Be prepared to say, “Why didn’t I think of that?!” at least a few times as you scroll through these creative ways to use basic household items. And hey, now that you know these hacks, you can impart your wisdom to friends and family. (You can take the credit, we don’t mind!)
Kitchen Tongs Turned Citrus Squeezer
If you’ve ever had to squeeze the juice of a key lime, lemon, or grapefruit, then you’re probably familiar with that feeling that there’s definitely more juice in that citrus, but without a citrus squeezer, the world may never know. Luckily, all you really need are kitchen tongs. All you have to do is cut your citrus in half, place it between the two tong handles, and squeeze the levers. If you’re worried about seeds, squeeze fruit over a strainer to catch them.
Our Pick: HOTEC Premium Stainless Steel Locking Kitchen Tongs ($9.99, shop here)
Spaghetti Noodle Matches
If you’re ever in a pinch and need matches but don’t have any or can’t find them, reach into your pantry or cabinet for pasta. Spaghetti noodles, uncooked, are dense enough and flammable enough to act as a match and their length is perfect for hard-to-reach wicks.
Dull Razors But Make Them Fashion
If while you’re getting ready for work or dinner, you notice that your favorite sweater has some lint, fluff, or fuzz balls, simply take a dull razor and gently and slowly run your razor along the surface of your garment to remove it all. And just like that you’re ready to go.
Jar Lid Movers
Did you decide to move some furniture around only to forget just how heavy it is? No worries, just grab the lid to a jar, or two, or three, and place it under the pieces you’re trying to move. The jar will slide on the floor with ease which means you can rearrange to your heart’s content without sacrificing your back.
Ready, Steady
This next hack is for anyone who has accidentally hammered their thumb, or for anyone who is just scared of hammering their thumb. Next time you have to hammer a nail into the wall, use a comb to hold the nail in place and to keep those thumbs intact.
Our Pick: 5-inch Fine Tooth Comb ($2.49, shop here)
Frizz Be Gone
Whatever the reason for frizz may be, sleek hair is just a few swipes away if you have some dryer sheets on hand. Dryer sheets are designed to combat and neutralize static cling making them perfect for taming wild flyaway hairs. All you have to do is glide the dryer sheet down your hair for instant smoothing.
Our Pick: Snuggle Fabric Softener Dryer Sheets ($6.97, shop here)
Gum Removal
Few things are as inconvenient and gross as stepping in someone else’s gum on the sidewalk. The next time this happens, all you have to do is reach for the closest can of WD-40, spray the gum, wait about one minute, the use a paper towel to wipe it away. This can also be used to get gum off of the carpet; just spray the gum down, let it sit for a few minutes, then use a credit card, butter knife, or spoon to scrape the gum up.
Our Pick: WD-40 Original Formula 2-Pack ($23, shop here)
Fill ‘Em Up
Whether you rent or own your home, nail holes can become unsightly. Fill them easily with a little bit of Elmer’s glue. The process is simple, you just apply a small amount of glue to a Q-tip and fill the hole, get the glue as flush to the wall as you can, and once the glue has hardened, chip off any excess, then paint over the area.
Our Pick: Elmer’s Glue-All ($4.65, shop here)