8 Household Hacks

Organizing and cleaning our homes can eat up a lot of our time, and we may even spend money on products that we think will make the process go faster, only to discover that they do the opposite. There are, however, some household hacks that can help us make the most of our time, ranging from small daily tasks to large-scale tasks to devote our daily life to.

Bright Side has put together a list of useful and cool household hacks to help you keep your home clean and organized in a more efficient and timely manner.

1. Freshen up your stinky trashcan

Regardless of how hard we try to recycle, separate our food, and be mindful of what goes with what, we all have one unavoidable problem: stinky trash cans. When it’s full, everyone assumes that replacing the bag will eliminate the odor, but it won’t, so we’ll have to make some adjustments to prevent it from happening again.

A typical household hack that many of us resort to, to get rid of odors, involves the use of a cotton ball and some essential oils. Place a cotton swab soaked in essential oil beneath your trash bag. You can create an aromatic environment by soaking a cotton pad in a few drops of oil and letting it fall into the trash.

This domestic hack will keep the area inside and around your trash basket smelling nice. Tea tree essential oils, for example, do more than just smell good — they also fight bacteria.

2. Rub shaving cream into a mirror

Walking out of the shower and into a steam room while dealing with a foggy mirror is something that most of us have experienced. Normally, we would rub our hands over it, further aggravating the situation, or, in the best-case scenario, we would clean it off with chemical detergent. Our ace in the hole for defogging the mirror is actually right next to us, in the bathroom cabinet.

We’ve discovered that shaving cream can be used for a variety of household life hacks, including preventing your mirror from fogging up. Simply dab a damp washcloth with the appropriate amount of shaving cream. Then, with circular movements, gently wipe it on the mirror and let it sit there for about a minute.

Make sure to cover the entire surface of the mirror, leaving no corner exposed. Buff the shaving cream gently as the last step, and don’t stop until all of the cream has vanished. Afterward, you’ll notice that the mirror won’t fog up during your next shower.

3. Toilet paper roll as a vacuum hack

Vacuum cleaners save us time and energy, but they don’t always make our household chores easier. Getting into tight spaces when cleaning can be difficult, especially if we don’t have the right vacuum equipment. Cleaning sliding window tracks and grooves, as well as our car, where most of the dust collects, can be extremely difficult at times.

Instead of going out and buying an attachment for your vacuum, it seems that your toilet paper roll can be the best household hack for vacuuming. Begin by connecting the nozzle of your vacuum ejector tube to your finished toilet paper roll. Simply press the tips of the paper circle together to form a hollow cavity that will fit into the areas you need to access.

Turn on your vacuum and clean the grime that has accumulated in your window tracks or beneath your bed. Because they can be bent and reused, these cardboard cylinders are ideal for getting deep into every nook and cranny.

4. A ball of aluminum foil in the dishwasher

When it comes to speeding up the washing of our dirty dishes and cutlery, the dishwasher is a true blessing. However, our silverware may occasionally come out of the dishwasher dirty and dull. Instead of squandering time and money on a product that is unlikely to make your tableware sparkle, we have a simple house life hack just for your situation.

We discovered a cool household tip that only requires aluminum foil. Simply crumple a piece of foil paper into a ball or wad and place it in the flatware basket. Then, load your dishwasher as usual, with the appropriate detergent tablet.

When you take your plates and cutlery out of the washer, they will sparkle and be scratch-free, and you will instantly notice the difference. The process becomes even more efficient with hot water. With this a home hack idea, you can eliminate scratch marks and grubby silverware stains, and your cutlery will be bright and look brand new.

5. Deodorize the carpet with baking soda

A filthy rug is not only unsightly, but it also stinks because it soaks up odors from the rest of the house. Walking on our carpet, spilling food on it, or having our pet leave their hair all over it makes taking care of it a hard task. Using harsh chemicals to remove stains and odors does not produce significant results. However, there is a cost-effective and environmentally friendly household hack.

One of the many benefits of baking soda is that it can freshen our carpet. To begin with, clean your rug with a vacuum to remove any dirt. The soles of your shoes contain dirt and grime, and repeated contact with your carpet can wear away the texture and embed mud deep in the fibers.

After that, scatter baking powder on it and leave it to sit for several hours to nullify and absorb odors. Everything you’ve done so far is a simple and effective household hack, and the longer you keep the baking soda on the rug, the better it will deodorize it.

6. Hang pot lids

When we cook, the stove area can quickly become a complete mess, with food strewn about the kitchen and pots and lids taking up most of the space.

While we stir our sauce or check on our food, we set the pot lid on the side of the stove, leaving a fresh stain on our counter every time we set it down. To avoid this, we’ve come up with a clever home hack idea that will make your life easier and make you wish you’d known about this before.

Pot holders aren’t just for holding and lifting pots — they can also be used to hang lids while adding ingredients or stirring food. Fix the lid to the side of your cooking pot to make it easier to put on and remove, and to prevent spills on the bottom of the lid from dirtying the whole counter.

7. Broccoli cooked upside down

This domestic hack will blow all broccoli lovers’ minds. Whenever we boil it, we are used to immersing the entire stalk in the water. By doing this, we always end up scrubbing the entire counter while attempting to remove the broccoli stem.

If you just want the florets without the stem, reverse the process. Put the broccoli head in boiling water, upside down, with the stem sticking out. Then, when it’s ready, you can easily chop off the cooked florets and bypass the part in which small green bits get all over the counter.

8. Slicing cherry tomatoes

Cutting cherry tomatoes has never been easier or more time-saving. By using this household life hack, you can speed up both the cutting and the cleanup process.

Take 2 plastic lids from a storage box and place the tomatoes between them. With a sharp knife, cut between the lids from one side to another, slightly pushing the lid down with your other hand. When you take off the lid, your tomatoes will be cut in half, saving you a lot of time.

Which household hack has proven to be the most useful for you?