/r/lifehacks

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Lifehacks: Uncommon solutions to common problems.

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What are lifehacks?

  • Uncommon solutions to common problems.
  • Unusual ways of using everyday objects to make life easier.
  • Simple and practical tips that may not be obvious.

These kinds of posts will get REMOVED

  • No requests for, or offers of, medical advice (consult a professional) (NEW!!!)
  • Self-improvement tips. (try /r/zenhabits)
  • Commercial products with a specific purpose.
  • Food tips. (try /r/foodhacks)
  • Software being used in the way it was designed to be used (that includes keyboard shortcuts)
  • Polls/Surveys
  • Life Pro-Tips. /r/lifeprotips are for all kinds of tips for life (Text Posts Only). /r/lifehacks is for solving problems. Basically, if there was no problem/issue in the first place then it's not a lifehack.
  • Memes, image macros, plain-text image posts
  • Tips for problems which affect only 1 in a million people.
  • ShortURL or Amazon links in comments

These kinds of posts will be removed and the user BANNED

  • Spam (especially blogspam).
  • Attacking or being aggressive to others.
  • Personal information.

The mods also reserve the right to remove any particularly bad quality posts at their discretion.

If you see anyone breaking the rules above, please report the post and/or message the mods.

If something is not reported, it will most likely slip past us. Reporting it brings it to our attention and will definitely be looked at by someone.

RELEVANT SUBREDDITS

/r/lifehacks

13,890,782 Subscribers

4

Create a “Small Wins” journal. Note down one small accomplishment each day, no matter how minor.

Life can get overwhelming, especially when it feels like the big goals are so far off. But tracking little wins each day like finally organizing that cluttered drawer, reaching out to an old friend, or even just getting through a rough day – can help shift your focus. It reminds you that progress isn’t always huge leaps; sometimes, it’s small steps.

Over time, this journal becomes a powerful reminder of your resilience and growth. Plus, on tough days, flipping through it can give you a quick boost. You’d be surprised at how motivating it is to see all the little things you’ve achieved piling up over time!

0 Comments
2024/10/31
23:35 UTC

125

Struggling with tangled necklaces? Use a straw to keep them tangle-free when traveling.

If you hate dealing with tangled necklaces when you pack for trips, here’s a simple trick: thread each necklace through a straw and clasp it. The straw keeps the chain straight and untangled, no matter how much your luggage gets tossed around.

It’s such a small, cheap solution, but it’s been a game-changer

14 Comments
2024/10/31
19:29 UTC

19

Got some leather shoes & the back rubs on my heel on one foot….

How can I stretch out my new shoes without blistering my feet & pain??? I know wearing them will help but I don’t want to rub my foot raw. It’s the weirdest thing!!!

52 Comments
2024/10/30
23:55 UTC

34

Black Pants washing machine

So I wear business professional attire to work 5 days a week therefore most days I have a pair of black slacks on and I cannot seem to wash them without them coming out covered in what looks like dust. I have researched and thought oh maybe too much detergent and went down to barely any, tried turning inside out, have scrubbed and cleaned every inch of our washer and ran hot cycles with vinegar and nothing helps. I have even tried a couple minutes in the dryer to agitate it off and while it maybe gets a little off , it is not effective and the pants are supposed to be hung to dry.

Notes: we bought the house with the washer and dryer and they are probably 8 years old and I do not remember this ever occuring at any of my apartments and I was way less careful about washing with only black clothes at the time and yet my pants stayed black.

See picture

HELP!!!

83 Comments
2024/10/30
21:48 UTC

3,557

A way of collecting dust when drilling holes

54 Comments
2024/10/30
19:30 UTC

0

Never Forget Where You Parked Again

You know that moment of panic when you're wandering around a giant parking lot with absolutely no idea where your car is? Yeah, me too.

Take a pic and text that photo to yourself or a friend with a little note like, “Blue Section 4C.” This way, it’s in your message thread

29 Comments
2024/10/28
15:28 UTC

12

How to remove glue stain/residue

Hi people!
Recently I've bought used car in which previous owner had something (probably navigation or cellphone holder) glued to the top of the dashboard and is now left with this glue stain/residue.
Does anybody have an idea how to clean this without further damage to the interior?

https://preview.redd.it/w4fkgsuqbixd1.jpg?width=960&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d1ec7c443636274aabe76e3749bd3c7f4abb9246

22 Comments
2024/10/28
14:26 UTC

58

Tips on cheap upgrades?

I would love to be upgraded to first class one day. I can’t afford to casually pay first class and it seems like others get upgraded to first but I don’t understand how to do it!

I use Chase Sapphire for points. Delta points never seem to add up to anything. I guess I don’t fly enough for Skymiles. I’m moving overseas so I’ll be flying internationally a few times a year. Any tips welcome - thank you!

30 Comments
2024/10/28
03:59 UTC

282

Can I put rosemary oil on me to prevent fleas biting at night?

