Life Hacks that Excite Me

NOTE: In summary below, not all hacks have been included. I didn’t like some of them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_MleqPNdxg

  • Put a magnet inside of a baggie to pick up metal parts like nails, etc.
  • Use a spring from a ball point pen as stress-relief to keep your iPhone charger cord from breaking.
  • Use the bottom of a water jar to catch wood or plaster when you are drilling overhead
  • Use a piece of string for a taped box “easy-opener.”
  • Drop an AA volt battery from about an inch.  The charged battery will stay upright.
  • Use a rubber band around the handle of your hammer to hold nails.  Better than keeping them in your lips (which is what I used to do)
  • Use a washer as a spacer when drawing a line that needs to line up to a cabinet
  • Use a binder clip to hold a pencil when marking wood in repeated identical increments.
  • Wrap a door handle in aluminum foil when painting the door.  (Blue tape and a baggie works better.)
  • Use a fork to guide your picture hanger onto the nail.

  • Clean dusty surfaces with dryer sheets
  • Put vinegar in a plastic bag and cover your shower head to remove buildup
  • Fill blackened pan with hot vinegar, then add baking soda and scrub
  • Use hot water with a drop of dishwashing detergent to clean your blender
  • Use salted grapefruit halves to scrub your bathtub, then rinse well.
  • To clean your grill pan, discard the oil then put a very wet paper towel on the pan to steam clean it.
    Alternately, I boil water, then use a scrub brush to clean it.  Rub in a bit of oil and let it dry while still very warm.
  • Microwave a wet sponge on a weekly basis to kill most of the surface germs
  • To clean your coffee grinder, grind 1 TBL of white rice, then add 1 TBL baking soda, grind and wipe clean.
  • Use canola oil on a paper towel to remove grease splashed while cooking.
  • Use slices of white bread to pick up broken glass.  Discard promptly.
  • Use a brush with shoe polish to tune up REAL leather furniture.
  • Spray your mattress with vodka every couple of months to freshen it, and to kill most germs
  • Let your toothbrush soak in a glass of hydrogen peroxide on a weekly basis to kill germs

  • Use a zip lock freezer bag as a seal-a-meal to keep things fresh longer in the freezer.  Submerge food/bag in water to force out most of the air, then seal.
  • When your remote control battery is dead, replace just ONE battery get you through the night.  Doesn’t work?  Try the other old battery.  Most batteries don’t drain equally.
  • I have mixed emotions on this one:  Share internet cost with your neighbor and share their Wi-Fi password (or yours)

  • Use strong tea with paper towels to clean mirrors and glass
  • Use a dish wand with half vinegar and half dish soap in the shower to freshen up corners, etc.
  • Use lemon or grapefruit with salt to clean shower and sink hardware
  • Use a cloth soaked in distilled white vinegar and wrap stubborn hardware
  • Use a toothbrush to get to hard-to-reach areas
  • Toss your toothbrush glass into the dishwasher every once in awhile
  • Dump about 4 C of white vinegar into the tank of your toilet.  Let rest about an hour, then flush.
  • Clean your toilet brush by pouring pine-sol in your toilet bowl.  Let the brush rest in the toilet for an hour, then scrub and flush.
  • Vaccuum your dryer can and filter every once in awhile.  Use a paper towel holder as an extender.

  • Use used toilet paper tubes for organizing wires
  • For a quick fix, use a strip of a rubber glove if you don’t have plumbers tape
  • Home-made fly strips:  2 T sugar, 2 T syrup, 2 T honey – microwave – coat grocery bag strips
  • Alka Selzer for removing stains from oddly shaped glass containers
  • Garbage can smells: Store Coffee Gronds wrapped in a dryer sheet in the bottom of the can

  • Store grocery bags in a handi-wipes container.  Me:  I cram them into used paper towel rolls.  Each tube holes about 15 bags.
  • Store cup cake liners in a mason jar
  • Use wire magazine holders for potatoes, onions, boxes of wrap, etc.
  • Use clip clothes hangers for storing your opened bags of chips
  • Use emptied dry bottles for dry food storage – just make sure they are totally dry before filling
  • Use lazy susan rotate shelves to save space – Home Depot has rotator metal pieces for creating your own
    or use two pie pans with marbles in between them to act as the rollers

  • For water-proofing, rub a clear candle on your shoes, then use a hair dryer to melt the wax into the fabric.
  • Spray your snow shovel with non-stick cooking spray to keep the snow from building up on it.  Works with mud too.
  • Leave your oven cracked open after baking to take advantage of the residual heat during cold nights.
  • Slide pipe foam over the bottom of your door to minimize drafts
  • Use rice in a sock tossed in a microwave for a hand-warmer.

  • Cut chip bag appropriately so you can use it as its own bowl
  • Use a CD/DVD container for a lunch-box / travel bagel container
  • Here is the magical procedure for folding T-Shirts
  • How to get rid of old-maids in microwave popcorn
  • Pringles Dispenser
  • Make your own CD envelope
  • Power outage?  Use a gallon jug of water and a flashlight to create a lamp
  • Rubber band to keep door from locking behind you

A Key Hiding Hole