36 Life Hacks That Will Make Your Life Easier
Do you know that feeling when you struggle with something for ages and then someone shows you a trick that makes it so much easier? Well, we have not just one trick for you today, but 35 tips and tricks.
In the following pages, we will show you how to tackle the annoying tasks of everyday life more easily, quickly, and inexpensively. And the best part? These are all tried and tested tips that have been used by many people.
1. Wasp Protection
On a hot summer day, nothing beats a nice, cold, refreshing drink. Unfortunately, wasps and bees agree with you. Keep them away from your drink by wrapping some cellophane around it and inserting a straw through the top.
This way, wasps, bees, and other flying friends will be kept safely at a distance, allowing you to enjoy your lemonade or ice-cold drink without any worries.
2. Quick and Easy Cleaning of Phone Screens
A smartphone screen can easily get dirty. After all, your fingers move across it all day, leaving smudges and fingerprints. Here's a life hack to easily get rid of them and make your screen look as fresh and new as when you first bought it.
Simply use an eraser to "erase" the fingerprints and smudges! Works like a charm, as long as you use a soft eraser. Using the rough side may cause scratches.
3. Eggshells as Pan Cleaners
Have you left your pan unattended for too long, resulting in dirt and burnt residue? Sometimes, it's so bad that you can scrub all day without getting rid of the grime.
Here's a tip: Crush some eggshells and put them in the pan. Mix ground eggshells with some soapy water for a truly powerful cleaner for hard-to-clean pots and pans.
4. Express Apple Peeler
Okay, we admit, this might be one of the messiest ways to peel an apple. But it's also very quick. Attach the apple to the end of a drill and hold a peeler in the other hand.
Turn on the drill, and voila! You'll have the apple peeled in no time. However, you might spend some time collecting the peels in the kitchen.
5. Stabbing Strawberries
Struggling to remove the green stem from a strawberry? What should be simple can quickly become frustrating. Sometimes, half of the stem remains on the strawberry, and other times, half of the strawberry remains on the stem.
Here's the solution: Simply take a straw and insert it from the bottom through the strawberry. This will elegantly and cleanly push out the stem from the top of the strawberry.
6. Keeping Headphones Apart
Do you always mix up which headphone goes in which ear? You can make your life much easier by tying a small knot in the cable of one of your headphones.
This way, you can always differentiate them without having to search for the tiny R or L markings on the earbuds. Never again will you accidentally put the wrong one in the wrong ear.
7. Automatic Watering System: Now for Free
Do you have a spare bottle lying around? Fill it with water, flip it upside down, and insert it into the soil of a potted plant. Your plant will only consume the water it needs.
With this method, you ensure that your plants' soil is always perfectly hydrated. Another advantage is that you won't have to worry about when to water them again. Simply refill the bottle when it's empty!
8. Effectively Preventing Lunch Theft
Do you work in an office where people tend to eat each other's lunches? It happens more often than you might think. We have a great solution to this problem.
Simply paint the bag in which you pack your lunch with disgusting-looking mold stains. Your colleagues will surely keep their hands off it! Unless, of course, you have helpful colleagues who might accidentally throw away the bag.
9. Banana Peels as Fertilizer
Everyone knows that good fertilizer helps plants grow strong, healthy, and beautiful. But few people know that banana peels are an excellent alternative.
Bananas are rich in potassium, which aids in the transportation of nutrients in plants and contributes to the formation of flowers and fruits. Instead of throwing away banana peels, cut them into small pieces and bury them near your plants.
10. Cable Organization
Most households have a cable box. The one box that's packed to the brim with cables that you might need again someday. The box that you can never find when you actually need it.
And when you do find it and need to take out one of the cables, it's probably tangled and connected to about six other cables. The next time you run out of toilet paper, use the empty roll to organize your cable box!
11. Theft Protection at the Beach
When you go to the beach, you don't want your day ruined by a thief. But how can you quickly and easily ensure that you won't get robbed?
It's quite simple. Before enjoying the sea, take an empty sunscreen bottle, clean it out, and then fill it with your valuables. Potential thieves won't know where to look.
