Impractical Home Improvement Hacks That Don’t Help At All

Getting Cleaner Dishes

The majority of dishwashing liquids have a lemon scent, probably because they neutralize any stinky food smells that may be lingering. Could lemon’s serve a better purpose in their real form? Nope, they can’t. That’s about the extent of the lemon’s purpose. Many people believe that adding a few lemon wedges to your dishwasher will help get your dishes cleaner, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth. With all the jets spraying your dishes at high pressures, a few slices of lemon aren’t going to do diddly-squat.

It may provide a fresh scent at the end of the dishwashing cycle, but that’s all it will do. Save your lemons and rather make lemonade from them instead! There are many incredible dishwashing products out there that you don’t need to be adding lemons to the mix. The products are designed to do the job properly, so try out a few different products, do your research and see which one does the job to your standards. There are also many reviews online and some incredible organic and gentle products that you can use instead of harsh chemicals for a more natural cleaning process.

Hair Spray Tricks

The old hack includes using hairspray to get stains out of fabric. That can include anything from lipstick to red wine. So what’s the problem? The problem is that the old hairspray from the 60s used to have alcohol, which was great at getting out stains. Nowadays, however, alcohol is no longer used, so it’s not going to work at all. The formula of these products has changed so it won’t work in the same way. There are much more effective ways of getting out stains than emptying an entire can of hairspray onto your clothes.

Keep the hairspray for your hair and use stain removal products instead. It’s always useful to keep these products in your home because you never know when an unfortunate stain will happen – you don’t want to be caught without something to fix this. Even the trick of white wine onto red wine stains will work better than your hair spray hack! We still suggest getting the correct products to use as they will last quite a long time, unless you’re pretty clumsy, and then you might be adding a new bottle to each grocery shop!

Short-Term Solutions to Display Problems

Do you have a few knick-knacks lying around or pieces of small jewelry you want to put on display or store around your home? The cute idea is to use other found items like egg cartons to do the job for you. There are quite a few ideas for “temporary” storage ideas for things like jewelry. Still, they don’t seem to last long enough… However, there are only temporary solutions to a bigger problem: storage. Invest in a good jewelry box or consider a glass display case like the one above to store your treasures and show them off.

If you are a jewelry lover, you should have these items on display instead of being tucked away in make-shift storage boxes. They deserve love and care. Also, you don’t want your necklaces getting tangled up, do you? There are many affordable glass boxes and jewelry cases that you can order on websites like Amazon and Etsy. They will become part of the decor of your room – how awesome is that? Items like this will stand the test of time, and you’ll be so glad you made that order when it arrives, and you can display all your precious items.

Unnecessary Storage

You may think it’s a good idea to invest in a bed that has drawers underneath it. After all, it never hurts to have extra storage. However, these kinds of beds are mostly designed for those who are in small living spaces. Why? Because they don’t have much room to work with. These mattresses aren’t also very stylish and could make your home look more like a college dorm with this kind of bed. If you have the space, don’t worry about investing in this kind of mattress. These beds can also be quite expensive due to this feature, and it isn’t always used.

Instead, if you think you might want underbed storage, go for a bed that is slightly raised off the floor. You can always purchase additional underbed storage units if you find that you need them. You can even buy boxes on wheels, so they are easy to maneuver, especially if they are holding heavier items like shoes or bedding. If you discover that you don’t need more storage space, then your bed will still look stylish, and you won’t need a bed frill to cover up what’s underneath the bed. It’s always great to live without unnecessary extras that just end up taking up space and collecting dust.

Temporary Storage is a Waste

It’s nice to have lots of cabinetry in your kitchen to store your goods, but if you’re always moving things around and don’t have a particular place for them to go, then you’re wasting money. You should create a dedicated space for your belongings where they can stay for the rest of their usefulness. Put appliances on a single shelf so that they’re easy to reach but are still out of the way. You need to learn to do your homework for what you need instead of what you think you’ll need.

Storage in a kitchen may seem essential, but what is suitable for someone else may not work as well for you. The first thing to consider is how many people are living in your home? If it is just you and your partner, you won’t need as much storage space for food items, so don’t waste money investing in a large pantry renovation or extra food shelves in your kitchen. If you love entertaining, consider adding shelves where you can store things like plates and bowls, which you will use frequently but can also work in your home as decor items.

Cleaning the Toilet

The Magic Eraser does work wonders on removing scuff marks on surfaces around your home. So people naturally think that it’s perfect for removing stains and spots from just about anything. So, what do they do? Throw the eraser into the toilet, thinking that alone will do the job to get their bathroom clean. However, it’s not the eraser’s ingredients that make it work; it’s the actual structure and the art of scrubbing that gets rid of those marks. Try using it on the toilet instead of believing that tossing it into the bowl will work for you.

Most cleaning products are designed with a specific purpose in mind. When you try and use it for something else, it won’t necessarily work in the same way, and it probably won’t be as effective as you’d been hoping. When you want to clean your toilet, purchase cleaning products that are designed for this. There are certain bacteria in the bathroom that these products are designed to eliminate. Save the Magic Eraser for scuff marks around your home; instead, you wouldn’t use a toilet brush to wash your dishes, would you? That’s given you something to think about!

Vinegar and Baking Soda

Individually, baking soda and vinegar make great cleaners to use around your home, especially if you’re trying to stay away from harsh chemicals. So, you might think that mixing them is a stroke of genius, and you’ve probably read about how wonderful this combination is – especially when it comes to stain removal. However, this isn’t the case – when you mix both of these ingredients, they cancel out the other’s effect. That makes this a home hack that doesn’t work at all, no matter how much we wish it did. Let’s break it down for you to understand better!

