We all have those tasks that we hate doing, but we know we have to do. For some people it’s cooking, others it’s cleaning, shopping, or fixing something that’s been broken forever. Generally, we know how exhausting and frustrating a lot of these things are – which explains why we don’t do them. This is why we created the ultimate hack list that you have to read! Not only does it provide helpful hints on how to make your routine easier and more stress-free, but it will actually help you accomplish these tasks faster and more efficiently. So what are you waiting for? Dive in and discover how your life is going to get so much easier from now on!
Lighting Candles
Candles and candle holders come in all different shapes and sizes. Lighting them can be pretty difficult if you don’t own a long-bodied lighter. Naturally, there is a certain dried good in the kitchen that can assist with this.
Dry spaghetti noodles make the perfect match for lighting a candle that is hard to light normally. All you need to do is light the end of the pasta, and then light the wick of your candle.
Erase Highlighter
Lots of people like to grab a highlighter and start highlighting different sections in books. We get it, sometimes a poem needs to be highlighted or an important piece of data is needed for a report.
However, using a highlighter can damage a book and make it harder for others to read. If you have a book that has been heavily highlighted, grab a Q-tip, dip the cotton part in lemon juice, and gently rub it across the highlighted sections.
Regulate Pet Food
Some pets like to overindulge when it comes to eating, especially puppies who haven’t quite grasped what it means to stop eating once you are full.
To keep your puppy from eating too much, simply grab a piece of PVC pipe, a drill, and drill in a few well-positioned holes. The holes must allow the puppy kibble to fall out, and the puppy will stop trying to eat once it is full.
Finding The Right Key
Most people have more than one key on their key chains. You have your house key, office key, garage fob, bike lock key, and so many more. This can make finding the right key at the right time challenging.
If finding the right key is something you struggle with, fear not, there is an easy hack. All you need to do is grab some nail polish, and carefully paint the top of each key. Each color will correspond to what the key is for.
The DIY Water Hose
Not all kitchens are built the same, which means some have kitchen sinks that can fit a bucket and some don’t. If you have one of the sinks that don’t fit a bucket, then you need this.
A handy pool noodle can be used as a water hose in a pinch. Just line it up under the faucet, turn it on, and voila. Your bucket or any other container that needs to be filled with water will be.
The Seed Case
Seeds are one of those items that a lot of people forget about once winter rolls around. Those paper packets that they come in protect them in the store, but they still need a bit of TLC at home.
Keep seeds fresh, by placing them in an air-tight container like an old pencil case. Then, add a couple of packets of silica to the container. The silica will absorb any moisture inside of it, and keep seeds nice and dry for the spring.
Goodbye Foggy Mirrors
Unless your bathroom possesses an amazing fan, chances are your bathroom mirror tends to get a bit foggy once the hot water starts streaming out of your showerhead.
To avoid a fogged-up mirror, simply wipe some car polish all over the front of the mirror. Have a shower, and then wipe off all of the polish at the end of your shower. This should prevent the mirror from fogging up again.
Lego Needs A Bath Too
Children’s toys like Lego are something that is touched a lot. That means that those little plastic blocks of fun need to be sanitized once in a while to prevent any bacteria from growing.
To sanitize Legos, simply fill up a mesh laundry bag, place it in the dishwasher, and let it run. Once the wash cycle is complete, remove the bag, and place the legos on a towel to dry.
Spruce Up Old Furniture
Children love to draw on walls and put stickers on furniture. For a lot of parents, they are cool with this, as that is one of the ways kids explore their creativity.
If you have a piece of furniture where your child got a little sticker happy with, don’t worry about it. A blow dryer and a putty knife will remove those stickers in no time. The blow dryer heats up the adhesive, making them nice and easy to peel off.
Always Hang Items Straight
Anyone who has used the ‘eyeball’ method where you just stare at the wall and mark what you think is straight, knows that this rarely works.
That’s why a trusty piece of painter’s tape should be used, along with a leveler to determine if the holes you are about to drill are straight. This way you will never hang a painting that looks a bit off-center.
No More Wrinkles
Most people are used to throwing their wet clothes in the dryer, removing them, and then spending an hour or two meticulously ironing their clothing.
This time-consuming activity can almost be eliminated if you include a couple of damp wash clothes or a handful of ice cubes in the dryer with your wet clothes. The ice or moisture in the wash clothes turns to steam and gives your drying clothes a nice steam bath which gets rid of wrinkles.
Rotating Plants
As soon as spring hits, it is time to start planning your garden. Do you want big bunches of daisies in this corner and snow peas in the other one?
