Life Hacks for the New Year!
We love life hacks, but we’ve seen and watched quite a few over the last couple of years. So we dug and searched and YouTubed, so you don’t have to, and found a few that were new to us and we hope to you, too. See for yourself!
There are one or two hacks here from 5-Minute Crafts that we’ve never seen before and plan to employ in 2021. For instance, using an old cassette tape case as a smart phone stand or microwaving a medium-sized flour tortilla, rolled into a drinking glass, for 15 seconds on high. The result is a perfectly shaped taco shell – ready for filling and eating. Those and about half a dozen ways and places to hide a 100-dollar bill, that no one would ever think to look. These are ingenious hiding places for money – the only problem might be remembering where you stashed it!
A few more seemed novel and clever in this video – if you have the time to fast forward through (it’s 45 minutes and 99 hacks) – like the two or three ideas for littles who can’t reach the bathroom faucet, or need a washable bib that’s easy-on-easy-off. Or the IKEA hacks (at 10:54) which include a super cool repurposed table and a hooded poncho made from an iconic FRAKTA shopping bag, or the PVC pipe hacks which include everything from holders for power or hair styling tool to an almost instant clothes rack. And if you’re moving – keep watching for packing hacks at 15:13!
A Few New +Tried and True
Bored Panda has a few old hacks in this collection of 40 life-changing tips to keep your wine cold, hammer nails safely, serve condiments, create an easy smart phone speaker, and fill a bucket that won’t fit in your sink.
We think the best life hack on the Oberlo compilation list is the creation of a tight seal on a variety of different bagged food packages. When you run out of zip baggies or lidded containers, use this plastic bottle hack. It’s brilliant.
For “brand new” hacks posted to YouTube on Christmas 2020 by 5-Minute Crafts (these have already nabbed 2.5 Million eyeballs; if you can trust the online counter). And while lots of the hacks seem silly and aren’t ones we would use, the awkward situations portrayed by the actors are fun to watch – if you need a giggle!
While “life-saving” might be a stretch for these indoor and outdoor hacks (lots of splinters are removed and blisters treated in this 22-minute video) we did enjoy the instant leg cramp, toothache, and burned tongue remedies!
Jeff at Home RenoVision DIY offers up electrical hacks, one of which will come in very handy if you have no overhead lights and need illumination in a room. His channel also has videos for home DIYers who like to fix electrical issues themselves.
100-year-old Life Hacks
You may or may not have had these life hacks passed down to you from grandparents or parents, but there are a few in this Good Housekeeping collection of 100-year-old hacks worth repeating. Like boiling eggs with a little bit of vinegar in the water which helps keep the white from seeping out and makes the eggshells easier to peel.
And if you’ve ever tried to dust a ceiling fan, especially in a kitchen or cooking area, you know what a mess that can be. The secret to keeping dust clumps from raining down on the countertops or dining area is to encase the blade in a pillowcase and then wipe the dust inside as you pull back the fabric, enveloping all the ick.
Try ketchup to clean copper, or salt and lemon juice to polish silver. And you know those felt pads that adhere to the bottom of furniture to keep it from scratching your hard wood floors? Sometimes the pads come off but the sticky goo remains and makes a gummy mess underneath. Rubbing a little olive oil on the spot with a soft cloth will remove it like magic.
Happy New Year from Crystal Valley
Oh the joy of starting the New Year in one of the new homes in the master-planned community of Crystal Valley! The natural surroundings, the lovely downtown environs of historic Castle Rock, the beautiful models with more than two dozen floor plans from which to choose – little wonder this community is growing so fast! Check out the offerings from Richmond American Homes, Kauffman Homes, Century Communities and D.R. Horton — ranch or two-story models — priced from the $300s.
