When treating wooden cutting boards, make sure you use mineral oil, not cooking oil. Cooking oil can go rancid and smell. This goes for wood counters as well.

* "Push the cardboard tube from a roll of paper towels into a pot of sand or marbles to create a glove or hat drying station. They will be propped up and open. To dry a hat, I stick a plastic bowl upside down on the tube and put the hat on that. If the pot is big enough, you can stick more rolls in there to dry several items at once." -- A.L. in Nebraska

* Save it for the garden: tea leaves (including bags), coffee grounds, cooking water from starches like pasta and potatoes, club soda and mineral water that has gone flat, and even soapy dishwater. All have nutrients your plants will appreciate.

* "To keep yourself from sleeping on your back, get a T-shirt that has a pocket on it. Sew a racquetball into the pocket, and wear the T-shirt backward. This has worked wonders for my husband. He breathes much better when he sleeps on his side." -- I.L. in Oklahoma

* "I always save my Styrofoam egg cartons. My children use them for all kinds of crafts, but mostly as paint pots. They can sit brushes in the non-cup side, and if they take a break, it can be re-covered and put in the refrigerator for later." -- C.J. in North Carolina

* Shower caps make great kitchen helpers. Use one to cover a bowl of fresh-cut fruit, or on a bowl of rising bread. Or use one to cover a plate of leftovers to deliver to a friend.

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