For the indecisive gardener, consider planting large plastic pots in a variety of different places in your garden beds. That way you can switch out your plants that are still in their pots until you achieve the desired aesthetic you envisioned.
Kindling In The Dryer
Camping is a great activity. It gets you away from the city, and you can get back to basics, which includes having a nice campfire. Some people think that lighter fluid or a wad of paper is the way to start a fire, but we have a trick for you.
Dryer lint is incredibly flammable, a little wad of the fuzzy stuff can get a fire started in seconds. Save up all of your lint in a plastic bag, and bring it with you the next time you need to light a fire.
Keep Your Phone Upright
Lots of online retailers provide fancy phone stands that cost a lot of money for something that could easily be constructed at home. Need a phone stand, but don’t want to shell out the big bucks?
Just grab a couple of zip-ties from your drawer or toolbox and fasten them around the edges of your phone. The long plastic part you would normally cut off will keep your phone upright, and make watching movies and reading a hundred times easier.
Hide Your Cash
Everyone needs a secret stash of cash that they can pull out when they need it. Sometimes there are days where you forget your wallet, and think ‘Oh no!’
As long as you have your trust hollowed out Chapstick tube, with a few bills rolled inside, you will always have cash on the go. This is great for travelers too, as robbers don’t think to take pre-loved lip balms.
Drip Irrigation
In developing nations, drip irrigation, or the technique seen here, has been used for years. It involves a garden hose that has puncture marks placed evenly along it.
Once the hose has water flowing through it, a fine drip or mist of water is released into the surrounding dirt. This provides the plants with all the water they need and prevents water from pooling and being wasted.
The Rope Carrying Hack
Sometimes when you’re in the garage or out in the yard there are no extra sets of hands when you need them. That can make carrying something cumbersome like plywood a bit tricky.
If you have an 18-foot piece of rope lying around, you can rig up a carrying system that will evenly distribute the weight of whatever you need to carry.
Two Is Better Than One
Sealable plastic bags come in a variety of sizes, but they don’t tend to come in narrow sizes or be in your drawer when you need them. For anyone who needs a small sealable bag in a flash, simply cut a normal-sized one in half.
Once the bag has been halved, take a knife that has been heated on an element, and gently run it along the open plastic side. The heat will seal the edges together, and create a brand new plastic bag.
The Homemade Air Pump
Nowadays, most inflatables, like pool toys and air mattresses, come with built-in air pumps. For older items, they still require a standard hand pump, or do they?
Anyone who owns a shop vacuum can quickly turn it into an air pump. Just duct tape a plastic squeeze bottle nozzle to the exhaust side, and it will do all of the blowing up for you.
Wall Protection
An undecorated home tends to feel unfinished, which is why selecting some cute prints that fit your design aesthetic is key. Those picture frames can scrape the paint on your wall though, which can lead to a costly touch-up.
To avoid any scratches, and hold your pictures in place here is a quick fix. Dab a small dollop of hot glue from a glue gun on the back corners of the frame. Once they are dry, hang the frame back up, and the glue will keep it in place, and act as a bumper.
The Paint Covered Carpet
Slicking on a fresh coat of paint can liven up a room, and make it an oasis of calm or party central depending on your vibe. Sometimes during that painting party, some paint can end up on the carpet.
Paint on carpet seems like a disaster, but it shouldn’t be. A rag that is the same color as the carpet dipped in some denatured alcohol can effectively remove that spilled paint from the carpet, with some careful rubbing.
A Cute To-Do List
Whiteboards for to-do lists don’t need to be huge boards that take up a whole wall. Instead, they can blend in with your decor and are super easy to make.
To make this adorable to-do list board, just grab some dry-erase paper, cut it down to size, and place it into a picture frame that can be displayed in the kitchen. To add some extra charm, you can even paint it in fun colors.
Mulching About
Garden beds love mulch. It acts as an insulator and helps plants retain all of those nutrients that they need to grow big and strong. Arranging mulch takes a bit of work, but your plants will thank you for it.
To make transporting mulch easier, don’t lug the bag around the garden. Instead, fill up buckets with the earthy stuff and sprinkle it around plants and flower beds as needed.
Extra Plush Rugs
Rugs are one of those accessories that tend to get overlooked, but they definitely shouldn’t. These colorful floor coverings feel great on the feet, and they spice up a room.
For an extra-plush experience, place a thick layer of carpet padding underneath the rug. That way, your feet will sink into it every time you walk on top of it.
Lint Rollers And Lampshades
Have you ever walked by a lamp and noticed a thin layer of dust coating the entire lampshade? Like shelves, lampshades tend to accumulate a lot of dust.
They can be hard to clean unless you have this hack up your sleeve. A lint roller for clothing can be used on the shade, and it quickly removes all of the dust.
