18 Useful Life Hacks from Genius People

The reason why life hacks are so popular in the era of social media is simply because they offer us quicker and easier solutions. Not only that, but they can also save us some money with their cheap alternatives to things we would usually buy at the store. And most people invent hacks that help their life and activities at home or at work be prepared in the best and fastest way possible.

Some of these hacks show you how to fit things better in the oven when you think that they can’t actually fit. You will also find out how you can fill a bowl of ramen in one of the most unconventional ways out there. And maybe some of these hacks might seem insignificant to you now, but it will be useful to know them in case you ever need to use them.

1. How to half two pizzas in order to fit both of them in the oven.

2. How to clean your kitchen sponge.

Sponges can transfer a ton of bacteria from one plate to another, so you should clean them at least once every couple of days. There is a certain way you can do it:

• To soften the sponge and make the dirt and oils unstick from it and kill the bacteria — microwave the sponge with a glass of water for a few minutes on high.
• Put in the dishwasher on a long cycle with other dishes? This will kill the nasty smell.

You’ll get the cleanest sponge you’ve ever had, aside from buying new one, of course.

3. How to balance McDonald’s food on the drink.

4. How to store shelled nuts the right way.

Freeze shelled nuts to preserve their nutritional properties, taste and aroma. Pack them into sealed containers before placing them into the freezer. It isn’t worth roasting the kernels first, or they’ll be no good for anything. The nuts must be raw and unprocessed. Nuts kept this way won’t acquire the bitter aftertaste of shelled nuts which have been hanging around at room temperature for a while.

5. How to locate your phone on airplanes so you don’t have to hold it.

6. How to melt the last part of candles in glasses and fill them up again.

7. How to clean the spots from a not-so-stainless steel sink.

Sinks collect a bunch of nasty things and there are ways to clean up stains from your stainless steel sink. The following 4 things will help you with this:

• Magic Eraser
• Baking soda paste (diluted with water or small amount of vinegar)
• Dawn dish soap and peroxide (mix carefully)
• Vinegar and dish soap

Of course, you can try to use stainless steel sponges, but in the case that you don’t have them, or don’t want to buy them—we’re sure that you have some of these ingredients in your cabinet.

8. How to make soggy chips edible again.

If your chips have come into contact with humid air or water, don’t throw them away right away.

• Take a plate. Put a napkin or a kitchen towel on it and put your chips on top of it.
• You can also cover them with another napkin. Then put it in a microwave oven for 30 seconds. Voila! Your chips are crispy again.

9. How to use a hockey stick instead of a regular mic stand.

10. How to cut a Jack in my cutting board so it can dry in the sink and weld-marked a circle where garlic is allowed.

11. How to sharpen your knives with a mug.

If you don’t have a special knife sharpener, you can use an ordinary ceramic cup. Put it upside down and slide your knife forward several times. Of course, if your knife is expensive and high quality, it’s better to not put it at risk and just go buy a knife sharpener.

12. How to take advantage of the lid of the hummus you buy as a decorative holder.

13. How to use the medium setting on any Keurig coffee machine to fill ramen with the perfect amount of hot water.

14. How to improvize when you don’t have a meat tenderizer.

You’ve seen those elongated holes on cutting boards, right? We usually use them as handles, but here’s another way to use them: the hole allows you to sweep your cut vegetables into a bowl so that the pieces don’t “get away.”

15. How to secure the band-Aid that slips on your toe.

16. How to peel citrus fruit easier.

Is peeling oranges, lemons or satsumas too much of a fath? Don’t want to ruin your manicure digging into that hard, thick rind? Stick them in the microwave for 20 seconds and it becomes much easier to separate these fruits from their wrappings.

17. How to fix a zipper that won’t stay up with a small elastic band.

18. How to make Smores the easy and fast way.

19. How to cut onions without crying.

The freezer will help you here too. Put the onions in for 30 minutes before chopping them. Bear in mind that it’s only worth doing this if you plan to cook the onions; don’t subject them to this treatment if you want to make a salad with them or they’ll lose their crunch.

20. How to prevent pump bottles from spilling liquids.

• I recently had to go out of town for a family emergency (everything is fine now) and was faced with a dilemma. Normally when I travel I take sample size bottles of face wash with me because I use CeraVe and A) the bottle is huge and B) it has a pump. But my skin has been amazing recently and I knew I was gonna be gone for a while so I didn’t wanna rock the boat. I tried a hack I’ve used before with cleansing oil pumps and it WORKED. Basically you take a thick rubber band and wrap it around the neck of the pump. You have to push REALLY hard to get anything to come out so it doesn’t leak while you’re traveling. I unwrapped it a little so it was usable and wrapped it back up when I left. I like this so much better than transferring to a travel bottle because that always makes a mess. Hope this helped someone! PMaggieKC / Reddit

BONUS: How to clean your greasy stove vents.

To see the place in your kitchen that collects the most grease — look up. Vents above your stove can be the filthiest. To scrub them clean follow this process:

• Take out the vents.
• Boil water in a large stainless steel pot.
• Add about a 1/4 cup of baking soda at a time until it brings the boiling water to a fizz — be careful, don’t add too much at a time!
• Let your vents boil in this mixture.
• If you have a smaller pot, you’ll need to flip the vent over several times — let them sit for about 60 seconds each time.
• Watch the grease come off.

After this process your vents will look brand new!

Will you be using any of the hacks above anytime soon? Do you think that they can actually help you in your everyday tasks? Maybe you have invented other hacks, in which case we would love to see examples of your work and how it has made your life easier.