Hacks
100 hacks
Peel a whole head of garlic in 20 seconds
Shake the cloves in a closed jar and the skins fall right off.
Keep a pot from boiling over with a wooden spoon
Lay a wooden spoon across the pot and the foam pops before it spills, which buys you time to turn down the heat.
Bring stale bread back to life
A quick rinse and a few minutes in the oven make it crusty and soft again.
Check if an egg is fresh with a glass of water
Fresh eggs sink and lie flat. Older eggs stand up or float.
Keep fresh herbs green for a week in a jar of water
Store soft herbs like flowers and they last far longer.
Soften butter fast with a warm glass
Cover a cold stick of butter with a heated glass for a few minutes.
Seal a chip bag without a clip
Fold the top, tuck the corners and flip it inside out to lock it.
Slice soft food cleanly with dental floss
Unflavored floss cuts cake, soft cheese and cinnamon rolls without squishing.
Ripen hard avocados faster in a paper bag
Put the avocado in a paper bag with a banana or apple and it softens in a day or two.
Stop your cutting board from sliding with a damp towel
Lay a damp paper towel or dish towel under the board and it stays put.
Save leftover herbs by freezing them in olive oil
Chop the herbs, cover them with oil in an ice cube tray and freeze ready-to-cook portions.
Reheat pizza in a skillet for a crispy crust
A hot pan crisps the bottom, and a few drops of water steam the cheese.
Clean your microwave with a lemon and steam
Three minutes of lemon steam softens the gunk so it wipes right off.
Let your blender clean itself
Warm water, a drop of dish soap and 30 seconds of blending.
Unclog a showerhead with a bag of vinegar
Soak it overnight in a bag of vinegar and the mineral buildup melts away.
Dust blinds with a sock on your hand
Wipe each slat between your fingers with a damp sock. Done in minutes.
Freshen a smelly, slightly slow drain with baking soda and vinegar
Good for odors and mild slowdowns. For a real clog, use a plunger.
Scrub soap scum off a shower door with a dryer sheet
A damp used dryer sheet wipes away cloudy soap film with almost no effort.
Brighten dirty grout with baking soda and a toothbrush
A thick paste and an old toothbrush get into lines a sponge can't reach.
Clean baked-on grime from oven door glass
Baking soda paste softens the brown film so it wipes off.
Remove sticky label residue with cooking oil
Rub on any cooking oil, wait a few minutes, and the gunk slides off.
Pick up pet hair with a damp rubber glove
Wipe the couch with a damp glove and the hair rolls into clumps.
Clean a cast iron pan with coarse salt
Scrub stuck-on food with kosher salt and a paper towel, no soaking needed.
Clean your dishwasher filter for cleaner dishes
Many dishwashers have a filter you're supposed to rinse every month. Most people never do.
Rub off deodorant marks with a sock
A clean, dry sock wipes white streaks off dark clothes in seconds.
Steam out wrinkles with ice cubes in the dryer
Toss a few ice cubes in with a lightly wrinkled shirt for a quick steam.
Stop static cling with balls of aluminum foil
Two or three foil balls in the dryer cut down static cling, and you can reuse them for many loads.
Lift grease stains with dish soap
The soap made for greasy pans works on greasy shirts too.
Keep dark jeans from fading: wash inside out in cold water
Turn dark clothes inside out and use cold water to keep their color longer.
Stop losing socks with a mesh laundry bag
Zip socks into a mesh bag and every pair comes out of the dryer together.
Dry sweaters flat so they keep their shape
Lay wool and knit sweaters on a towel to dry instead of hanging them.
Get blood out of fabric with cold water
Rinse blood stains in cold water right away. Hot water sets them.
Stop washing machine smells: leave the door open
Prop the door or lid open after each wash so the inside can dry.
Keep your paint can rim clean with a rubber band
Wipe your brush on a rubber band instead of the rim.
Find a tiny lost item with a sock on your vacuum
Cover the hose with a thin sock and lost earrings get caught, not swallowed.
Silence a squeaky door hinge
Pull the hinge pin, coat it with petroleum jelly and slide it back.
Hang a picture perfectly with painter's tape
Mark the hangers on tape, move the tape to the wall and nail through the marks.
Hide scratches in wood furniture with a walnut
Rub a shelled walnut over a light scratch and it blends right in.
Unstick a zipper with a pencil
Rub pencil lead along the teeth and the zipper slides again.
Fill small nail holes with white toothpaste
A quick fix for tiny holes in white walls when you don't have spackle.
Remove a stripped screw with a rubber band
Put a wide rubber band between the screwdriver and a slightly stripped screw for extra grip.
Fix a loose screw hole with toothpicks
Fill the stripped hole with glued toothpicks and the screw grips again.
Quiet a squeaky wood floor with cornstarch
Work powder into the gaps between the boards so they stop rubbing.
Stop a charging cable from fraying with a pen spring
Wrap the spring from a click pen around the weak spot near the plug.
Open a stubborn jar with a rubber band
Stretch a wide rubber band around the lid for instant grip.
Get every last bit of toothpaste with a binder clip
Roll up the end and clip it. Move the clip up as the tube empties.
Never lose the end of the tape again
Stick a paper clip or folded tab on the end before you put the roll away.
Stop cables from falling behind your desk
Clip binder clips to the desk edge and thread your chargers through them.
