As I mentioned in our latest "In Review" episode, I've only partially field tested this book.  I'll keep track of my current successes and failures here, and I'll invite you to join me.  Do any of these tips and tricks work for you???

Stuff I've Tried So Far:

How to make your nails shiny: Rub a sales receipt against the surface of your nails to buff them to a waxy shine.  The reasoning is that the tiny invisible bumps on the surface of thermal recording paper used to print receipts will work the same way as a store-bought nail buffer.  I didn't notice that my nails were that much shinier after doing this .. but maybe the receipt paper I used was the wrong kind?  Not thermal enough?  Not shiny enough???

How to prevent the bathroom mirror from fogging up: Slice a potato in half and rub the inner surface against the glass.  The reasoning is that potato juice contains proteins, starch granules, and lecithin, all of which react with water in such a way that your bathroom mirror won't fog up. This was mostly successful, but if it's a large mirror I'd recommend re-cutting the potato several times to ensure a wet surface.

Stuff I haven't tried yet, but which sounds plausible:

How to cure a stuffy nose: Cut the green parts off of two scallions (aka green onions) and stick the white root ends up your nostrils to clear your sinuses.

How to prevent athlete's foot: When you get home on a humid day, soak your feet in a hot foot bath containing several cloves of crushed garlic for ten minutes.

How to make a sled go faster: Coat the bottom of the sled with nonstick cooking spray.

How to pick up broken glass: Lightly press slices of bread on the floor to pick up the tiny fragments.

How to make the grass green again: Pour beer on the bare brown patches of your lawn, letting the fermented sugars work as natural fertilizer.

How to water your plants while you're away on vacation: Soak a disposable diaper in a tray of water and place the plant pot on top of it.

Stuff I haven't tried yet, but which sounds rather implausible or ridiculous:

How to stop your partner from snoring: At bedtime, tape a spherical object like an orange or a tennis ball between his shoulder blades to prevent him from sleeping on his back.

How to give yourself a steam facial in the tub: Sit in your tub with an umbrella open over your head.

How to make a tiny piece of soap big again: Heat it up in the microwave [no, it doesn't say for how long]

How to shine a black leather jacket: Leave a banana peel out to dry overnight.  Then rub the jacket with the inside of the peel, and afterwards buff it with the outside of the peel.