Life Hacks That Walk The Fine Line Between Genius And Dumb
These people have all figured out creative solutions to some of life's most inane problems. Need to heat up your queso in your dorm? We have a hack for that. Need to fit two pizzas in a small oven? We have a hack for that too.
Keep reading to be inspired by these unusual ways to make your life a little bit easier. We don't endorse all of these, but we certainly find them entertaining.
The Easier Way To Plug Things In
This guy figured out that he could use his front-facing camera to help him locate the plugs at the back of his computer.
This one may actually be genius, don't you think?
Go For A Run
If you need to carry things like your keys or spare change in your pocket when you're going for a run, try this hack.
Tie up the inside of your pocket with a rubber band.
How To Fry Without Getting Burned
This woman has devised a system for cooking with hot oil without getting burned.
It involves an empty pop bottle, a long spoon, and a towel. Just call her Captain Spoon.
Take a Seat
Tired after a long day of working in the field? Why not take a seat inside your wheelbarrow?
We can't say that this is the safest or most comfortable seat in the world, but it works in a pinch.
Two Skewers Are Better Than One
When grilling skewered chicken (aka shish kebabs), use two skewers for each kebab instead of one.
It will keep your chicken from spinning every time you try to flip it.
No More Puddles
You can use a pool noodle to keep your canopy from drooping and collecting rainwater.
This hack means that you won't have any more saggy spots (in your canopy, at least).
Pizza Math
You absolutely can fit two whole pizzas in your oven.
You just have to get your math brain out. Cut each pizza in half and then arrange them like so.
Warm Queso
Did you know that candle warmers are the perfect size for heating up jars of queso?
Now you can enjoy warm queso in your dorm without a fondue pot. What a concept.
A Kind Citizen
This person made sure to let the next person in the washroom know that there isn't any toilet paper left.
This practice needs to be written into our social rulebook.
Onion Goggles
This woman figured out that she can cut onions without crying if she wears ski goggles while she gets the job done.
It looks silly, but it works. No more tears!
An Organized Car
This type-A driver took it upon himself to organize the console in his car.
Now everything has a spot and pens and knives and lighters aren't just sliding around in there.
No More Crinkling
You can store your snacks in empty Pringle containers. Unlike regular chip bags, these cylindrical containers don't make annoying crinkly sounds.
Your coworkers will thank you for this one.
A Pulley System
This elderly couple has installed a pulley at the side of their house to help them bring groceries into the kitchen more easily.
This hack isn't just for the old folks. It's great for lazy people too.
A Cactus Ladder
When bringing tall plants home in your car, use a ladder to keep them secure for the duration of the journey.
Now there's no limit to how many plants you can buy.
A Ziplock Solution
If you have an item that's too big to fit in a single Ziplock bag, turn a second Ziplock bag inside out and attach it to the first one.
Now you have more storage space.
Chip Origami
This person has figured out how to fold an open chip bag to keep all of the freshness inside. This requires some expert origami skills.
We definitely need to learn how to do this.
Peel Off Stubborn Stickers
If you store your containers in the freezer for a few hours, it will be much easier to peel off any stubborn stickers.
The cold air makes the glue on the stickers less effective.
For When You Need It
Write the name of your Ikea product underneath the piece and tape your Allen key to the bottom of the piece as well.
That way you'll always have it on hand when you need it.
How To Move Clothes
Hangers are your best friend when it comes to moving large amounts of clothes from one place to another. Just hook all of your hangers onto more hangers.
You can't go wrong with more hangers.
Food Geometry
Sometimes the geometry you learned in high school actually proves to be pretty useful.
Like when you have to cover a rectangular piece of sandwich bread with processed cheese that comes in a square shape.
Keep Track Of Your Screws
When disassembling a piece of furniture to move it to a new house or a new room, try this hack.
Press all of the loose screws through a piece of cardboard and label them straight onto the cardboard.
Organize Your Cables
You can use a few zip ties to keep your cables organized and tangle-free.
Just place one zip tie horizontally along the cables, and then place another zip tie in between each of the cables.
Keep Clothes Clean During Moves
When you need to move all your clothes from one house to another, there's no need to break out your suitcase.
Just wrap a garbage bag around your clothes while they're still hanging in your closet.
Straight Down
You can attach a bubble level to your drill so you know when you're making straight and level holes.
A lot of drills actually come with built-in bubble levels nowadays.
Hang Up Your Pot Lids
If you don't have a ton of storage space in your kitchen, attach some Command hooks to the inside of your cabinet doors.
Now you have a perfect place to hang your pot lids.
Drink Enough Water
Set water-drinking goals for yourself by drawing lines on your water bottles.
