Wrapping tulip stems in a sheet of newspaper and placing them in a vase of cold water for an hour lets them hydrate upright so they stay straighter and look livelier once the paper comes off and they're displayed.
Three Handy Hints for Home, Body, and Beauty
A few small tricks for the home, the body, and a bit of everyday skin care, all using things that are easy to have on hand.
Keep Tulips Standing Tall
Ease Back Aches With a Pillow
Taking some downtime eases a backache now and helps prevent further discomfort later; adding a pillow under the knees for back sleepers, or between the knees for side sleepers, removes about 55 pounds of pressure from the back, letting inflamed tissue heal overnight.
Treat Blemishes With a Honey-Aspirin Paste
Mixing 2 crushed aspirin tablets with 1 teaspoon of honey into a paste, applying it to blemishes, and letting it sit for 10 minutes before rinsing uses honey's natural antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties alongside aspirin to help calm breakouts.
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This edition is part of the Genius House Hacks archive: 20+ years of tips, rebuilt from the original Handy Hints newsletter. Browse more hacks →