It's not just for cold drinks and hurt knees anymore. There are plenty of alternative ways that the plain old ice cube can help you out around the house.
If you hate the way fats rise to the top when you're making soup you can get rid of it pretty easily. Put some ice cubes in a metal measuring cup and let it sit for a minute to get good and cold. Skim the bottom of the measuring cup over the top of the soup; the fats will cling to the cup, not the soup.
This same concept can clean a greasy garbage disposal. Toss a handful of ice down the disposal, let it sit for a minute and then run the disposal. The grease from the sides and blades will stick to the ice and be cleaned away.
It doesn't matter what your age - medicines can just taste bad. To make the dose a litter easier to take, suck on an ice cue for a minute and then take the medicine. It will freeze your taste buds so you won't taste the medicine.
Finally, one of my old favorites, when you have ugly indentations in your carpet after moving furniture, set an ice cube in the dent and let it melt. Then use a white towel to brush the carpet fibers back into place.
