More Uses For Common Products

Real Simple's second book, "Real Simple Solutions" contains hundred of ways to make every part of your day easier, including the best "New Uses for Old Things," the name of a regular column in the magazine.

It's about taking regular household products you probably already have and making them work double-duty.

The magazine's Kris Connell visits The Early Show to share some great ideas.

Here are some of the items featured on the show:

Velcro
New Multi Uses:

• Blouse Securer — Prevent your button-down shirt from gaping open by sewing or sticking two small pieces of velcro between the buttons.
• Sweater Smoother — Lightly glide a piece of velcro (the hook side) over a sweater to grab offending pills.

• Scum Buster — Remove obstinate soap buildup from glass shower doors by sprinkling a few drops of water onto a used fabric softener sheet and scrub.
• Cling Combatant — When static attacks, pat yourself down with a fabric-softener sheet to get rid of the electricity.
• Book Deodorizer — Prevent your old volumes from acquiring a musty smell by inserting a fabric-softener sheet between the pages.
• Shoe Refresher — Sadly, shoes don't keep that just purchased scent

• Shoe Protector — Men's roomy athletic socks are the perfect size and thickness to shield dainty pumps from scuffs and scratches when they're packed in a suitcase. What's more, the socks will prevent any dirt from transferring to your clothes.

• Boot Supporter — Insert and empty one-liter plastic bottle into a tall boot to keep it from sagging, creasing or toppling over. Bonus: Upright boots create a space on your closet floor to fill as you please.

• Vase Cleaner — When residue clings to unreachable spots inside a vase or decanter, fill the container with warm water and drop in one or two denture cleaning tablets for every eight ounces of warm water. Let the fizzy solution sit for the time specified on the product's box, then rinse.

• Stain Remover and Disposal Sanitizer — Disinfect and deodorize a garbage disposal by making vinegar cubes, grinding them up, and rinsing with cold water.

• Jewelry Organizer — Devote separate cubbies to your necklaces, bracelets, rings, and pair of earrings, and stack multiple trays as needed. Then say so long to knotted chains and nomadic hoops.

• Earring Securer — If the backing for one of your studs goes AWOL, slice off a disk shaped wedge from an eraser. The earring with stay put — even if your pencil looks denuded.

• Beauty lifesaver — Rub it on dry cuticles, elbows, and other rough patches for spot moisturizing. Use it to erase mascara smudges, tame unruly eyebrows and control flyaways. Lip balm can also help coax a stubborn ring off a swollen finger.

• On-The-Go Nail File — The matchbook's striker is a smart substitute when you forget a file while traveling, and for times when you don't want to whip out the heavy artillery (like at a restaurant).

• Bookmark — Want a sturdier (and cuter) alternative to the typical yellow Post-it-note? Use a bobby pin to flag a frequently turned-to section in a reference book or to mark your place in a novel. Slide the pin over a few pages so it stays put.