You’ve heard the old saying, “There’s nothing new under the sun.” I wonder about that, especially when I run into all the cool and clever ideas folks come up with to make life easier. Too many times I’ve said to myself, “Why didn’t I think of that!” Take a look at these ultra smart ideas and you’ll see what I mean:

Hold that recipe: Years ago, DVO customer, Juanita Ridener shared this clever idea: “A common plastic pants or skirt holder also makes a perfect recipe/recipe book holder. And look how you can hang it so you’re not taking up precious counter space!” AWESOME idea! I thanked Juanita then, and I thank her again!


Slice a bell pepper zippy quick: Here’s a smart tip regarding minimizing mess when cutting bell peppers. “Lay the pepper on its side and, using a sharp utility knife, slice off a small portion of the bottom. Stand the pepper upright and slice down. Repeat 3 times, turning the pepper a quarter turn each time. You’ll be left with 4 large clean slices of pepper—the seeds will remain attached to the core.” I like how this technique pretty much eliminates those little seeds ending up all over my cutting board and counter.

Stop water with bread: Jerry Schlegel, has a hot tip for a leaky pipe: “I'd cut some water lines under the sink, but a valve got stuck and they kept leaking a steady dribble of water, which prevented me from soldering. The plumber I called in (at emergency rates) asked for a slice of bread. He tore off the crust, rolled it up, and stuck it inside the line. It stopped the flow long enough for him to solder the pipes before it dissolved and washed away. This tip cost me $130 and a slice of bread.”


Carve insulation: Patrick Schumacher uses an electric carving knife instead of a utility knife to slice easily through fiberglass batt insulation, no hard cutting surface needed.

Find the bolts: Ed Carlson has a cool use for plastic straws: “When replacing a toilet, the hardest part is to line up the bowl with the short bolts in the floor without touching the wax ring. So, I stick plastic straws on the ends of the bolts as guides and set the toilet down perfectly in one go—without messing up the wax ring.”


Get a good hold: Florence Rich knows just how to drive hard-to-manage screws: “When you're driving hard-to-turn screws with a manual screwdriver, put on a rubber kitchen glove and you'll get a no-slip grip.”

“Bag” the paint tray: Literally, actually. Martha Sorenson knows how to work smarter and not harder when painting. She puts her roller tray inside a drawstring kitchen trash bag and pulls the strings tight, then pours the paint into the tray as usual. After painting, she turns the bag inside out so that the paint is inside. Then she pulls the strings and throws the bag away. This way her tray is clean and ready for another color!


Swab wall holes: My Aunt Annie would plug all her wall holes before painting, with cotton swabs. Before she spackled nail holes, she’d cut a cotton swab in half and push it into the hole, stick end first. For larger holes, she’d fold the swab in half and use it all. Then she would trim the excess and spackle. She never needed to go back for a second pass with the spackle.

Easy greasy hands washing: Carla Brumbridge discovered this: “After handling anything greasy, wash up with liquid laundry detergent. It cuts oil better than ordinary bar soap and costs less than specialty hand cleaners.”


Remove paint with oil: Mark Henderson knows how to get paint off his skin: “I've used canola or corn oil rather than mineral spirits to clean oil-based paint off my skin. It works great, washes off with soap and water, and moisturizes my hands, too!”

Finally, a little loaf-pan how-to. It’s not necessarily a clever idea like the others above, but then, think how clever you’ll look and feel when you apply this tip and your loaves come out perfect! Metal and glass pans conduct heat differently. Recipes usually specify which type to use. If you use glass when a metal pan is specified, lower the oven temperature 25°F. For golden-brown breads, use dark metal pans. For paler loaves, choose shiny pans. If breads tend to brown too quickly in your oven, use a shiny pan and put it on a baking sheet in the oven.