12. Toilet Seat Heating Socks
Winter in unheated or at least poorly heated bathrooms can be tough. Who hasn't experienced the cold toilet seat? Sure, you've endured it bravely so far, thanks to your strong constitution and willpower.
But now there's a solution, at least for some American toilet seat models as shown. You can simply put socks over the seat. Insider tip: there are now heated socks available!
13. Doritos as Fire Starters
Did you forget to bring fire starters on your camping trip? No problem! Just open a bag of Doritos and use them instead. Doritos burn perfectly.
It's a super easy way to start a fire when you've forgotten to bring your own fire starters (and when the twigs and sticks in the forest are too wet from recent rainfalls).
14. Frozen Grapes as Ice Cubes
Ice cubes are a great way to chill your drink, especially in the summer. However, they tend to melt and dilute your good wine. This life hack will change your life.
You can cool your drink without watering it down by using frozen grapes. While they are 90% water, they also add a subtle flavor and sweetness.
15. Organization Genius, Part 2
One thing that can be really annoying when working with gift wrap is the fact that it constantly unravels, crinkles, and tears. You can easily solve this problem.
Once again, an empty toilet paper roll comes to the rescue. Simply cut it open and clamp it around the gift wrap roll. This super simple life hack can save you a lot of frustration!
16. Walnut Polish
Do your wooden furniture pieces look worn out? Has years of (mis)use left marks on the legs of your chairs, tables, and other furniture? It's bothersome, but not significant enough to take them to the workshop.
Just grab a walnut and rub it over the dents, scratches, and stains. Your furniture will look as good as new! It's much cheaper than having it repaired by a professional, that's for sure.
17. Mindful Moments
You're absolutely sure that you locked the door behind you. Of course! Or? Yes, you definitely did. Or did you? Being caught in a loop of questions like these can lead to stress and self-doubt. How many kilometers have you retraced your steps, just to be sure? No more of that! We've found a way for you to never worry about locked or unlocked doors again.
Just do something strange, random, and memorable after locking the door. Do a push-up. Or a squat. Spin around on your own axis. Your imagination knows no bounds! Do whatever you please. Never again will you puzzle over whether you locked the door.
18. The Photo Proof
Sometimes, when you're grocery shopping, you simply black out and can't remember what you wanted to buy. Or you lose your shopping list and have to improvise.
You can easily solve this problem by taking a photo of your fridge, so you can look back later and see what it's missing. On the next page, you'll find another super smart life hack!
19. XXL USB Charger
Oh no, your phone is at 1% battery and you can't find your charger! But you're expecting an important call! No need to worry. You probably have a USB cable lying around.
Simply plug it into your monitor or TV's USB port, and it will charge your phone just as well as a regular charger. Nowadays, waiting rooms have more TVs than power outlets too.
20. Spaghetti Candle Lighter
Candles can create a romantic ambiance or be a hassle. They're great for relaxing, romantic evenings, but they can also be quite frustrating.
You've probably been in a situation where you risk burning your fingers just to light the wick of a stubborn candle. Here's a simple trick: light a piece of spaghetti and use it to ignite the candle.
21. Tip from Forensics
Who hasn't experienced losing earrings, rings, or other small jewelry? Lost under the couch cushions? Can't find it? Here's an easy way to solve your problems.
Tie a pantyhose around your vacuum cleaner and vacuum the floor. Your lost jewelry will stick to it, and you won't have to fish it out of the dust bag!
22. The Tab Pull-Through Trick
Have you ever tried to drink from a can with a straw? The carbonation causes the straw to pop out as soon as you stop holding it with your hand. But there's a simple solution.
Just insert the straw through the hole in the tab on top of the can. It's designed for a straw and fits snugly, keeping the straw securely in place!
23. Packaging Clips for Marking
Finding the edge of a tape roll can be a hassle, especially with transparent tape. You can save yourself the trouble of searching again by inserting a bread clip under the edge.
This way, you'll find the edge in no time and save yourself a lot of time and effort for your next taping task. This life hack has the potential to change your life! Just like the next one.
24. Creating Secure Passwords Made Easy
Security is becoming increasingly important. When people find your phone and try to guess your password, they'll probably never think that you spelled "Banana" as "Banana."
