Living in the Tropics

I’m starting this blog to discuss helpful hints to living in the tropics, or anywhere hot and humid. I want people to contribute their own hints. No banana skin hints, please. I used the skins to polish my shoes and the shine was disrupted by the swarm of fruit flies. Not sexy! No Listerine sprayed in doorways to discourage mosquitoes. It doesn’t. The mosquitoes still bite, but their breath is fresh.
1. Be sure to store flour, sugar, rice, beans, etc. in a tightly sealed (Screwed Shut) container. I use plastic wide-mouth jars. I know they aren’t as pretty as glass containers but I don’t like to use rice with tiny moving bugs. Flour doesn’t need specks. Glasss is good if it has a screw lid.
2. I have dogs that eat bugs so I don’t like to use poisons. Sometimes worms come up the drains so I circle the drains with salt. No more worms and dogs don’t get poisoned.
3. Itchy bug bites, use a mixture of camphor oil mixed with eucalyptus oil . Both can be purchased at any health food store for pennies. Really works.
4. To keep lettuce and vegetables fresh, store wrapped in a slightly dampened cloth and put in a plastic bag with a clip. Don’t put too much water on the cloth as wet and cold will rot leaves. I put the damp end at the cut stem part of the lettuce. Vegetables and lettuce can stay fresh for ten days or more.
5. To prevent rust rings from occurring under metal cans,(Shaving cream, Big Spray, WD40) run a strip of masking tape around the bottom as soon as you bring them home.
6. WD40 to remove stickers, or anything with a sticky back, from new purchases. Removes rust stains from tiles. Spray and leave for 20 min. Worked on removing SuperGlue from tile.
7. Throw a couple of dryer softener sheets into dresser drawers and closets for fresh smell.
These are all I can think of. Please send your hints. I welcome all. Send to your friends, they may have some good hints.