When you mix baking soda and vinegar, all you get is saltwater, which doesn’t do much for cleaning. There are ways to work around this, but they do not work or do anything when mixing them. People think that because they foam up that that’s a way of cleaning surfaces. However, that bubbling is only suitable for unclogging pipes and nothing else. If you want to use this combination to whiten your sheets, they must be used at different times in the washing cycle. Put the baking soda where you would put your detergent and the vinegar to put your fabric softener.

Minimalism Doesn’t Always Work

The concept of open shelving works excellent if you can pull it off well. Having exposed shelves with all of your plateware on them can be quite eye-catching. However, if you’re like the rest of us, you more than likely just shove plates and saucers into a cupboard to be forgotten. Having open shelving means that you have to stay organized for it not to look cluttered. If you are a naturally messy person, this type of styling will not work for you because it will just end up looking chaotic. However, you might end up learning something from it.

This type of shelving might make you feel the need to be neater in your daily routine, and that’s never a bad thing! It could teach you good habits of keeping things organized, and this might spread into the rest of your life, which could have a tremendous all-around impact. It could also have the opposite effect where the chaos is all too much and drives you mad. Sometimes, the mess is better shoved away in a cupboard than on display for you and all your guests to see at dinner parties or family gatherings. What will it be? Open or closed shelves?

Cute Labels

Showing off your kitchen to your guests can feel very rewarding. If you have a love for cooking, you want to show off your fine ingredients in your labeled, fancy mason jars. However, you can fall into the trap of over-labeling and look like a crazy person with a label maker. Stick to one section of your kitchen to show off your items, and only have a few on display to make your kitchen look professional. You don’t need to label the things that are on display. There are other ways to use labeling in your kitchen in a more productive way.

Pantries are the best place for “cute labels” because it is a fantastic way to stay organized – especially if you use mason jars, which are also more environmentally friendly. Make sure that each jar is labeled correctly. You don’t want to end up using salt in your coffee instead of sugar! You also don’t need to go overboard and label absolutely everything – just the items you will put into containers and jars. It ensures that everything has its own place in the kitchen, and things won’t get mixed up and look disorganized.

Mouthwash Won’t Clean Your Washing Machine

You may never consider cleaning your washing machine since it’s designed to clean things. So how would it get dirty? It’s filled with water a lot of the time, so it’s effortless for bacteria to start growing inside it. That means you do need to take time out to keep it clean. Otherwise, you’ll begin to notice a nasty odor lingering around your home. What’s great at killing bacteria? Alcohol. So, what alcohol-filled products do most people have on hand in their homes? Mouthwash. Sorry to tell you, but this hack is not going to work for your washing machine.

Not only is the alcohol not strong enough, but you’d have to pour over a dozen bottles of mouthwash in there even to start putting a dent in eliminating bacteria. You’re better off just using diluted bleach and keeping the mouthwash for it’s intended purpose. All you’ll do is have a washing machine that temporarily smells quite minty (or whatever flavor of mouthwash you’ve decided to try out this home hack with). Once again, there are fantastic products designed for this purpose that will do an excellent job of cleaning your washing machine. You should also regularly wipe down the inside of the device to keep it nice and clean.

Getting that Garbage Bag Free

When you have a full garbage bag in your bin, and you’re trying to pull it out, it can feel stuck. There can be a suction-like grip between the bag and the container, making it difficult to get the bag out and to your toter. The most popular remedy is to cut holes in your garbage bags’ bottoms to prevent this suction effect from occurring. Sure, it might work, but do you want to deal with dripping dumpster juice at the bottom of your garbage can? You’re better off building up that arm strength. What is the best solution to this problem?

Make sure you don’t overfill your garbage bag in your bin – take it out when it’s emptier so that you don’t struggle to pull it out of the trash. That might even start to make you more aware of how much you are throwing away, leading to much better habits at home. We know that taking out the trash isn’t a fun activity, which is why we all tend to leave it until the bag is full to the brim. Since we’re at home most of the time, you should look forward to getting to go outside to take out the trash, and you’ll be getting some extra steps in for the day – it’s a win-win situation, and you don’t need to use a home hack for it.

Multi-functional Toilet Roll

Having a portable speaker with you around your home is a great way to work while listening to your favorite tunes. However, most people have gone the cheap route and have started using toilet paper rolls as portable speakers. After all, they’re pretty good at amplifying sound. However, stick that over your phone’s speakers, and it’s going to sound horrible and low-quality. Just invest in a good, affordable portable speaker instead of great sound and not looking silly. We know a better place for your empty toilet rolls – in the recycling bin! There are so many phone speakers for you to use instead.

There are even portable and waterproof speakers that you can use in your shower – this is perfect for all you shower singers out there. If you tried to use a toilet roll for this, it would just start to break down from all the steam in the bathroom – that’s why we suggest avoiding this home hack for good! Technology is there for us to use and enjoy, and that’s what we should be doing instead of using make-shift toilet roll speakers. Enjoy good quality sound wherever you are with an affordable and portable speaker.

Don’t Add Car Wax to your Stove Top

The hack suggests that you add car wax to your stovetop to make it easier to clean up spills. After all, the wax is great at keeping stains and gunk off the body of your car. Is this a home hack worth trying, or should we ditch this idea altogether? The downside to this is that car wax is flammable, so you don’t want to smear that kind of stuff around open flames in your kitchen. It’s also a heavy-duty product that you shouldn’t have around food either. So, while this hack technically does help, it’s not the best idea to try it out.

