Genius Household Hacks, Secrets, And Gadgets That Will Blow Your Mind

Remove Water Rings With Your Hairdryer

Have you forgotten to put your cold drinks on a coaster one too many times? You probably have annoying water rings that you wish you could just get rid of. Turns out, you don’t need a wish, just a hairdryer. Set it to medium heat and hold it about two inches from the stain. It’ll go away in no time.

Get Paint Off Of A Shirt With A Razor

Most people just reserve old shirts for painting jobs, but sometimes you might not have access to one. Or maybe you just were overconfident and got paint on a shirt you actually wanted to keep. As it turns out, a razor blade can actually be used to get those annoying paint stains off your clothes. Scrape along the surface with the razor and you’ll see how easy it is to remove. Adding some glass cleaner to the blade makes it even more effective.

Clean Coffee Grinders With Rice

Using coffee grinders is a common device used to prepare one’s early morning beverage. But they can get pretty dirty pretty quickly if not maintained. Not to mention the smell. Fortunately, you can help keep it clean with uncooked rice. Grind the rice and leave it for a few hours. The smell will be gone.

Cover Ceiling Fans With Pillowcases

If you have ceiling fans, you know how dusty they can get. Especially during the seasons where you want to stay warm instead of cool. Well, during those off-seasons, you can cover the blades with a pillowcase. It stops dust from collecting in the first place and call also be used as a wipe to clean the dust off.

Get Rid Of Carpet Stains With An Iron

Irons have a lot of uses in a household actually. Turns out getting rid of carpet stains is one of them. Just use a tiny bit of ammonia on the stain in question and then run your iron over it. Don’t use it directly on the carpet though, use a cloth or some kind of sheet.

Newspaper Is Great For Cleaning Windows

Many people resort to classic paper towels in order to make their windows and mirrors as shiny as possible. However, there is reportedly a more effective alternative that might be quite surprising to home-cleaning aficionados – newspapers. Not only does it do just as good a job, but a soy ink newspaper won’t leave traces of lint or streak the glass surface. Remember, you also get to read it before using it as a cleaning device, killing two birds with one newspaper!

Use Play-Doh To Pick Up Glitter

If you have kids, or are a young-hearted adult, you most certainly have Play-Doh in the house. And that Play-Doh can be a real big ally if your kids (or yourself) are big fans of glitter. It’s actually the perfect material for picking up glitter. And that’s excellent, considering how annoying glitter can get when it spreads everywhere.

Clean Your Laptop With White Vinegar

You might try wiping dust or using a damp paper towel to clean off your computer, but that’s not the best way to do that. One of the best products to use is white vinegar. You can scrub your keyboard and the screen (wipe in a circular motion) using a microfiber cloth. It’ll have your laptop looking good as new in no time.

Use Baking Soda To Remove Mildew

Baking soda is probably the most useful product when it comes to household life hacks. For example, it can really handle those mildew buildups in your bathroom. Combine the baking soda with some water, form a paste, and use a brush to clean it off. Your bathroom will be clean in no time.

Use Zip Ties Instead Of Drain Cleaners

Drain cleaners may get the job done, but some of them aren’t worth the money. Instead of getting that to unclog a block, get some zip ties. Link them together and use a wire cutter to snip the protruding barbs. Then just feed the zipe ties down the dream in order to clear the clog.

Trim The Fray On A Woven Rug

Woven rugs can be prone to fraying in some areas, but there’s an easy fix to that. Trim the frayed area with scissors, then put some fabric into the base of the carpet. Line the carpet with wax paper and place a heavy book over the adhesive to help it set. The snag should be unnoticeable in as little as two hours.

Use Superglue For Waterproofing

Superglue’s pretty good for making crafts and general indoor repairs, but it can also be used outdoors. Superglue’s actually useful for waterproofing and leakproofing things in your backyard. Just use a spot on the glue to plug holes in hoses, pool floats, and other things that need to keep water in (or out).

Use An Empty Soda Bottle To Make A Sprinkler

Some people may be familiar with this one already, but its a useful hack for watering your yard (or even just making something for your kids to play with). After putting holes in a large soda bottle, tape the head of the bottle to your watering hose. Then all you have to do is turn it on and you’ll see what happens.

