CLEANING - Baking Stones

1. "To clean your pizza baking stone - sprinkle with baking soda & rub lightly with a damp cloth. Rinse well. Works great!"Submitted by Connie

2. " Scrape off as much as you can using the edge of of a plastic pancake turner or something similar. Don't worry about leaving a stain; as you use the stone and it gets older you''re bound to get more stains..It just helps to "season" the stone. The next time you use the stone give it a light spray of Pam.This may help with any discoloration and any stuck on food." Submitted by Paula

3. "I have one and it looks totally disgusting! But I understand from several sources that the more you use it, the better it works. And cleaning it only with warm water is against our idea of "cleaning." But if you use any soap or cleaner on it, it absorbs the soap and leaves that taste. So keep using, rinsing with water. The uglier, the better the food tastes. It's also good for baking french fries & onion rings (frozen), cookies & biscuit (I use parchment paper here)." Submitted by Ann

Much thanks go out to Betsy, an antiques dealer, for this hint.

She says: "I have a household hint that I use all the time. I am a part-time antiques dealer and often have to clean granite ware or enamel pots and pans. The easy way is to spray on oven cleaner, wait 30 minutes or so and wipe off. No scrubbing, no scratching, just clean and shiny!"

Cupboards - Preventing Stickiness

Line your spice or baking section of your pantry with an inexpensive (and disposable) aluminum baking sheet. Place sticky items like honey, corn syrup or molasses on this. It'll prevent the insides of your cupboards from becoming a sticky mess. You can just throw away the baking sheet when it gets too sticky and disgusting.

Dishwasher - Cleaning and Removing Odors

1. "The easiest way that I've heard of to freshen a dishwasher (or a garbage disposal, etc) is to just use some baking soda. Put that in your dishwasher and run it empty and the smells should be gone. The same goes for the garbage disposal. All you need to do is run hot water for a minute or so, dump some baking soda down and run the disposal. Gotta love that baking soda!" Submitted by Millie.

2. "Run an empty load with 1 cup white vinegar -- it will clean it and make it smell great!!" Submitted by Carla

1. Opening brand new jars can be a feat in itself. Instead of banging a jar of jam, pickles, etc., with a knife until it loosens up, I simply reach into the drawer and pull out the handy nutcracker. It adjusts to the size of the jar and I simply give it a good twist and off pops the lid!

2. If you have a problem opening jars: Try using latex dishwashing gloves. They give a non-slip grip that makes opening jars easy.

You don't need to buy the new Fruit and Veggie Washes to get your produce squeaky clean. Sprinkle on baking soda, give a good scrub, and rinse with water. Very clean, for only pennies!

Remove burnt food from pans

To easily remove burnt on food from your skillet, simply add a drop or two of dish soap and enough water to cover bottom of pan, and bring to a boil on stovetop.

Removing Garlic Smell from Hands

Get rid of stinky onion and garlic hands after cooking with these favorites! Rub your hands in cold water against a stainless steel spoon and voila - odor be gone!