At the risk of sounding negative, let’s just go ahead and admit that life is hard. That doesn’t mean it’s bad, but there are a lot of challenges! There are big ones, like managing relationships, learning new things, and overcoming difficulties. And then there are small, everyday ones, like trying to figure out how the heck to store the lids of your cooking pots.
That’s where life hacks come into play. It’s been a popular internet trend for a decade and a half. The term “lifehack” was first used in 2004 in relation to ways that computer programmers manage to bypass annoying or time-consuming programming steps. In 2005, the word lifehack was voted the second-most useful word of the year, just behind the word podcast.
Nowadays, the term refers to anything that, well, makes your life easier. This could be something that helps get around all the little daily challenges and frustrations we all have. Whether it’s how to paint your nails without having the polish run or making a grilled cheese sandwich in a toaster, life hacks are all about making your life better.
And everyone wants to make their life better, so settle in and read the 75 life hacks that everyone should know.
You don’t need anything fancy to steam your clothes. Just hang them up over a boiling pot of water on the stove. You can also hang them in the bathroom during a steamy shower.
Have you ever wanted a glass of wine but found yourself frustrated because you couldn’t find a corkscrew? Just reach into your toolbox or junk drawer in a pinch.
Eggs are a fridge staple, but it’s easy to lose track of their expiration date. That means you’re not sure if they’re going bad. To test freshness, let them float in a bowl of water. Fresh eggs sink completely.
13. Press a shirt collar with a hair straightener.
Toddlers can get stir-crazy if they’re trapped indoors. To keep your kiddo from coloring on the walls, give them a box and crayons and let them go crazy.
15. Use a pants hanger to consult notes while on the computer.
It’s annoying to crane your neck back and forth when trying to consult handwritten notes while working on the computer. To avoid this, suspend your notes from a pants hanger. You can also use it as a way to suspend cookbooks while you make dinner.
16. Remember that your fuel gauge points to the side where your gas tank is.
If you don’t want to dirty a pan, turn your toaster sideways to make a quick grilled cheese. Just keep an eye on it and clean it carefully (unplugged) to avoid a food fire.
Losing a shirt button can mean unexpectedly flashing your coworkers. Keep your buttons in place with a small dab of clear nail polish applied to each one.
21. Leave a tea bag in your shoes to banish foot odor.
Sneakers are prone to getting smelly fast, especially if you wear them while working out. To keep your shoes fresh, toss a couple of tea bags and let them sit overnight.
22. Disguise alcohol in this sneaky soda disguise.
Plenty of pools and parks don’t let you bring alcohol on the premises. The next time you’re on a picnic and want to enjoy a brew, slip it into this handy soda sleeve.
23. Find a lost earring with pantyhose over the vacuum cleaner.
Small jewelry has a way of getting lost in crevices under furniture. To pick it up with no effort, wrap a piece of hose around the end of your vacuum attachment.
You settle in your hotel room for the night but then realize you forgot your charging dock As long as you have a cable, most televisions have a USB port on the side.
If you have to run to the bathroom at a restaurant but don’t want to lose your drink, let your server know you’re coming back by putting a coaster over the top.
To make your passwords super secure, add a special character. We don’t mean something like %!&*. Instead, try a character used in a non-English language, like ñ or ß.
31. Make cleaning your microwave easy with a glass of water.
Microwaves can be a pain to clean as food gets old and dries out. Before you clean, place a glass of water inside and then microwave it. The steam softens the food residue.
Trying to pull into your garage can be hard, and it might mean bumping into a wall. To keep your car doors scratch-free, mount pool noodles on the walls.
This hack is perfect if you’re tired of your kids losing pricey ice packs at school. Instead of spending more money, make a DIY ice pack for super cheap.
37. Arrange your food to heat evenly in the microwave.
It’s easy to accumulate an embarrassing number of these pants hangers. Instead of tossing them, give them a quick makeover to turn them into bag clips.