Apply Glue To Furniture To Get It To Last Longer

Particleboard furniture lasts shorter than expected because of a tendency to chip and crack. Fortunately, you can help it last a little longer with glue. To any flaws you find, just apply a little bit of glue and smooth that over with plastic wrap. To go the extra mile, color the repaired areas with marker for a rustic, restored finish.

Unstick A Drawer With Soap

You might find your drawer getting stuck every once in a while, especially if they’re an older one. But you can use some soap to help get rid of this problem. Get a bar of soap, or even dish soap, and apply it along the drawer glides. It’ll act as a lubricant and allow you to properly open the drawer again.

Fix Tiles With A Clothes Iron

You’ll find that irons have a lot more uses than just de-wrinkling clothes. If you have a peeling or warped floor tiles, you can place some aluminum foil over it. Then just press the hot iron over the foil to soften the flooring. Then just pull up the warped section of the flooring a bit. After you’re done with that, scrape away the dried adhesive, add new glue, and press with a heavy object to finish the job.

Sharpen Your Scissors

Scissors can get dull over time, like any kind of blade, but there’s a “whetstone” in your house you’re probably unaware of. Just get some aluminum foil and start cutting it with the scissors. Within six to eight cuts, your scissors should be ready for use once again.

Use A Peeler As A Screwdriver

Screwdrivers are pretty important tools for DIY tool kits. But if you can’t find one, a peeler will work in its place. When installing screws, just insert the tip of the peeler in the screw head and use it just like a normal screwdriver.

Use Tennis Balls On Broomsticks To Clean Up Scuff Marks

If you’ve got a tennis ball or balls, this is a pretty useful trick for you. Especially if you have scuff marks on your floor. Cut an “X” into a tennis ball, about a quarter of an inch wide, so that you can put it on a broomstick handle. Then just rub it back and forth on those pesky scuff marks. You should be rid of them in no time and you won’t have to bend over to do it.

Use Crayons To Fill In Nail Holes

Choose a crayon that closely matches the color of the wall you’re repairing. With firm pressure, rub the crayon over the nail hole. It’s like coloring on the walls—but for adults!

Use Ice Cubes To Clean Your Garbage Disposal

This is one you’ll want to run and try right now. You probably know that a lemon rind in your garbage disposal will leave it smelling fresh, but did you know that ice cubes really do the trick when it comes to getting the grinders clean? Try adding in a cup of ice cubes and letting them grind before running hot water and adding in citrus peels for freshness.

Drill A Hole In Your Trash Can Liner To Fight Suction

If you have a trash can with a liner in your kitchen, you know the pain of trying to remove a full bag without it tearing and garbage spilling everywhere. Combatting the suction generated between the bag and liner can help. All you need to do is drill a hole into the side of the plastic liner and voila! Suction solved. It’s important that you drill the hole on the side of the plastic liner and not the bottom so that your liner can still contain any leaks that may occur.

Achieve The Perfect Caulk Edge Using Tape

If you’ve ever attempted to use caulk but couldn’t figure out how to achieve that perfect straight edge, then pick up some painter’s tape next time you go to the hardware store.

Unlike with paint, the trick is to remove the painter’s tape while the caulk is still wet. If the caulk starts to dry, you might end up pulling up some of the dried caulk, leaving a less than perfect line.

Keep A Bread Clip On You

After finishing a loaf of bread, don’t throw out the clip for its bag. As it turns out, they have a few more uses than you might not have expected. They can be used to keep headphones from tangling, attached to different objects to help identify them, They can even be used as guitar picks.

Unscrew A Broken Lightbulb With A Potato

Have you ever broken a light bulb while it’s still in the socket? If so, you know how frustrating it can be to remove it. But, you can use a potato to get it out without cutting your fingers.

Cut the potato in half, push the soft side into the broken bulb and turn it counterclockwise until the broken glass is embedded into the potato. Don’t forget to turn off the power and put on protective gloves before you attempt this hack!

