[Growster...]

The other night, I was half-listening to the wireless, and one of the call-in subjects was 'Life hacks'!

I only heard a few clips before re-slumbering, but they all seemed to be genuine ways to make life easier, which some call - rather unkindly - 'Old wive's tales'...

But, the general thread was that cleaning items using vinegar, baking powder and lemon juice was a normal method accepted by many citizens some years ago, and I wondered if anybody here has a few of these invaluable tips to share...?

[rowlandwells]

what your saying growster is very true of  old methods for cleaning unfortunately there are many products on the shelf today that do the same thing and so many people who used those methods or have passed on and never told the younger generation about these things that where cheep and did the job

its a shame but true all these things are left in the history of past  like you mentioned the word wireless an old description  of modern day radio and my parents always called it a wireless not a radio 

[Goosegirl]

I remember my mum using Dolly Blue to make your whites whiter and it sure did. We used to visit one of our rellies on the train and went past a factory that made the stuff and the brick building had blue runs all down the wall.

[mrs bouquet]

I use white vinegar etc for my cleaning.   I have got a book called "Vinegar - 1001 practical Uses.   It is brillitant.  Mrs Bouquet

[Growster...]

What I'm really after is a way to renovate some old baking pans. They were originally 'non-stick', but do really need some TLC!

I ruined one set some time ago, by using a strong oven cleaner, which also took off the non-stick stuff...

Any ideas?

[Blewit]

What I'm really after is a way to renovate some old baking pans.

Any ideas?

I line mine with a compostable baking parchment.

[Subversive_plot]

Sometimes trees must be felled, always leaving a stump behind. Some people call in a 'stump grinder' who uses power equipment to tear the stump into coarse chips and shreds, which are usually blended into the soil.  However, without the right kind of nutrients and growth of bacteria and fungi, it can take a long time for the wood to break down.

You can take a different approach using a drill and high nitrogen fertilizer. Use a drill with a spade bit (3/4 to 1-inch size) to drill holes vertically into the stump, roughly a finger's length apart and a few inches deep.  Fill the holes with high nitrogen fertilizer (a balanced fertilizer can work, but it is the N that helps here). The fertilizer greatly increases the nitrogen that microbes need to break down the wood.  Depending on the type of wood, decomposition should allow you to more easily chop out the stump with a maul or a pick in several months to a year or so.

Chemically, 'stump remover' chemicals do the same thing, they just cost a lot more.

A variation on the process is to bury the stump with a nitrogen-rich material, such as manure or compost. You can even construct a raised bed around the stump and bury it.  The stump will decompose, leaving organic matter behind.