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Whether you’re looking to get your house spotless in a hurry or just want to add some extra aesthetic appeal to your space, there’s an easy way to tackle all those tasks. Sit back and relax with the time you’ll save after adopting these home hacks.
Unclog A Stuck Drain With Coffee
Coffee grounds can be mixed with dish soap and boiling water to unclog drains. Mixing the grounds with soap and adding the mixture into your drain, following it up with a lengthy pour of boiling water, the combination of which will break up whatever's clogging your pipes.
Remove Scratches On Furniture With Toothpaste
We all end up with small scratches in the finishes of our furniture from time to time. However, before you go spending hundreds of dollars to get your couch refinished, try using some toothpaste to get those marks out. Using a pea-sized amount of non-gel paste, rub the scratch in a circular motion until it buffs out, and then clean the remainder with a damp towel.
Use A Hairdryer To Get Crayon Marks Off Walls
If your kids like to use your white walls as their personal crayon canvas, all hope is not lost. Simply heat the offending portion of the wall with a hairdryer for a few seconds to soften the crayon's wax and then wipe any marks away with a soft cloth.
Cooking Oil To Get Rid Of Sticky Label Residue
Anyone who's ever peeled a label off of a jar knows how frustrating it can be when the spot remains as sticky as honey. Thankfully, cooking oil makes it easy as pie to get rid of that residue. Using a cotton pad and some cooking oil, rub the sticky area and let it sit for a few minutes. Once the oil has sunk in, it'll wipe away easily.
Get Odors Out Of Your Microwave With Vinegar
If your microwave is smelling less than fresh, there's a simple way to get it clean and odor-free without using harsh chemicals. Just place a bowl of vinegar in the microwave for around five minutes and simply wipe it afterwards.
Use Rechargeable Batteries
Old traditional batteries need to be disposed of properly and kept out of landfills. And while the up-front cost may be more, rechargeable batteries will save you money in the long run, while also producing less waste.
PVC Curling Iron Holsters
Hate the messy look of curling irons lying on the vanity or the toilet tank? Here's a tip for you. Use hook-and-loop tape to attach five-inch lengths of 2-in. PVC pipe to the vanity door to hold the curling irons. Do the same thing with three-inch pieces of 1-1/2-in.-dia. pipe to hold the cords.
Overhead Storage in the Garage
Stow bulky items overhead by cementing together a simple rack from 2" PVC pipes and fittings. Bolt the straight pipe to the ceiling joists to support heavy loads, and screw the angled pieces from the 'wye' connectors into the cross brace to stabilize the whole rack.
Ways To Hide Cords
Help keep your home office space organized by using PVC pipe to hide cords. Just wrangle all those computer, mouse, monitor and phone cords and hide them in some PVC pipe. You can even use some colorful tape to match your office décor.
Lighted Screwdriver Hack
No need for fancy hand tools with built-in LED lights, opt for this lighted screwdriver hack instead. When working in a dark space such as inside a cabinet, make your own lighted screwdriver by taping a keychain-size flashlight to the shaft. It'll shine the light right where you need it.
Stick-On LED Lights To illuminate Dark Cabinets
If you're dealing with a darker-than-ideal kitchen, you can use some LED lights to brighten things up. Instead of installing pricey under-cabinet lighting, a few stick-on LEDs can help illuminate your countertops and cabinets at virtually no cost.
Add Dish Soap To Your Blender
Anyone who's ever attempted to clean a blender knows just how perilous doing so can be. Thankfully, there's a safer and simpler way to clean your blender after you make a smoothie or shake. Add a little dish soap to your machine, pour in two cups of warm water, and blend until that grime is a thing of the past.
Suspenders To Keep A Fitted Sheet In Place
If you find your fitted sheets slipping off the corners of your bed, look no further than your closet for an easy fix. Take a pair of elastic suspenders, clip one end to each corner under the mattress, and your sheet will for sure stay put.
Drill A Hole In The Bottom Of Your Trashcan To Stop Sticking
There are few things more frustrating than trying to remove a garbage bag from the bin, only to find that it's holding on for dear life. Thankfully, all you have to do is drill a small hole in the bottom of your trash can to get rid of the vacuum-like seal that often makes the bags stick.
