35 Of The Best Hacks We Know To Make Life Better
If there’s one thing everybody we talk to agrees on, it’s that there’s never enough time to accomplish everything we want to do in one day. Between work, our families, social obligations – not to mention our own hopes, dreams, and hobbies – it can all feel like too much. Luckily, there are plenty of ways to make the small stuff easier, faster, and most of all, more FUN. The answer to everything? A good life hack! Call them tips, call them tricks, call them whatever you want. Just make sure you call on them when you need to make life a little better. Here are some of our favorites.
- Lemon Fire
To be honest, our favorite hacks are the ones that are just cool. One of the craziest we’ve ever seen? Sticking some copper nails in a lemon and running some electricity through it to start a fire. - Revive Bananas
Even cooler than setting fire with a fruit? Bringing one back to to life— quite literally! To revive a browned banana, all you need is a hair dryer. - Burnt Food Saver
Want to save or revive even more food? Stop burnt toast – or burned nuts, coconut, cookies, pie shells, or other baked goods – in its tracks by plunging it into the freezer to halt the cooking process. - Sharpie Revival
Food’s not the only thing you can bring back to life! If you’re determined to wring as much out of a permanent marker as possible, rewet the ink with rubbing alcohol and an eye dropper. - Spray Paint Saver
The best hacks don’t just bring things back to life, they stop them from dying in the first place. Case in point: stop spray paint from drying out by turning it upside-down after each use, and spraying slightly to clean out the nozzle. - Re-make Makeup
Makeup can be expensive, so make sure you’re getting as much use out of them as possible. Reform blush, make new lipstick out of the old, and turn eyeshadow in a kid-friendly paint! - 30-Second Bracelet Fastening
Putting on a bracelet by yourself can be super-frustrating and feel impossible— unless you know this trick! All you need is a little Scotch tape. - Ring Removal
The only thing worse than not being able to get jewelry on is not being able to take it off, and rings are the worst. Take inspiration from this hospital trick and use a rubber band to get it off safely. - No Slip Shirts
Save room in those crowded dresser drawers and hang up more clothing! No matter what shirt or sweater you hang, or what kind of hanger you use, it can become nonslip just by twisting some rubber bands around the ends. - Drill Spin Brush
A great hack saves something, especially time and effort. When it comes to cleaning, you can’t do better than a DIY drill brush that gives you extra cleaning power super fast. - Tidy Trash
Nobody likes taking out the trash, but the right hack can reduce the smelly bother and make it a little easier. A simply genius one? Secure the trash bag with command strips on the side of the can. - Easy Cherry Tomato Slicing
Avoid any recipe where you have to slice a bunch of cherry tomatoes? No more! Stabilize a whole bunch of them between two places, then run the knife between them to easily slice every single cherry tomato super quickly. - Timely Hydration
It’s easier than you might think to go for hours – even all day – without drinking enough water. One trick to make sure you stay hydrated? Mark water bottles with times to give yourself miniature water-drinking goals throughout the day. - Ripe Avocados
You don’t have to squeeze every avocado in the supermarket to find the perfectly ripe ones. Instead, just pull back the stem and take a peek at the color! - Waterproof Shoes
You never know when you might get caught in a rainstorm, and you might not always have your galoshes with you. So waterproof any of your favorite shoes by rubbing them with a candle, then hitting them with a blast from your hair dryer. - White Shoe Soles
Stepped in mud or scuffed those precious, white-soled sneakers? Clean them up with – of all things – nail polish remover! - Loosen New Shoes
More important than white soles or waterproofing, we need shoes that FIT— and comfortably so. Break them in without wearing them out by putting on some socks, putting the shoes on, and hitting them with a hair dryer. - Mason Jar Blender
It’s not a list of hacks without an appearance by the ever versatile mason jar! Attach a blender blade base and blade to a mason jar’s opening, and blend anything you want for single-serve smoothies that put the “Magic Bullet” to shame. - Pancake Batter Bottle
Want uniform pancakes and an easy way to mix the batter? You just need one thing— pancake-batter-in-a-bottle! Throw in the ingredients, shake to mix, and pour out perfect circles. - Spooning Eggs
If there’s one topic out there for which we see more tips and tricks than any other, it’s hardboiled eggs. Our current favorite? This easy way to peel them using a spoon! - Easy Egg Salad
Once you’ve got those hardboiled eggs peeled, how will you eat them? If the answer’s egg salad, you’ll want this trick to slicing and dicing them super easily. All you need? A wire baking rack! - Shucking Corn
Next to hardboiled eggs, the trickiest thing to peel without leaving anything behind or spending way too much time is corn. Luckily, there’s an easy fix! Microwave corn-on-the-cob for two to four minutes, and the husk and the silk will slide off so easily. - Scisscor-less Scissor Package Opening
It’s not just food we need help slicing and dicing. When you can’t open those new scissors because you don’t have, well, scissors, use a can opener! - No-Can-Opener Can Opening
So what if it’s the can opener that’s missing and it’s a can you have to open? Just use your hands and a piece of concrete, and rub. It’s also a great trick for camping! - Giant Ice Pack
Need extra room in your cooler for drinks instead of the bulky ice packs you use to, you know, keep them cool? Make your own GIANT ice pack that fits perfectly in the bottom— and all you have to do is drink a box of wine. - Pool Noodle Sprinkler
Another classic way to stay cool this summer that’s also kid-friendly? A sprinkler, of course! Make your own and make it extra fun by repurposing a pool noodle. - Fake Wasps’ Nest
Summer has few drawbacks, but one of the biggest is definitely wasps. Scare them away by faking another nest with a brown paper bag and some old newspapers. - Hula Hoop Garden
Some of the best hacks reuse old tools for totally useful purposes. One the best we’ve ever seen is this one that uses hula hoops to make a miniature greenhouse. - Hot Glue Matches
Hot glue is an effective adhesive, but that glue gun can take forever to warm up, and of course, it’s not portable at all. For gluing power you can take with you or use in small doses – or both! – make some of these hot glue matches! Just a strike of a match, and you have the strongest glue you could need. - DIY iPhone Speakers
When the volume on your phone just isn’t loud enough but you don’t want to drop a ton of cash on speakers, make your own out of paper cups and an empty toilet paper roll. - Cooling Wine
When you want to cool down that glass of rosé or chardonnay without watering it down, you just need one thing: frozen grapes! - Coffee Cubes
Want iced coffee whenever the craving strikes? Freeze leftover coffee to make “coffee cubes” that’ll cool down the caffeinated beverage without watering it down. - Frozen Milk Discs
Coffee’s not the only part of your morning meal you can freeze ahead of time! Yes, you can safely freeze milk, and the best way to do it is in a muffin tin. It’s an especially great trick for things like smoothies, mashed potatoes, and soup. - Muffin Tin Fixin’s
We love how versatile muffin tins are, and one of our favorite ways to use them is as one-stop condiment carriers for barbecues, picnics, and beach trips! - Razor Sharpening
Need to make that razor blade last a little longer? Sharpen it by running it the length of an old pair of blue jeans about 20 to 40 times— 10 to 20 away from you, 10 to 20 toward you. You don’t even have to press that hard!
So many tips and tricks to make pretty much every part of life easier! Which one was YOUR favorite? Did we miss any hacks you think everybody needs to know? Tell us about your go-to ones, then check out this list from Diply for even more ideas, and don’t miss some of our other round-ups:
