4
Clean Your Teeth
with Food
beauty There’s a reason
apples are known as
nature’s toothbrush—
foods that are firm or crisp
help clean teeth as they’re
eaten. If you know you
won’t be able to brush
your teeth right after
eating, you might want
to save a cleaning food
for the end of your meal.
Other choices include
raw carrots, celery, and
unbuttered popcorn.5
Freshen Your
Coffee Grinder
cleaning If you notice a
weird odor coming from
your blade grinder, or if
your coffee tastes muddy,
pour a quarter cup of rice
into the container, and
then run it until the grains
turn into fine particles.
Dump out the rice pow-
der, and you’ll notice
some stuck to the blades—
that’s because the powder
is sticking to the oil gunk-
ing up your grinder. Wipe
away the ground rice with
a damp cloth, and the oils
should come away with it.2
Brighten Up Your Christmas Tree
decorating Most people spiral their Christmas tree
lights from the bottom to the top, but you lose some
sparkle that way. “If you go around in a circle longways,
the lights tend to go in,” says designer Francesco Bilotto.
To keep the bulbs closer to the tips of the branches,
Bilotto says to hang the lights vertically. Start by tucking
the part of the string that doesn’t have a plug on the top
of the tree, and then weave your way down the branches
in a bit of an S formation for visual pizzazz.3
Keep Your Bananas Fresh
food Can’t use the whole bunch yet?
Wait until they have started to soften, and
then toss them in the refrigerator. The
cold will help them stay at their peak for
another week. That said, avoid refrigerat-
ing bananas that aren’t quite ripe, as it
will stop the natural ripening process.50 dec 2018 )jan 2019
Reader’s Digest