After I published my May 25 issue on uses for brown paper bags, a bunch
of readers wrote with even more tips. Here are some of those:
GON Reader Letter #1
Use Brown Paper Bags to Iron a Garment So it Looks Professionally Done
Dear Maria,
Here is one more use for brown paper bags: You can iron a perfect, crisp line down the front and back of your cotton slacks or jeans, or the yoke and
sleeves of your cotton shirt. You can make a perfect pleat down the back of a dress shirt, or make a hem flat.
Use a paper bag and a misting spray bottle of vinegar and water, and an iron
on the cotton setting.
Tear off the seams and bottom of the brown paper bag and use one layer of it to do this. Thinner paper bags work better. This is best for use on cotton. (Ironing synthetic fabrics may melt them, better use a steamer.)
Fill a fine misting spray bottle with 2 parts vinegar and a 1 part water.
Lay the garment flat, mist lightly with the vinegar water, place paper bag on top,
and iron it flat.
Be amazed at how professional it looks!
-- Allison Streepey
GON Reader Letter #2
Use Brown Paper Bags to Ward Off Wasps
Here is the 11th great idea for using brown paper bags!
I have a covered patio attached to my house where wasps loved to build their nests--once up in a window sill and then under a table top. I had them exterminated but saw them coming back to area looking to
nest.
A friend told me to stuff a brown paper bag with newspaper or something and hang in the area they are checking out. They will think it is a hornet nest--their sworn enemy and they
won't build there. He told me he has one in his garage and several in his barn.
I did and it works--this is my 2nd year wasp free. I have seen just a couple fly around the bag and
then take off. Weird, eh?
You can also order fancier ones from Amazon by entering wasp nest decoy in the search. Amazing and easy solution!
-- Vinita Shaw in El Paso, TX
GON
Reader Letter #3
Use Brown Paper Bags to Make Popcorn
Hi Maria, Regarding brown paper bags and the microwave, 1/4 cup of popcorn pops very well in a brown paper lunch bag. I fold over the top and put a plastic clip on the corner.
It’s great when I want plain popcorn—and I feel safe sharing
it with my dog because I know exactly what’s in the bag.
I always enjoy your newsletter—thank you!
--
Gail
GON Reader Letter #4
Use Brown Paper Bags to Make Homemade Potato Chips
When I was a kid (before big commercial bags of potato
chips were sold), my mom would line a cookie sheet with a large, folded, brown paper bag. Then using a slicer tool, she would slice peeled
fresh potatoes super thin, dry them on a towel, then using a long-handled spoon, she would drop them into a frying pan of hot oil.
A quick sizzle and then lifted out with a slotted spoon, she would place them on the brown paper bag to drip off the oil. A slight sprinkle of salt and Presto! Homemade
Potato Chips.
So delicious! We begged for her potato chips.
Ellen Brown, Tempe, AZ