For context we are actively battling fleas. All the animals are treated, our house is regularly cleaned, and we have a pest control company coming to do two weekly treatments this week and next. However, I'm still getting bit at night. Until the pest control company gets here to do the first treatment, can I put rosemary oil on my hands/wrists, feet, and neck to deter the fleas?

For those that wonder, I had one cat that wasn't treated and she brought the fleas in the house. It was just bad pet parenting on my part and I wasn't thinking properly.

180 Comments
2024/10/28
02:53 UTC

1

Any advice to remove superglue from stainless steel?

We’ve tried soaking the area in 99% rubbing alcohol with no luck. Any suggestions are welcome! Thank you!

3 Comments
2024/10/28
01:15 UTC

59

Help removing yellow highlighter stains from fabric!

I just washed my bed sheets and somehow neon yellow marks that I believe are highlighter stains suddenly appeared on a few of the pieces. Unfortunately the sheets are white so I don’t know if it’ll be possible to get the stains out. Has anyone ever had this happen before even if the fabric wasn’t white? If so, what did you do to successfully remove the stains? Thank you so much!

Edit/Update: THANK YOU EVERYONE! There were so many marks I was able to try each method on each stain and now all the stains are gone! You all saved my favourite duvet/pillow case/sheet set. Found the culprit: somehow a highlighter was stuck in the washing machine from a previous wash and I didn’t see it. Thank you again!!!

17 Comments
2024/10/27
20:01 UTC

101

Method cleaner and ants

I generally use Method as my all purpose cleaner and my go-to is their grapefruit formula. Every fall/winter ants love to come and visit my home. I have no idea why, other than seasonal changes. I recently discovered that ants really hate my taste in all purpose cleaner. All I have to do is spray a few of them, and then spray a border around where they’re coming from, and it just stops. No more ants. 🤷🏼‍♀️

29 Comments
2024/10/27
04:23 UTC

0

How to test for carbon monoxide with a detector?

I have one of those dual kiddie smoke alarm/carbon monoxide detectors and it just went off when there was no smoke but my sister thinking it was nothing turned it off before I could hear how many beeps it was. Is there a way I can test for the presence of carbon monoxide with the test button? I'm just super paranoid now hoping it was just a false alarm

9 Comments
2024/10/27
03:51 UTC

1

Whats the best way to clean paint drops settled inside the commode pot?

I just rented a newly built apartment and turns out the painter dumped white paint in the pot and let it dry at the bottom during construction. Scraping it doesn’t help because it has hardened and risks cracking the sanitary, and the flush water makes it hard to try hydrochloride acid because the pot isn’t dry.

I can still use the commode pot but it looks dirty and I want to make it like new. PS the owner doesn’t care.

What do i do?

18 Comments
2024/10/26
22:39 UTC

45

Lifehack needed: getting rid of fleas

Anybody have any lifehacks on how to get rid of fleas in your house? I'm very desperate and calling an exterminator is too expensive sadly.

103 Comments
2024/10/26
21:07 UTC

105

What's the best way to clean a brown stained toilet

Sorry was overdose topic but what's the best way to clean those yucky brown stains inside of a toilet. I've tried everything that I can think of.

169 Comments
2024/10/25
23:02 UTC

229

Hate voicemail? Add greeting of silence for maximum time (2mins?)

Been working for me so far. No new voicemail in weeks. This is so nice.

70 Comments
2024/10/25
18:13 UTC

91

Help to remove pocket lining stuck in a zipper.

50 Comments
2024/10/25
12:01 UTC

9

How can we get rid of rat(s) in a mobile home???

We really need help. we have been living in a trailer park for about 3-4ish months now. Our neighbors are fxking pigs. Laying matresses out for months in weather and clothes. The weedwhacker guy outs holes in the skirting. in the front-right corner of our trailer is a decently sized hole. Our neighbors, trashy af, gave us rats. One crawled through that hole, chewed it’s ay up, and made a hole behind our refrigerator and was trying to eat our potatoes and onions. We used 2 bricks to block the hole, and put peppermint oil on a cotton round and put it between the bricks as a temporary relief. How can we permanently get rid of them?? We are in a financial struggle right now and we don’t know anyone who could help us.

54 Comments
2024/10/25
05:53 UTC

618

4ish relationship conflict resolution hacks from a guy who has seen 4ish therapists about relationship conflict

I am still married 🤞 and have seen 4ish therapists.

This is what I have learned.

