- [Host] Old basements and attics
might instill a certain level of creepiness
into most people.
But it's often said that one man's trash
is another man's treasure.
As I dug into the dark recesses of forgotten artifacts
and misplaced memories, I stumbled upon a glowing tome
of knowledge.
Science and Mechanics 1957 edition
of 1,001 How-to Ideas.
But with 60 years passed, would they still stand the test
of time in our modern age?
Hidden inside this 60 year old book are tons of great tips
and tricks for utilizing things lying around your home.
We went through and picked out our favorite 16 items
that we think are still quite useful today.
So let's test them out and see what sticks.
We'll kick things off with the magnetic paintbrush cleaner
which reads, there's many methods of holding paintbrushes
suspended in cleaning solution.
Here's another using a discarded magnet hung over the edge
of the container.
So the premise is pretty simple.
Get a u-shaped magnet and use it to suspend a paintbrush
in your cleaning solution.
After doing some touch up painting of any sort, it's helpful
to keep your brush clean for its next use.
This method's gonna make sure that the full surface area
of the brush is being cleaned and it will also avoid
staining of the container itself.
So, you add your cleaning solution to the container
and then slip the magnet over the lip.
The metal bracket on the brush will snap right to the magnet
holding it place while the solution does its job.
I'd say this is a pretty good tip if you can find yourself
a magnet like this.
If you've got large furniture to move and want
to avoid scratching your floors, this tip reads,
you can easily move the object around the room
by first placing flattened milk cartons under each foot
of the object.
Seems simple enough.
I pulled an egg carton out of my trash and cut it up
into four pieces.
Then it's just a simple matter of crushing them all flat.
Place the carton pieces under each leg of the object
that you want to move and then push it
to wherever it needs to go.
If you don't have sliders or casters,
this can save your floor and make quick work
of moving heavy objects.
Sliderrific.
When you're working in a dark area that has no lamp,
sometimes you need to quickly mount a flashlight
to see what you're doing.
This tip reads, to keep a flashlight beam directed upward
while keeping your hands free, attach a flashlight
to the spout of a large funnel with a rubber band.
So let's try it.
Using a rubber band, attach the flashlight to the spout
of a funnel or grab a full two liter bottle.
That'll work as well.
When you adjust where the rubber band is on the flashlight
you can easily change the angle of the light beam
for your convenience, making quick work of tasks
in a power outage or perhaps in a dark closet.
Bacon lover, this is for you.
It reads, bacon strips are usually so firmly packed
that you can't separate them for frying
without tearing or shredding.
To help break up the strip to strip adhesion,
roll the package gently between your hands,
first one way then the other.
While the instructions are pretty clear,
can't believe I'd ever tried this before.
Just roll the bacon package back and forth
until it breaks up all the pieces.
When you're done, unseal the bag and easily pull out
each strip to place directly into the frying pan.
You'll notice no tearing which will let you
cook up your bacon without any fuss or mush.
I thought this next one was quite interesting.
You can prevent the spilling of liquids in a funnel
by placing a ball of steel wool in the funnel.
The best use scenario for this I could think of
was when I refill my bleach-based cleaning spray.
Often times when refilling the bottle, I'll get bleach
everywhere and ruin fabrics or even clothes.
I found some brass wool in my garage
which should work just as well.
You simply stuff the wool into the funnel
and then pour whatever liquid you need into the bottle.
As you can see, there's quite a difference
between doing this with and without the metal wool added.
The wool gives you more room for air.
So if you're transferring water or other harmless liquids,
you probably don't need to go to this extreme.
But with harsh chemicals or fuel, it can really save you
a lot of unnecessary clean up.
If you have a door in your house that's really meant
to stay open most of the time but has the tendency
to close on its own, this tip will work for you.
It says, you can remedy a closing door
by making a small coil spring and placing it
over the top knob of a hinge.
Now I was able to get this elbow spring for 15 cents
at my local hardware store to test out this trick.
You simply remove the bar from the hinge
and slide the spring over it with the two ends
on the inside track.
The force of the spring will keep the door open
but it will still allow you to close it when needed.
It's a quick 30-second job that'll keep you from needing
a doorstop or perhaps other expensive solutions
and it's well worth the 15 cents.
If you're constantly dropping nails, screws or even tacks
when you're doing a little home improvement,
here's a great way to make sure all your fasteners
stay in one convenient location while you do your work.
The tip reads, when a number of tacks are needed on the job,
carry them without the danger of spilling by inserting them
into a raw potato.
It's really that simple.
Just plug all your tacks, nails, screws right into the spud
and keep it with you while you work on your projects.
If you don't have a potato on hand, any hard fruit
or vegetable will work in a pinch
and let you go about your business without worrying
about stepping on a lost nail.
Genius.
It can sometimes be difficult to pry out nails
or large staples from wood
if you don't have the proper tool.
This tip provides a simple way to make one yourself.
A beverage or can opener provides a handy tool
for removing staples and thumb tacks.
Just file down the pointed end.
Okay, that seems pretty simple.
I grabbed a little sandpaper and a can opener and ran it
back and forth for about 30 seconds.
The metal quickly shaved down allowing me to pry up staples
that I shot into this plank of wood.
Now as you can see, it wasn't a perfect process
but it provided the needed push to get the staples out
with some pliers after I was able to pop out
one of the prongs.
