The big things in life are hard – so why not make the little things easier where you can! We’ve got the easy peasie life hacks to help you do just that, and if you’d like to share some of your own with us, we’d love to hear from you, tell us in the comments below.
Clean me quick!
• Lipstick marks on clothing are a pain – but they clean off instantly when you dab them with a baby wipe!
• Rushing to leave home, and suddenly find you need to spot clean an item of clothing you’re wearing? Use your hair drier to dry off the damp mark. It takes just seconds! (If you have to spot clean when you’re out and about, use a restroom’s hand drier to dry the spot.)
• To clean Blue Tack off carpet, use Blue Tack! Remove most of the Blue Tack with a knife, then roll a ball of Blue Tack over the spot to pick up any that remains.
Snap happy
We can’t be expected to remember everything – but your phone camera can!
• If you’re in the habit of hiding your jewellery around your home, take a close-up photo of the hiding place so you can find it again later!
• Take a snap of important receipts, dockets, and postal tracking numbers. That way, you’ll have a record of them when you lose those little pieces of paper!
• When you park your car at the supermarket or in the parking building, snap a photo of the parking number or spot (saves you hunting for your vehicle when you return an hour later).
White-out pens rock!
• Use a white-out pen to label your jars of preserves and jams. The labelling looks groovy, and when the jar is empty, the pen scrubs off in seconds with hot water and a scourer pad!
• Create stunning, personalised gift wrap with the help of a white-out pen. Choose dark paper (black is great!), wrap your gift, then use the pen to decorate the paper with stars, dots, flowers, or numbers (or write your greeting on the gift in white-out). Tie the gift with a white or silver ribbon to match. Stunning!
Snip and save
Waste is the big no-no – and not just food waste. Each year we toss out non-food containers that have several more ‘servings’ still inside them. To access the last of the goodies, snip open soft tubes (such as those containing toothpaste, BB crème, shampoo and conditioner, and crème perfume). Open them right out to access the contents. Seal the tube in a zip-lock bag until you’ve used up the last of the contents.
That’s crafty!
• To get the kinks out of recycled woollen yarn, wrap it around a cake cooler, and place it over a pot of steaming water. Leave it to dry on the cake cooler before winding it into a ball.
• Always launder new fabric before you cut and stitch it (most fabric shrinks after the first wash, and your finished garment can end up too small after the first wash, if you don’t already know this trick).
• Learn the simple art of mitreing corners. It will allow you to create endless, gorgeous gifts with little effort (think: table cloths and runners, serviettes, tea towels, and place mats). Look in thrift shops for vintage fabrics to match your projects!
Lemon love
Lemon zest is so handy in casseroles, chutneys, vinegars and on top of cake frosting (not to mention DIY cleaning products and hand creams). Next time you go to squeeze a lemon, zest it first, seal the zest in a zip-lock bag and freeze. Alternatively, dry the zest in a dehydrator or in an oven on its lowest setting.
There’s a life hack for almost everything. What’s your favourite?
Jules61 - 2 years ago
Life hack- when my parsley is growing in abundance I pick as much as I can and then wash, dry really well with a tea towel and pop it into a snap lock bag. It freezes beautifully and you can just break off a small piece as wanted. Works well for many herbs and then you have them at hand all year round.