Two For Tuesday

Welcome to "Two For Tuesday" (2FT), a new feature of Hearth and Home that I hope will help me to share my little bit of my life with those of you out there who might be interested!  2FT means I'll be sharing two things with you each Tuesday, maybe it's something fun, maybe it's something helpful, or maybe it's something pretty.  We'll see as time goes by, but today I hope they are two things that are helpful.

First up, the trash can!  Who likes a smelly trash can?  Certainly not me, and I have found two things that help in that respect, one is relatively inexpensive and easy to do, the other one would require a bit of online shopping, but is well worth the effort.  Let me say now that I don't buy the expensive trash bags with odor killers or scents to cover the odors.  I find they are more expensive than they are worth, and don't usually do as good a job as is advertised.

First, the one that you'll have to look for.  It's called Nil-o-litter, and was created as an additive for cat litter boxes.  I, however, found it works great to put it in the bottom of a trash can, then put in the plastic bag, and it helps absorb odors.  It can be found in many places, but I found mine HERE.   Amazon has it, too, for about the same price.

The second one is so easy, and I found out about it quite by accident!  If your trash can is particularly smelly, and you don't want to put it out just yet, take a tablespoon or two of dry, un-used coffee grounds and sprinkle them over the garbage in the can.  The smell of the coffe will over-ride the other odors, and let you get a little bit more use out of that bag, and personally, I just love that coffee smell!

And now for the second tip!  First let me say that a few weeks ago I was at the supermarket looking for turkey roasting bags and ran into a lady who was looking at the slow cooker liners.  You know the ones that you  put into the slow cooker, put your food inside and then when it's clean-up time you just toss the bag???  Our conversation went something like this:

Her:  "Have you ever used these?"

Me:  "No, I haven't."

Her:  "I just hate cleaning the slow cooker!"

Me:  "Well, I used to hate it, but now, after I get all the food out of it, I fill it with hot water and a bit of dish detergent, cover it, set it on warm and let it sit all night.  Next morning it's a breeze to clean."

Her:  "Hmmmm, I never thought of that!"

And we went our separate ways! 

And yes, that's my tip!  When I have a messy slow cooker to clean up, I scrape the food residue out of it, fill it with hot water and a bit of dish detergent, cover it, set the controls to warm, and let it sit overnight.  The next morning you just have to wash it out, and you have a clean slow cooker!  Very easy, too!

Now, do you have any special tips you'd like to share???

Blessings, Becky