With this simple trick, you can make your password much harder to guess while still being able to remember it. Take a look at your own passwords and see if you can improve them!
25. The Heating Circle
How many times have you reheated leftovers in the microwave only to have them come out boiling hot in the middle while still cold on the sides? Or vice versa?
That's because you didn't know about this life hack. Leave some space in the middle and create a donut shape on your plate. Your food will now heat evenly.
26. Frozen Napkins
This life hack is a real lifesaver. Have your guests arrived much earlier than expected? Are the drinks not cold yet? Just take a wet napkin, wrap it around the bottle, and put the bottle in the freezer.
The bottle will cool down in no time. Just make sure to take it out in time as the drink might freeze, expand, and break the bottle.
27. Painless Nailing
It's a classic cartoon scenario: The main character tries to hammer a nail into the wall but misses, ending up with a big red thumb. They could have saved themselves a world of pain.
If they used a clothespin to hold the nail in place, the hammer would only hit the clothespin at most, sparing their delicate fingers. Use this life hack to your advantage the next time you need to drive in a nail!
28. Desk Cat Boxes
Cats and boxes, it's like peanut butter and jelly. Like ice cream and chocolate sauce. The two just go together. Working from home and your cat using your laptop or keyboard as a bed?
Why not get them a box? Any box will do. You can take, for example, the lid of a board game box and turn it upside down. Your cat will thank you!
29. Water Watch
Sometimes you're so busy that you can't keep an eye on your pasta, rice, or potato water. You have to do this and that before you can check your pot again.
But how do you make sure the water doesn't boil over in the meantime? The solution is simple! Just place a wooden spoon over the pan, and your water won't boil over.
30. When a Whole Yogurt is Too Much
Sometimes you don't feel like eating a whole cup of yogurt. But the flimsy lids on them can't be resealed. So, how do you keep yogurt fresh? Here's a life hack to solve this problem.
Cut a piece of a straw and then cut it lengthwise. Place it around the rim of the yogurt cup, securely holding the lid in place!
31. Mark Your Suitcase with a Ribbon
Spending hours trying to find your suitcase at the airport after just landing? Make your life much easier by tying a colored ribbon to the handle of your suitcase.
You'll be able to spot it from a mile away! Saves a lot of time and frustration. Pro-tip: Since this life hack has become quite popular, you'll see many suitcases with multiple ribbons. The trend is now towards a second ribbon in a contrasting color.
32. Overwrite Instead of Crossing Out
Sometimes you need to cross something out so that no one can read it. Private notes, important letters, your diary. Many people take a pen and simply strike through the word. However, it takes a lot of effort to put enough strokes to make everything underneath illegible.
Instead, try writing random words over the words you want to hide. That way, no one can figure out what was originally written in that spot!
33. Rubber Band Beats Locking Mechanism
This trick is simple. We all know the feeling of panic we get when we fear that our door might accidentally lock us out. There's a simple trick to prevent this.
Just tie a rubber band around the door handles on both sides, making sure that the rubber band crosses in front of the latch. You'll never be locked out again!
34. Tennis Balls as Everyday Helpers
They say a dog is a man's best friend, but what about a tennis ball? Look at the picture above and see how multifunctional one of these little green balls is.
You simply stick one to the wall, cut it open, and use it to hold anything that needs to be held. It has the added bonus of looking like a cute smiley face.
35. Pitting Cherries with a Safety Pin
Here's a quick way to pit a cherry. Use a safety pin to remove the pit from the juicy red fruit. Its size is perfect for the job and leaves you with clean fingers!
The safety pin, if not readily available, should be acquired as soon as possible, as it might be the most inconvenient way to catch cherry pits. You'll be the star of any party!
36. Squeezing Lemons with a Pair of Tongs
Here's a quick way to squeeze lemons to make the best lemonade in town. Simply place them between a pair of grill tongs and squeeze as hard as you can. The juice will flow out!
No need to get your hands dirty anymore. As healthy as lemons are, their juice is so sticky, you have to wash your hands right after. Plus, it's much faster than doing it by hand.