Rebecca MacFarlane
I am always looking for ways to make life around the house a little simpler. Aren’t we all? So I went in search of 10 awesome household hacks that you shouldn’t live without.
- Salt Scrub for smelly fingers
You know when you chop onions and garlic, and your fingers stink for days afterwards? It really sucks to walk around smelling like a giant onion. The smells remain so tenaciously even after washing with regular soap because of the fact that your skin absorbs the oils. Salt to the rescue! Rubbing 2 large pinches of dry salt into your hands and then rinsing them will take the smell right away. Salt absorbs moisture, and will absorb the onion and garlic oil out of your skin. You may need to repeat once if you are dealing with a particularly stubborn bulb.
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- No more Tears Onion Chopping
To protect your eyes while chopping an onion, other than wearing goggles, you can freeze the onion beforehand. Not for any longer than 15 minutes, otherwise it will harden too much and be extremely difficult to chop.
(Credit: lifehacker.com)
- Cool your drinks in 15 minutes
Forgot to put your bottle of wine in the fridge? Don’t worry. All you need to do is wet some paper towels, drape them around your wine bottle and place into the freezer for 15 minutes. The wine will be as cold as if you had left in the fridge all day.(Credit: winerack.com)
- Perfectly round pancakes
Using a ladle to pour pancake batter into a frying pan can create some rather interesting shapes. For a perfectly round pancake, use an old squeeze tomato sauce bottle. Fill the bottle with the batter and squeeze into the pan.
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- When life gives you lemons, shine your fixtures
Rubbing Fresh Lemons onto dull and water stained fixtures in the bathroom and kitchen will leave them looking shiny and new.
(Credit: Pinterest)
- Cheap alternative to speakers
Want to amplify your music on your iPhone but don’t own proper speakers? Place the phone into a bowl. The curvature causes natural amplification.(Credit: architectureartdesigns.com)
- Natural Home Fragrances
Simmer some cinnamon sticks, pine needles and citrus rinds in water on the stove to fill your home with a cosy, divine fragrance. This is especially helpful when you need to mask a funky smell, and is a healthier alternative to artificial room sprays.(Credit: mnn.com)
- Microwave your sponges
Sponges can be extremely unsanitary. A worrying fact when you consider they touch the dishes you eat off of. To sanitize a sponge, place it into a mug of water and put it into the microwave for 1-2 minutes.
(Credit: News24.com)
- Rubber Gloves and Cat Hair
Tired of cat hair sticking to your clothes and furniture? Run a damp rubber glove over the surface, and the hair will stick to it and lift off.(Credit: News24.com)
- Permanently Sharp Scissors
Scissors can become annoying to use when they are blunt. To keep your scissors sharp, cut through sand paper with them when they are beginning to feel a little dull. This will sharpen them up and have them working as good as new.(Credit: apartmenttherapy.com)
