Life

These 49 Weird But Awesome Life Hacks From Reddit Will Make Your Life So Much Easier

by Urmila Ramakrishnan

There seems to be a short cut for everything. From storing cables to separating eggs, there are some weird but awesome life hacks from Reddit that will make you wonder how you went most of your life not knowing about them before. Who knew Reddit was for more than cute panda gifs?

Reddit is actually filled with a ton of interesting, quirky information, and you can find tons of different life hacks, from helpful cooking tips to better ways to organize. Do you know how to hide your key so no one will want to touch it? How about a way to make more counter space when you're cooking? Don't hold your breath, but there's also an interesting way to get rid of hiccups that doesn't involve holding your breath. Maybe they'll improve your life, or maybe they'll just make you laugh, either way, you'll get something out of them in some way.

Some of these life hacks are odd balls (but not any less helpful), and others seem to obvious once you learn about them. And whether you end up using these in real life yourself, or pass them onto family and friends, you'll at least get a bit of entertainment from checking out these weird but awesome life hacks from Reddit.

1Use Binder Clips As Cable Organizers

Clip binder clips to the edge of your desk and thread your USB cables through the eyes at the end so you are not looking for your cord every time you need to charge your device. Genius.

2Line Garbage Bags With Newspapers

If you still get the old fashioned newspaper, use old ones at the bottom of your trash bag to soak up all those nasty food juices, leaky diapers, or random liquids so they don't end up at your feet on trash day.

3Get Rid Of Hiccups With Peanut Butter

Seems counter intuitive, right? Letting the peanut butter sit in your mouth and letting it dissolve regulates your breathing patterns, which allows your diaphragm to relax. Allergic to peanuts? You can do the same thing with almond butter, sunflower seed butter, or any other nut butter out there.

4Make Eating Microwave Popcorn Easier

Next time you make popcorn at home, cut the bag as shown, creating a large opening. You'll be better able to add butter and spices, and grab more kernels without making your fingers greasy.

5Reuse Ice Cream Spoons

You know those tiny plastic spoons that come with single-serve ice cream or yogurt? Repurpose them as moisturizer and makeup applicators.

6Know Your Car

Did you know that you could still drive up to 81 miles once you hit E on your Toyota Prius? This chart lists how much gas is really left in your tank after the fuel light comes on.

7Carry More Groceries In One Trip

Carry up to 50 pounds of groceries more easily by putting them on a large carabiner. You'll save yourself multiple trips to the car.

8Use A Watch Band To Open A Bottle

No bottle opener? No problem.

9Keep Your Desk Organized With Velcro

Attach velcro to your hard drives and the top of your computer for quick and easy storage when you're working in small spaces. You'll never take up the whole table again.

10Create A Code For The Delivery Guy

Ordered something online, but won't be home to pick it up? Use this hack to make sure they deliver the package into your home so you don't have to spend time waiting in line at the shipping facility. You can create a custom code that's part of the tracking number of the package. You have to have to be a pretty trusting person to use this, but it can save you a lot of time.

11Wear Underwear Over Your Tights

Wearing another pair of underwear or tight shorts, like Spanx or workout shorts, over your tights will keep them from falling down.

12Silence Loud Toys With Scotch Tape

Knock out the noise on your children's toy fire engines by putting tape over the speakers.

13Polish Shoes With A Magic Eraser

Those Mr. Clean white squares have more than one use. Use them on leather shoes as a polisher. They'll take out scuff marks too.

14Never Question Laundry Again

Always wondered what those symbols were on your blouse's care instructions? This infographic breaks down all washing the instructions in one, easy-to-use guide.

15Use Duct Tape As A Cup Holder

No cup holder? No problem. Use a role of duct tape to hold your water bottle or any other liquids in the car, while camping, or on any adventure.

16Be Your Own Ruler

"Measure your hand from from your finger tips to your palms and memorize it." You can also go from thumb to pinkie or from your elbow to the tip of your middle finger. It will be easier to estimate anything without relying on a ruler or tape measure.

17Clean Out Your Closet

Put all your clothes hangers in your closet reversed. As you wear them, change the direction of the hangers when you put them back. At the end of the year, you can donate the clothes that you never took out.

18Keep Your Detergent Cup Spotless

Using liquid detergent? Fill up the cup that comes with it and put it into the washing machine. You'll never have to deal with a sticky mess again.

19Organize Your Notes

Create a word index in the back of the book and mark the pages. It works for everything from your kids' homework to recipe notes you've made.

20Turn Your Baby Into A Mop

There is actually a onesie out there with mop fibers. If they're already crawling around, might as well get something good out of it.

21Stop Automatic Flushing

At the airport, in the office, or anywhere where there is automatic flushing, place a piece of toilet paper over the sensor so it doesn't flush every three seconds.

22Use Ziplocks For Everything

They're piping bags, marinading bags, French fry crispers, DIY ice packs, and so much more.

23Feet Hurt? Use A Water Bottle

If you don't have a foam roller to relieve your aching feet, use a plastic water bottle or glass bottle and use it like a foam roller. You'll relieve the pressures and feel better.

24Cool Down (Or Warm Up) Quickly

By placing ice packs or heat pads in your armpits and by the groin, you can regulate your body temperature instantly. The major arteries there have wide arteries, so you'll cool down or warm up quickly. .

25Use Trash Bags As Garment Bags

If you're moving or need to move tons of clothes that are already on hangers, put a plastic trash bag over them and tie all the hangers together with the drawstring from the bag. It looks weird, but it's actually quite genius.

26Distract Your Dog With Peanut Butter

Have a rowdy dog during shower time? Smear some peanut butter on the tub wall. They'll pay more attention to that than you while you're getting them clean.

27Use The Sink For Counter Space

Low on counter space? Put your cutting board over your sink. If it's big enough, you'll be able to dice, slice, and chop no problem. Bonus tip: You won't have to worry about the mess because the scraps will fall into the sink for easy cleanup.

28Fix Flip Flops With Bread Clips

Do your flip flops keep falling apart? Pull out one of those plastic bread clips and use it to prevent your sandal straps from falling out of the hole.

29Use A Slinky To Get Rid Of Squirrels

Keep them away from your bird feeder by putting slinkys at the top. They'll try and try to climb up, but the slinky will keep pulling them down.

30Don't Buy A Meat Tenderizer

If your recipe calls for tenderized meat, instead of buying a gadget you won't use enough, place the meat inside a resealable bag (or plastic wrap) and use your fist or a can of soup to pound the meat. You can also use papaya juice, mango, or yogurt. All three have an active enzyme that makes meat tender. Slather some on while you prep your veggies, and voila, tenderized meat without the pounding effort.

31Clean Your Keyboard With Old Post-it Notes

Don't just throw your old notes away, use them again. Run the sticky side between the keys of your keyboard to pick up crumbs and dust.

32 Never Burn Yourself On A Candle

Light a stick of spaghetti, and then light your candle wick with that. Say goodbye to burnt fingertips.

33Repurpose Your Kids' Old Dinner Plates

You know the ones that are compartmentalized? Use them to prep your veggies. It will keep them organized, and you won't have to throw them away.

34Separate Eggs With A Water Bottle

It actually works by some way of magic (OK, science). You'll never have to do that tedious egg shell shuffle again. Just crack all your eggs into a bowl, take out a plastic water bottle, and suction those egg yolks into the bottle.

35Save Your Phone From Falling Out Of Your Pocket

With a safety pin or a few stitches strategically placed, you can tailor your pocket so that your phone doesn't fall out of it.

36Fit All of Your Camisoles On One hanger

Use shower rings to organize your camis on a hanger. If you prefer, you can also do this with s-hooks.

37Use Binder Clips For Everything

Steal them from your office and use them as chip clips and ways to seal your food.

38Turn Laundry Racks Into Pasta Dryers

Use them to hang your homemade pasta... or a bunch of hangers

39Never Break a Cord Again

Use springs from old ball point pens and put them on the ends of your cords. It will help prevent wear and tear on them.

40Use A Fork To Hang Frames and Artwork

Put a nail in the wall, and hang a fork on it. Use the fork handle as a guide to help you hang paintings and picture frames.

41Use Hand Sanitizer For Everything

Use hand sanitizer to remove stains for clothes, milk from furniture, and to get a white board as bright as new.

42De-Childproof Medicine Bottles

This is a great tip for your grandmother who might have trouble opening that bottle of prescription meds she needs: Turn a child proof cap upside down, and it's no longer child proof.

43Vacuum Seal Without A Vacuum Sealer

You just need a Ziplock bag and a pot of water to vacuum seal anything.

44Get Cheaper Flights Back Home For The Holidays

Clear your cookie browser, book 47 days in advance, fly on specific days, and fly during off-hours for the best travel deals.

45A Gross (But Genius) Way To Hide Your Keys

Make fake dog doo doo with this hack, and no thief will touch your keys again.

46Never Buy Corn Meal Again

Do you need corn meal for a recipe? Don't go to the store to buy it. Instead, grind popcorn kernels in a mortar and pestle (or something like it) to grind them into powder.

47Sharpen Knives With A Coffee Mug

Use the bottom rim of a ceramic mug at a 15 degree angle like a sharpening stone to give you that perfect edge on your knife.

48Use a Water Bottle to Store Your Toothbrush While Traveling

This way, you'll keep your toothbrush clean and have a bottle to stay hydrated. It's a win-win. You can also use it to dispense yarn... .

49Those Small Circles on Tupperware Are Actually Useful

They're lids for smaller containers. Who knew?

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