15 Home Hacks That Nobody Thought of Before

Move over, Pinterest! We've got some serious home hacking skills that are about to blow your mind. These hacks will make your life easier and save you money. Who doesn't love that?

1. Pasta Lighter

If your candles are almost burnt to the bottom of the container, and you can't reach the wick easily, light a piece of spaghetti! It's long enough to reach the bottom of the candle, and you won't be at risk of burning yourself.

2. Ceramic Mug as a Sharpening Stone

The bottom of most ceramic coffee mugs is flat and unglazed, making an excellent sharpening surface for a pair of scissors or a dull blade.

Simply run the blade across the bottom of the mug at a 45-degree angle, and work from one end of the blade to the tip. Then, slide the blade downwards in one direction. Make sure to keep your fingers out of the way as you do this.

3. Use Isopropyl Alcohol to Resurrect Your Sharpies

This method can be applied differently for the various felt tip markers, but we'll use Sharpies as the example for this hack.

Extract the nib from the pen, and deposit a few drops of isopropyl alcohol onto the felt material inside the pen. Give the marker a shake to make sure the alcohol has been absorbed.

4. Magnetized Drill

If you're worried about losing screws while working on DIY projects, this hack is for you. Some power drills come equipped with a magnetic plate on the base for this exact purpose, but if yours isn't, there's a hack for that.

Simply hot glue a rare earth magnet to the back of your drill base and stick the screws on as you work.

5. Write Notes on Your Washer

When you're doing laundry for the whole family, it can be hard to remember which items go in the dryer, which ones go in cold water, etc. Well, there's a hack for that.

Take a dry erase marker and make your lists on your washing machine. The enamel finish on most washing machines is similar to a whiteboard, so you can wipe it off with a rag or a paper towel when the load is done.

6. Use a Penny to Fix Wobbly Furniture

If you're in a pinch and need a quick fix for a piece of wobbly furniture, look no further than your change purse.

Use hot-glue to attach the coin to the unsteady area and add additional coins as needed. Coins are great because they come in different sizes and thicknesses and can be applied to many different types of furniture.

7. Erase Permanent Marker on a Dry Erase Board

Accidents happen, and sometimes you mistake your permanent marker for a dry erase marker.

Thankfully, fixing this mistake is easy. Just color over the permanent marker with your dry erase marker and wipe it away.

8. Find Lost Items Easily

It can be annoying when you drop a pill or an earring into your fluffy carpet. Luckily for you, there's a hack for that.

Just use your vacuum! Take a piece of nylon, stretch it over the vacuum opening, and secure it with a rubber band. Then, hover the vacuum over the carpet, and your lost items will stick to the nylon.

9. Coat Your Snow Shovel in Car Wax

If you live in a snowy environment, you probably have to deal with the daily task of shoveling your car out of the snow. However, it can significantly hinder your progress when large chunks of snow stick to your shovel, making it unwieldy.

Simply coat the shovel in car wax; the snow will slide right off. This method works best with metal shovels.

10. Use a Staple Remover to Open a Key Ring

Staple removers have the perfect-sized teeth to fit in between the tight space of a key ring. Everyone has broken at least one nail attempting to pry open the stubborn rings. Save time (and your expensive manicure) with this clever hack.

11. DIY Ice Packs

If you've got a bad habit of losing your ice packs, this hack is for you. These DIY ice packs are also reusable, so they're environmentally friendly.

Take some kitchen sponges and put them in a bowl of water. Let the water soak them entirely, and then transfer them to sandwich-sized bags.

The bag serves two purposes:

1. It contains the water so that there won't be a mess as the ice melts.
2. Keeping the water contained in the bag allows the sponge to re-absorb the water, making it reusable.

12. Save Your Phone Charger

If your phone charger has started to fray, try this simple hack. Start by removing the spring from a pen. Stretch one end of the spring to fit around the charger cable. Wind the spring around the cable until it is on the charging cable.

Next, use appropriately sized heat shrink tubing and slip it over the phone charger and spring. Use a lighter to warm it until it conforms around the charger and spring.

13. Revamp Your Dirty White Shoes

A toothbrush and toothpaste will be your best friend for this hack. Non-gel white toothpaste is perfect for cleaning old and dirty rubber shoe soles.

Work the toothpaste into the shoes with the toothbrush and let the toothpaste soak in for 10 minutes. Wipe with a damp towel and re-apply as necessary.

14. Get Gum Out of Your Carpet

This hack will help you remove gum from your carpet with no mess.

Put some ice cubes in a sandwich bag and place the bag on top of the gum. When gum freezes, it becomes brittle and will break apart fairly easily. Leave the bag with the ice on top of the gum for 30 minutes, then break the gum apart and pull it out of the carpet.

15. Unclog Your Drain With Coffee

Whether your kitchen sink isn't draining or your bathtub is clogged, this hack is for you. Take coffee grounds, dish soap, and boiling water and pour it into your drain. Clog solved!

Final Thoughts

These home hacks are sure to make your life easier. These hacks have you covered, from finding lost items to unclogging your drain. Try them out for yourself and see which ones work best for you.