If Grandma Putt had been around when throwaway fabric-softener sheets hit the stores, she’d have had a fit—what a waste to spend good money on something you toss after only one use, when you can make one yourself to use over and over again! It’s easy, too. Just grab a clean washcloth and soak it for a minute or two in a half-and-half solution of water and liquid fabric softener. Then remove the cloth, wring it out, and toss it into the dryer with your static-prone clothes. Use it for several loads (without re-soaking), then launder the cloth and start all over again with a fresh batch of softener and wat

When you’re looking for relief from sunburn pain, garlic probably isn’t the first remedy that springs to mind—but it sure is one of the most effective. Don’t just take my word for it, though. The next time you need to cool down an overheated hide, brew up a batch of this super-soothing tea. Here’s the easier-than-pie recipe:

Simmer 2 chopped garlic cloves in 2 cups of water for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat, cover the pan, and let it steep for 45 minutes. When it’s cooled to room temperature, strain out the solids, pour the tea into a covered container, and stash it in the fridge until it’s cool. Then soak a washcloth or hand towel in the chilly brew, wring out the excess liquid, and put the damp cloth on the painful area. Leave it in place for 20 minutes or so, then replace it with a freshly moistened cloth until you feel relief from the discomfort.

Take a powder—athlete’s foot powder, that is. This odiferous health-care product can fend off much more than the foul fungi that make your tootsies cracked and sore—it can also help protect your garden from pests and diseases. Here are just a few ways you can put that strong aroma to work:

Repel ants. Just sprinkle the powder around whatever the ants are targeting. They’ll keep their distance for sure.

Deter deer. Pour athlete’s foot powder onto cotton cloths and hang them on your fence—or in the branches of your trees and shrubs—to keep deer away.

Critter-proof spring bulbs. Before planting spring-flowering bulbs, dust them with the powder. It’ll keep squirrels, chipmunks, and other four-legged pests from digging them up and eating them for dinner.

Protect bulbs in storage. When you dig up gladiolus, dahlias, and other tender bulbs in the fall, dust them with athlete’s foot powder before stashing them away. It’ll fend off insects and diseases that could sneak in over the winter.

Have you ever noticed that there always seem to be outdoor chores that need to be done on chilly days when you’d much rather be curled up under a blanket in front of a fireplace? Or maybe it’s so sweltering outside that you don’t want to move from in front of an air conditioner, unless it’s to plunge into a refreshing pool? Well, I don’t know any way to change that—short of hiring someone to do all your yard and garden work. But I do know how a couple of common baby-care products can help make you more comfortable when the great outdoors doesn’t seem so great, after all. Here’s the deal:

* When the temperature plummets, and you have a job to do, but you can’t do it with gloves on, massage your hands with baby oil. It’ll close up the pores and help prevent damage from the frigid air.

* In steamy weather, before you head out to mow the lawn or dig in the garden, rub some baby powder on your hands. It’ll absorb excess perspiration and help prevent blisters.

Some years, you don’t even notice grasshoppers. They go about their business, not bothering anybody. Then one day, out of the blue, BAM! They descend in swarming masses, and almost before you can blink, every speck of green has vanished from your garden. These scourges happen most often on the hot, dry western plains, but grasshoppers can gang up on any patch of green in the country. When it comes to controlling them, there’s bad news and good news. The bad news is that they aren’t bugged at all by my marvelous mixes and other sprays that knock most other garden pests flat. The good news is that ’hoppers flock to molasses the way bears flock to honey. You can put their craving to work in two ways:

1. Bury a jar up to its rim and fill it with a mixture of equal parts of molasses and water. The hellions will dive right in, and they won’t get out—not alive, that is.

2. Mix 1 part molasses to 9 parts water, and pour the stuff into shallow containers, such as cat food or tuna cans. Set the cans in your garden, and sprinkle breadcrumbs or sunflower seeds around them. Grasshoppers will zero in on the sweet water, and in the blink of an eye, birds will pounce on them and then hang around to help with your other pest-control chores.