Use A Rubber Band To Remove Stripped Screws

Place a rubber band over the head of the screw before trying to remove it with a screwdriver. That will add extra friction, allowing you to remove that stubborn stripped screw with ease.

Patch Nail Holes With A Bar Of Soap

This is yet another simple trick to easily fill those unsightly nail holes in your walls. Rub a basic bar of white soap in a counterclockwise circular motion over the hole. If the soap leaves a little residue on the wall, just use a warm wet cloth to wipe it off.

Quiet Squeaky Floors With Baby Powder

If you have a few squeaky floor boards, it’s probably because pieces of wood are rubbing together. To fix the issue, try filling a small squeeze bottle (such as the kind you’d get with an at-home hair dye kit) with baby powder. Squeeze the powder in between the boards, and then use a makeup brush to push the powder down in the crack.

Repair Dents In Wood With A Hot Iron

You can quickly and safely remove small dents in furniture and hardwood floors with an iron. Wet the indentation with a small amount of water and place a moist towel over it. Then run the iron over the area in a circular motion.

Remove Marker Or Crayon Scribbles On Walls With WD-40

If your paint has a sheen, you can use WD-40 to easily wipe off markings from crayons or markers. However, if you try to use this trick on matte or flat paints, the oil in the WD-40 can stain the walls, making matters worse. In that case, you should try a Magic Eraser.

Clean Grout With Toilet Bowl Cleaner

Apply toilet bowl cleaner to the grout and let it sit for 15 minutes. Then scrub with a small cleaning brush or toothbrush. Finally, mop the area with warm water and prepare to be amazed.

Spot A Toilet Leak Using Kool-Aid

If you suspect a leaky toilet, use a 20-cent packet of Kool-Aid to find out. After removing the lid of the toilet tank, pour in the contents of a dark-colored Kool-Aid packet.

Wait 30 minutes, and if you return to find the inside of your toilet bowl the same color as the Kool-Aid, then you’ll know you have a leak. Just make sure that you don’t flush your toilet while you wait for the Kool-Aid to work its magic.

Treat A Smelly Garbage Can With Bread And Vinegar

Even if you line your trash cans with bags, chances are they’ll start to smell after awhile. One easy fix is to pour vinegar over a slice of bread, then drop it into the bottom of your trash can overnight. Remove it the next morning before you put in a fresh garbage bag and see if you notice the difference! Try adding a paper towel or sheet of parchment paper underneath the bread for easier cleanup.

Clean Your Oven Door With A Dishwasher Cleaning Tablet

It seems too good to be true, but you can use a dishwasher tablet to clean the baked-on grease from your oven door. Make sure to wear gloves (the tablets contain bleach) and to wet — but not soak — the tablet before using it to scrub away the grime.

Use Dawn In The Washing Machine

If you’re running low on laundry detergent, you can actually use Dawn dish soap as a replacement. Only use a tablespoon and put it onto a dry rag which you then put directly into the wash. Then add in some detergent or a laundry pod as normal. It’s not a full replacement, but it should help

Clean Your Bathtub With Dish Soap And A Broom

Save your back while you put dish soap and a brush to work cleaning your bathtub. The same soap that cuts grease on your dishes will tackle soap scum and mildew in the bathroom.

Use Common Household Ingredients To Unclog A Drain

A slow-draining sink, bathtub or shower is frustrating. Not only do you have to wait for the water to drain, but you’re left with a residue to clean up. Who wants that?

If you don’t want to use harsh chemicals to unclog your drain — or don’t have any on hand — you can follow the following DIY remedy: First, boil water and pour it down the drain. Then, pour 1/2 cup of baking soda down the drain (some DIYers recommend mixing in a 1/4 cup of salt) followed by 1/2 cup of white vinegar. Let it sit for 10 minutes, then flush again with hot water from the tap. Voila!

Use Shaving Cream And Bleach To Eradicate Grout Lines

Grout lines on your nice tile floors not only look bad, but they can really hard to clean up. As it turns out though, using some shaving cream can be a really helpful way to get rid of them. Combine equal parts shaving cream and bleach and apply it along the grout lines in your shower. The shaving cream thickens the bleach enough that it can sit vertically on the grout overnight. Then, in the morning, all you have to do is rinse and the mildew should be gone.

