14 Household Tricks That Can Really Hack Your Life

Sometimes chores just take too much time. And it often happens because we don’t know effective life hacks. Have you ever tried to remove a marker with hair styling products, for example? Or did you know that you just need to cool a pillowcase down to sleep comfortably during warm nights? We’ll tell you about these hacks and many other things in this article.

At Bright Side, we always want to make our lives easier and spend as little time as possible on chores so that we have enough time for more important things. If you share these views, don’t forget to save this article for later in case you have an emergency situation.

Freeze the wax you want to remove.

The process of removing wax from furniture or fabric can damage their surfaces. Next time, put an ice cube or a plastic bag filled with ice on the wax drop for a few minutes. When the wax freezes and becomes hard, you can easily remove it in one motion.

Vinegar removes odors from microwaves.

Modern microwaves’ special odor removing functions aren’t always as effective as they should be. Besides, it doesn’t always help with dirt that’s not so easy to clean. To solve both issues in one go, place a bowl (2 cups) of water with 2 tablespoons of vinegar into the microwave and turn it on for 5 minutes. Vinegar vapors will remove odors and make the dirt softer, you’ll just have to wipe the walls with a cloth afterward.

Remove grease stains from the carpet with corn starch.

Use corn starch to remove a fresh grease stain from the carpet. Pour it on the dirty surface generously and leave it there for 15 to 20 minutes. After that, vacuum the area, and the stain will disappear without a trace.

A piece of paper on the bottoms of trash bins can absorb liquids.

It might seem like putting a piece of paper under a trash bag is unnecessary. However, you will change your mind once you see all the unpleasant slush that gathers at the bottom of the bin. To avoid it and make the bin-washing process easier, just put paper or old newspapers at the bottom.

Alka-Seltzer will help you to clean vases.

Vases of unusual shapes often demand extraordinary methods when it comes to cleaning. Pills like Alka-Seltzer can help to remove the dirt from the inside. Just put some water in the vase, add a couple of pills, and leave it to soak for a while.

A dishwashing liquid can help to remove grease from the bathtub.

If you suddenly run out of bathtub cleaning products, or they don’t work as expected, try using a dishwashing liquid. It’s no secret that such products are made to remove grease and oil stains. The pollution that can be found on the walls of bathtubs is the same. Therefore, a small amount of dishwashing liquid on the sponge and circular motions will do the trick.

A hook will help to secure a trash bag inside the bin.

A trash bag almost never stays properly put inside the bin. It often crumples and falls down, while its edges can become dirty from coming into contact with wet garbage. To prevent this from happening, just glue hooks to the outer walls of the waste basket, to which you can easily attach the bag handles.

Hair styling products help to remove permanent marker from any surface.

If you or your children stain the table with a marker, take any hair styling product, like a mousse or spray, cover the stained area with it, and wipe it clean with a napkin or cotton round.

Attach the edge of a dust pan to the floor with duct tape to collect even smaller debris.

Dust, sand, and small debris are always difficult to collect into a dustpan, no matter how diligently you use the brush. But duct tape can help with this. If you stick it to the edge of the dustpan, small debris will easily slide into it.

Use a rubber band to measure the dose of soap.

If your children always press out too much liquid soap from the dispenser, use this simple trick. Wrap a rubber band around the neck of the dispenser. In this case, the pump can’t be pressed all the way to the bottom, and you’ll get as much soap as you need.

Attach double-sided duct tape to a brush or broom to collect all the hair from the floor.

It’s quite tiring to clean all the hair out of a brush or broom. You can kiss this chore goodbye for good by attaching double-sided duct tape to the bristles of the brush. This way, most of the loose hair will stick to it, and you’ll just have to remove the tape from the brush when you’re done cleaning and throw it away with the rest of the dirt.

You can drain pasta through a colander without putting pasta inside of it.

Actually, you don’t have to put pasta inside the colander to remove water from it. The more convenient way is pressing it against the saucepan top. This way, you won’t have to move the pasta back and forth. Besides, this method is handy when your sink is full of dirty dishes.

Cool pillowcases down in the freezer during hot weather.

If you don’t have air conditioning, you can make your night sleep better with the help of a cooled-down pillowcase. Just sprinkle a bit of water on one and place it in the freezer for about 20 minutes before putting it back on your pillows. It will be cool enough to ensure you sleep through the entire night.

You can freeze milk or dairy cream in ice cube bags.

This trick can be useful for those who love iced coffee, or when the shelf life of the milk is just around the corner. Additionally, frozen cream, as well as frozen broth or oil with herbs, can be used for cooking.

Do you have your own home life hacks that make your day-to-day routine easier? Share them in the comments below.