Store Bags In An Empty Disinfecting Wipes Container
There's an easy (and neat) way to store all those plastic bags that inevitably begin to pile up in some corner of your home. After you've finished using a container of disinfecting wipes, put your plastic bags in it and pull them out as needed. You can even keep this DIY invention in your car so you never forget your bags on the go!
Plastic Straws To Help Flowers Stand Up Straight
Wilting flowers aren't exactly the most aesthetically pleasing home decoration. However, you don't have to throw out that bouquet just because it's starting to look sad. Rather, you can place plastic straws around the flowers' stems so that they stay upright and can still get their necessary nutrients from the water in their vase.
Fix A Hole In A Window Screen With Clear Nail Polish
A hole in your screen door or window renders the entire thing practically useless. If you have a minor hole in your screen but don't want to replace the whole thing, simply add a swipe of clear nail polish where there's a rip and it'll be as good as new in minutes.
Organize Pot Lids With A Magazine Rack
There's no denying that pot and pan lids take up more than their fair share of space in cabinets. The solution? Use a vertical wire magazine rack to keep them organized on the inside of your cabinet door.
Prevent Doors From Locking With A Rubberband
Simply loop the stretchy band around one doorknob, twisting it over the latch bolt so it's pressed into the door. Then, loop the other end of the band over the other doorknob, and you'll never accidentally get locked out again.
Keep Door From Hitting The Wall By Covering Knob With Tennis Ball
If you live with someone who seems incapable of opening a door gently, there's a quick and easy solution that will save your sanity and your walls. Simply cut a slit in a tennis ball and wrap it around the offending knob; when the door hits the wall with force, it will bounce right off of it rather than leaving an indentation.
Foam Noodle To Prevent Dings In Car Doors
If you happen to have an old pool noodle lying around, you can cut it in half and attach it to the garage wall, making sure to line it up with the height of your door handle. That way, if you accidentally open the door too far, it will hit the soft noodle instead of the hard wall.
Conceal Unsightly Alarm System With Painting
Use two hinges to attach your painting to the wall near your alarm panel, and you've got an easy way to cover it while keeping it accessible.
Masking Tape Before Nailing Into Plaster Walls
Before you nail a hole in your plaster wall, put a small square of masking tape or painter's tape over the area where you'll be placing your nail. That way, when you nail into the plaster, it's unlikely to flake or spread dust.
Mason Jars To Store Excess Paint
Paint cans are cumbersome, unsightly, and, if improperly sealed, can dry your paint out prematurely. So, if you want to keep any excess paint contained, use a mason jar instead. Just pour the paint in and make sure the lid is screwed on tightly for a better alternative to those enormous aluminum cans.
Remove Paint From Brush With A Rubberband
Wiping excess paint off on the lip of your paint can only leaves it sticky and hard to re-seal. However, there's a better option for dealing with that extra product. If you wrap a rubber band or two around the open part of your paint can, you can use that to wipe off any excess paint and ensure that you have the perfect amount on your brush every time.
Line The Edges Of A Caulked Area With Painters Tape
There are few things that make a tub or window look less presentable that a messy line of caulk. To ensure that you always have a perfectly caulked surface every time, use painter's tape on either side of where the caulk will go.
Get Pet Fur Off Of Furniture With A Squeegee
Instead of spending endless cash on lint rollers that hardly pick up a thing, use a squeegee to get rid of all that excess hair... it'll come off easily in a single pass!
Protect Furniture From Cat Claws With Aluminum Foil
Is there a specific part of your couch that your cat just won't stop clawing? If so, cover that area up with aluminum foil. The uncomfortable sensation of the foil against their claws should be unpleasant enough to deter them in the future.
Make Your Rugs Non-Slip By Adding Caulk On The Bottom
Simply add a few lines of caulk to the underside of your rug to prevent it from moving out of place and stop any slips before they start.
Avoid Flowerpot Scratches With Furniture Sliders
To help keep your pots from damaging your floors or windowsills, simply place furniture sliders under each pot. You'll feel good knowing that your flower-lined surfaces are scuff-free.
Keep Your Garden Green With An Old Water Bottle
Sprinklers and other fancy gardening gadgets can cost a pretty penny. Empty bottles, on the other hand, can be found in any household recycling bin, and they can easily be transformed into fully functional sprinklers. All you have to do is punch some holes into the bottle and tape it tightly onto your hose for a fabulous DIY sprinkler.