You don’t want to end up with a home fire just because you were trying to clean your stovetop, and you also don’t want to cause an issue with food in the kitchen or while you’re cooking because of using this product. You can use lots of fantastic products that are designed to clean your stovetop that is far safer than using the car wax hack. Another great tip is to make sure you clean up messes on your stovetop as they happen or soon after. This way, the mark doesn’t have time to set in and cause a stain or oil mark.

Mesh Furniture

Having furniture that you can see through may meet the minimalist criteria, but it can look quite tacky and messy if it’s not done correctly. The key to using this kind of furniture is to have a strong foundation of colors and shapes. That way, the thin lines of the mesh-like furniture will have a pleasing background behind it that steals the show. We also really don’t suggest that when it comes to mesh home decor is a mesh waste paper basket – this has never been a good look for a home. Go for a closed bin instead!

No one wants to see your trash on display, especially in a room like a home office or a living room area. While it might just be bits of paper that you’re throwing in there during the day, it makes the room feel messier than it is. When a room is dirty, it can take a toll on your ability to focus. Some things are better left unseen, and mesh furniture isn’t helping with this idea! We’re all here for items like mesh hanging baskets on balconies though, those are cool, and the rattan style is on-trend at the moment. Other mesh furniture should be very carefully considered!

Pegboards for the Imagination

Pegboards are a cheap, fun, and easy way to decorate your walls while still having access to secure storage. Combining decor and storage is a fantastic idea. You just need to know how to do it properly. However, if you’re expecting your pegboards to do all the work for you, then it’s only going to look like a cluttered mess. The key to making pegboards work for you is to use the mantra, “less is more.” Being able to move the pegs around gives you convenient shelves for any-sized items, but you want to consider the composition of the pieces you’re interested in showcasing.

If you want to try out this home hack and decor trend, look for inspiration on sites like Pinterest. They will show you amazing ways to style up your pegboard that doesn’t allow it to get cluttered up with unnecessary items on it. A combination of practical and decor items is the way to go. If you overdo it with either of these items, it will start to look like a bunch of junk on your wall – and you don’t want that! Use small decorative items like succulents and scent diffusers combined with stationary and pictures.

Decorating with Mason Jars and Cans

It’s a cheap and fun project you can take on for any room in your home. However, there’s a place for everything, so it’s not going to work with every single room. Mason jars and cans work well if you’re going for a country home or rustic feel for your decor. A modern setting, not so much. They’ll look entirely out of place. However, if you’re invested in the look, they’ll look best in your kitchen as containers for ingredients and grains. If you love the glass jar look, there are other ways to create a more sophisticated feeling.

If you’ve got the modern/contemporary style going in your home, leave the mason jars and cans for the kitchen pantry – organization purpose only! We understand that glass jars have a certain charm to them, but they might not work as well in your home. You can instead use glass hurricane lanterns, which will work better with your home style. Also, you can put large pillar candles in these hurricane jars. That will make your home feel warm and inviting, especially when these candles have been lit. You could also add dried or silk flowers to these jars just like you did with the mason jar idea.

To Raise or Not to Raise the Bed

Another option is to keep extra items under the bed. Consider a frame that works with your needs. You may love a low bed but won’t have any extra space underneath. Risers will do the trick but take away entirely from the beauty of the design. Get a frame like this one that’s higher to provide a place to store your things. When you are thinking about this design decision, you need to consider your lifestyle needs. We know we love things to look beautiful, but sometimes they need to be practical as well.

If you are a family that has a home that doesn’t have much storage in terms of wardrobe space, then underbed storage might be a necessity. That means you will need a raised bed to be able to fit storage compartments underneath here. If you buy a riser, you will then have the option to change between these two choices, and once you have more storage space put into your home – you can ditch the risers! We aren’t saying that this home hack doesn’t work, we’re just saying that it might not be the most aesthetically pleasing option for you to use in your home.

Cleaning Surfaces with Dryer Sheets

Along with sticking dryer sheets into your vents, another hack people use them for is scrubbing surfaces around the home. The idea is that if you add some water to it, you can use it to remove soap scum from your shower doors. However, this does absolutely nothing to get your shower door clean. It won’t even scrub off any dried-on soap you have on there. Instead, use a Magic Eraser or an old-fashioned sponge and baking soda to scrub it away. The idea behind this hack is a good one, but sadly, it’s not all that it’s cracked up to be.

Once again, home hacks aren’t everything. There are great cleaning products designed to clean showers so well! You’ll be able to get rid of the soap build up so much better than with a dryer sheet. By regularly cleaning your shower, you’ll be able to avoid a massive build-up of residue and not need to do such an intense clean. It’s even a great idea to keep shower cleaning products in the bathroom so you can pull them out every week while you’re taking a shower to do a quick clean with sponges and shower cleaner. Here’s a hack we do believe in – an old toothbrush to get into the corners works wonders!

And Coffee Filters

Again, not everything can be used as a rag to clean the surfaces of your home. Technically, a coffee filter could work since it is textured enough, but why would you want to? It only does so much to get the dust off your countertops, and you’d have an easier time with a Swiffer that collects the dust instead of the particles being pushed everywhere. Keep your coffee filters in your drawer and use something else more useful. Look, if you’re in an absolute emergency, coffee filters could do a decent job of dusting your surfaces, but just remember to buy some dusting cloths soon!

