Home remedies that will work for you

• If your cooler is smelling less than fresh, one of these home remedies might work: charcoal briquettes, baking soda or crumpled newspaper. Wash the cooler inside and out with warm, soapy water; dry and place a paper bowl filled with either about 10 charcoal briquettes or half a box of baking soda, or fill to capacity with crumpled newspaper. Close tightly and let sit overnight. Remove filling. If it still smells, repeat the process.

• “To soften hard brown sugar, slip the sugar into a zip-lock bag with a slice of white bread. Seal the bag and after leaving it overnight, you should be able to take the piece of bread out and break up the clunks easily with your hands.” — T.I., via e-mail

• Here’s a great cleaner for use in the shower. Fill a spray bottle with plain white vinegar, then drop in several sprigs of thyme. Give it a couple of weeks in the cabinet to “cure,” and then mist the shower daily. The vinegar is acidic, and the thyme’s essential oils are antifungal — warding off mold spores.

• “To get a juice boost from lemons, limes and oranges for recipes, microwave the fruit for no more than 10 seconds. Then roll on the counter before cutting. If you hold it cut side up over a bowl, you’ll still get the juice but won’t have to fish out seeds.” — S.K. in California

• It’s picnic season, and here’s a quick reminder for stain removal. Mustard: Pretreat with full-strength laundry detergent, soak in hot water for 30 minutes, then launder as usual. Ketchup: Rinse with cool water to flush out, apply an enzyme-based pretreater, sponge with peroxide and launder as usual. Be sure to check all stains coming out of the washer. If the stain remains and the garment is dryed in the dryer, the heat will likely set the stain for good.