Yankee Magazine Vinegar, Duct Tape, Milk Jugs & More: 1,001 Ingenious Ways to Use Common Household Items to Repair, Restore, Revive, or Replace Just about ... in Your Life (Yankee Magazine Guidebook) [Bargain Price] [Paperback]

Earl Proulx (Author), The Editors of Yankee Magazine (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 21, 2004

With his trademark folksy wisdom, Earl Proulx tells you how to recycle those things we all have lying around the house into ingenious solutions without spending money on fancy cleaning solutions, or pricey gadgets. Some of Earl's particular favorites are kitty litter (as a cleaner for oils pills and as a base for a soothing facial mask) and, of course, vinegar (to clean just about anything, unclog showerheads, as well as trap fruit pests), duct tape (as both tick remover and a protection against blisters), and milk jugs (bird feeders and clothespin holders). His fun and inventive ideas also include:

Ant-proof your home with lemon juice
Cover up furniture scratches with a dab of iodine
Use powdered milk to soothe sunburn and remove makeup
Make an earring holder out of window screen
Recycle bubble wrap for a toilet tank insulator

Organized by location inside and outside of the house, this essential compendium will make you pause each time you start to throw something (old blue jeans, ice cube trays, coat hangers, egg cartons) out in the trash.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Throw out a candle stub, some sour milk, that leftover bag of cat litter?

Not on your life!

You might think of these things as waste that's headed for the trash can, but there are hundreds of practical ways you can save money, time, and natural resources by reusing these and other common objects around your house. Follow Earl Proulx and the editors of Yankee magazine as they show you how to:

* Make soothing facial mask from cat litter
* Cover up furniture scratches with a dab of iodine
* Turn an old teacup, a sandwich bag, and some sugar into an elegant pincushion
* Clean car grease off your hands with olive oil
* Unstick a window with the stub of an old candlestick
* Clear a clogged showerhead with vinegar
* Ant-proof your home with lemon juice
* Make an attractive country picture frame from an old six-pane window
* End static cling with hair spray
* Stop foot blisters with duct tape
* Keep bait worms fresh with coffee grounds
* Make an earring holder out of window screening

More Than 1,000 Creative, Fun, and Ingenious Tips

Clever to the core, Earl Proulx has been coming up with ingenious ways to reuse things since his career as a handyman started nearly 70 years ago. Every month, he shares his solutions and home hints with the more than two million Yankee magazine readers who enjoy his "Plain Talk" column.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

About the Author

Earl Proulx died in March 2003. He was 88 years old and had edited Yankee's "Plain Talk: column for 22 years. He will be missed.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Rodale Books (February 21, 2004)
• ISBN-10: 089909385X
• ASIN: B000IOEXVK
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #991,564 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars VERY useful!, July 28, 2003

By 

L. L Teuling "meloroze" (McAllen, TX) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Yankee Magazine's Vinegar, Duct Tape, Milk Jugs & More (Hardcover)

This book is divided into about fourteen sections and deals with many different parts of the home. Like the book LIVING WELL ON A SHOESTRING, it puts strong emphasis on saving money. But this book puts more emphasis on recycling common objects around the house and using them in a plethora of ways.

His office suggestions are worth the price of the whole book! He suggests using a current glossy calendar for a mouse pad for the computer, using extra envelopes that come with greeting cards as storage for computer disks in file folders -- and show you how to specially cut them for the purpose. He suggests using a dish rack for temporary sorting of file folders. And get this -- for car enthusiasts, he suggests using a clean distributor cap as a pen and pencil holder and conversation piece!

This book is a smorgasbord of great ideas for every part of the home. If you put these ideas to use, you'll get back the price of the bok many times!

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Money Saver in Tough Times, June 29, 2009

By 

Michael Gooch "Management Consultant-HR" (Washington, Indiana) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Yankee Magazine Vinegar, Duct Tape, Milk Jugs & More: 1,001 Ingenious Ways to Use Common Household Items to Repair, Restore, Revive, or Replace Just ... in Your Life (Yankee Magazine Guidebook) (Paperback)

In our current economic slump, a book of this type can make a big difference in our weekly income. The thousand plus practical ways to save money and become more "green" is well worth the price of the book.

The book is conveniently divided into these primary areas:

* Kitchen
* Bathroom
* Laundry Room
* Living & family room
* Bedroom
* Workshop & garage
* Outside the house
* Gardening
* Recreation, sports & hobbies
* Day trips, weekends & vacation travel
* Celebrations
* Gift giving
* Office
* Serendipity

In addition to these main categories, the front of the book breaks various items into an alphabetized list so you can easily find the pages which uses toothpaste, socks, vinegar, etc., etc.

This is a very clever book that is also ingenious in the various ways ordinary items can be put to extraordinary uses. Also, I found the book to be laid out in a user friendly way with a lot of fun graphics. Besides the usefulness, it is a great, easy read on a rainy day.

I hope you find this review helpful.

Michael L. Gooch

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing, February 16, 2009

By 

A. Ridout - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Yankee Magazine Vinegar, Duct Tape, Milk Jugs & More: 1,001 Ingenious Ways to Use Common Household Items to Repair, Restore, Revive, or Replace Just ... in Your Life (Yankee Magazine Guidebook) (Paperback)

What a wonderful resource for alternative uses for everyday things. Chockful of ideas and humor! With everyone 'going green', a good resource for making your own cleaners and re-using things that usually end up in the trash.