Some items are just designed with one purpose in mind – we love how everyone wants to get creative, but sometimes it isnt’ necessary when there are items designed to work better. Plus, coffee filters are precious, and you don’t want to waste them on keeping your home clean. Use them to keep your caffeine levels up, especially if you’re working from home these days! These days, many dusting options on the market will make your house and your life much cleaner and easier.

Absorbing Odors with Newspapers

The story goes that if you wrap your produce in a newspaper, then your fridge will continue to smell fresh inside. No one knows where this idea came from, but it’s pure myth. Placing newspaper in your fridge does nothing to get rid of odors. Once the paper gets wet, you’re just going to have much ink bleeding all over your fridge shelves. Why give yourself a bigger headache to clean up? Instead, keep your items in Ziploc bags or in airtight containers to keep them tasting fresh and your fridge smelling fine. What can you use newspapers for around the house?

Newspapers are fantastic for cleaning windows and glass surfaces! Why is this? It’s because newspapers don’t contain any scratching surfaces, which could damage these types of surfaces when trying to clean them. It is also very rigid in structure compared to a cloth or paper towel, which could leave lint behind – making the surface even dirtier. Next time your windows need to shine, buy a newspaper (you can’t use an online one for this task) and get to work. You’ll be amazed by the results, and you’ll never go back to using a paper towel ever again.

Scrubbing the Tub with Baking Soda

Your bathtub can be challenging to keep clean, especially when you have dirty water sitting in it every day. There’s nothing worse than a dirty bath and nothing better than a clean one. So, you might have tried out this hack before. It involves creating a paste with baking soda, cream of tartar, and lemon juice. You’re supposed to smear it onto the surfaces of your tub and let it sit for 30 minutes before rinsing it off. Don’t get us wrong, the hack does work, but who has time to wait for 30 minutes?

You could have spent that 30 minutes just scrubbing your tub, to begin with. This hack is only for those who have time on their hands. If you don’t need to use your bathtub asap, then maybe give it a try. Nevertheless, this hack isn’t going to work if you have guests coming to stay and you’re quickly trying to get the place clean before they arrive. For that, you’re better off with an old-fashioned scrub brush and some good bath cleaner – by the time they arrive, it should be gleaming and ready for their bubble bath! So, this isn’t a bad hack, it’s just not at the top of our lists to use every day.

Stopping a Pot From Boiling Over

Boiling a pot of water can be an experience if you’re not watching it closely enough. It can boil over, and then you have an even bigger mess to clean. It happens to the best of us, and it’s super annoying when it does. Of course, someone has gone ahead and invented a hack to stop this problem from happening. However, does it work? This hack requires you to do nothing else but place a wooden spoon across the top of the pot, and that will solve all your problems when it comes to a boiling pot.

The water isn’t supposed to boil over. Except that doesn’t work. The water’s going to boil over, regardless of what magical utensil you lay across the mouth of it. We wish this hack was worth trying, but sadly, we are left feeling disappointed by it. All we can say is that you should just keep an eye on your pot at all times when you are boiling something – especially if it’s something like milk! That will save you a lot of cleaning time. Set aside time to cook and stay in the kitchen during this time to prevent any unnecessary messes!

Avoid Using Apple Crates as Storage

Reusing old things that you have lying around or that you found at the side of the road are good ways to upcycle, but that doesn’t mean they’re automatically great decor for your home. Apple and milk crates are quickly becoming popular because they can give a house a rustic feel. However, they require a bit of style and know-how to get them to look right instead of a DIY job. So if you’re not the best at arts and crafts, you may want to skip this hack. Not to mention that they also make it easy for you to collect unorganized clutter.

If you use a crate like this for a bedside table, just know that everything will be on display. So, if you’re not the neatest person, you may want to reconsider and buy a side table that comes with a few drawers to stash away your mess. If you are someone who likes things “just so”, then this could work in your home. If you stack some beautiful books and add a jar of flowers, this styling would look stunning. Also, be aware that you’ll need to dust this area frequently as it is exposed, and you don’t want all that dust sitting next to you when you are sleeping.

Skip Wine Rack Towel Holders For Storage

An unused wine rack can be a nice place to hang up your towels, as well as to look stylish. It keeps your towels within reach and out of the way. The idea is great, but what about the practicality of this concept? To get your towels to look right, you may have to spend more time than you’re comfortable with actually folding them up so that they look neat. Not everyone has time for that. Instead, invest in a few stylish baskets to store your towels; all you need to do is roll your towels up for secure storage.

We understand the need for people to repurpose items around their homes that aren’t getting the love and attention they deserve. However, sometimes, it just doesn’t work, and it’s just going to be a pain in your everyday life. Rather sell these unwanted items online or give them away to people who might use them. Towels are a lovely item to display in bathrooms as decor – they’re both functional and act as a part of your room design so let’s make sure they get a chance to look good! We also suggest fresh white towels. They just look so classy!

Over-The-Door Organizers Are a Pain

Behind your door is a lot of real estate space you can use for storage, especially if your place is already a bit small. However, those organizers are hard to keep straight and organized, not to mention that they create much visual clutter. While they might seem like a great idea initially, you’ll soon come to realize that they aren’t helping the problem and might be making it worse instead. Some high, narrow shelves near your door would be a better option, as it looks organized and makes it easier for you to find your things without having to look behind your door.