  1. Knowing how to listen and recognizing when to listen are 2 separate skills
    • Some people are good at listening and are empathetic but don't recognize when to listen (they are in denial of the problem)
    • Some people know when to listen but aren't good at demonstrating that they are listening or don't know how to respond as they are listening (they recognize the problem but don't know how to solve it)
    • Hack- Figure out which one you are and address it. Say either
      • "I am not sure where or what the problem is"
      • "I see there is a problem but I am not sure what to do"
  2. Mirror the other side
    • It helps you slow down and process what is being said
    • It shows the other person you are actually listening to them
    • Hack- Watch videos on mirroring if you dont know what it is and do it, it works
  3. Get meta with your communication (before the conflict)
    • Every problem in your relationship goes back to a miscommunication
    • Hacks-
      • Say what you are thinking about
      • Try to define how you should communicate
      • Try to define you conversational style
      • Try to define conversation boundaries/ rules. Because it helps you and your partner feel safe (should be revisited periodically)
  4. When the conflict get heated take a fucking break
    • That's the hack ^

    • When you are tilted the creativity part of your brain shuts off and you literally cannot think about what the other person is saying. Said another way- Your raw emotions are overriding your ability to consider what the other person is saying. If you take a break and retry listening when you aren't tilted you can make progress.

    • Also put a time limit on your break like 15 mins or 30 mins

Ok that's it.

42 Comments
2024/10/25
00:01 UTC

48

How to cool a basement room without windows when heat is on

Living in a basement apartment, tenants upstairs have control over the thermostat, when the heat is on my room gets to 80 degrees no problem and there are no windows. I have a fan and leave the door open and that cools it down EVENTUALLY but it takes a long time....hours. Are there any portable AC units that would work or am I stuck trying to cool the entire apartment first and just use a fan to blow the cold air in? There are 2 vents into my room very close to the furnace....yes....2 vents not 1, and they are both blocked already. I have a vent into my closet and beside my bed. Who ever designed the HVAC in this house....they can eat thumbtacks. There are 3 vents for heat in the basement and I have 2 of them in my windowless room....FML lol.

68 Comments
2024/10/24
01:54 UTC

8,504

Drink holder made using a bag

77 Comments
2024/10/23
11:58 UTC

2

How can I repair holes in the plastic blinds to prevent light from coming through?

The hail left holes in the plastic blinds, and now light is leaking through. Is there any way to repair it without having to replace the blinds?

7 Comments
2024/10/23
04:53 UTC

0

Wash your headlights every time you wash your windshield to keep from burning out your headlights.

Forty some years ago I got pulled over for having a headlight out, the State Trooper told me to wash my headlights every time I washed my windshield to keep from burning out my headlights. In the last forty years I have only had to replace two headlights. If you don’t wash the headlights the bugs on the outside cause heat to build up on the inside and after a while the bulb fails.

Edit:

I couldn’t understand all the negative comments, then it hit me and I told myself, “Slim you’re a little slow, these are all city folks. And they rarely if ever see a three inch grasshopper, let alone have their windshield and headlights covered with them. Bless their hearts.”

There are times I pull in to fill up, not because the tank is less than a quarter, but because the windshield needs cleaned. And no, I’m not the only one out there here on the plains washing my headlights when I fill up.

Now true, the l e d bulbs burn a lot cooler, but they are a fairly new thing, and the old halogen bulbs emitted a lot of heat.

Now my ex either didn’t believe me or was too lazy to wash her headlights. Guess who had to pay to have the bumper dropped twice on her Suzuki Kizashi to replace headlights.

17 Comments
2024/10/23
04:01 UTC

134

Toddler proofed baby gate!

I'd put up a baby gate to block off an area of the living space so that the 7 month old could be safe from her 2.5 yr old brother. It worked great for a little while but he has since figured out how to climb the fence. I tried a few different ways to make the fence toddler proof (while being safe for the toddler who keeps trying to get past it) and finally found something that works!

I've attached clear corrugated plastic sheeting (usually used for roofs) to the front of the fence. The corrugation runs vertically. I can see through the sheeting to see the baby (and vice versa), the sheeting is higher than the baby fence and has a less friendly edge to pull up on, the sheeting stops the toddler from being able to put his feet on any baby gate horizontal bars. I am so relieved to have my baby 'safe space' back. The toddler isn't as happy about it 🤣

57 Comments
2024/10/22
23:26 UTC

54

Common sunflower/olive oil removes sticker glue from plastic!

Omg! So I found an awesome foldable ruler I loved! You can fold it, or use for corners and it fits in your little pencil bag, and it's just super convenient!!

So I buy it and I peel off the sticker but you know, half of it peels perfectly and the rest is just like hfnfjfjdhdjdbcb and leaves paper and glue... So I start scratching and use a spoon and a bank card but it doesn't work so I go on the net! Acetone, alcohol, vinegar or peanutbutter are the most common sugestions, so I try acetone and it leaves a big vague stain on the clear plastic.. alcohol less so but same, vinegar does nothing and I'm not trying peanutbutter.

And then a site said to try oil.. just a bit of sunflower or olive oil. and gently rub with kitchen paper. I'm sceptic but.......... MAGIC!

So nice and clean and no residue or damage haze! Lifesaver!

TLDR: sunflower/olive oil on kitchen paper removes sticker glue from clear plastic!! Thanks for reading my ADHD tangent!

14 Comments
2024/10/22
22:40 UTC

369

How can I stop this from getting worse

254 Comments
2024/10/22
18:41 UTC

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