10 Household Tricks That Should Make Your Routine Easier

A single cleaning trick can save us from many tears and restless nights. How liberating it is to know that instead of doing the chores for several hours, you can magically shorten the time to, say, 30 minutes. No more wasting time on buying expensive household goods or making excuses not to clean the house.

Bright Side is here to teach you some hacks and show you how to make the most of them.

1. Cut the heel of the bread first.

Cutting the top crust first might ruin the whole loaf of bread (especially when it’s fresh). Instead, try cutting bread starting from the bottom crust to maintain the bread’s shape. Just flip it or lay the loaf on its side.

2. Measure food portions with your hand.

If you don’t have a scale at hand, no need to worry, you can do that with your hands. 2 handfuls equal 1 cup, one finger scoop is 1 teaspoon, and 1 tablespoon is from the tip of your thumb to the base of it. The first knuckle to the tip of your pinkie finger is a “pinch.”

3. Use 2 buckets when you mop the floor.

If you want to speed up an already not-so-fun process, then double up on buckets. Fill the first one with clean water and leave the second one empty. Drain the dirty water into the second bucket, and the water in the first one will remain clean. This way, you won’t have to run to and fro to change the water and, additionally, you won’t spread dirt around.

4. Use white vinegar to get rid of stains on your mug.

Fill in your mug with vinegar and water in equal proportions. Let it soak for a few minutes, then scrub your mug thoroughly and rinse everything with hot water. You can also add some salt for better results.

5. Spray deodorizer on light bulbs.

If you want your room to have a pleasant aroma all day long, try applying some deodorizer on a cool light bulb. Later, when you turn the lights on, the bulb will heat up and disperse the smell throughout the room.

6. Use oils to remove sticker residue.

These can be removed easily with oils, and it’s believed that coconut oil is great for such things. Before you give your jar a good scrub, let it soak for a few minutes in hot water, then rub in some oil on the label and leave it there for 10 minutes. Later, rub the oil off together with the glue.

7. Use plastic straws to make flowers stand straight up.

Flowers will inevitably wilt after a few days. To prevent that, use plastic straws as support. Place them around the stems or even tie the flowers to the straws carefully. This way, they still have access to the water and stay upright.

8. Add cinnamon to get rid of the smell in your vacuum cleaner.

If after vacuuming your room it smells terrible, the reason might lie in your vacuum cleaner. To eliminate the unpleasant smell, put half a tablespoon of cinnamon in the dust bag. After that, turn on the vacuum. Not only will your room be filled with a nice aroma, but it’ll also be protected from harmful bacteria.

9. Remove a broken light bulb with a potato.

To protect your hands while taking out a broken light bulb, use a potato of the same size as the bulb. Make sure the lamp is unplugged. Cut the potato in half, dry it off, and push the potato into the broken light bulb. Now twist the potato and take the broken bulb out.

10. Remove oil stains with baby powder.

Dab out excess oil and immediately apply some baby powder to the stains. Leave it on for 30 minutes and scrub the powder off with your fingers or a spoon.

What trick do you have that helps you reduce cleaning time by half? Which ones have you tried or will try in the future?