39. Wrap your drink in a wet napkin for quick cooling.
If you want to cool your beer down in no time at all, just wrap it in a wet paper towel or napkin before sticking it in the fridge. It’ll be ice-cold in about 15 minutes.
40. Line the bottom of the trash can with paper to prevent leaks.
The bottom of the trash can become gross from leaks that turn into mold. Make cleanup easy by lining the bottom with paper towels. You can also use newspaper for extra protection.
Coca-Cola has a long history as a refreshing beverage. But, it’s for more than just drinking. Its level of carbonation makes it perfect for cleaning the grime out of your toilet. Fun fact: it can also remove rust!
43. Put your phone on airplane mode to charge quickly.
Don’t have a turbocharger? Just put your phone on airplane mode to charge it super-fast. To shorten the time to a full battery, don’t use it while it’s charging.
44. It’s easier to reverse into a small parking spot.
If you’re trying to squeeze into a tiny parking spot, try going backward instead of forward. It’s often easier to reverse into tight spots without hitting the other cars.
45. Extend the range of your keychain fob with this odd trick.
This might seem unbelievable, but it really works. If your key fob range isn’t what it used to be, you can extend it up to 15 feet by holding it underneath your chin when you use it.
Trying to fill a bucket in a sink that’s too small? Instead of wrestling with it, just place the bucket on the floor and use a dustpan to direct the water into it.
If you have scratches in your wooden furniture, there’s no need to despair. Just grab a walnut and rub it on the scratch for a few minutes. The oil will buff the damage right out.
It’s so annoying to fumble through a closet looking for the right cleaning supplies. Use a shoe organizer over the top of your closet door to keep supplies organized and easy to find.
Some plastic packaging can be harder to open than it’s worth, and scissors are almost worthless. For a blade that’s much stronger, use a can opener and cut along the thinnest edge.
As time passes, your headlights build up grime, making them less effective when you’re trying to see the road late at night. To return their shine, polish them with toothpaste and then wipe it away with a rag.
51. Differentiate your keys with a coat of nail polish.
Trying to fumble with your keys while you stand on your front step is so annoying. Make it easy to differentiate between all your keys with some color-coding nail polish.
If you have buildup on your faucet or showerhead, fill a plastic bag with vinegar, attach with a rubber band, and leave it overnight. When you remove it the next morning, you’ll see a shiny surface.
53. Use a squeeze bottle to make perfect pancakes.
Making pancakes can be a messy, complex process. To get the perfect pancakes every time, use a squeeze bottle for your batter. It’ll make the whole process less messy and produce pancakes all the same size.
If you want super-clean cuts in cake, bread, or other soft foods, don’t use a knife and make a mess. Instead, reach for unflavored dental floss. It cuts just as well and is incredibly clean.
55. Use adhesive Velcro to keep your remotes within reach.
Remotes go missing constantly, and it’s so annoying to have to take all the couch cushions off to try to find them. Keep them in the same place by using adhesive Velcro attached to your coffee table.
56. Keep your chargers in a glasses case while you travel.
Don’t let your chargers sit in your luggage in a tangled mess when you travel. To keep them organized and super easy to find, put them in a glasses case.
People go in and out of bars every night and in all kinds of weather. Because of that, they tend to accumulate a lot of personal items like umbrellas that get left behind and never claimed. If you’re getting wet and don’t have an umbrella on hand, pop into the nearest pub to ask the bartender for a spare.
58. Light a low candle with a dry spaghetti noodle.
Trying to light a low candle is a quick way to burn a couple of fingers. Instead of using a match, light the end of an uncooked spaghetti noodle to keep your hands safe.
59. Keep pasta from boiling over with a wooden spoon.
You’re cooking spaghetti and suddenly hear sizzling as the water overflows. No need to panic — just rest a wooden spoon on the edge of the pot to stop it from boiling over.
If you plan to store a big pack of ground meat for a long time, divide it up and put it into plastic bags. It’ll be much easier to store, and you won’t have to defrost a huge amount of meat all at once.