Store Wrapping Paper In A Garment Bag
If you want to neatly store your wrapping paper all year long, set aside a garment bag just for your rolls. You can hang this garment bag in your coat closet, and when it comes time to wrap a present, you'll know exactly where to go for all your supplies.
Paperclip To The End Of A Roll Of Tape
Instead of wasting tape by folding it over to mark where the roll ends, use a paper clip. With this method, you still won't have to feel around with your fingernails, but you also won't have to cut off that inch of perfectly good tape that you've folded, either.
Freeze Pillowcases Before Hopping Into Bed On A Hot Night
Simply spritz your pillowcase with a tiny bit of water and freeze it for 20 minutes before putting it on your pillow. This will cool you down for just long enough for you to drift off easily.
Paint Your Keys To Never Confuse Them
How are you supposed to differentiate your house keys, your office keys, your car keys, and your mail keys when they all look virtually the same? With paint, of course!
Stop Losing Socks
Stuff a strip of foam pipe insulation into the space between your washer and dryer or along the wall. That way, socks can't slip into the abyss.
Wine Cork Wobbly Table Fix
Next time you open a bottle of wine, save the cork! You can use a slice of synthetic cork to brace a wobbly table leg. Just mark the amount of cork needed, slice it off with a utility knife and glue it in place.
No-Slip Clothes Hanger
If you have all matching clothes hangers in your closet and sometimes you get one of the really cheap, plastic ones when you need an anti-slip hanger. One solution is to wrap pipe cleaners around the clothes hanger. The pipe cleaners add a grippy stop to these otherwise slippery hangers.
Organize Small Cords With Toilet Paper Roll
To keep small cords organized, try this handy hint: Fill a shoe box with as many empty toilet paper rolls that will fit vertically; then place a single small cord in each tube. It'll keep your cords free of tangles and in one place.
Floor Swiffer for Walls
Attach a dry cloth to the rectangle end and press it along walls and trim. You can pick up dust, cobwebs and dirt safely, without having to step on a ladder.
Remove Pet Hair with Duct Tape
That's right. We've found another use for duct tape cleaning. The stickiness of duct tape makes it perfect for a makeshift pet hair remover and this method is faster than vacuuming. It also works on seats in vehicles.
Clean Grout with A Bleach Pen
This method is tedious, but the payoff is crisp, clean grout lines. Use the pen to 'draw' bleach across the grout lines. The pen allows you to target the grout without getting bleach all over the tile.
Countertop Gap Filler
If crumbs, papers or even flatware falls into the gap between your countertop and refrigerator, fill the void with nearly invisible plastic tubing. Clear tubing is available at home centers in several widths starting at 1/8 in and will help you clean house fast since you won't be searching for crumbs.
Blow Out the Garage
Forget the broom, clean out the garage with a leaf blower. It's fast (about five minutes), you don't have to move heavy stuff, and you can clean work surfaces and shelves along with the floor.
Clean a Stinky Fridge
You don't have to live with a stinky fridge. Use newspaper and charcoal and the odors will be gone within several days.
Pasta Lighter
But, if your candles are burning too low to reach the wick, there’s no reason to go without your favorite scent. Instead of burning your fingers, light a piece of uncooked spaghetti. It’ll reach into those deep candles and burn.
How To Remove Highlighter Stains
Lemon juice fades highlighter enough to make it virtually undetectable. Cut a lemon in half and get some juice on a cotton swab. Run the swab over the highlighted text and watch the color fade.
Pool Noodle Water Hose
If you need to fill up a bucket that won’t fit under your sink’s faucet, bust out a pool noodle. Set the bucket on the floor, slip the pool noodle over the faucet and run it down to the bucket.
Keep Your Seeds Fresh
If you don’t use up all of your seed packets, store them in an airtight container with silica packets to keep them fresh for next year.
Tape Template
Stick a piece of masking tape over the keyholes, and then trace over the keyholes with a pencil, making a template. Making sure it’s level, stick the template on the wall where you want the shelf. Drill your anchor holes or screws into the template and remove it.
Get Wrinkles Out Of Your Laundry Easily
Ditch the time-consuming iron or handheld steamer to get wrinkles out of a shirt or slacks. Throw a few ice cubes or a wet washcloth in the dryer with your wrinkled clothes. As the ice melts and the water turns to steam, it will remove the wrinkles.
Dryer Lint Fire Starter
To make fire starters, stuff empty toilet paper tubes with dryer lint. Dryer lint “logs” light quickly and easily burn long enough to light up the kindling.
