Some people aren’t down with life hacks. Instead, they prefer doing things the old-fashioned (difficult) way. Suit yourself, whatever, but honestly, life is hard enough as it is, so if there are easy ways to avoid life’s little hassles, why not take a shortcut from time to time?
Seriously, there is no shame in this DIY game.
Suddenly, moving clothes isn’t such a hassle.
Here’s one of the better hacks I’ve seen. Moving a bunch of clothes at once is a messy, awkward proposition…unless you use a kitchen garbage bag to pull off this simple and borderline-genius trick.
Protect your registration sticker.
Thieves have been known to steal up-to-date car registration stickers. Stop this from happening to you by scoring the sticker with a razor blade. If a thief sees that it’ll fall apart, they’re less likely to want to take it.
This makes Ikea assembly that much easier.
When you’re putting something together, it can be tough to organize the various screws it comes with. Just grab a piece of paper or cardboard and a Sharpie and poke the screws through for a simple solution.
The best use yet for those pizza things.
Just sawing off one of the legs of these things turns them into the perfect phone stand. And to think that the only use I could find for these things was as a table for action figures…
No more migrating Tupperware.
Tupperware, because it’s so light, has a terrible way of flying all over the inside of a dishwasher. Weigh it down using a metal dish rack.
Buy eggs on sale and freeze them for later.
Eggs can be frozen without any change in taste or texture. Crack them into ice cube trays for easy portioning and thaw them at room temperature as needed.
If you think you’ll need just yolks or whites, you can also freeze them separately.
An indispensable wrench hack.
If your metal wrench is too big for the job, just use some extra metal (coins, in this case) to make things fit a little better.
Buy bobby pins, but don’t instantly lose 95% of them.
Bobby pins are handy, but they have a way of ending up everywhere. Corral these wayward pins with this simple drawer-based solution.
Wall-mounted TV, dorm-style.
Dorm dwellers know it can be tough to make their room feel like home. A couple of sticky command hooks make a great wall mount for your tablet.
Simple binder access.
If you have to use binders for work or school, take advantage of those inside pockets by making them more accessible. A Post-It note gives easy access and prevents pockets from sticking to the binder.
Carabiners are your best friend.
They hold keys, they contain bottle openers, and they can also make grocery missions that much easier. No more plastic bag handles cutting into your hands!
A better icepack.
Unless you have a fancy purpose-built icepack, most homemade versions wind up all melty and sloppy. If you contain the water in a sponge before freezing it, it’ll make things tidier — not to mention softer.
Use an old plastic bottle to make a sponge holder for your sink.
As the sponge dries, the water will drip down through the bottle’s mouth into the sink, preventing bacteria-friendly pools of sponge water.
Here’s how to get coworkers’ coffees like a pro.
Those unwieldy drink trays can be made more convenient if you cut or rip them in half, then stack them in a skinny paper bag.
Stripped screw? No problem.
Stripped screws can be the bane of your existence when disassembling things. All is not lost, though, if you use a rubber band to give your screwdriver some extra torque.
Taco night: never ruined again.
If you don’t get those fancy stand-up taco shells, there’s still hope when it comes to keeping hard tacos upright. Just use a fork to give your shells the stability they need.
Put keys on a key ring without destroying your fingers.
Those of us without nails can have a lot of trouble with key rings, but a simple staple remover solves that problem.
Don’t unwrap your veggies too soon.
Instead of letting them loose to just roll around the cutting board, keep those rubber bands on your asparagus to slice them with ease.
Take the elbow grease out of scrubbing.
This is what power tools are for, right? A cordless drill fitted with a dollar store toilet brush will make short work of just about any grime.
Put the charge back into your phone.
If your phone isn’t charging well, you don’t necessarily need to replace anything. Lint can get jammed into the charging socket — try cleaning it out first.
Don’t lose track of outlet covers.
Parents know how easy it is to lose an outlet cover, only to find it with the bottom of your foot later on. Turns out, they fit nicely on top of the cord.
Take the guesswork out of pill bottles.
Great idea for older people especially — highlight those hard-to-see arrows on the lid that need to line up exactly for it to open.
Get the most out of your night in a hotel.
Nothing ruins restful hotel sleep like a crack in the curtains. Clamp them shut with the clasps on the coat hangers to keep the room fully blacked out.
Fake it so they’ll take it.
Their medicine, that is. It’s much easier to get a sick kid to take their cough syrup if they think they’re drinking sweet, fizzy soda.
Make your car nap friendly
If you love to camp, or are heading out to a music festival this summer, this is possibly the best hack on this list.
Who needs a tent when you’ve got all the shelter you could possibly need, and you don’t have to sleep on the ground?
Freeze lemon and lime in water for a refreshing treat.
Here’s another thing to serve at this very adult, very hypothetical dinner party. Freeze citrus of your choice with water in muffin tins. That way, they’ll add a hint of flavor and keep the water cold!
Make your shower work harder.
For those days when you’re so congested you can barely wake up, try mixing up this solution for an invigorating, cleansing experience in the shower.
Watch Netflix In The Bath Or Shower
This seems like it could be a disaster waiting to happen, but if you do it right, it just might work. If you keep the tablet away from open water, this will help make sure steam doesn’t ruin your tech.
Line a reusable grocery bag with bubble wrap for DIY insulation.
This is perfect for trips where you know you’ll be buying a bunch of frozen food and don’t want it to thaw on the drive home.
Use carabiners as bag hooks on the back of your seat.
I am always scrambling last minute to grab the keys to open my garage from my bag, and can never find said bag because it’s hidden under 10 things in the backseat. With this, I’ll save at least five minutes since I’ll know exactly where to find my bag.
No more garbage bin hassle.
Having a foot pedal garbage bin is super convenient, except for when the pressure isn’t equalized and things get stuck. You can eliminate this issue with a simple straw.
Use a hair straightener to smooth wonky shirt collars.
You don’t need to get out the iron and ironing board just to fix a collar that won’t lay flat. A straightening iron will do the job with more precision.
