will eventually need to repair your windshield, but this will give you time to shop around for the best deal.
FILL SMALL NICKS ON FLOORS AND GLASS • If some children have been playing hockey on your hardwood floors, fill in those little nicks by dabbing them with some clear nail polish. It will dry shiny, so sand the spot gently with some 600-grit sandpaper. A thick coat of clear nail polish also helps to soften the sharp edge of a nicked mirror or glass pane.
RESET LOOSE JEWELRY STONES • If a piece of jewelry has lost a stone or two, you don’t have to put it in the ‘play dress-up’ box yet. The stone can be reset using a little drop of clear nail polish as the ‘glue’. It dries quickly and the repair will be invisible.
REPAIR LACQUERED ITEMS • If you chip a favorite lacquered vase or other lacquered item, try mixing colors of nail polish to match the piece, then paint over the chipped area to make it less noticeable.
WARNING: You may lower the value of an antique by doing this, so only use this method if you’re repairing an inexpensive item.
TEMPORARILY REPAIR GLASSES
You sat on your glasses and one lens has a small crack, but you can’t get to the optometrist right away? Seal the crack on both sides with a thin coat of clear nail polish. That will it hold together until you can see your way to the eye doc.
PLUG A HOLE IN YOUR COOLER • A small hole inside your cooler doesn’t make it ready for the trash can just yet. Seal the hole with two coats of nail polish to hold in ice and other liquid substances.
FILL WASHING MACHINE NICKS • It’s a mystery how they got there, but your washing machine tub has one or two nicks near the holes, and now you’re concerned about snags in your clothes or even rust spots. Seal those nicks with some nail polish, feathering the edges so there is no lip.
KEEP CHIPPED CAR PAINT FROM RUSTING • If your car’s paint has small dings and chips, you can keep them from rusting or enlarging by dabbing clear nail polish on the damaged areas.
SMOOTH WOODEN HANGERS • If you’ve noticed a few splinters or nicks in your wooden hangers, no need to toss them out. Brush some nail polish over the rough edges to smooth the surface again and keep your coat linings safe.
TIGHTEN LOOSE SCREWS • You may not be rough with your drawers and cupboards, but you may well find yourself tightening certain knob screws once too often. Keep them in place by brushing a little clear polish on the screw threads, insert the screws, and allow to dry before using again. This is also a great solution if you’ve been keeping a Phillips screwdriver in the kitchen for loose pot handles. You can also use clear nail polish to keep nuts on machine screws or bolts from coming loose, and if you need to take the nuts off, a twist with a wrench will break the seal.
MEND HOLES IN WINDOW SCREENS • It’s not unusual to find that a small hole has been poked in a window or door screen. If the hole is no more than about 1/4 inch (6 mm) in diameter, you can block out the insects and keep the hole from getting bigger by dabbing on a bit of clear nail polish.
FIX TORN WINDOW BLINDS • If there’s a small tear visible in your window blind, you don’t have to start looking for a replacement just yet. Try sealing it with a light dab of clear nail polish.