Little things people should know... (to buy, store, food)

[Tymberwulf]

And now you all know why when asked where did I want to move to from Hawaii while we were stationed there I answered, the desert.

We are now retired in North Las Vegas, haven't even seen an ant here.

[dwedeking]

Put rice in the salt shaker, it will keep the salt from forming a solid block.

Keep your furniture an inch or two away from the wall. Keeps mold from forming.

Seal things in plastic zip loc bags and use those humidity removing little packs that come in shipped items (especially electronics).

don't buy expensive metal objects. For example I'm a hardcore bbq guy. Would love to have a top of the line bbq. On the coast they don't last more than a year or two so always just buy a cheap walmart version and replace as needed.

[cynmkolohe]

Originally Posted by Jonah K

The same thing happened to me. I solved the problem by moving the coffeemaker from the kitchen counter to separate wheeled island cart.

Good idea! (Would try it, but we have a tiny kitchen in an old plantation style house. )

[dianer29]

Be mindful of computers moved in from mainland as I hear of big moisture issues within 2 years of moving in to Hawaii and just had it happen to our equipment!

[Calico Salsa]

Never had a moisture issue with my computer equipment, but then it's running all the time. As a matter of fact, the office is one of the warmest and probably driest rooms in the house, what with all the heat generating out of the equipment.

Don't buy more erasers than you need. They get old and dried way fast.

I do love that hanging some of my freshly laundered clothes from plastic hangers in the doorways means they dry out in 2-3 hours. No shrinkage, no electricity, and no bugs or fading!

When you take your shoes off at the beach, turn them upside down. Then the tops aren't all hot when you put them back on.

[franklin42]

Yup, sealed plastic containers for all of our salt, sugar, flour, spices, grains, beans, etc. We put all of our bread in the fridge too, lasts forever. If you have home movies on VHS tapes, transfer them to DVD or your computer before you move! Otherwise, the tape itself gets moldy after a while. We also put close pins on all of our cereal, crackers, chips(anything that comes in a bag that we will consume relatively fast). We had some visitors from MN that ignored our advice. Cockaroaches with your chips anyone?

[HankDfrmSD]

Originally Posted by Tymberwulf

We are now retired in North Las Vegas, haven't even seen an ant here.

How's the snorkeling?

[Calico Salsa]

The tap water here is very hard, so vases will quickly end up with white marks and rings as the water evaporates and leaves behind the minerals.

Use denture cleaning tablets to remove this buildup and also clean small glass bottles or containers that have any kind of old, caked on debris.

Fill the container with warm water and put in your sink because this is a messy process. Drop in several denture cleaning tablets... for a vase, use 4. For a tiny glass bottle, one will do. The tablets will turn the water blue and it will foam up out of the glass. Just leave it alone until the water turns clear again, at which point the debris has turned soft. Scrub out the vase or glass with any soft scrubber. Be sure to use one that is for delicate, not the green/yellow put & pan scrubbers. Or you can use a toothbrush, paper towel twisted around a wooden skewer, whatever will reach into the container.

Rinse and dry your container, which is now clean and also minty fresh!

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The absolute best for cleaning the hardened buildup ring in toilets is the pumice stones, sold in any hardware store or most cleaning sections of stores. It won't scratch the ceramic of the toilet, but removes the buildup nicely.


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Batteries here tend to corrode much more quickly, and when they do the acid crusts up on the connectors of whatever device the batteries were in. When you take out the corroded battery, if you don't clean out the corrosion from the device, it will just harm the new batteries, and it also interferes with the connection.

Use plain white vinegar to clean off the crusty acid corrosion. Pour some vinegar into a small container (so you aren't tainting your big bottle), then dip in a cotton swab and clean the device connectors. It works like magic...the corrosion melts and you can swab the whole area clean. Be sure to wipe it all dry before you put in new batteries.

[mdand3boys]

It isn't moisture (humidity) that is the problem with computer equipment.
Heat and salt-laden air are the culprits. Keep them cool, with an additional fan and don't live within a mile or so of the ocean if you want the electronics to last.

[SkyBob]

Originally Posted by Calico Salsa

The tap water here is very hard, so vases will quickly end up with white marks and rings as the water evaporates and leaves behind the minerals.

Use denture cleaning tablets to remove this buildup and also clean small glass bottles or containers that have any kind of old, caked on debris.

What do you do for washing dishes?