We would recommend using over-the-door hooks to store a few jackets or clothing items at most – this would also clear up space in your wardrobe. You can get hanging storage compartments to use in your closet for extra shelving space. That doesn’t have just to be used for clothing items. You can store things like games, electronics, and more in these slots. It would help clear up any clutter you have lying around the room or wish you have shelving space. It’s amazing what a few simple shelves can do for your home, especially if you position them correctly.

Coca-Cola is Not the Best Toilet Cleaner

Is it possible to clean a toilet with Coca-Cola? Definitely. The right question is, should you? It’s crazy that something we drink could also be used to clean a bathroom – concerning? A little bit! How does this even work? The drink’s carbonation will slightly remove stubborn stains, but cola can do more harm than good. It contains small amounts of citric and phosphoric acid that remove stains, but that’s all it’s suitable for. It won’t kill the bacteria that lurk in your toilet, so it has free reign to bloom and cover the rest of your toilet bowl.

Cola also isn’t going to get rid of the smell. You’re going to need a proper toilet cleaner for that purpose! We don’t recommend this hack for everyday cleaning purposes, but it is a great quick-fix solution for a toilet that needs cleaning. It works fast as well, which is excellent when you have people coming over, and you need to get the house looking presentable. Doing this once in a while won’t harm, but ensure that you have a good toilet cleaning schedule to keep your bathroom a hygienic and clean area in your home.

Boiling Solves Everything, Right?

The adage states that you get rid of bacteria, all you have to do is boil it in hot water, and the problem goes away. If you have a cold, then no amount of hot water you wipe on the surface of everything will get rid of those germs. You’re going to need a lot more to get your home clean and free of germs! Most water heaters don’t go above 120 degrees Fahrenheit, and the majority of bacteria die at 212 degrees Fahrenheit. Face it; you’re better off adding ammonia, chlorine, or bleach to some water to disinfect your home.

Especially in this day and age where we are so concerned about the germs around our homes, we need to be extra careful – so let’s move beyond the boiling solves everything idea. It’s a good idea to stock up with some good anti-bacterial products that you can use around the home. That includes hand wash, disinfectant wipes, and spray products. By using these, your home will be extra clean, and you can enjoy your space without worry about infection. Of course, it will help if you wash your clothing and bedding at high heat to keep things hygienic and clean. Regular washing of items is always a good idea.

More Detergent Means Cleaner Laundry

After all, if you add more soap to your hands and body, the cleaner you should be overall. That might be true for you, but your laundry is a different story. You might think that by adding more detergent, your clothes will be cleaner. Is this true? Laundry detergent labels tell you how much you should be adding to a load, depending on the size; adding more than this means that it’s not all dissolving in the water. That can leave a residue behind on your clothes that’s even more difficult to wash off.

This residue also attracts more dirt in the end, so you’ll end up washing it more often. No thanks. It is why instructions are there – someone has taken the time to research how much is necessary to get a good wash for your clothing. They know what they’re talking about! If your dress still has stains on it after the wash, try using a stain remover on those marked areas. You will need to let these soak into the fabric a bit, and then you can either hand wash it out or put it back in the washing machine for another round.

A Clutter Catch-All For Everything

Catch-alls are supposed to be perfect for those small items you have lying around so that you don’t lose them around your home. It seems like an excellent idea. People don’t realize that it becomes a stash for everything, making the space more cluttered than it needs to be. If you’re adding everything to these, how can you keep track of where anything is? You’re also going to end up catching a lot of dust in these catch-alls if you aren’t taking proper care of it, which means whatever is in there could be damaged as a result.

These are a great idea, but only if you use them properly and not use it as a “junk drawer.” If you like this type of item in your home, use a few of them for different purposes. You could have one on your dressing table that is specifically for your jewelry. It will keep that area of your life organized. You could also have one on your entry table as you walk into your home. That is an excellent spot for keys and sunglasses. Don’t leave your wallet, receipts, and other items here – it will just become chaos. As long as a catch-all has a purpose, it is a great idea to have in your home.

Charging Stations Are a Hazard

It can be nice to have all of your devices charging in one spot, out of the way of everything else. You have a dedicated site just for your electronics instead of having cables lying around all over the place. It sounds like a great idea, but you end up with a jumble of lines in one spot in practice. Moreover, if you have too many, you’ll waste much time figuring out which wire is for which device. Consider a charging station box instead of where all the accessories and cables can be hidden for a more organized appearance.

A charging station box is a great way to hide all the cables and devices when they are not used. You could also have a few of these around your home. Another fantastic idea is to use your bedside drawers for this. Drill a few holes in the back of the drawer. Feed your charging cables through these spots and to the power socket in the wall. You can then tuck your devices away in your drawer while they charge – this is also amazing for those who tend to be on their phones before bed. With them being tucked away, you’ll be less likely to use them and can get that good night’s sleep.

One Hanger for Everything

Tiered hangers can do a great job of making your small closet more organized because you can use less of them. The downside to this is that your clothes can get crushes, and they only create more bulk. Try to use tiered hangers for only certain items of clothing such as scarves or jeans. These will work well for those items of clothing. Should you be using them for your other clothes too? Instead, invest in better hangers that are thin and have a texture, such as velvet, so that they don’t slip off too quickly. Your clothes will remain intact, and you’ll have fewer wrinkles.

You can find skinny hangers that will help with the space issue (if that is what you are struggling with). Just be aware that they won’t support a lot of weight, so you’ll need to be selective about which items are hung on these. You can always create a separate hanging space by your front door for heavier items such as coats, which can be hung on wooden hangers. Don’t try and overload hangers with multiple items. They will just end up breaking or becoming disfigured. Learn how to make space for your items and do a spring clean if you need to lessen the load.

