Trends for January 22, 2001

Lisa Ferguson

Monday, Jan. 22, 2001 | 9:04 a.m.

Lisa Ferguson is the Sun assistant features editor. Her Trends column appears Mondays. Reach her at lisa@lasvegassun.com or 259-4060.

Rub-a-dub-dub

OK, it's cold-and-flu season and you feel lousy. Like your head's going to explode. Like your nose is going to fall off. Like you want to die. We know, we know, we know, already. If chicken soup doesn't seem to provide any relief, you can always reach for another tried-and-true remedy: Vicks VapoRub.

You know, that, um, interesting-smelling stuff Mom was always trying to slather all over your chest when, as a kid, you were stuffed up. Come to find out, it's 110 years old and we don't mean the exact jar that's buried in the back of your medicine cabinet.

In honor of the birthday, Vicks has compiled a batch of trivia surrounding the rub. Apparently, in the early 1900s, VapoRub cost 25 cents a jar. It was used during World War II, and U.S. soldiers stationed in France wrote home telling of its wonders for clearing congestion and other ailments.

Celebrities, it seems, like Vicks VapoRub, too. Talk show host Regis Philbin once used it on the air during a taping of "Live with Regis and Kathie Lee." And on the sitcom "Friends," Monica (Courteney Cox Arquette) applied it while Chandler (Matthew Perry) watched.

Getting creative

For more fun with household products, check out a copy of the recently published book "Clean Your Clothes With Cheez Whiz" (Renaissance Books) by Joey Green, who also authored "Polish Your Furniture with Panty Hose."

Hes not kidding with the title. The book is filled with all sorts of weird tips. Did you know you can use Gatorade to clean a toilet? The drinks citric acid removes stains from vitreous china.

Apply a half-cup of Cool Whip nondairy topping to your hair it doubles as a conditioner. Campbells tomato soup does a dandy job polishing brass, as does A.1. steak sauce. Finally, Frenchs mustard, made into a poultice, can help sooth sore muscles. And, like VapoRub, it also relieves cold symptoms when slathered on the chest. Go figure!

Thinking inside the box

But maybe you're looking for something less stinky and more romantic than VapoRub or mustard to rub on a loved one. Hey, Valentine's Day is just around the corner, folks. There must be something slatherable in Love In a Box's mix. This gift set, advertised for "busy executives," is made up of "fun" potions and lotions (according to its makers) as well as a "Road Map to Romance."

The box is the brainchild of restaurant worker-turned-entrepreneur Melissa Schechter, and was designed with "seasoned" Romeos and the "romantically challenged" in mind. It's even backed by the company's "Lucky in Love Guarantee." (Priced at $139.95, it should.) For more information, visit loveinabox.com.