5 Smart New Ways To Use A Kitchen Sponge

Protect yourself from Medicare-related schemes, the easy way to clean inside your oven door, and more. October 3, 2021 [View Online]( Good morning! Even though the majority of my dishes get cleaned in the dishwasher, I still like to keep a few extra sponges on hand. After all, there are plenty of useful things you can do with sponges, including the 5 I have to share with you in Today’s Good Thing. Today’s newsletter also has important tips that can help you protect yourself or your loved ones from schemes that target people on Medicare. Find out about 3 red flags to watch for that can help you steer clear of a fishy situation. Jillee TODAY'S GOOD THING 5 Smart New Ways To Use A Kitchen Sponge [Photos of various uses for sponges.]( Even if you wash your dishes with a brush, these tips are reason enough to keep a few sponges handy. 1. Make An Ice Pack. Use a sponge to make a simple ice pack to help reduce swelling and bruising after an injury. Soak a sponge in water, seal it into a ziplock bag, and freeze it until solid. Not only does it make an effective ice pack, but as the sponge thaws, the water stays securely sealed in the bag. 2. Deodorize Your Fridge (And Save Baking Soda). There are plenty of [uses for baking soda]( so why use a whole box just to absorb fridge odors? Instead, sprinkle a bit of baking soda onto a damp (not wet) sponge, then set the sponge on a small dish and put it in your fridge. Replace as needed to maintain freshness. 3. Clean Narrow Containers. Have narrow vases or bottles that are hard to clean? Use a rubber band to secure a sponge onto the end of a chopstick to make it easier to reach into the bottom of those narrow containers. Dampen the sponge to wash the container, then use a dry sponge to dry it. 4. Protect Your Knees. Even a few minutes of kneeling to scrub the floor, weed your lawn or garden, or make household repairs can be hard on your knees. When you know you’re going to need to kneel down to do something, grab a couple of kitchen sponges to put underneath your knees to make it a little more comfortable. 5. Grip Tools More Comfortably. Much like kneeling can be hard on your knees, using a shovel, rake, or broom can really do a number on the palms of your hands. But you can protect your hands when shoveling or raking just by wrapping a sponge or two around the handle and securing them with rubber bands. [10 More Smart Ways To Use Sponges ➜]( Related • [3 Simple Rules That Will Make Your Entire Kitchen Safer]( • [So Long, Sponge! This Is The New Dish Tool I Like Better]( ⚡️QUICK TIPS⚡️ • Decorating for Halloween? All you need is some cheesecloth and spray starch to make your own spooky floating ghosts. [Read more ➜]( • Tired of shooting noodle shards across your kitchen when you break spaghetti in half? This hack ensures a clean break. [Read more ➜]( • Throwing away food is like throwing away money, so try these 9 easy tips that can help you waste less food. [Read more ➜]( STAY SAFE OUT THERE Protect Yourself From Medicare Schemes [Photos of Jillee on her phone and on her laptop.]( With Medicare Open Enrollment approaching, these tips can help you identify common schemes and avoid them. Medicare beneficiaries can be targeted by scammers at any time, but it's especially prevalent during the annual Medicare Open Enrollment period from October 15 to December 7. And since that period will soon be upon us, it's a good time to learn how these scams usually work so that you can know what to look for if you encounter one. The majority of these Medicare-related schemes take place over the phone, but they can also happen via email, snail mail, or door-to-door visits. Regardless of the method used, their objective is usually the same: to convince you to give them sensitive information like your Social Security Number (SSN) or bank information. Here are 3 red flags to watch for, each of which are commonly used in Medicare-related schemes: 1. Attempts To Verify Your Identity. Sometimes the person will tell you that you they need identifying information in order to send you a new or updated Medicare card. They may even tell you that you have to pay for the new card and request a credit card number. 2. Offers For Free Medical Supplies. In some cases, you’ll be offered medical equipment or a medical checkup at no cost to you because “Medicare will cover it.” They may ask for your SSN or Medicare Number to verify your coverage, or they may request a credit card number to cover shipping costs. 