Kitchen Supplies For Organizational Uses

Having random bits and bobs lying around is a disaster. You can’t find anything, your place is a mess, and you’ll end up losing many things. One solution most people consider is to use kitchen utensils as storage devices for small items. For example, you could use an ice cube tray as a catch-all. Cute idea, but it honestly doesn’t look terrific. Look at more attractive options such as small bowls or saucers that would work while still looking beautiful. There are many incredible options for storage these days – it’s time to upgrade!

Leave your kitchen supplies in the kitchen and find more decorative storage items to use around the rest of your home. You also need to consider what you don’t mind being stored in a “decorative” storage container and what you need to put in closed up storage containers. You could use a beautiful wooden bowl on your coffee table to store your television remotes, but you might not want to use this bowl to store many chargers and wires, which would just look like a mess being put on display. Those items should be kept in a drawer or in a box-type container to keep the space neat.

Towel Bar Organizers For Miscellaneous Purposes

Adding tension rods to certain areas of your home and hanging baskets from them can look cute, especially in the photo above. However, add too many baskets, and you’re going to have a problem on your hands. Remember that you will have to regularly clean each of these baskets when adding more and more baskets! They can quickly become a dumping ground for all of the stuff you have lying around, turning it into an unorganized mess. Only consider items that you need to keep close-by and ready-to-grab when you’re on the go at any time.

That is a fantastic idea for your home entrance if you don’t have much floor space. You can use this spot to keep outdoor essentials such as gloves, extra socks, and even scarves. That way, you are freeing up cupboard space in your bedroom, and they are so convenient when you just want to pop outside if the weather is on the cooler side. You could even stash your keys and wallets in these hanging baskets – they are a great idea. You just have to know when enough baskets are enough. Instead of having lots in one place, use this idea in other areas to even out the load.

Framed Key Holders Look Strange

You’ve seen them before: key holders that look stuck onto the wall. They do get the job done, but there are more stylish ways of doing it. Add a pretty bowl or a small, lovely wicker basket to a table near your front door to place your keys. There are fewer chances of you accidentally knocking them off the wall, and it looks infinitely much better. You’ll have a much easier time coming and going. Some of these framed key holders even have a glass cover that you have to pull back to get access to your keys – it is quite a mission. Make life as simple as possible instead!

You also don’t need to store your keys at the front door. That can sometimes be a bit of a security hazard as this is where keys are expected to be kept. You could even keep them in the kitchen or living room area instead. Buy a beautiful storage bowl for keys or add a key hanger to the wall. You could even use the inside of your pantry door for this – especially if you have many keys that you don’t use frequently. You might have areas of your home that you need keys for but don’t often use – don’t leave these lying around as they tend to get lost, and they also create a mess. Create an organized key hanging board on the inside of your pantry door to help.

Using Vinegar to Remove Rust is a Failed Hack

You may get some annoying rust spots on your favorite sharp knives, especially if you leave them sitting in the dishwasher for too long. So how can you get rid of the problem? That failed hack states that you place the knife in a glass of vinegar and just let it soak, but this does absolutely nothing. A hack that does work is to cut a potato in half, apply baking soda to the sliced side, and scrub the knife until the rust is gone. Rinse and then use a little vegetable oil to prevent rust from appearing in the future.

Keeping your knives and other kitchen utensils in good condition is essential. Remember that you are using these to prepare your food. Eating bits of rust is not ideal, and if you take good care of your equipment, you can easily avoid this. Make sure that utensils are washed properly and, most importantly, dried! Drying dishes is a real chore, but it’s one you need to get into the habit of if you want your purchases to last. Don’t be the person who just puts wet knives back into the drawer! You’ll regret this down the line when you’re resorting to home hacks that don’t even work.

DIY Dryer Balls

Dryer balls are supposed to help your laundry dry faster by tossing and separating your clothes from each other so that the hot air can circulate through them more readily. There are ways to make your dryer balls at home, but this hack is not the best way. You’re supposed to ball up two socks together and add a few drops of essential oil to add a pleasant scent to everything. Sounds excellent; the only thing is that a pair of balled-up socks don’t have the power to fluff up your clothes and get them as dry as you want.

You’ll honestly have a better time using two tennis balls in your dryer. Another great tip when using a dryer for your clothes is to make sure you don’t overload the machine. If you have a large load of laundry that needs drying, separate it in half. That will give your items a better chance of drying properly. Running two drying cycles might seem excessive, but without this, you’ll end up hanging things to dry anyway. If you don’t want to use all that electricity, then dryer balls are your friends and not the homemade DIY ones!

A Make-Shift Pancake Batter Dispenser

Everyone loves a good pancake, but trying to dispense the batter in the pan can often cause a lot of mess! How can we avoid this? Well, you’ve probably seen the home hack of using an empty ketchup bottle to dispense the batter into the pan. Does it work? We’re sorry to report that it’s just going to be a waste of your time, and you’re better off sticking with a ladle and cleaning up the mess afterward. Ketchup bottles are fantastic to dispense your ketchup onto your hamburger or hotdog, but not for pancakes – we’re going to tell you why it’s a useless home hack.

The first part of the problem is trying to get the batter into the bottle. That is one of the worst parts, and you’ll make the biggest mess trying this. If you have a small funnel at home, you might have better luck, but not all of us have one of those lying around to use for this. Once you’ve achieved this, you now need to dispense the batter. It only produces a tiny stream of batter, which ends up taking so much time to get a decent size pancake. That will probably be burnt by the time you get the right size. Also, it might taste a bit like ketchup if you haven’t cleaned the bottle properly.