Make That Table Taller
While a lot of desks come with rising and lowering capabilities, most work tables do not. For anyone who is tired of bending over when working at a folding table, don’t worry, we have you covered.
Grab some PVC piping at your local hardware store, and cut it to the height you want to raise your table by. Then, repeat this process for the other three table legs, and slip the piping into place. Now, the table is higher, and it can be lowered again if need be.
A Gummy Situation
Chewing gum is one of those sticky substances that are almost impossible to remove once it has worked its way into hair or carpet. Most people opt to just cut it out, but with a bit of patience, there is a less intrusive method.
Like any substance, gum can be frozen. Place a sealed bag of ice on top of the gum if it’s in the carpet, and wait for the gum to harden. Once it is frozen, chip it out of the carpet.
Keep Lawns Straight
Edging a lawn or a flowerbed takes some serious skill. Keeping those lines from curvy and turning into waves can be hard, especially after a long day in the sun.
Enter the 2×6 piece of wood. Just lay your 2×6 down on the ground, and edge your entire garden or lawn along its side. This will keep all of your lines straight, and make your landscaping job look professional.
Fill In Those Chinks
Anything wooden has the ability to chip and get chinks in it. Does your favorite table or bookshelf have a huge chunk missing from it? If it does, use this cheap dupe for wood filler.
Instead of buying wood filler at the hardware store, simply mix some sawdust with some wood glue together. The paste is just as good as wood filler and will fill in any missing areas. On top of that, it can also be stained to match the surrounding wood.
Impress Your Friends With The Perfect Watermelon
Next time you have friends over, impress them with this popular summer treat: watermelon. Seems pretty basic, right? Not this time. Not only does this hack make this delicious fruit look super cool, but it makes it so much easier to serve and eat. Grab two watermelons, cut one in half, and get to work gutting it. Scrape out all of the insides- you don’t really need these for the final result, so enjoy the treat as a reward for your efforts.
With the second watermelon, you’ll want to carefully scrape the rind off from the outside until you have a nice round, whole red watermelon with no rinds. Pop that back into the shell of the first melon you cleaned out and voila! Everyone is impressed.
Cool Cans Faster
There are a lot of hacks out there for cooling down cans, but one of the best ones is simply wrapping a piece of damp paper towel around the can in question.
Some people think this hack doesn’t work, but after a few trials, all of the drinks we tested did taste cooler. This could be the placebo effect, but you will just have to find out for yourself.
No More Root Rot
For anyone who has owned potted plants, especially house plants, you know just how finicky these little green guys can be. They need just enough water to thrive, and if there is too much or too little you’re in for some trouble.
To avoid root rot, which occurs when water pools at the bottom of a pot, simply add some cut-up kitchen sponges. They will keep roots dry, and provide moisture as needed.
Make Shoes White Again
White shoes are one of the hardest things to keep clean. No matter what, they always tend to get a grey-ish hue to them, even if you run them through the washing machine.
Whitening toothpaste, not in gel form, is one of the best hacks for reviving your white shoes. Using an old toothbrush, delicately start scrubbing away at any marks. One thing to be mindful of is that not all toothpaste is the same, so always do a swatch test.
A Close Mow
Giant lawns deserve ride-on lawn mowers. Not only are these a ton of fun to rip around in, but they get the job done way quicker than a push mower ever could.
The only thing ride-on mowers are not ideal for are close trims in areas with trees and boulders. The chute is designed to prevent this, but one innovative lawn enthusiast developed an easy solution. Simply attach a string, and pull up the chute, now all close trims are possible.
Strengthening Sandpaper
Sandpaper is one of those tools that every handy person has at their disposal. For people that work with wood, and refinish furniture it is a must-have.
Thin sandpaper, used to sand fine surfaces has a tendency to tear. Applying some duct tape to the back keeps the sandpaper from disintegrating and allows the sander to use it for longer.
Preserve Phone Chargers
Those little cords that charge your smartphone are not as durable as their manufacturers would like you to believe. No matter what, the plastic coating always begins to tear and expose the wires underneath.
To avoid this, grab the metal spring from a pen, and some heat shrink tubing. Slide the spring down to the bottom of the cord, then apply the tubing, and shrink it with a lighter. This should keep your phone charger going strong for a year.
Sweep Up Everything
Sweeping can be a real pain, especially when you can’t manage to get that thin line of dust to go into your dust pan. The easy hack for this involves duct tape.
Place a thin layer of duct tape over the edge of the pan. This will make the dustpan adhere more closely to the floor, which will all you to sweep up all of those pesky bits of sand, crumbs, and dust bunnies.