Use Your Phone While Wearing Gloves With Aluminum Foil

Once again, this isn’t quite a home repair tip, but it’s such a good hack we had to include it. If you live in a cold climate, you know the pain of wearing winter gloves while trying to use a touchscreen. You could shell out for those touchscreen-friendly gloves, or you could simply use aluminum foil. Simply wrap a bit of foil around all the fingers you need to use on your phone screen and voila!

Keep Your Windshield From Frosting Up

For people that live in colder climates, waking up with a frosted over windshield is really annoying. However, you can avoid this with this simple trick. Just put a long piece of cardboard over your windshield. Dew can’t gather on your windshield that way and it can’t freeze as a result.

Cleaning The Blender

Ordinarily, cleaning a blender involves taking out all of the individual pieces and cleaning then individually. It can be an annoying process that might make someone not even want to use their blender. But here’s a simple fix. Put soapy water inside of the blender, put it all together, then run it for about 10 seconds. The soap will help clean out the blender and all the pieces for you. Then you just need to rinse it out and you’ll be fine.

Lowering Your Water Bill

If your water bill’s just a bit higher than average, this is a good way to lower those costs. Sometimes, the problem is just that your toilet bowl refills with too much water. Put something large like a brick in the tank to disperse some of that water. The tank won’t fill up as much and you’ll get to save money.

Getting Sand Out Of Your Bag

People love going to the beach, but whenever you come back there’s always sand in the most annoying of places for weeks on end. And that’s where the lint roller comes in. This is already a must have tool if you have a furry pet, so there’s a good chance you’ll already have one lying around. Just use the lint roller on the inside (or outside) of your bag and it’ll stick all of the sand to its surface.

Pool Noodles In Boots

If you leave your boots just lying around for too long they’ll flop over and lose their shape. However, if you have some pool noodles, you can put those inside the boots to keep them upright. They’ll last much longer that way.

Takeout Plates

A lot of people prefer to just to dump out their Chinese food onto a plate and then eat it that way. But did you know that those take-out containers are actually designed to fold out into plates. Just carefully unfold it and you’ll have a plate for all you food. Plus, you won’t have to worry about running the dishwasher.

Organizing Jumbled Up Cables

Dealing with chords and cables can be very annoying. Even if you curl them up, they can easily fall apart and leave you right back where you started. However, there’s something that you probably have an abundance of in your house that you just keep throwing away: toilet paper tubes. Not only can you slide your curled cables into a tube to keep them together, but you can label them so you know what each one is for.

Emergency Toothbrush Holder

Your bathroom counter is riddled with germs, so it’s never a good idea to put your toothbrush directly on it. Sometimes you may just not own a toothbrush holder, but there’s a good alternative. Take a clothespin and put it on the neck of the toothbrush, then you can put it down. The toothbrush will stay off of the counter indefinitely.

Emergency To-Go Cup

Got a drink you want to finish but have to get out the door? All you need is a straw and some Press n’ Seal. Put the Press n’ Seal over the top of the cup or glass around the straw. You can still drink from the cup and spilling will be much less of a worry.

Bad Eggs And Good Eggs

Not exactly for home repair, but it’s never a bad idea to know what’s safe to eat. Sometimes you buy a carton of eggs and just forget to use all of them. Fortunately, there’s an easy way to tell if an egg is still good or not. Place the egg in a glass full of water. If it sinks, then the egg’s still good. If it floats, then trash it.

Sore Throat Remedy

This is another one that’s not explicitly for home repair, but it’s still a really helpful bit of information. Did you know that marshmallows can be used to soothe a sore throat. It’d certainly be more fun and tasty to pop a few marshmallows than to suck on a lozenge.

Buff Out A Scratch With Toothpaste

If you scratch your kitchen table or some other nice piece of furniture, don’t worry about going out to get some kind of expensive product. You can use toothpaste instead. Take some non-gel toothpaste and rub it on the scratch until it buffs out. Then just clean it up with a damp towel.