Using Salt To Prevent Fabric Bleeds

We all have felt that sinking feeling in our stomachs when we open up the washing machine and see that everything has turned PINK! That is such a washing disaster and can be such a nightmare to try and bleach them all back to normal – so is there a home hack we can use to prevent this from happening with clothes that tend to leak dye? There is one – it is to add salt to your washer, which is meant to prevent the dye from bleeding and causing your other clothes to take on its color. It doesn’t work, though!

You should save your salt for your cooking instead, don’t waste your time chucking it into the washing machine. Unfortunately, by the time your clothing has been put on display in a store, it is too late to stop this process. There is a special process done on fabric when it is being made to prevent this from happening, and if it hasn’t been done, there isn’t anything that will stop it. Your best bet is to identify these items and make sure that you wash them separately – and preferably handwash them! No amount of salt will stop this from happening, so just avoid it at all costs.

Whiten Your Sheets With Aspirin

Speaking of returning your clothing to white and bright, there are many hacks for this – including using aspirin to whiten your clothing. So, you are meant to dissolve five tablets into hot water and then soak your wardrobe in this mixture before giving them a proper wash in your washing machine. There is no science to prove that this hack does anything apart from cost you a lot of money. Why? Because of all the aspirin you are going through. How did this rumor of a hack begin? It was started because of whom aspirin was patented.

It was by a German textile dye company, and one of the chemical compounds in aspirin is meant to break down when exposed to moisture. So, people thought maybe this would mean it would return clothing to that fresh white color. Salicylic acid has no bleaching effects on fabric, so save your Aspirin stash. What actually can help is pre-soaking your dress in hot water – this is what could help them appear white. It’s due to the hot water being able to lift grime and body soil from it. When this is loosened, it becomes easier to wash in the laundry cycle.

Squeezing Lemon To Make Marble Counters Shine

According to the internet and internet life hacks, lemons are the most powerful thing ever. They can basically do anything, but can they? That is a hack staple, and sometimes it does work. Sadly, when it comes to clean your marble countertops, this is a hack you should be staying very far away from as it can cause irreversible damage to your fancy counters. That is because they are composed of calcium carbonate, which reacts with acids. And lemons, of course, are very high in acids. So, what happens when lemon juice touches marble?

It then starts to eat away at the surface, and you will now have dull spots on your once beautiful and smooth marble surface. You also want to steer clear of proper cleaning products that include lemon, do your research on what products work best on marble that don’t have this as an ingredient. We know that lemon smells beautiful and fresh, but it’s not worth sacrificing your expensive kitchen renovation over. Sometimes a simple wipe down with a wet cloth does the trick, and then you can use marble safe counter cleaner to make sure the surface is free from any unwanted germs.

Using Coffee To Darken Faded Clothing

It’s the worst when your favorite black t-shirt or black pair of jeans starts to fade! How can we fix this problem? Internet? Well, according to the internet, you can simply add two cups of coffee or tea to the rinse water to keep your dark clothing dark. We had our fingers crossed, hoping that this was something that would work, but this let us down. We know that coffee and tea are very useful at dyeing – so what is the problem with this hack? The average rinse cycle uses 16 gallons of water.

So, when you are just adding two cups of coffee or tea, are you going to see any type of difference? Sadly, you will see nearly no difference when you try out this hack. Just when we thought we’d found the perfect solution, we were let down. You could try to soak certain items that have faded in coffee or tea in a basin or bucket of water. You are condensing the amount of water being used, and it will certainly have a better effect than letting it wash like this in your normal washing machine. Also, try and pay attention to the heat setting to prevent your clothes from losing too much color.

Can Ice Cubes Sharpen Your Garbage Disposal?

Good old garbage disposals – they are the black holes of our kitchen, and we hope never to see what goes into them ever again. Sometimes, they don’t do their job very well, and you need to figure out what the problem is. Please don’t stick your hand into a garbage disposal – that never ends well. So, the internet hack creators came up with a solution, or did they? Their suggestion was to toss a handful of ice cubes into the disposal and then run it. That is meant to solve all of your garbage disposal problems.

But, no. There is a big problem. Garbage disposals don’t have blades! Instead, they have two teeth-like impellers that are used to grind solids into a liquid form. You don’t need them to be sharpened, and ice is certainly not going to help, even if they did require sharpening now and then. Therefore, don’t waste your time on this hack to get your garbage disposal working better, it’s not going to do anything noteworthy. Get your disposal looked at by a professional or give another at-home hack a try when it comes to this issue.

Egg Cartons To Store Christmas Decorations

It’s always such a depressing time when we have to pack away all of our festive Christmas decorations. Not only is it sad, but it’s also quite a big mission! What do you do with all the fragile ornaments that you had on your tree? You can’t just throw them into a box as they’ll most likely break. Of course, the internet came to our rescue with this and made a seemingly fantastic suggestion: use a plastic egg carton to store your Christmas decorations! However, there’s one major flaw in this idea. Ornaments aren’t often smaller or the same size as an egg!

It means that when you store them, they aren’t going to sit properly in the “egg” compartments. That puts them at risk of breaking, and you want to avoid this if they are special heirloom ornaments. It could be an excellent idea for some of your decorations that aren’t fragile but still need to be handled with some care. A better option for your precious items is to store them in a box that is made for the job. You can order these online and pack them away to be safely opened up again next Christmas, in one piece!

