Life
13 Weird (But Awesome) Life Hacks
Life can be hard, which is why having a few awesome life hacks that everyone should know just kind of makes sense. Because why not make things easier on yourself when you can? Plus, is there really anything more satisfying than an efficient workaround that saves you time and/or money? The answer is no.
And the thing that always boggles my mind about a good life hack is that I usually can't believe that I was living my entire life without it once I know about it. Seriously, once you find one that makes a previously annoying task more manageable, or that solves a super simple problem you deal with all the time, you quite literally can never go back to your old, pre-hack ways. It's like life before Tide sticks. Or TVs before remote controls. Never again.
If you're always on the hunt for new and improved ways to tackle life's little problems, or if you just plain love efficiency and problem solving, then you've come to the right place. Here are thirteen kind of weird, albeit super awesome hacks that you will definitely find a use for. You're welcome in advance!
1. Freeze Coffee In Ice Cube Trays For Iced Coffee
Folgers has an awesome iced coffee hack on their website — just pour coffee into ice cube trays and freeze them. That way, whenever you make iced coffee at home you won't water down your drink with regular ice cubes, and instead will only enhance the flavor with the ones you've made from coffee. It makes a huge difference.
Try: OXO Good Grips Ice Cube Tray, $9.99, Amazon
2. Blend Soap And Water In Your Blender
This tip from the YouTube channel List25 literally changed my life, and it is so, so simple. After you use your blender, simply add some soap and water and blend it together before cleaning it out in the sink. It makes the super annoying task of cleaning your blender way, way easier, and is especially awesome if you make a lot of smoothies or blended drinks.
Try: Ninja Professional Blender, $89.99, Amazon
3. Turning Perfume Into Lotion
KeepCalmAndBlushOn had a super awesome tip for when there's just a little perfume left in the bottle. She said to add the remaining perfume to your favorite basic body moisturizer so that the lotion will now smell like your favorite perfume. I find this especially useful when I have an old scent that I no longer really wear but don't want to throw away.
Try: Puracy Organic Unscented Body Lotion, $12.99, Amazon
4. Use A Shoe Rack To Organizer Cleaning Supplies
Shoe Organizer, $35.67, Ebay.com
I advocate using shoe racks to organize just about everything, but using them to organize cleaning supplies is especially clutch. Instead of keeping them in a disorganized mess under your sink and having to get down on the floor to locate a single cleaner, just keep them all on display on the back of a closet door.
Try: Handy Laundry Over-The-Door Organizer, $9.99, Amazon
5. Dryer Sheets For Staticky Hair
Bounce Fabric Softener Dryer Sheets, $9, Amazon
This tip from lifestyle vlogger YouTuber KeepCalmAndBlushOn is kind of revolutionary for those days when you're having staticky hair issues. Grab a dryer sheet and puncture it onto the bristles of your brush so that it lies flat against the base of the bristle. Then just brush as usual, and say goodbye to static frizz!
6. Pancake Mix In A Ketchup Bottle
I love this tip! It's one of those things that is so, incredibly simple and obvious, yet I never had thought to do it until I saw it mentioned on YouTube's eHow channel. Just keep an empty, washed out ketchup bottle in a drawer or cabinet for when needed, and prepare yourself for the most perfect pancakes of your life.
7. Use A Can Opener On Pesky Plasket Casing
I haven't yet tried this hack from YouTuber Keith4Prez, but it instantly caught my attention because I personally get so frustrated when opening electronics that are tightly packed in plastic. Instead of trying to cut the edges and prying the plastic apart, Keith simply recommends using a can opener on the top edge. Jump to minute 4:09 of the above video to see how it's done.
8. Add Baking Soda When Boiling Eggs
Arm & Hammer Baking Soda, $7, Amazon
Keith4Prez also noted that a super easy way to make sure your hard boiled eggs are super easy to peel is by simply adding a teaspoon of baking soda to the water while they boil. Game changer!
9. De-wrinkle Clothes In A Steamy Bathroom
This is a hack I've been using for years and it especially serves me well when I travel. When you have a dress or shirt that has a few wrinkles and you don't have an iron or steamer on hand, simply hang it up in the bathroom before you take a hot shower, and keep the door closed so that all the steam stays in the room. The wrinkles should work themselves out after an hour or so.
10. Slicing A Watermelon
Cutting a watermelon is one of those things that doesn't seem like it should be hard, but when you're actually faced with the task it suddenly can become very frustrating — especially if you want the pieces to look pretty and presentable for guests. The YouTube channel 1 Minute Recipes has you totally covered with the above super awesome how-to video for optimal watermelon presentation.
11. Cut The Bottoms Off Your Lotions
YouTuber JessiceLikes shows us just how much extra product we can get out of our lotion and makeup bottles by taking five extra minutes to cut off the bottoms. Check out how she does it and then reseals the bottles in the above videos and see how much extra product you get yourself.
12. Put Your Phone Into A Glass To Amplify Sounds
16 oz Clear Glass Jar, $0.65, Containerandpackaging.com
LifeHacker recommends putting your phone into a glass when you want to amplify the sound but don't have speakers. And I can personally vouch for the fact that this one works wonders!
Try: Ball Mason Jar, $7.99, Amazon
13. Microwave Your Sponges
This tip is perfect for those days when your sponge is on it's absolute last leg but you just don't have time to grab a new one at the store. The microwave will kill any odor-causing bacteria in or on the sponge, making it usable for a little while longer.
Life is already hard enough — so make things easier on yourself by implementing some of the above hacks. You'll thank me — I promise.