Got Leg Cramps? Try Sleeping With Soap

While this is another one that isn’t quite a home repair hack, it is a home remedy that many people swear by. And like many home remedies, it’s one that science can’t quite prove or explain. The problem? Cramping or restless legs disrupting your sleep. The fix? Placing a bar of soap under your fitted sheet. Experts guess that the reason this works may be due to the placebo effect — or possibly due to the presence of magnesium in soap. There isn’t consensus about which type or brand of soap works best, so you may want to test out a few different bars to find out which one (if any) works for you.

Replace Bad Smells With Scent Of lemons

Lemons are particularly useful when it comes to cleaning. Take some lemon juice, mix it with boiling water, then pour it down the drain of your sink. You’ll have you sink smelling lemony fresh in no time.

Clean Out Your Pipes With Bleach

Sometimes, warm water and soap might not be enough to keep your pipes clean. If the smell wafting up from the pipes becomes unbearable, or if there’s otherwise a clog, you can use bleach. Once a month, pour 12 ounces of bleach straight down the drain at the end of the day. This’ll clean out any muck and remove any clogs. Don’t let it sit in your sink’s basin, and especially don’t use bleach if you’ve recently washed your sink with ammonia. The following morning, run some water from the faucet down the pipes to flush out any leftover bleach.

Add Tea Bags To A Sink Full Of Dirty Dishes

Ironically, the same chemicals — tannins — that cause tea to stain cups over time can also be used to clean dishes. If you have a sink full of greasy dishes, BobVila suggests you fill it up with hot water and about a dozen used tea bags before you take to scrubbing. The astringent properties in tea tannins can help cut grease. If you have just one greasy pot to clean, adding hot water and just a couple tea bags should do the trick.

Use Aluminum Foil To Fight Static In Your Dryer

If you run out of dryer sheets or prefer not to use them on your clothes, simply ball up a few pieces of aluminum foil instead. This’ll cut down on static that clothes drying can produce and also help keep the items apart for faster drying.

Your Tape Measure Can Help You Find Studs

If you take a close look at the tape measure or measuring tape you have at home, you’ll notice some numbers are in red while the rest are black. Or, depending on the brand, you may notice small black diamonds at intervals on the tape. These markers are put there to help you find the studs and the space between the studs in the walls of your home.

Based on the way most homes are built, the studs are a certain distance apart (16 inches). The numbers in red should match up to where the studs in your wall sit. The black diamonds on the measuring tape are set 19.2 inches apart, so they should help you find the space between studs without requiring a stud finder (though it couldn’t hurt to use one at first to double-check!).

Use Aluminum Foil As A Funnel

No funnel? No problem. Form foil into a cone shape and problem solved!

Remove Rust From Chrome With Foil

Another nifty use of aluminum foil is clearing rust off of a chrome surface. Merry Maids cleaning service recommends cleaning the surface first with a microfiber towel and soapy water, then dipping your aluminum foil into clean water before rubbing it on the rust.

Prevent Doors From Rattling Or Slamming With A Cabinet Door Bumper

It’s amazing how the simplest things can have such a big impact—and this little hack is a prime example. By placing an inexpensive cabinet door bumper on the doorjamb, you can prevent a door from rattling or slamming. The same goes for drawers that slam closed.

Clean Stains Off Utensils Using A Magic Eraser

Sometimes, running things through the dishwasher just doesn’t cut it. As long as the stained utensil isn’t made of stainless steel (Magic Eraser is not recommended for use on stainless steel), using this magical product should remove discoloration. You also should be sure to rinse any food-related items well after cleaning with a Magic Eraser.

Use A Magic Eraser To Clean Stained Walls

If you have yet to try this hack, you must. Stained or discolored walls are no match for a Magic Eraser. Score another point for this magical tool!

Use Tennis Balls To Open Containers

Need help getting a grip on your jar of pickles? Cut along the lines of the tennis ball to get the perfect opener. You will be shocked how well this works.

Prevent A Door From Shutting With A Rubber Band

If you’re doing something such as bringing in groceries, let a single rubber band lend you a hand. By looping it over both sides of the door knob, it will be in the perfect place to prevent the door from latching.

