My driveway looks messy from all the stains and brown splotches. Is there anything I can do?

Over time driveways can collect all kinds of stains. Page 179 in The Trouble With Tulip has some great ideas to remove these marks.

Step One - Wet down the stains with a hose and then, believe it or not, sprinkle them with lemon Kool-Aid! Cover them with plastic, let them soak for about fifteen minutes and then scrub with a brush and rinse. The stains should be gone.

But,if they're not -

Step Two - Get some oven cleaner, spray it on kind of heavily, let it sit for fifteen and then rinse.

Good luck!

How do I get grass stains out of my clothes?

Removing grass stains can be difficult. Page 175 from The Trouble with Tulip has some suggestions that really work!

1. Try dabbing the stains with rubbing alcohol.
2. If that doesn't work, try sponging on white vinegar.
3. If that doesn't work, try rubbing in toothpaste.

Launder as usual but don't dry the clothes until the grass stains have been completely removed, lest you set the stains.

On to the refrigerator - how can I clean the rubber tracks around my refrigerator door?

Page 117 from The Trouble With Tulip recommends putting a wet soapy washcloth over a butter knife to clean the rubber tracks. Just run the covered knife in the grooves and the goop comes out.

What is the safest way to clean the inside of my car windows?

Page 81 of The Trouble With Tulip indicates that the biggest mistake people make when cleaning the inside of their car windows is to use store-bought glass cleaners because they're ammonia based. The ammonia can dry out the plastic, rubber and vinyl around the glass. A better cleaner is eight parts vinegar to one part water. It works just as well but doesn't hurt the lining.

How can I remove those little scratches in the plastic on my dashboard?

Page 81 from The Trouble With Tulip suggests that you rub some baby oil directly onto the pastic. Voila! The scratches disappear!

How can I keep the inside of my car looking new?

The next few entries will focus on ways to keep the inside of your car looking like new.

Page 81 from The Trouble With Tulip recommends using saddle soap and a damp sponge to clean your leather seats. This will keep the leather clean and shiny!

Stay tuned for more ideas!

What is an easy way to clean my miniblinds?

Page 26 from The Trouble With Tulip suggests that you find a pair of old socks and fill a small bucket with your favorite cleaning solution mixed with water. Put the socks on your hands and dip your right hand in the solution and run it along a slat, fingers on top and thumb along the bottom. Then use your left hand to dry, running it along each slat the opposite way. Wipe, dry, wipe, dry. You can work your way down the blinds with little effort!

What is a natural way to deodorize my refrigerator?

Page 26 from The Trouble with Tulip suggests that you try cutting a few oranges in half - scooping out some of the pulp and filling the shells with salt.

Note: Place them in a small low edge container to keep them from rolling over and creating a mess.

How do I prevent water from dripping through my hanging plants?

Page 25 of The Trouble With Tulip suggests that you put a shower cap under the plants when you water them. Once you're sure they're no longer dripping you can remove the cap.

Help! I need a heating pad but can't find mine.

From page 25 of The Trouble with Tulip. Try filling a clean sock with rice and securing the ends with sturdy knot. Place it in the microwave first for a brief time and it will serve as a portable heating pad!

The drawer in my dresser gets stuck in the summer. What can I do about this?

Page 25 of The Trouble With Tulip indicates that a low wattage lamp turned on inside a drawer will dry the humidity out of the wood and can stop the drawer from sticking.

Disclaimer: Please make sure nothing is touching the bulb and that the drawer is at least partially open to prevent a fire. Never leave the lamp on unattended.

How do I reduce the swelling of the bags under my eyes?

Page 18 of The Trouble With Tulip recommends cutting two big slices from the middle of a potato. Lay down and put a slice over each eye. Five minutes like that should take care of any swelling you might have.

Oh Deer!

Dear Mindy,
We recently put in a new playground for our children in the backyard. Unfortunately, the deer have decided that it is their new resting spot and personal potty. Because our children our young, we are always out there when they are playing on the playground, however, we are constantly having to clean out the deer "waste." There is already a fence surrounding the playground, plus making any adjustments to the fence surrounding the yard are just out of the question for now. What can we do to keep the deer out of the playground and yard?

Thanks!
Sincerely, Kellie
----------------------------------------------------------
Hi Kellie,
Thanks for your question. To find an answer, I consulted a book called "Grandmother's Critter Ridder" by Dr. Myles H. Bader. He has several pages of all-natural deer deterrents, but I have narrowed down his suggestions to the ones that would be the most appropriate for keeping deer away from an outdoor play area.

The key seems to be this: Surround the area where you don't want the deer to go with things that smell of humans and/or house pets. Below are some examples of how you can do this, and I would suggest trying several of these idea simultaneously:
- drop used bars of soap into used pantyhose and hang them from the trees (not kidding!)
- sweep up hair cuttings from a local beauty shop and spread it on the ground or put the hair in dirty socks and hang from trees
- cut up an old dog or cat blanket and drop the pieces around the area.

Unfortunately, you'll have to keep re-doing these things after every 2 or 3 rainstorms, because the scents do wash away. If you have access to lots of human hair, you can actually dig a shallow trench circling the area where you don't want the deer to go and fill it with hair, almost like a moat. According to Dr. Bader, "This keeps the deer away and the birds have a ball using the hair for their nests. The hair is rich in nitrogen and can be worked into the soil after the deer season is over." So there you have it! Let us know how it goes.

Blessings,
Mindy

How do I get lipstick marks out of my shirts?

From The Trouble with Tulip, page 13:
Try rubbing in some vegetable oil and letting it sit. After 20 minutes, sponge the area with some ammonia, then finally scrub with some dish soap. Launder as usual.

How can I clean the siding on my house?

According to The Trouble With Tulip (page 9), simply attach a long-handled car washing brush to an ordinary garden hose. Turn on your hose water and use the brush to scrub your siding!