Frugal Home Remedies #741

By Guest Writer: Ruth Morse

The ODD, the UNUSUAL, and the downright WEIRD

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Is it just me? Does anyone else seem to accumulate oddly bizarre home tips? I kid you not, these are honest to goodness things I have heard of and/or used recently.

• Have an itch that is driving you crazy? Slap a little piece of SCOTCH TAPE on it. Instant relief! I would not suggest using the shiny kind of tape if you plan to leave the house, especially if you have multiple bites. But the variety with the matte finish? Nobody will know.



• Use DUCT TAPE to remove a wart! You probably already knew this tip -- it's been around for awhile. You have to cover the wart and keep it covered with duct tape for at least 6 days straight. Reapply if one time does not do the trick. After 6 days, remove the tape, soak the wart and then {{ouch}} pare it down with an emery board. Why does this work? There are 2 theories. The first is that this debrides the wart, helping to eliminate the virus that lives in the skin. The second is that somehow the duct tape gets the patient's own immune system to attack the virus wart. Really? Because the immune system is sick of wearing shiny silver? Who cares, if it does the trick.
  
  
• Perhaps you have a wart in an area where duct tape will not stick, such as, pardon me, a moist foot? The alternative? GORILLA GLUE. Honest. The family member who used this method prefers to remain anonymous. I'd suggest you get the super glue type of Gorilla Glue, as it dries the fastest and you have a better chance of it sticking to damp skin.
  

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DUCT TAPE repair. You can find endless lists on the internet of ways to use duct tape to repair almost anything. We've all seen cars going down the road with duct tape slapped over a broken tail light. I've even heard of someone who used it to cover up one of those pesky dashboard lights that came on and was so annoying. Cover it with duct tape! No light shows through! Problem solved. Lucky you!
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I have a couple of photos of two very effective uses of duct tape repair. These have been in place for several years now and are holding strong.

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Please note: sometimes a combination of duct tape and a zip tie is needed. But that's another whole subject: THE ODD, THE WEIRD, THE UNUSUAL USES OF ZIP TIES AND/OR BUNGEE CORDS!
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This last weird tip is still a work in progress.

Have a woodchuck munching on your veggie garden or digging massive holes under the shed?
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Just lay out some JUICY FRUIT GUM! Honest. Our friend John is desperate to save his garden and has laid out quantities of gum around the veggie patch. His son used it in his own back yard and claims that it works like a charm. So, stay tuned and I'll keep you updated on how this turns out for John. The woodchuck is supposed to be attracted to the gum, but the gum will, well, gum up the woodchuck's system and make him "sick" {don't tell PETA}. My biggest question is: who even thought to try JUICY FRUIT GUM in this bizarre way? I suspect it is someone who owns Juicy Fruit stock. By the way, this blurry picture is not a shot of the woodchuck plaguing poor John. I spotted this critter in our backyard earlier this summer. Quietly went and got the camera, but old Woody heard me anyway & as soon as I stepped close to the back door, he ran across the yard like a shot and leaped into my neighbor's lawn chair, settled in, like he was on the deck of a cruise ship.

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...and one more thing......
uh, I'll get back to you when I remember it.
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The Cheap Senior Citizen is a Guest Writer who occasionally shares helpful hints she has learned through her experience.
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