Fix A Tear In A Screen With Clear Nail Polish

Small tears in a screen can be quickly fixed with a few drops of clear nail polish, which acts as an invisible glue.

Treat Carpet Dents With Ice Cubes

Place an ice cube on the dented area of your carpet and let it melt. As the water is absorbed into the carpet, it should start to spring back to normal. After the carpet is completely dry, use a hard-bristled brush to fluff any areas that are still dented.

Give Your Shower Head A Vinegar “Bath”

Remove mineral deposits and other grime from your shower head by simply soaking it overnight in vinegar.

Use A Foam Pool Noodle As A Garage Wall Bumper

Cut a pool noodle in half and screw it into your garage wall at the height where your car door hits. This easy hack, as shown on Reddit, will protect both your wall and your car door from getting banged up. You’ll want to slice the noodle in half first for easier installation against the wall.

Remove Pet Hair From Carpet With A Squeegee

You’d be surprised how well a squeegee can remove pet hair from carpet. Give it a try!

Rotate Your Ceiling Fans Correctly

Changing the rotation of your ceiling fan can save you heating and cooling costs. Fans should turn clockwise, at a low speed, during the winter to pull the warm air up and around the room. During the summer, set them to counterclockwise to push the cold air down. While a fan won’t actually change the temperature of the room, the warm or cool air on your skin will make you feel warmer or colder and you’ll be more likely to give your thermostat a break. Note: Most fans have a switch that can be flipped to change direction, while newer models offer the option on the wall panel.

Use 2 Common Ingredients To Clean Grout

You may think that discolored, dirty grout is unavoidable or can only be cleaned with harsh chemicals.  But hydrogen peroxide and baking soda can also be used to make your tile grout look as good as new. Bob Vila, the home improvement icon himself, recommends a mixture of 1/4 cup of hydrogen peroxide, 1/2 cup of baking soda and 1 teaspoon of liquid dish soap to clean your grout on the cheap. For especially grimy areas, just let the mixture sit for a few minutes before scrubbing.

Winterize Windows With Bubble Wrap

Fixing a window that bleeds heat doesn’t need to be complicated. Wet the window with a little water, then stick bubble wrap to the glass and voila! You have a low-cost DIY fix that’ll help keep heat in and the cold out. This isn’t the most sightly look for your home, so this trick is best used for out of the way windows like those in a guest room or basement.

Prevent Clogged Drains From Forming

Why not save yourself the headache of unclogging a drain by preventing it from clogging in the first place? The TubShroom is so effective it’s gained a cult following on Amazon. The product’s mushroom design catches hair and keeps it out of sight until you clean it.

Use Cooking Spray To Fix A Squeaky Door Or Cabinet

If you don’t have a can of WD-40 handy, no need to fret. Cooking spray will also work wonders on those squeaky doors or cabinets. Spray just a little on the hinges, and you should be squeak-free in no time.

Spray Your Plants With Dissolved Aspirin

Numerous studies have found that plants treated with an aspirin solution are heartier and more pest-resistant. Simply dissolve one tablet of aspirin for every gallon of water and spray throughout your garden every 2-4 weeks.

Paint Screws With Nail Polish To Prevent Them From Coming Loose

It’s amazing what a thin coat of nail polish can do! By painting a screw with nail polish, which acts like glue, it is more likely to stay in place.

Kill Garden Pests With Hydrogen Peroxide

While we love hydrogen peroxide for all the ways it can make our lives easier, bugs aren’t huge fans of it. If pests are wrecking your garden, you can keep them in check by simply spraying some hydrogen peroxide on the soil and the plants themselves, just be sure to use the common, 3% concentration variety.

Revive A Scorched Pot With 3 Simple Ingredients

The blogger at Centsable Momma swears by a method of restoring burnt pots to their former glory by using three items you probably already have handy: hydrogen peroxide, baking soda and aluminum foil. She recommends covering the burnt area with baking soda before spraying hydrogen peroxide on it to form a paste. After leaving the paste for several hours, you can scrub it away with some foil!

