The #1 Way To Brighten Dingy, Discolored Pillows

How to eliminate bacteria lurking in your knife block, where to find money lying around your house, and more. August 20, 2021 [View Online]( Good morning! My family calls it “relentless stubbornness” while I prefer to say I’m determined, but I rarely give anything up without a fight. My try-anything approach has led me to some of my all-time favorite household hacks, including the tip for whitening yellowed pillows in Today’s Good Thing that never fails to astonish. My aversion to throwing in the towel has also led me to discover some cleaning tips I didn’t even know I needed. You’ll use one of them if you join me in taking on the new Weekend Cleaning Challenge! Jillee TODAY'S GOOD THING Make Yellowed Pillows Look New Again [Photos of pillows being whitened in the wash.]( Before you retire that old discolored pillow, try this whitening method known for its incredible results. It’s not exactly a mystery how bed pillows get so grimy—between body oil, skin and hair products, and run-of-the-mill dirt, the discoloration is all but unavoidable. (I suppose you could avoid it if you went back in time and put your still-new pillow in a pillow protector, but is that really how you want to use your time machine?) But there is a way you can turn back the clock on those old pillows while remaining firmly in the present. With a few brightening agents, some hot water, and a trip through the wash, you can rescue yellowed pillows and restore them to a much whiter and brighter state. Here’s how to do it: Start by bringing a large pot of water to a boil, then stir in 1 cup of powdered laundry detergent, 1 cup of powdered dishwasher detergent, and 1/2 cup of borax until the powder dissolves. Pour the water into your top-loading washer or bathtub and add 1 cup of bleach. Put the pillows in your washer or tub, add enough additional hot water to cover them, then let them soak there for at least 30 minutes. After soaking, wash the pillows in your washing machine with an extra rinse, then dry them on low or no heat with a few dryer balls to help fluff them back up. See the results for yourself and the complete step-by-step tutorial by clicking below—I think you’ll be as impressed as I was! [See The Results]( [See The Results]( Related • [The Best Laundry Detergent Recipes: 3 Different Options]( • [27 Handy Uses for Borax You Really Ought To Know]( ⚡️QUICK CLICKS⚡️ • While many foods do last longer when you store them in your fridge, these 15 foods are better off at room temperature. [Read more ➜]( • Digitizing your entire collection of family photos and home movies (from VHS to Super 8) can be easier than you think. [Read more ➜]( • When anything from a shower curtain to a closet door isn’t gliding as smoothly as it ought to, WD-40 can help. [Read more ➜]( WEEKEND CLEANING CHALLENGE Banish Bacteria From Your Knife Block [Photos of a knife block being cleaned.]( Give your knife block a deep cleaning to eliminate sneaky germs that may be living inside it. If you've never cleaned your knife block before, there's really no telling what might be lurking inside it. Every time you put back a knife that's anything other than completely clean and dry, you can introduce moisture and bacteria that can thrive in those deep, dark slots. For this Weekend Cleaning Challenge, we'll be focusing on deep cleaning our knife blocks. While it might seem like overkill to issue a challenge for one item rather than an area or room, most people haven't ever given their knife block a thorough cleaning, so I figure it's a task worthy of our time and attention. Here's how to do it: 1. Remove everything from your knife block and wash everything with warm, soapy water. Set them out on a clean towel to dry so they're ready to replace later. 2. Turn the block upside down over your sink and give it a good shake to dislodge any crumbs. 3. In a bowl or bucket, stir 1 teaspoon of bleach into 4 cups of warm water. Dip a pipe cleaner into the bleach solution and use it to scrub out each slot of your knife block. Rinse and replace the pipe cleaners as needed while you work. 4. Clean the outside of the block with warm, soapy water, but try to avoid getting it too wet. Once the outside is clean, wipe it dry with a clean cloth. 5. Finally, set the block on a towel and let it dry overnight. Make sure it’s completely dry before replacing the knives. [See The Full Tutorial]( [See The Full Tutorial]( SAVE MONEY Forage For Gift Cards [A photo of a VISA gift card.]( Find those dusty gift cards you got at your company Christmas party in 2017 and put them to use. Did you know that most gift cards don't expire? That means most of those gift cards you’ve had sitting around for years are probably still usable, so why not use them instead of spending your hard-earned cash? Several years back, I came across six gift cards that I had completely forgotten about just by emptying out some old purses. In addition to looking in bags and purses, check your car, junk drawers, stacks of old papers, and elsewhere in your hunt for unused cards. If you're not sure what the value of a card is or whether there's any money left on it, check the back of the card for a phone number or website where you can check the balance. JILLEE'S PICK A Cure For Cluttered Utensil Crocks [A photo of the Joseph Joseph Nest Utensils Plus Set.]( I keep a utensil crock on my countertop so that my most frequently used utensils are always close by. The only real problem I have with it is that it can get really cluttered, which is probably more of an indictment of my ability to self-edit than anything else. But regardless of the cause, the clutter makes it difficult to put utensils in and take them out, and it takes up quite a bit of room when it’s chock full of utensils. So when I saw [this colorful set of nesting utensils by Joseph Joseph]( on Amazon, those perfectly nested utensils looked like something out of a dream. The 5-piece set includes a slotted spatula, spaghetti server, slotted spoon, solid spoon, and ladle, all with magnets in their handles that keep them neatly nested together on their stand. And since it's only about 5 inches wide and deep, it won't dominate your countertop. [See the Joseph Joseph Nest Utensils Plus set on Amazon](. QUIZ CORNER How Much Money? How much money does the average person have in unused gift cards? The only unused gift cards I usually have are for businesses that don't have locations near me (sad) and ones I can't use online (heartbreaking). (Scroll down to see the correct answer.) A. $20 B. $60 C. $120 D. $210 A FEW MORE THINGS... On This Day: In 1882, Tchaikovsky debuted The Year 1812 Solemn Overture, Op. 49—better known as the 1812 Overture—in Moscow. The song was written to commemorate Russia’s [successful defense]( against Napoleon’s army in 1812, and fittingly features [actual cannon fire](. Words Of Wisdom: “Done is better than perfect.” - Sheryl Sandberg ANSWER C. [According to a Bankrate.com poll]( U.S. adults have about $15.3 billion in value on unused gift cards, which works out to an approximate average of $116 per person. Interestingly, they found that the age group most likely to have unused gift cards or store credit was millennials at 56%, followed by baby boomers at 52%. LOVE OGT? SHARE IT! If you’re enjoying the OGT newsletter, it would mean so much to me if you'd share it with your friends and family! When you share it allows me to continue sharing the tips and tricks you love with you! 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