Ice Pack On The Go
Ice packs are one of those items you only need when you have an accident, or when you need to keep some food cold in a cooler. Other than that, they’re not something you think about that often.
If you find yourself suddenly needing an ice pack, take a look in your kitchen. A sponge can be dampened with water, placed in a sealable plastic bag, and frozen. Now, you have a DIY ice pack whenever you need it.
Save On Car Mats
Most car companies like to produce all of the products needed for their cars. One of these items is car mats. Every vehicle has different sized floors, which means mats need to be measured to fit if they aren’t bought from the manufacturer.
While measuring is crucial, nobody said you have to buy actual car mats. Hardware stores always have scraps of carpet which you can pick up for cheap. Just cut that carpet down to the size you need, and voila, ready-made car mats.
Dents Begone
Dents happen. Maybe somebody slammed a mug down on a wooden table, or a book corner landed hard on it. Dents are not the end of the world, and in most cases, they can be fixed.
For a dent in a wooden surface, lay a damp washcloth over the dented area and let it absorb for a few minutes. Then, run a hot iron over the top of the washcloth in a circular motion. Over time, the dent should begin to fill as the wood expands in place.
Adding Keys To A Key Ring
After spending an hour getting a beautiful manicure, nobody wants to worry about breaking a nail when they try to put a key on a key ring. Those rings are pretty hard to open, but with one little tool, this process can be made easy.
A staple remover can grab onto staples and it can grab onto the circle in a key ring, and help open them up. Then, just slip the key on and you are good to go.
Keep A Tension Rod In Place
People love to get crafty, especially when it comes to home improvements. This seamstress’ husband realized that her tension rod, which was used to hang clothes on it kept falling down.
To avoid this, he found the perfect inserts to keep the rod in place – bottle caps. Plastic bottle caps from water bottles, once drilled into the wall, hold tension rods in place, and they protect the wall from further damage.
No More Sticky Snow
Like fogged-up bathroom mirrors, snow shovels have a tendency to get snow stuck to them. This can lead to a moment of annoyance, as the snow shoveler needs to waste a few minutes trying to scrape the snow off.
To avoid this, simply wipe some car wax along the inside of the shovel, and follow the instructions on the wax itself. All of that snow should slide on-off, and your driveway will be shoveled in no time.
Locate Lost Things
Dropping earrings, and other odds and ends can lead to a mad dash around the house as you look under furniture and feel around in rugs for the items.
To skip this step altogether, just place a thin sock over the top of the nozzle on your vacuum. Then, run the vacuum over your rugs, and in the seat cushions on your furniture. The sock will prevent that lost item from being sucked up.
The Permanent Marker Hack
Permanent markers and dry erase markers can look pretty similar. For some reason, someone always leaves one permanent mark just close enough to the whiteboard that whoever uses it gets confused and grabs it.
Writing with a permanent marker is definitely a “What have I done?” moment. Luckily, simply writing over the permanent marker with a dry erase marker should allow you to wipe both off them off.
Feeling Wobbly
We’re not sure how it happens, but sometimes one table leg just happens to be shorter than the other ones. That leads to a few wobbly meals, which can be a bit precarious once drinks are involved.
To avoid any drinks from going flying, just glue a penny or two onto the table leg that is wobbly. This is a quick fix until a long-term solution can be found.
Little Notes
People love receiving notes, and sometimes we all need a reminder here or there. When doing laundry grab a dry erase marker, and leave a little note for your loved one.
Alternatively, you can also write a note reminding yourself or a family member to switch over the laundry so everyone has dry sheets for the evening.
Screws On Hand
A lot of quick projects call for a handful of screws and a drill gun. Keeping those screws handy can be tough, do you keep them in your pocket or in a bowl close by?
The life hack for this is simply glueing a magnet made from a rare earth metal to the base of the drill. Then, all of your screws will stick to it, and be ready for use as soon as you need them.
Get Permanent Markers Working
Permanent markers have a tendency to dry out if they are not used that often. This can be a challenge if you need to quickly use one to make a mark, or sign something.
If you have a bottle of rubbing alcohol in your bathroom, a few drops of that inside of the marker will get it drawing once more. Just don’t forget to spin it a few times to move the alcohol through the marker.
The Perfect Sharpener
Anything that cuts, like scissors and knives, will eventually become dull. That means they need to be sharpened, either by a professional or with a sharpening stone.
For the person that doesn’t have a proper sharpening stone on hand, simply grab a ceramic mug. The ceramic bottom will work the same way as a stone, and allow you to get all of your scissors and knives in chopping order.
Written by: Tegan Holmes.
This article was originally published on 24/7 MIRROR.