Move Heavy Appliances Using Windex

If you need to slide a heavy appliance out of a tight space in your kitchen or laundry room, you can “grease the wheels” with everyone’s favorite blue liquid. Liberally spraying some Windex on the floor in front of whatever you’re trying to move will help you easily scoot it around without making scuff marks or breaking your back. Because of the ammonia in Windex, hardwood floors wouldn’t be ideal for this trick.

Clean Your Grill With An Onion

If you find yourself without a grill brush, using half an onion as an alternative to a grill brush is a tried-and-tested hack. Stick a fork in half of an onion and glide it up and down the grill grates. The onion has enough heft and texture to break up grill gunk.

Line Your Potted Plants With Coffee Filters

If you’re tired of sweeping soil off your patio, there’s a simple solution. Before you fill your pots with soil, line the bottoms with coffee filters. The filters will keep soil in the pots while still allowing water to drain out of the hole in the bottom.

Clean Your Microwave Without Scrubbing

Clean the microwave without having to do a lot of scrubbing. Simply pour equal parts water and vinegar in a microwave-safe bowl and then microwave it for about 7 minutes. The steam will help loosen any debris, making it easier to wipe away.

Amplify Music With This Neat Trick

Broken speaker? No problem. Make a stand-in speaker by placing your phone inside a bowl or glass. The sound waves will bounce off the side, making it louder.

De-Ice A Frozen Lock With Hand Sanitizer

The alcohol in hand sanitizer will melt the ice off of a frozen lock — whether on your car, home or elsewhere. Other ways to de-ice frozen locks in a pinch include breathing warm air onto the door handle, warming your key with a lighter or applying some WD-40.

Use A Potato To Keep Food From Sticking To Your Grill

The starch in a potato can create a natural nonstick surface on your grill. Simply stick a fork in a section of a potato and rub it over the grates of your grill once it’s warmed up. This’ll save you the headache of trying to pry cooked food from the surface when it’s time to flip.

Fix A Clogged Printer Cartridge With Windex

If you’ve got a clogged printer cartridge, you can easily clean it with some Windex to delay the need for buying an expensive new one. Just spray some Windex on a paper towel before wiping the bottom of the cartridge, where the ink comes out, against the wet surface. You should see streaks of ink on the paper towel when the job is done.

Pour Hot Water Over A Propane Tank To See How Full It Is

Not sure how much propane you have left in your tank? There’s a safe and easy way to check before you fire up the grill. Boil a cup of water then pour it over the side of the tank. Then, feel the tank. The point where it goes from hot (empty) to cool (filled with propane) is your propane level.

Use Bread To Protect Hands From Broken Glass

If you find yourself with broken glass scattered across the floor, don’t pick it up with your hand and risk cutting yourself. Use a slice of bread! The bread will latch onto both small and big shards of glass, making it a safer way to clean up an accident.

Peel A Whole Head Of Garlic Using The Microwave

Okay, this is another one that isn’t really a home repair hack, but if you love garlic then you know the struggle of peeling it. Save yourself some time by placing individual cloves on a plate or paper towel and microwaving them for about 20 seconds. The skins will slide right off.

Prevent That Moldy Smell In Your Washing Machine With Baking Soda And Vinegar

It’s a good idea to clean your washing machine every so often; some experts advise as often as once a month, especially if you have a front loader. If you have a front loader, set it to the longest cycle and hottest water temperature. Pour three cups of white vinegar directly into the drum, then pour one cup of baking soda into the detergent well to ensure the well, internal hoses, and other areas are flushed as the mixture is added during the cycle. Wipe the rubber gasket dry once the cycle has completed, leaving the door open so the entire machine can air out.

If you have a top loader, pour five cups of white vinegar directly into the drum, then two cups of baking soda into the water. With gloves on, dip a sponge or other cleaning tool into the water mixture and scrub the detergent well. Close the top and let the cycle run fully. When it’s complete, wipe the drum clean and leave the door open to air out.

Clean And Soften Paint Brushes With WD-40

Have you ever let a used paint brush dry without cleaning it? You’re not alone. WD-40 can help soften and remove paint, even after it dries. It can also clean spray paint nozzles, remove paint from shoes and help you open stuck paint can lids. You can also spray some on your doorknobs before you start painting to keep them clean and paint-free.

