Life Hacks

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Prov910

Senior Member
Jan 10, 2017
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0
#1
Life hacks. Handy things you do that make life easier! I'll start:

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We burn a fires in the fireplace quite often during the winter months. The best fire-starter I've discovered is this:

Firestarter: Tear several 6" x .75" strips of a pizza box across the ribs, and put them in a cardboard tube. A TP tube works fine. Poke a few holes in the sides, and light one end. This little cardboard contraption will burn hot for a couple of minuteslong enough to add kindling and get a good fire going in the fireplace. :)
 
Feb 7, 2015
22,418
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#2
Life hacks. Handy things you do that make life easier! I'll start:

===================================

We burn a fires in the fireplace quite often during the winter months. The best fire-starter I've discovered is this:

Firestarter: Tear several 6" x .75" strips of a pizza box across the ribs, and put them in a cardboard tube. A TP tube works fine. Poke a few holes in the sides, and light one end. This little cardboard contraption will burn hot for a couple of minuteslong enough to add kindling and get a good fire going in the fireplace. :)
You can do the same thing with toilet paper. Wrap about 15 or 20 wraps around the fingers of one hand.... Slide it off your hand... tuck the ends of the paper back into the center opening your fingers made.

Light the bottom inside part, and set it under your wood. (Like a chimney with the flame coming up the hollow center.) Burning from the inside, out, like that, it lasts for several minutes.
 
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stonesoffire

Poetic Member
Nov 24, 2013
10,665
1,829
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#3
We just ball up newspaper under the wood, but in the forest here in Florida, you can get pieces of a wood that's a firestarter. I think it's a type of pine tree. Smells great.
 

blue_ladybug

Senior Member
Feb 21, 2014
70,862
9,579
113
#4
This isn't so much an life hack, but I ordered a butterfly-shaped magazine holder, and later repurposed it into a toilet paper holder. :)
 

Prov910

Senior Member
Jan 10, 2017
880
47
0
#5
Emery cloth in the kitchen: Have you ever left a pot on the stove too long and all that's left is the charred remains on the metal pan? The charred remains can be nearly impossible to remove. A little bit of emery cloth (sandpaper cloth) will take it right off. You need to be careful not to scratch the pan. But if something is "cooked on", the pan is pretty much ruined anyway. Old, worn emery cloth with a real fine grit works best.
 
Feb 7, 2015
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#6
Want to remove the residue on the inside of your glass coffee pot? Put a few tablespoons of salt into the pot, and then add a half-dozen, or so, ice cubes. Swirl that around by swiftly wiggling the pot a circular motion in your hand, and you will soon see all the dull glaze come right off.
 
Feb 7, 2015
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#7
Don't throw your old toothbrushes away. Keep one by the kitchen sink, and another one in the garage. They are some of the best cleaning tools you can find for those little grooves you just can't reach any other way.
 

maxwel

Senior Member
Apr 18, 2013
9,261
2,386
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#8
Lawn - Time Saver Tip


I covered my lawn with asphalt... now I don't have to mow.
 

notmyown

Senior Member
May 26, 2016
4,586
1,046
113
#9
Emery cloth in the kitchen: Have you ever left a pot on the stove too long and all that's left is the charred remains on the metal pan? The charred remains can be nearly impossible to remove. A little bit of emery cloth (sandpaper cloth) will take it right off. You need to be careful not to scratch the pan. But if something is "cooked on", the pan is pretty much ruined anyway. Old, worn emery cloth with a real fine grit works best.
a little trick mom taught us: if the pot is stainless steel, cover the bottom with an inch or two of water and add a little baking soda, cover, bring it to a boil. remove from heat and wait for it to cool. it should wash out, but if not, lather, rinse, repeat.

it has never failed me. :)
 
F

FenceMan

Guest
#10
Don't throw your old toothbrushes away. Keep one by the kitchen sink, and another one in the garage. They are some of the best cleaning tools you can find for those little grooves you just can't reach any other way.
So I'm not the only one who uses a toothbrush to clean dishes? Well, so much for my originality. :)
 

Magenta

Senior Member
Jul 3, 2015
55,247
25,715
113
#11
So I'm not the only one who uses a toothbrush to clean dishes? Well, so much for my originality. :)
Tooth brushes are great for cleaning around faucets and getting into and under other hard to reach places that tend to accumulate grit, grime, goo, gunk, etc.
 
F

FenceMan

Guest
#12
If you have a ball point pen that died, try soaking it in a cup of hot water. Another thing that sometimes works is to write on the rubber sole of a shoe or some fine grained leather. If that doesn't work, suck on the point while rubbing the ball on the edge of your front tooth carefully. (Be careful as I have gotten ink on my mouth doing this!) If that doesn't work, take the pen apart except the ink tube and point. Blow into the empty end of the tube while trying to write on a piece of paper at the same time. It takes practice... :)

If none of these work, your ink is probably hopelessly dried up. Or the tube is empty, if you forgot to check that!
But I've gotten many pens to work again trying these things.

On another note, you can polish old brass with ketchup. But I learned that from someone else. Just rub ketchup over the brass and let it sit a few minutes and then rub it off.
 

Lynx

Folksy yet erudite
Aug 13, 2014
24,799
8,103
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#13
If you went through a car wash and you now have wax on your windshield, pour soda on it. That carbonic acid just eats the wax right off.

And... that's why I don't drink sodas. >.>

(This one won't apply to many people:) If you make your own bread, or your own anything that needs a bag, go to the grocery store and ask the guy in charge of the produce department for a roll of produce bags. I got a roll of thousands of bags for about $16. It's great for my sourdough bread.
 
Feb 28, 2016
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#14
does anyone here, besides you 'know who' know about 'fat-lighter' for starting
a fire???
and yes, DC, I'm talking about you and a 'few others'...:)
 

Lynx

Folksy yet erudite
Aug 13, 2014
24,799
8,103
113
#15
Chapped lips? Put away the chapstick, it's no good. Use a tiny drop of moisturizer. That's right, simple hand lotion. Put a very small drop on your finger and rub your lips. It feels much better than chapstick, it keeps you from licking your lips and it is just what your poor raddled skin needs.

And yes, "raddled" is a word.
 

Prov910

Senior Member
Jan 10, 2017
880
47
0
#16
Printing labels: In my job print out adhesive backed labels that you peel off and put on a file. But sometimes the toner smears and comes off from the label. Apparently the wax paper backing doesn't let the toner cook into the paper if the drum isn't fairly hot.

Solution: Create an MS Word file with 10 or so blank pages and "print" it out right before you print your label sheet. (You can re-use the 10 blank sheets.) This heats up the toner drum, so when you put the label sheets in the toner will adhere properly.
 
Feb 28, 2016
11,311
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#17
cut the white salt, plus ALL of the 'white-flour-products, pronto!!!
white-sugar is the one of the worst!!! it's a 'KILLER...
 
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tourist

Senior Member
Mar 13, 2014
41,243
16,252
113
69
Tennessee
#18
To removed baked on food on a casserole dish add some dish detergent, fill with water to the top, place a Bounce dryer sheet on top. let soak for 15 minutes. You will be able to easily remove anything that was baked on with a green scrungy in a few seconds.
 
Feb 7, 2015
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#19
I've been doing this for decades.

[video=youtube;yKan5lZBrHg]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKan5lZBrHg[/video]
 
Feb 7, 2015
22,418
413
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#20
does anyone here, besides you 'know who' know about 'fat-lighter' for starting
a fire???
and yes, DC, I'm talking about you and a 'few others'...:)
I do, of course, but it can be a bit difficult to come by.... especially for city-slickers.