One-Minute Heavy Cream Substitute

If a recipe calls for 1 cup heavy cream (not for whipping) and you don't have any on hand, combine 3/4 cup milk with 1/3 cup melted butter in a 2-cup measure and whisk until the mixture is well blended.

Removing Common Stains

Perspiration Stain Remover

1 Cup white vinegar
1/4 cup salt
2 quarts warm water

Mix the ingredients in a bucket and soak garment for one hour before washing.

Red Wine Remover

1 Tablespoon borax
2 cups warm water

Dip garment in solution let it soak for one minute, then launder.

Quick Garbage Disposer Sweetener

Instead of buying a commercial product to keep your garbage disposer smelling good, try this easy solution. Save leftover orange, lemon, and grapefruit peels in a sealed bag in your refrigerator. Then, once or twice a week, run a few peels through the disposer.

Leaking Toilet Test

Toilets can leak undetected, leading to an expensive waste of water, and sometimes ruined floors. You don't need a plumber to find out. Here's how to test a toilet for leaks yourself.

You will need: 10 drops of food coloring.

1. Add food coloring to the tank on the back of the toilet and leave it for 1 hour.

2. When the hour is up, examine the water in the toilet bowl. If water has leaked into it, you need to replace the toilet tank ball. Buy a replacement at a hardware store and, following directions on the package, put in the new ball.

3. If the colored water has leaked onto the floor, you likely need a new wax ring under the toilet. Replacing this takes some strength-a porcelain toilet bowl is heavy to lift-so you may want a plumber to do this job. It's not hard to do: Shut off the water supply to the toilet (the shut off valve is usually on the wall at the base of the toilet). Flush the toilet, and when it is empty, unscrew and lift the toilet from the wall. Buy a replacement wax ring to match the worn one under the toilet. Install the new wax ring and set the toilet back in place, screw it down, and turn the water back on. Repeat the food coloring test to make sure the leak is stopped.