Use Salt And A Potato To Clean Cast Iron

You may have read that you shouldn’t use soap when cleaning cast iron appliances because it’ll remove the seasoning on the pan that keeps food from sticking to it too much. But here’s an interesting way to make sure you get all the gunk off your dirty cast iron. After you’ve gently scraped off as much of the food stuck on the pan, pour in some coarse salt and use a cut potato to scour away at the pan. This technique will safely remove stuck-on food. You can then re-season the cast iron by oiling and heating it up in an oven. But you only have to do this every now and then. Otherwise, just rub some oil on the pan after the salt and potato step.

Use Tennis Balls To Remove Oil From Your Pool

You’re supposed to wear sunscreen when playing in your pool, but that means that it can just wash off while you’re swimming. A way to help get that oil out of your pool is to toss a handful of clean tennis balls into the pool. The felt will serve to pick up the residue. Just let them float for a little while before scooping them out.

Removing Water Stains

When painting your walls, or otherwise just trying to keep things sightly, just make sure to keep up with cleaning water stains. Dusting your walls on a regular basis helps prevent grim from accumulating. If you see a stain, clean it with a damp sponge. The fresher the stain, the faster it can be removed. However, if you end up waiting too long, there’s a solvent you can make to quickly get rid of any stains. Mix one cup of bleach with three cups of warm water in a bowl. Then gently apply it to the stain.

Clean Off Cabinet Grease With Dawn Dish Soap

So many things only require warm, soapy water in order to get clean. And this is one of those things. You can clean your cabinets with a sponge, toothbrush, or scrub soaked in water and soap after softening the grease. Then after you’ve hit all the grim, you wipe off the cabinet with a dish towel to ensure there isn’t any leftover residue. This trick also works with painted wood cabinets.

Wash Towels With Baking Soda

When washing towels, you can use vinegar and baking soda as a substitute for normal detergent. Put in half a cup of baking soda where the detergent would ordinarily go. Alternatively, you can also combine detergent and baking soda with a small amount of water. The cleaning effect will be mostly the same, but this is primarily for peace of mind.

Put Felt Stickers On Furniture

If you’re worried about your furniture scratching the floor when you move it, this is an easy solution. Putting felt stickers on the legs of tables and chairs will prevent that unfortunate scratching when you move them. They’ll also slide much more easily on hardwood floors.

Clean The Shower With Dishwasher Tablets

Dishwasher tablets can be used to clean so much more than just dishes, as mentioned before with cleaning the oven. If you take a sponge and cut out a small indent for the dishwasher tablet, you can combine the two for an effective shower-cleaning experience. Just get the sponge and shower wet and wipe it down. When your dishwasher tablet dissolves, you have a notch in the sponge to put in a new one.

Clean Your Washing Machine With Dishwasher Tablets

Dishwasher tablets are so versatile, you can use them to clean your washing machine too! It’ll take more than just one to get this job done, however. Use up to four tablets of any kind and run a standard hot cycle. You’ll wash a ton of dirt and grime out of it.

Clean Sneakers With Toothpaste

Toothpaste can clean a bit more than just your teeth. It’s also effective at cleaning things like shoes. Just apply some toothpaste to an old toothbrush (don’t want to use the same one you use to clean your mouth), then scrub any dirty spots you find. And when you’re done, rinse in cold water.

Keep Your Garden Watered With Low Effort

Some people have trouble remembering to keep their garden hydrated so their plants can keep growing. But this is a simple, low effort way to make sure you keep your plants alive. Take a big soda bottle and puncture a few small holes in it with something like an electric screwdriver. Then just fill it with water and place it between your plants. The water will sleep out slowly and, over time, give your plants the moisture they need. Just make sure to refill it periodically.

Loosen A Sticky Key With A Pencil

In warmer weather and higher humidity with higher moisture, keys and locks can start to get sticky or even rusty. That’ll make it a bit harder to unlock your house door. But in that case, just try running a graphite pencil over your key a few times. It’ll act as a natural lubricant, making it a bit easier to unlock your door.