Double-Duty Household Products

Each month, Family Circle magazine prints a handful of useful tips -- some submitted by readers, others provided by staffers -- with ideas on how to use household items in unconventional ways.

And on "The Early Show"Thursday, Margit Ragland, editor of Family Circle, shared some of the magazine's favorites and how they can work for you.

Leftover wine
Pour leftover wine into an ice cube tray and freeze. Add the cubes to gravies, sauces or stir fries for a little extra oomph.

Wine Bottles
after you empty out those wine bottles into the ice cube trays, use them for your boots. When you're packing up your knee high boots for the winter, put cleaned out empty wine bottles inside them to help them retain their shape.

Cornstarch
Pesky knot in shoelaces that you can't get out? A favorite necklace that has a huge tangle? Rub cornstarch right on the knot. Works like a charm.

Vodka
Razors are expensive. Prolong their lifespan by soaking them in a few ounces of vodka after shaving. The alcohol will disinfect the blade and prevent it from rusting.

Aspirin
Get rid of yellow perspiration stains by mixing a solution of two crushed aspirin per 1/2 cup of water and letting the trouble spots soak for a few hours before laundering.

Tabasco Sauce
Have a toothache? Use a cotton swab to put 5 or 6 drops of Tabasco on the tooth that hurts. You can even use Tabasco, a toothbrush and warm water to clean your silver.

Dollar Bills
If you're ever at loss for a ruler, look in your wallet. Laid out flat, a dollar bill is just over 6 inches long; folded in quarters, it measures almost exactly 1 1/2 inches.

Coffee Filter
Did the cork break in your bottle of wine? If you still want to drink your wine without finding pieces of cork in your glass, pour the bottle of wine through a coffee filter and you'll catch all the broken pieces of cork.

Glue
Get rid of annoying splinters my removing it with white glue. Spread glue over the splinter, let it dry, and then peel it off to pull the splinter out.