26 Tips for Everyday Life That Are Worth Memorizing

Here’s how you can protect your bank card from potential fraudsters. Use a marker and cover the last four digits. You can also use a sticker that’s easy to remove and place it over the security code.

Have you had a house guest that didn’t use a coaster? Get a hair dryer and hold it a couple of inches away from the stain. Blow it on medium heat for a couple of minutes to evaporate the watermark. If a faded ring remains, mix equal amounts of vinegar and olive oil in a bowl. Wipe it onto the marked area, and rub it in until the stain disappears, then wipe it off.

Don’t waste time scrubbing the burnt stains off the bottom of a pan. Instead, fill it with water and add 3 tablespoons of salt. Let it sit overnight as the salt dissolves the burnt marks, and in the morning pour the water out of the pan. This way, it will be much easier to scrub all that grease off.

Picture this: you’re on vacation and your shirt has become all crinkled inside the luggage. You need it tonight, but the hotel doesn’t have an iron! Don’t panic! Hang the shirt up in the bathroom, and while you relax in a hot shower, the heat and moisture will unwrinkle your shirt. It won’t be perfect, but it will get much better without any effort.

The football is on, and it turns out you’ve run out of standard batteries! You can use a smaller battery instead, that easily fits inside. Now take some aluminum foil and crunch it up. Fit it into the gap on the negative, or flat end of the battery. All done, you can turn on the TV now!

Once your flip-flops crack and the plug easily slips out of the hole, it’s normally a sign that you need a new pair. But there’s a way to extend their mileage. Push the plug back through the hole, then take a bread clip, and attach it to the end. The clip will provide enough support for the plug to remain in place.

You’ve received a package and the receipt is taped on. You’ve managed to detach it from the box, but how to separate the tape without ripping the paper? Hold both ends of the tape apart, and by pulling it slowly, the tape stretches and separates itself from the paper without tearing it apart.

Zip-lock bags are perfect to keep things dry, but it would be great if they were larger! Take two, and turn one of them inside out, they can now connect and work as one large bag. Big enough to protect a keyboard.

There’s no need to carry your keys in your hand when you next go for a jog. Instead, put them inside your pocket, take a rubber band, then tie it around the pocket from the inside: this stops the keys from falling out.

You’ve broken your key in the door, it’s stuck, great, arranging for a locksmith could cost up to $100. But for a cheaper and quicker option, try using a hot glue stick. Heat the end with a lighter and once it’s warm enough to melt, push the glue into the keyhole. The melted glue will enter the available space, covering part of the key. Once it cools, it compresses and gains a strong hold of the key’s end, now just pull it out.

If you need to siphon liquid through a hose and want to avoid using your mouth, put one end in the liquid, and hold the other upwards with your thumb closing the top. Now shake up and down, this jiggle motion pushes liquid upwards, a little each time. And once it reaches the top, lower the exit point, and let gravity do the rest.

You’ve left your car keys locked inside the car. It’s an older model with a roll-down window. You could get the coat hanger and begin the long process of finding the lock. Or use duct tape. Make about twenty, 2 ft long strands. Stick them onto the window, allowing enough room for the tape to grab onto at the bottom. Then with a friend, take the ends of the tape, holding them together, and pull downwards. The force will allow the window to lower enough that you can unlock the door.

While drilling long screws into hardwood, your old drill might not have enough power. Leaving them only halfway in, before the drill gives up. Get a block of wax and scrape the edges of the screws with it. The wax works like a lubricant, melting as it gets warm, and providing easy entry for the screw.

You’re out camping, but you didn’t bring anything to light the BBQ! Take a small plastic bag that won’t leak. Fill it up with water and close it tight, making a round bubble. Hold it over where you want to catch light from the sun. The bag of water will work like a magnifying glass, starting up the BBQ. Just as long as it’s a sunny day!

Missing a corkscrew or a cork breaking halfway? By using a stove lighter, heat the top of the bottle. The heat slightly expands the glass, and this forces the cork out the top.

You’ve superglued your fingers again! Take some salt and pour it on top of your stuck fingers. Put your fingers into the water and slowly rub. The mixture will dissolve the glue and release you in no time!

While hanging up a painting, it can be impossible to find that stubborn nail. Place a fork upside down and insert it so the nail is in between the middle fork teeth. The fork has provided a long arm that’s separated from the wall, making it easier to slip the string of the painting over the nail. Once it’s perfectly balanced, simply remove the fork.

You need to put a cake into a container. But taking it out again later by lifting it up from the inside might ruin the cake! Put the lid upside down and place the cake on the lid. The base of the container is now the lid, making it much easier to access, slice by slice.

Pour out water more efficiently from large jugs and bottles by swirling. This will make the liquid inside spin, creating a vortex. The vortex allows for the air to flow back into the bottle as the water pours out. Much faster than the glugging alternative.

There’s an easier and less messy way to remove eggshells from a boiled egg. Once fully boiled, crack the shell on both ends by tapping them. On one end pinch off the shell. Use the opened end to blow with your mouth, the force of air will push the flesh and expand the eggshell, forcing out the egg undamaged.

When the hinges of your laptop break, repairing them can cost up to $300! A far cheaper fix is to buy a picture frame, and tape it to the back of the screen.

You’ve dropped a small piece of jewelry on the floor, seemingly impossible to find. Take a stocking and place it over the end of the vacuum hose. Give the area a good vacuum and check the end periodically. You will eventually find it sitting at the end.

You’ve drilled a hole in the wall, but the drill hole is now too wide! Remove the screw and find an object that is slightly shorter and thinner. Pieces of plastic, small wires, paper clips, or even toothpicks are perfect. Place whichever item you find inside the hole. It’s filled the gap enough, so the screw will now re-enter securely.

Taking the trash out can put you in a gross scenario of getting bin juice on you. A great way to avoid this is by placing old papers at the bottom of the bag. Not only does it absorb all the liquids from food and other sources, but also helps prevent bad smells from forming within a bin.

Nobody likes mosquitos, and pesticides are pricey. A cheap alternative is to take a plastic bottle, and cut the top part off, from the bottom of the funnel. After removing it, turn it upside down and put it inside the bottle. Mix 2 cups of warm water with 2 tablespoons of sugar. The mosquitos will be attracted to the formula inside and become trapped. Now just sit back and relax, without getting bitten!