Use Cinnamon to Get Rid of Ants

Every spring ants show up in my kitchen.

They come in around the sliding glass door in the back and start looking for crumbs to take back to their nests.

I used to put out ant bait and poisons that they would eat and take back to feed their friends, but now I have a 10 month old baby in the house so I had to find another way to get rid of the ants that was safe for the baby.

I came across an article that talked about how much ants hate cinnamon, so I bought a big jar of it at the local discount warehouse.

I tried to find where the ants were coming into the house by following the ones that had found crumbs and were taking them back to the nests. Just watch them for a while to see where they are going, and then sprinkle cinnamon on those areas. You can also dust the ants themselves with some cinnamon to take back and rub on their friends in the nest.

Next, I sprinkled a line of cinnamon along the entire sliding glass doors, both inside and outside to act as a barrier for future ants.

So far, it is working very well, and I don’t have to worry about my son getting into poisonous ant baits!

{ 0 comments }

Use a Strap Wrench to Open Impossible Jar Lids

I have this tool called a strap wrench in one of my kitchen drawers.

It has a plastic handle with a long strap of rubber the comes out and then circles back into the handle. You can adjust the length of the rubber part to whatever size you need, and it really comes in handy.

Normally, a strap wrench is used on pipes or other plumbing applications, but I’ve found that it works very well to open those jars and lids that are impossible to open with your bare hands.

I used to take a butter knife and bang on the lids to try to loosen them, but that only worked sometimes, and if I slipped, I would hit the glass jar and break it.

So now I just grab my strap wrench, wrap the rubber loop around the lid, tighten the loop and then twist the lid right off. It works every time, and there is no danger of breaking your jars.

You can find a strap wrench for less than $5 in stores like sears, walmart, target, etc. Pick one up the next time you’re out shopping!

{ 0 comments }

Watch Out For Fake Invoices

Looking through my mail today, I saw an official-looking envelope and opened it.

It was a threatening letter / invoice combination with an amount due of $225 to renew my LLC registration.

I freaked out at the amount, because it used to only be $10 to renew!

I re-read the notice again, and noticed at the bottom of the page some disclaimer language that “this is not an official invoice, and no payment is due” in tiny print.

Now suspicious, I searched Bing for the name of the company and found lots of complaints on message boards like RipOffReport about these fake invoices.

This company basically scrapes the Secretary of State business database from each state and then mails these fake invoices out to everyone on the list.

I’m sure a large percentage of businesses actually pay these, making huge profits for these scammers.

The lesson here is to take your time, carefully read every invoice, validate the charges, and do your research. I just saved myself $215 by investigating these idiots.

{ 0 comments }

Use a Sound Generator in Your Baby’s Room For Better Sleep

My baby was having a hard time sleeping – waking up constantly, stirring at the slightest noise inside or outside my house, etc.

Then I got smart and tried one of those sound generator alarm clocks that help you go to sleep at night.

It worked very well, especially on the “crashing waves” sound.

I keep it turned up full volume in his room to drown out any outside noise, and let it run during his naps as well as all night long.

He sleeps much better now, and thrashes around a lot less as well, so it seems like he’s getting a better quality of sleep.

When you get your new sound machine, make sure to test all of the sounds, not just the ones that YOU think will work best.

You may be surprised which sounds your baby prefers!

{ 0 comments }

Stain That Ugly Bare Concrete For a Professional Look

How much ugly bare concrete is around your house?

My entire neighborhood was built with ugly, bare, grey concrete porches and front steps so I decided to do something about it.

I went searching for a concrete stain that came in many different colors so that I could complement the paint colors of my house, and I finally found a great product at Ace Hardware.

The product is called Mason’s Select Transparent Concrete Stain, and it comes in about 10 different colors.

My main paint color is olive green with a cream colored trim, so I chose the terra-cotta stain to complement the existing colors. There are many different color wheel websites online that you can use to match or complement existing colors, so use that to work with your own colors.

I taped off the area to stain, cleaned the concrete thoroughly, let it dry, and then applied the stain according to directions.

It came out looking fantastic, and I get complements and questions almost every day from neighbors, people driving or walking by, and just about everyone who sees the finished steps.

My house stands out due to the unique, finished look and the faux-finish type of look that the stain provides.

Make sure to get the clear sealant that is sold along with the stain because if you don’t seal the stain it will eventually start to flake off and will need to be retouched once in a while.

One gallon of stain costs about $35, and the sealant is about the same price, so for about $75 total you can completely transform the look of your home.

{ 0 comments }

← Previous Entries