Store each sheet set inside its own pillowcase
Fold the sheets, tuck them into a matching pillowcase and the set stays together.
Hang spray bottles on a tension rod under the sink
A curtain tension rod turns wasted space into a cleaning-supply rack.
Label your cords with bread clips
Write on the plastic tags from bread bags and clip one on each plug.
Store cleaning supplies in an over-the-door shoe organizer
Clear pockets on the back of a door hold sprays, sponges and gloves.
Color-code your keys with nail polish
Paint each key head a different color and grab the right one first try.
Hang measuring spoons inside a cabinet door
Stick small adhesive hooks inside a cabinet door to free up a whole drawer.
Date your leftovers with tape and a marker
Write the date on masking tape so you always know what's still good.
Keep clutter away with the one-in, one-out rule
Every time something new comes in, one similar thing goes out.
Use the 24-hour rule before buying
Wait a day before any purchase you didn't plan. Most urges fade.
Pay yourself first with an automatic transfer
Move money to savings on payday, before you have a chance to spend it.
Find and cancel subscriptions you forgot about
Scan your bank statement once a month and cancel anything you don't use.
Compare the unit price, not the sticker price
The small number on the shelf tag shows which size is really cheaper.
Unsubscribe from store emails to stop impulse buying
Fewer sale emails means fewer things you didn't plan to buy.
Use a cash envelope for fun spending
Put your weekly eating-out or hobby money in an envelope. When it's empty, you're done.
Compare car insurance quotes once a year
Prices change. A yearly check can find the same coverage for less.
Borrow free e-books and audiobooks with your library card
Apps like Libby let you borrow books on your phone or tablet for free.
Shop with a list and a full stomach to spend less
Eat before you go and stick to your list.
Bring back a tab you closed by accident
Press Ctrl + Shift + T (Cmd + Shift + T on a Mac).
Turn your phone into a lantern with a water bottle
Set a full water bottle on your phone's flashlight to light up the whole room.
Make your phone louder with a cup
Stand your phone in an empty cup or glass, speaker end down.
Take a screenshot on any phone or computer
Save a picture of exactly what's on your screen with one quick button combo.
Find a lost phone, even when it's on silent
Make your phone ring at full volume from another device or a web browser.
Make the text on your phone bigger
One setting makes words in your apps, messages and menus easier to read.
Find a word on any web page instantly
Jump straight to the word you need instead of scrolling and reading everything.
Fix slow Wi-Fi by restarting your router the right way
Unplug it for 30 seconds, then plug the modem in first.
Roll your clothes to fit more in your suitcase
Rolled T-shirts and jeans pack tighter and fill every gap.
Take a photo of your bag before you check it
One picture makes a lost-bag report fast and accurate.
Pack shoes in a shower cap
Slip a shower cap over the soles to keep dirt off your clothes.
Download maps before you lose signal
Save the area on Wi-Fi and your phone still shows the map with no service.
Pack a change of clothes in your carry-on
If your checked bag is late, you'll still have what you need for the first day.
Bring an empty water bottle through airport security
Carry it through empty, then fill it at a fountain near your gate.
Put a tracker in your checked bag
A small Bluetooth tracker shows you where your suitcase is on your phone.
Stop toiletries from leaking with plastic wrap
Put a small square of plastic wrap under the cap before screwing it back on.
Pack earrings and small jewelry in a pill organizer
Each little compartment keeps a pair together, so nothing tangles or gets lost.
Know which side your gas tank is on
The little arrow next to the pump icon on your fuel gauge points to it.
Defog your windshield in seconds
Heat on, A/C on, recirculation off.
Park perfectly with a tennis ball
Hang a ball from the ceiling so it touches the windshield when you've pulled in far enough.
Keep your wipers from freezing to the windshield
Before a snowstorm, lift the wipers or cover the blades so they don't freeze to the glass.
Find the right tire pressure on your driver's door
The correct number is on a sticker inside the driver's door, not on the tire.
Check your tire tread with a penny
If you can see all of Lincoln's head, it's time for new tires.
Cool down a hot car faster
Push the hot air out first, then let the A/C cool the car.
Save where you parked on your phone
Mark your parking spot in your map app so you can walk straight back to it.
Use the 3-second rule to keep a safe distance
Count three seconds between the car ahead passing a landmark and you passing it.
Rest your eyes with the 20-20-20 rule
Every 20 minutes, look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds.
Calm down fast with 4-7-8 breathing
Breathe in for 4, hold for 7, breathe out for 8.
Track how much water you drink with rubber bands
Put bands on your bottle and move one each time you finish it.
Stop hitting snooze: put your alarm across the room
If you have to get up to turn it off, you're already up.
Stop your glasses from fogging up with dish soap
A thin film of soap keeps lenses clear when you wear a mask or drink something hot.
Set up Medical ID on your phone for emergencies
Emergency responders can see your medical info and emergency contacts, even when your phone is locked.
Never miss a dose: pill organizer plus a phone alarm
Fill a weekly organizer on Sunday and set a daily alarm to take it.
Undo long sitting with a 5-minute walk every half hour
Short walking breaks lowered blood sugar and blood pressure in a Columbia University study.
Calm puffy eyes with a cold compress
A chilled washcloth or two cold spoons reduces morning puffiness.