If you have a thinly pointed screwdriver,
it would most likely work just as well.
But now you have a backup solution
just taking a little can opener and converting it.
Suction cups are one of life's great conveniences
but more often than not, they tend to fall off over time.
If only there was a way to ensure their stranglehold
when attaching them to objects.
Hmm, let's consult the book.
If brackets fitted with suction cups don't grip a smooth,
slick wall properly, try rubbing the rim of the cup
with a little glycerin.
Excellent.
You know what contains glycerin?
Hand soap.
Get a little soap and pump a dot into the suction cup.
Now press it to the surface as usual and it will stick
with a force stronger than a 1,000 angry suns.
Well, perhaps not that intense but it will certainly keep
its grip much longer and enable you to use them as intended.
Have you ever written a very important letter, sealed it up
and then realized you forgot to add something important
to the envelope?
Let's consult our mighty tome of knowledge.
Should you seal an envelope before enclosing anything,
steam it open by laying a damp cloth over the flap
of the envelope and run a hot iron over the cloth.
Well, that seems simple enough.
Let's test it out.
Since most modern irons have a steam setting,
you probably don't need to dampen the cloth.
Just place your envelope inside a folded towel
and then run the iron over it in a precise quick motion.
Do a little testing first to check your progress and focus
on the areas that still need to be unsealed.
After just a little work, your envelope should pop open
with a little bit of prying.
I highly suggest testing this method out first as you don't
want to ruin any paper on your first try.
But it works quite well and you can also reseal the envelope
using the glue that was already present.
Just place the letter back into the towel and run the iron
over it again but this time without the steam.
Here's a quick one that doesn't need much explanation.
It reads, place a piece of steel wool in the drain opening.
Loose hairs will cling to the wool when water runs out
and it can be removed to prevent a clogged drain.
I decided to use brass wool again since it doesn't rust
which means I can reuse it over and over.
You simply place it in the open drain and leave it be.
Since I don't have any extra hair laying around, I decided
to demonstrate this using blades of grass.
It's fairly simple.
The wool will serve as a catch-all for any foreign objects
heading down the drain.
You merely pop out the wool occasionally
and empty its contents into the trash bin.
This'll keep your pipes running smooth and make Drano
a thing of the past.
If you're trying to attach a screw to something
without drilling pilot holes, here's a great tip.
Use tape to secure a screw to the end of a screwdriver
when starting it in a hard to reach spot.
So even with magnetic screwdrivers, the bolt itself
can still fly off when starting a hole.
Simply attach the screw with any tape you have lying around
and hold it in place while you apply pressure.
You could also apply this technique to a power drill.
Once your hole is started and your screw is halfway in,
just remove the tape and easily finish the job.
On a similar note, if you're not very handy with a hammer
or want to avoid pounding your fingers
when hammering small nails, try this one.
When driving small nails and tacks, cut a groove
in the top edge of an empty match folder with a sharp blade.
This will hold the nail upright enabling you
to drive it in halfway with the first hammer blow.
Just as the instructions stated, cut a slit in a piece
of cardboard or matchbox and insert a nail into the groove.
It's gonna hold your nail in place and allow you to drive it
most of the way in before sliding the cardboard out
and finishing off the nail.
This'll keep your fingers protected and save you time
in the process.
Now what about hiding important documents or emergency funds
safely in your home?
Here's a great way to conceal your stuff.
The book says, a large envelope tacked to the back
of a drawer makes a convenient spot for papers.
So just remove an unsuspecting drawer from its rails
and fill an envelope with your goods.
Take a thumbtack or staple gun and attach it to the back
of the drawer.
When the payload is secure, just place the drawer back
on the rails and slide it into position
for a great hiding spot for all your cash
or important paperwork.
If you've ever been in a situation where you need
an oven mitt but can't seem to locate one,
our ageless tip guide has a great trick up its sleeve.
Keep an extra dustpan in the kitchen and use it
when removing hot dishes from the oven.
Now let's keep in mind that you really only wanna
attempt this using a metal dustpan.
Plastic is obviously going to melt
when it hits a hot surface.
However, this trick is simple.
When your food's ready just slide that metal dustpan
under the goods and deliver them to their resting spot.
Simple and effective.
I actually prefer this over using oven mitts now.
So give it a try if you have a metal one laying around.
If you ever go to remove nails with your hammer,
you might notice that it can leave behind some indentations
on the wood.
Our wonderful guide states pressing a strip
of adhesive-backed rubber to the top of your hammer
will prevent it from making dents in the wood.
So we added a simple adhesive wall mount
to the top of the hammer and it had the same effect.
Most people have these things laying around
but you could also use double-sided tape
and a wine bottle cork to achieve the same result.
The padding protects surfaces from deep dents
and avoids having to make repairs later which is great
for any visible wood surfaces you have in your home.
Now this handy guide is packed full of all kinds
of useful tips.
So if you enjoyed this video, make sure to let us know
in the comments and perhaps we'll make a second volume.
Also be sure to check out 100 year old life hacks.
It's a video we put together a few months back
and you might enjoy that as well.
As always, thank you so much for watching.
Be sure to subscribe for our new videos every week
and we'll see you next time.
Or should I say, in the future.
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