Mark each line with a time, and challenge yourself to finish the bottle by the end of the day.
Makeshift Tweezers
If you need tweezers in a pinch (pun intended), three quarters will do the trick. Just hold them as shown in the photos above.
You never know when you might need tweezers.
How To Open Tough Plastic
This tough plastic packaging is the bane of my existence. How many times have you cut yourself with it when trying to get it open?
Try using a can opener to break through it instead.
The Perfect Collar Iron
A hair straightener works perfectly as a collar iron. Collars are notoriously difficult to iron.
If you have a hair straightener on hand, your life gets a whole lot easier.
Label Your Cords
You can use plastic bread ties to label and organize your cords.
Now you'll never unplug your computer by mistake again, causing you to lose an entire essay that you forgot to save...
Keep Him Distracted In The Shower
Next time you have to wrestle your dog into the bath, try this.
After he takes a dip in the mud puddle in the backyard, keep him distracted by smearing a little bit of peanut butter on the wall!
The Work From Home Hack
If you're looking for a way to keep your computer from going into sleep mode, your watch is the solution.
The moving clock hands will make the mouse feel movement and keep the PC from sleeping.
Forget About Those Reading Glasses
Who needs to break out the reading glasses or set your phone to the extra-large font when you could use that handy glass of water to enlarge the screen for you?
This is borderline genius.
Turn A Ruined Shirt Into Art
Rather than throwing away your shirt after spilling a few drops of bleach on it while doing laundry, do what this man did and embrace the bleach.
In fact, if you add more, it ends up looking like art.
Treat It Like Any Other Day
If you wake up and treat it like any other day, he's never going to know that today is supposed to be his birthday. He's also young enough that even if you did throw some extravagant party or give him a bunch of presents, he wouldn't remember it anyway.
Skip it and try for next year.
That's One Way To Do It
Okay, please don't actually do this, but technically, it would be an effective way to figure out if you had a gas leak going on.
It'd also be an effective way to maybe burn your house down.
Collect That Excess Drip
If your dog has a habit of dripping water all over the floor every time she takes a drink (which, whose dog doesn't?), try this.
Put the water bowl in with the plants so at least they can soak up the water.
Stop Misplacing Your Remotes
Never misplace a remote again thanks to this brick idea.
A little bit of tape will make sure that if you lose one remote, you'll lose all of them, but hopefully, you lose none of them instead.
Be A Parking Pro
Whether you're teaching your child to parallel park or you're simply a bad driver yourself, this might be a good idea.
Having the extra bumper barrier that these pool noodles provide will save you a lot of money.
Houdini The Hot Dog
No, Halloween hasn't come early this year, though this guy would probably accept a treat if you gave him one.
This little guy is an escape artist, so in order to prevent him from slipping through the fence, he has to wear the hot dog costume every time he's outside.
Keep Your Office Smelling Lemony Fresh
If you want an easy way to keep your office or bedroom smelling fresh and clean without actually having to clean it, just stick half a lemon inside your computer!
Let the fans disperse the citrus scent throughout the room while you work.
Make The Roll Last Twice As Long
If you physically prevent your family from being able to use a full sheet of toilet paper, you're guaranteed to make the roll last longer.
Do what you gotta do.
A Toaster Is Good For More Than Just Bread
If you're looking for a quick way to cook those chicken nuggets, you can defrost them in the microwave.
Then finish them off in the toaster to get them crispy!
A Skincare Secret
The skincare secret that dermatologists don't want you to know about, this person discovered how to get rid of their wrinkles: get bitten by a rattlesnake!
The swelling takes away the wrinkles.
The World Is Your Parking Space
You know technically any surface could, in theory, be considered a parking space if you're willing to park your car there and take the risk.
This person, for instance, realized that the center of the road is the same pavement as the parking spots.
The Coin Substitute
If you don't have a quarter to place in the shopping cart at the grocery store, you can use your house key as a substitute!
Just make sure you pay attention and don't stab yourself while pushing the cart.
No More Wrinkles
To really function at maximum capacity, you could boil something in the water while you're heating up the pot, like eggs or pasta.
That way, you can iron while you eat!
Direct The Thieves To Your Neighbor's House
When you put out your garbage from that new TV you bought yourself, don't put the box with your garbage.
Put it in front of one of your neighbors' houses so the thieves don't know you bought something new!
Free To Roam
If you want to be able to charge your phone while still walking around the house, attach your phone charger to a super long extension cord.
It can follow you wherever you need to go.
Rest And Ice Work Wonders
Does your computer have a tendency to get a little heated when you've been working for too long?
A couple of bags of ice could be just what you need to cool that laptop down.