Secret Cash Stash
Sometimes you don’t want to carry my wallet around... Turn an empty tube of lip balm into a secret cash stash.
The Ultimate Extra Helping Hand
Carrying a sheet of plywood by yourself is awkward and hard on your back. The best method is to make a loop from an 18-ft. length of rope and wrap it around two corners. It's your own helping hand.
Instant Picture Frame Bumpers
Stop wall frames from slipping out of place and scratching the wall paint by putting small dots of hot glue on the back corners of the frame. The hot glue not only prevents movement, but it also holds the picture away from the wall to prevent scratches and nicks.
Heres How To Clean Up Paint in Carpet
Pour some denatured alcohol onto a rag and scrub away the paint. Use a rag that is as close in color to the carpet, as the alcohol can transfer some of the rag’s color to the carpet.
Easy Mulch Spreading
Place buckets and pails in a wheelbarrow and fill them up with mulch. It doesn’t matter much if the mulch misses the bucket and lands in the wheelbarrow. Once you’re done dumping the buckets, dump what’s left in the wheelbarrow in an open area and spread it out.
Make Any Rug Extra Comfortable
Want to make any rug feel extra plush and luxurious? Add a layer of carpet padding underneath your rug... it’s thicker and cheaper than a typical rug pad.
Simple Lawn Straight Edging
To edge your lawn, garden, or flowerbed, lay down a 2×6. While holding the board with your foot, drive a flat spade along the board’s edge. Move the board as needed to create a clean, straight line.
DIY Wood Filler At The Ready
To make a versatile wood filler for free, just grab a paper plate and combine Elmer’s or any other wood glue with sawdust. Like other wood fillers, you can stain or finish it, but the color will likely be a bit different than the surrounding wood. But, it’s sandable, paintable and long-lasting.
Quick Cold Superchilled Drinks
Wrapping a wet paper towel around a warm canned or bottled beverage and putting it in the freezer cool it faster than if there were no paper towel around it.
Your Shoes Will Look Brand New
All you need is an old toothbrush and a little toothpaste to get your old sneakers looking like new! Non-gel white toothpaste works great for cleaning white-soled sneakers.
How to Make Durable Sandpaper
Apply duct tape to the back of the sandpaper. The sandpaper is still flexible enough to sand a tight radius and it’s far more durable.
Make Your Own Ice Pack
Grab a big bowl of water and let the sponges completely soak up as much water as they possibly can. After soaking the sponges, put each sponge in a small sandwich bag with a zip close. Now, freeze the wet and bagged sponges overnight. In the morning, all you need to do is toss the ice pack into your lunch container.
Staple Remover Hack
A staple remover has perfectly sized thin teeth that make them perfect to easily slide between the rings of a key ring. When you clamp them down, it spreads the key rings apart and makes it easy to slide a new key on.
Towel Wrap Tongs To Wipe Your Blinds
Having a hard time getting all the dust off your blinds? All it takes is a few items you already have in your home to get them squeaky clean. Simply wrap dish towels around either side of a pair of tongs, secure them with rubber bands, and you've got your very own DIY duster.
Wash Your Toilet Bowl With Mouthwash
When your toilet bowl is in dire need of a good clean, grab your mouthwash instead of heading to the store to pick up yet another expensive and unnecessary cleaning product. Simply pour a capful of the stuff into your toilet bowl and let it sit for half an hour. When you're ready to give the bowl a scrub, any grime will come off easily.
Scrub A Messy Ceramic Cooktop With A Magic Eraser
Ceramic cooktops may seem like a convenient alternative to gas ranges, but they're not always easier to clean. Fortunately, a Magic Eraser can come to your rescue. This gritty sponge can remove those caked-on messes in just a few swipes without doing any damage to your cooking surface.
Magnetic Rack To Keep Spices Tidy
If you're like most people, your spice cabinet could probably use some serious reorganization. Fortunately, a magnetic spice rack can kill two birds with one stone by both making your spices more organized and giving you something to put on your fridge other than bills and grocery lists. It's decorative and it's functional—what could be better?
Clean A Pan With Alka-Seltzer Tablets
Is that mess from dinner not budging from your pan? Fill it with hot water, drop in an Alka-Seltzer tablet, and let it sit. In about 15 minutes, that mess should wipe up easily.