Tips, Tips, and More Tips from August 2007

Never wear jewelry in a swimming pool. The chlorine may cause damage.

To get a glass stopper out of a decanter or perfume bottle, try pouring a little glycerin around the neck of the bottle. Wait a few hours, then try to remove it. Repeat until the stopper is loose. Glycerin can be found in drugstores.

If your old cast-iron pan without a wooden handle is dirty, clean it in a self-cleaning oven.

Rusty wirework collected for decoration can be cleaned with fine steel wool, then waxed with furniture polish to keep it from rusting again. If you plan to use the cooling racks or skimmers, remove the rust but don’t use polish.