Dryer Balls To Reduce Dryer Shrinking Clothes

Why does our dryer have to shrink our clothes! We need all the extra space we can get for our clothing items at the moment. Shrinking them isn’t helping. So, can putting wool dryer balls into your dryer prevent them from shrinking? Well, there is a theory behind this hack. Placing a wool dryer ball into your dryer will decrease the amount of time needed to dry your clothing, which essentially should reduce the possibility for shrinkage, right? Apparently, this isn’t the case, sadly – it’s not just about the drying time or even the temperature.

It mainly comes down to the tumbling action in the machine. When your clothing is twisting, your clothing fibers twist tighter. It is actually what causes the shrinkage in our clothing. So, while a lower heat could help the shrinking, you’re in trouble when the machine starts to twist and turn your dress. No magic dryer ball could change that. That is why we need to pay close attention to the labels that our apparel comes with. If it says do not tumble dry, there is a reason for that, and it should instead be hung up to dry in its own time.

A Rubber Band To Prevent Paint Can Drips

Many of us have been doing some DIY home decorating over the past year, and those of you who decided your house needed a fresh coat of paint will understand the frustration of spills and drips from a paint can. One hack has suggested using a large rubber band across the top opening of the can. The purpose is to allow you to wipe off any of the excess paint from your brush without making a mess. So, while this idea is excellent in theory, it’s not working that well when you put it into practice.

First off, when you press the brush into it, it goes flying off the can! That leaves you with a much bigger mess with paint all over the room than if you’d just had a few drips from the can. Ok, now what happens if the rubber band does manage to stay on? You will then have to very carefully remove this band afterward without having it splash more paint around your room. Instead, buy a plastic piece that attaches to the lip of paint cans, which can help you solve this problem correctly and not worry about making more mess.

Shining Wooden Floors With Vinegar

Can white vinegar make your wooden floors sparkle again and have them brought back to life? Vinegar, like lemon, is known to be essential to most life hacks. It is also thought of as a fantastic all-natural cleaner in many areas of your home. That goes double for your floors! Nevertheless, it can do a lot more harm than good if you try this out! The problem, like with lemons, is that vinegar is acidic. It can break down the finish that is on your wooden floors. What should you be using instead of this terrible idea of a home hack?

Use a neutral pH wood floor cleaner instead – you can buy this at your supermarket or home store. It is the best way to clean your wooden floors, and this will stop you from having to hire someone to refinish your wooden floors once you’ve stripped them with your vinegar home hack solution. Wooden floors are something you should never clean with vinegar. There are other areas in your home that actually will benefit from this type of cleaning solution, though! You can use water frequently on your wood floors to keep them clean and use the proper wood floor cleaner weekly or monthly – depending on the instructions.

Sorting Your Home Into Colors

The Home Edit has certainly made color-sorting your home life a real trend to follow – and while it might be very satisfying for our eyes, is it that efficient for our lifestyles? Some people have said that this helps to make your things easier to find. Everyone had to try out this trend in their bookshelves, pantries, and most importantly, our closets! It certainly makes for a great Instagram picture, but that’s where it ends. It might look good, but it certainly isn’t a practical way of organizing your life. Why is this a lousy home hack to follow?

It is not reflective of how we use our homes. Can you remember the last time you looked for which snack you wanted, depending on colors? Yeah, never! Our homes are meant to work for us and not just look pretty. By being so obsessed with everything being color-coordinated, you will lose sight of items’ purposes. Instead of sorting your clothing by color, sort it by style, season, and also it’s use. The same goes for your pantry. Organize it by types of food and what you use it for. Store all your spices together. Keep your condiments on one shelf and all your dry products like pasta and rice together.

Wet Laundry Indoors To Fix Dry Air

So many of us suffer from the dry air around us, especially during the winter months. We’ve also all considered installing a whole-house humidifier, got the quote, and realized just how expensive something like this would be. So, what can we do instead of spending all that money? We trolled Google to see all the potential ways to increase the humidity in our homes. One suggestion is to bring your laundry line inside and hang your wet laundry up to help improve the humidity in our living areas. Is this an effective way to solve the humidity issue?

It’s not – and this is according to an air-quality specialist. It’s not the best way to handle the dry air issue. All this will do is add time onto your laundry day – it is not going to be effective in solving winter problems like dry air, dry nasal passages, and dry eyes. So, the drying laundry inside might not be suitable for your humidity levels, but air-drying your clothes isn’t a bad idea. If you are concerned about items shrinking in the dryer, let them air dry outside and prevent this from happening. Instead, purchase small humidifiers for your home as well – put them in rooms that you spend a lot of time in to ease your drying out.

Using Hair Conditioner To Unshrink Your Clothes

Can you ever get your clothing back to their original condition once they have shrunk in the wash? Well, you can use a hair conditioner to make this happen! The hack is to soak them in a pitcher of lukewarm water mixed with conditioner for 15 minutes. Once you’ve gone through this process, you can then layout your clothing on a towel to dry. There is some science behind this hack, which made us very hopeful for its success rate. A hair conditioner is used to coat the hair shaft with a special compound to reduce tangling.

As discussed earlier, when clothing items shrink, their fibers get twisted and technically tangle together – resulting in the shrinking. If you try this for your knitted and woolen items, this hair conditioner hack might work if the shrinkage isn’t too bad at that point. But, will this hack work in the same way for your too-small jeans or cotton shirt? Sadly, it won’t! Once again, there is no home hack to solve the issue of shrinking. Only common sense and label reading will do this trick for this home problem.

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