62. Fix a too-short shower curtain with some extra rings.
If your shower curtain won’t reach all the way to the floor, you don’t need to toss it out in favor of a new one. Just buy some extra curtain rings and double up to extend the length.
63. If you’re traveling, buy one adapter and a power strip.
If you’re going overseas, there’s no need to go out and buy an adapter for every single device you have. Just buy a single adapter and a regular power strip.
Taking pits out of cherries can take an eternity, but it doesn’t have to if you have the right tools. Just use a regular funnel to pop the stones out in a fraction of the time.
Here’s another easy way to store your pot lids. Mount command hooks on the inside of your cabinet doors, then use as a shelf. It’s a simple hack that’ll only cost you a couple of bucks.
66. Use masking tape to help hang things on the wall.
Hanging pictures and other items on the wall can be tricky. It’s hard to tell if they’re hanging straight, even if you have a second set of eyes! An easy way to make sure they’re level is to put a piece of masking tape on the wall and then line the picture up with it.
67. Protect your hands with a soda bottle while cooking.
Bacon is delicious, but cooking it is precarious. With so much oil in the pan, it tends to spit, causing painful burns. Protect your hands by cutting the bottom end off of a soda bottle and poking your fork through the top.
Are you trying to tighten something but your wrench is too big? “Resize” it temporarily by inserting a quarter into the gap. This will help you get a grip on what you’re trying to tighten.
69. Unclog your kitchen sink with a dishwasher tablet.
Do you have a kitchen sink that’s prone to clogs? Cut through the blockage with a regular dishwasher tablet. Let it dissolve in your sink with some hot water, then rinse the excess away. It’ll get rid of all the gunk in your drain.
70. Use vinegar to keep animals away from your trash.
If you have raccoons or opossums that have nightly parties in your garbage can, add a little vinegar. You can put it both in the can and on the ground around it. It’ll keep them away and stop them from tearing your trash bags to pieces.
Window screens attract a lot of dirt and dust, not to mention all the insects. To get rid of them, use a regular lint remover and roll gently over the screen. Repeat as many times as necessary!
If your trash gets smelly after a couple of days, there’s no need to dump it before it’s full. Just add your coffee grounds to the top to cut back on the smell. You need to throw them away anyway, so you might as well kill two birds with one stone!
If you’re trying to start a fire while camping for the weekend, toss in a couple of potato chips. The combination of starch and oil is the perfect fire starter. Of course, you have to be okay with not eating them afterward.
If you want to avoid refilling your cooler every couple of hours at your next barbecue, use this handy hack to keep ice frozen longer. Just sprinkle some salt over the ice and it’ll melt slower, keeping your drinks colder for a longer period.
75. Eating an apple is a good substitute for brushing your teeth in a pinch.
It’s not a substitute for actually brushing your teeth, but there’s a reason an apple is called “nature’s toothbrush.” It’s highly effective at removing bacteria from your teeth and cutting back on bad breath, so it’ll do in a pinch!
75 Clever Life Hacks That'll Save You Precious Time
Cedric Jackson
06.18.19
At the risk of sounding negative, let’s just go ahead and admit that life is hard. That doesn’t mean it’s bad, but there are a lot of challenges! There are big ones, like managing relationships, learning new things, and overcoming difficulties. And then there are small, everyday ones, like trying to figure out how the heck to store the lids of your cooking pots.
That’s where life hacks come into play. It’s been a popular internet trend for a decade and a half. The term “lifehack” was first used in 2004 in relation to ways that computer programmers manage to bypass annoying or time-consuming programming steps. In 2005, the word lifehack was voted the second-most useful word of the year, just behind the word podcast.
Nowadays, the term refers to anything that, well, makes your life easier. This could be something that helps get around all the little daily challenges and frustrations we all have. Whether it’s how to paint your nails without having the polish run or making a grilled cheese sandwich in a toaster, life hacks are all about making your life better.
And everyone wants to make their life better, so settle in and read the 75 life hacks that everyone should know.