3. Claims About Refunds. Another variation on these schemes involves claims that there have been changes to your Medicare coverage which entitle you to a refund. This is typically followed by a request for your Medicare Number or bank account information so they can "issue the refund." If you aren’t sure whether a call is legit or not, tell them you’d like to call them back later and ask for a direct phone number. This will usually be enough to get a would-be scammer to hang up, whereas a legitimate agency or business should have no problem with it. WHY DIDN'T I THINK OF THAT? All Of The Snacking With None Of The Mess [A photo of Doritos being picked up with chopsticks.]( Have your snack without the mess by using this simple tip to keep your fingers clean. We all know that Cheetos, Doritos, and other powder-coated snack foods can make a mess of our fingers, but that attribute isn’t necessarily limited to junk food. Ripe berries, juicy melon, trail mix, and other healthy snacks can be just as messy if you eat them with your hands. But no matter what you’re snacking on, there’s an easy way to keep your finger clean so you don’t get greasy smears or sticky juice on your phone, computer keyboard, craft project, or anything else: just eat your snack with a pair of chopsticks! It might sound silly, but you can eat almost anything with chopsticks, and your fingers will stay perfectly clean. (And if you're not very confident with chopsticks, you know what they say—practice makes perfect!) JILLEE'S PICK Perfect Pizza Right On Your Stovetop [Photos of pizza being made in a BakerStone stovetop pizza oven.]( Have you ever gotten something from a gift exchange that you thought was kind of silly at first, but that actually turned out to be really cool? Because that’s exactly what happened to me a couple of years ago during the gift exchange that’s become a tradition of our annual OGT Christmas Party. When the gift exchange was all said and done, I ended up with a [stovetop pizza oven](. I didn’t even know such a thing existed before I unwrapped it, but the fact that it was designed for gas ranges (which I happen to have) seemed like a good enough reason to pull it out of the box and give it a try. And wouldn’t you know it—this little stovetop pizza oven is surprisingly fun to use! We now have homemade pizzas for dinner fairly regularly, and the crust bakes up so much better than any pizza I've baked in a regular oven. If your family loves pizza, you might love this stovetop pizza oven as much as we do. [See the BakerStone Stove Top Pizza Oven on Amazon](. ASK JILLEE Cleaning Between The Glass In An Oven Door [Photos of cleaning between the panes of glass in an oven door.]( Gail from Massachusetts asked: "Can you tell me how to clean between the glass in an oven door? You've posted it before but I forgot where and can't find it." My answer: No problem, Gail! The process is fairly simple, but you'll need something long and slender to use as a cleaning tool. (I've found that an unwound and unfolded wire hanger works great for this.) Remove the drawer at the base of your oven, then wrap a couple of paper towels around the end of your wire hanger (or whatever tool you're using) and secure them with a rubber band. Spray the paper towels with vinegar, then feed the end of the hanger through the narrow holes in the bottom of the oven door. Once you've fed your paper towel tool between the panes of glass, you can use it to wipe up any grime that’s gotten trapped in there. (Aiming can be a little tricky, but you'll get the hang of it fast.) Repeat the process with a dry paper towel to dry the glass, if necessary. [Check out the full tutorial here](. Have a question you want to ask me? [Submit your question here]( for a chance to see it answered in a future newsletter! A FEW MORE THINGS... On This Day: In 1990, East and West Germany were officially reunified. In Germany, this anniversary is a national holiday called German Unity Day, which is celebrated with food, concerts, and cultural events at Brandenburg Gate in Berlin and across the country. 🤣 LOL: I read recipes the same way I read science fiction. I often get to the end and think, "Well that's never going to happen!" What did you think of today's email? [Not good]( | [Just okay]( | [Loved it!]( 🏠[Visit the By Jillee Shop]( 🤗 [Join OGT Free]( Let's connect! [facebook]( [instagram]( [pinterest]( [youtube]( If you have thoughts, comments, questions or a tip or trick you'd like to share, I'd love to hear from you! My inbox is always open, so just hit "reply" and let me know what's on your mind. See you tomorrow! Sending you bright ideas and simple solutions to help you create a home and life you love. My mailing address is: One Good Thing by Jillee 841 S. Main St. Heber City, UT 84032 If you're not happy please reply to this email to tell me why, or you can [update your preferences]( or break my heart and unsubscribe [here](. View our privacy policy [here](.