Reena’s Tips of the Week:

You might have coffee with your pasta, but what about coffee IN your pasta dish? We’ll tell you why this works!

Finding it impossible to get that black grease off your hands? There’s a simple solution.

Have company coming and need to freshen up your kitchen? We’ve got the perfect recipe.

For the details on these household solutions, read on!

Coffee’s Not Just for Drinkin’

A bit of java is amazing at absorbing odours and in this case, also true when it comes to absorbing flavours. While cooking tomato sauce, add a half a teaspoon of instant coffee to the mix. Sounds a little odd but this extra step will take the acidic edge off of the tomato sauce as it lowers the pH of this main ingredient, making it slightly closer to neutral.

Grease Be Gone!

Living with a mechanic or a wannabe who gets black grease just about everywhere? Don’t worry, there’s an easy answer to this problem.

To clean hands stained with black grease, rub them with oil and sugar. Follow this with a nice scrub and then finish off with a wash with dish soap and water.

The Glade Alternative

In-laws are gonna be popping by? Wanna leave a lasting impression at an open house? Whatever the occasion, freshen up the smell of your kitchen with this excellent brew for the senses.

In a pot combine:

1 cup of apple cider vinegar
1 slice of lemon
3 cloves
1 bay leaf

Let simmer for 20 minutes on the stove. Smells great!

All solutions are to be used at the risk of the user.

Reena Nerbas is the author of “Household Solutions 1 with Substitutions & Household Solutions 2 with Kitchen Secrets.”

To learn more about Reena, click here.