So you can wash your hands as much as you want, but you're never going to get that garlic or
onion smell off your hands. The smell of certain foods sticks to you because they release acidic
molecules when you break them open. Washing your hands will help to clean the food off you,
but it doesn't do anything to remove the odor itself. Water on its own can actually make the
issue even worse because it reacts with the molecules to make the smell stronger.
It turns out that the best way to get rid of these smells is to rub your hands
against your pots and pans, cutlery, and baking trays! As long as they're made of stainless steel,
that is. This is so good at removing smells that someone even invented stainless steel soap!
Trying to squeeze all of the juice out of a lemon without a strainer can be messy work.
Instead of using your hands, try using some tongs. Place a lemon between the tongs and
squeeze it. You'll definitely get a lot more juice with much less effort.
Lint rollers were originally designed to remove tiny fibers from things like
upholstery and clothing, but you can also use them to keep your silverware shiny and clean.
The dishwasher might thoroughly rinse and clean your utensils, but that doesn't help much
if the place you store them is dirty. If you want to remove the dirt from the utensil tray,
you don't have to take the whole thing out of the drawer. Simply take your sticky lint roller
and put it into each compartment, and ta-da, the crumbs and dirt are all gone.
Lost your earring back? Take a small piece of a pencil eraser and stick your earring in it.
That'll keep it in place.
Soda cans come with that little tab you use to open your drink.
You know that hole in the top of the tab? It doesn't just make opening the can easier.
It's also designed to hold your straw! It has more uses too. If you want to hang a picture
up on a wall, but it doesn't have a wire or hangar, you can use a soda can tab for that too.
You're having a coffee to go? It usually comes with that lid so you can close your drink,
but you can also use it as a coaster! Take it off,
turn it upside down, place it under your cup, and you'll never leave a mark on a table again.
If you don't know how much spaghetti to have for dinner,
there's an easy way to measure out a portion with a spaghetti spoon.
The base of the spoon has a hole so you can drain water out, but it can also be used to
measure how much pasta you should cook. Whatever fits in the spoon's hole is one serving of pasta.
You opened applesauce and don't have a spoon with you - no need to buy one. Just take the lid,
twist the end to make a handle, and use the other end as a scoop. Your little spoon is ready!
Once your tissue box is empty, you don't have to throw it away. It's a great shape
to store things in. Maybe you can never seem to remember where you keep your plastic bags.
If you put them in an empty tissue box, you'll always know where they are.
Binder clips are great little things to carry around with you when you want to leave the house
carrying as few things as possible. Link one together with your keys,
and you can just clip bills to it. With one of these,
you'll never need to carry a wallet or a purse around with you again!
If you don't have a computer duster or something specifically designed to clean your keyboard,
just use a cotton swab. Lightly moisten it with disinfectant
and wipe between the keys once or twice a week.
You may notice lots of boots have those loops sticking out on the back. Their main purpose
is to help you pull your shoes on easier. Just pull it up as you push your heel into the boot.
It has another handy use too. You can use it to hang your boots on a hook
when they're dirty or when you want to dry them after washing.
You can also run your laces through the loop if you're tying them around your ankles.
It can be irritating when you buy shoes you like and then realize
they're really slippery. No worries, just take a bit of sandpaper and rub it on the soles for
better traction. Now they're more grippy, you could even wear them out in the rain.
Okay, I admit it, I used to believe that the rougher end of the two-toned eraser
was there to erase ink. The truth is that the darker side, which is usually blue or gray,
can erase pencil from more delicate paper.
This type of paper is usually only used by artists, so most people don't know about it.
That's not all erasers can do, though. They can polish your jewelry, clean electronics,
and even remove that annoying residue from stickers.
It can also clean scuffed-up suede and dirt you might have on your walls.
Uh-oh, your zipper got stuck again, and you're late. Who has time to deal with that now? Well,
wax paper does, hehe. Try rubbing it on the stuck zipper, and it should loosen.
Can openers can do so much more than the name suggests.
For instance, they can help out with those frustrating, hard plastic packages. Aaargh!
You don't have to wrestle with scissors anymore. Just take a regular can opener,
run it along the edge of some packaging, and enjoy never struggling to open anything again.
Now, here's a top secret - WD-40 can completely remove gum from the soles
of your shoes! It removes stickers, labels, and even crayon marks from walls. You could also use
it to untangle your necklaces and loosen a ring, if it gets stuck on your finger.
Surprise! Now your earphones have a new holder! Neatly rolling them up
in a Kinder egg is a cool way to stop them from getting tangled. Hopefully.
Doorknobs are mostly made of brass, and that's not a coincidence.
Sure, it adds a nice golden shine to a room, but it actually has a practical reason too.
Brass is generally durable and, most importantly, resistant to all the moisture and oils on human
hands. It's also antibacterial, so brass doorknobs actually help to keep your house more hygienic.
Wooden hangers look fancier and more elegant than those plastic ones,
but that's not the only reason they're more expensive. They’re actually made of cedar,
which is a special type of wood that repels bugs.
Speaking of the wardrobe, putting a soap bar inside
will leave a refreshing scent on your clothes.
Nail polish is not only for beauty treatments. Thanks to its adhesive and waterproofing
abilities, it's great if you need to make a protective seal or stick some things together.
No more licking envelopes; the nail polish is here! It can also keep your glasses frames
tighter, fix a run in your stockings guys, or take care of the fraying ends of the shoelaces.
You get small silica gel packets every time you buy a new pair of shoes.
You should keep them because silica gel is excellent at absorbing moisture out
of the environment. It can be used for much more than just shoes, too.
You know how everyone says if your phone is wet, you need to put it in a jar with some rice? The
rice is supposed to draw the water out of it, but silica is even better when it comes to absorbing
moisture. You can also put silica packets in your gym bag to stop any bad smells from building up.
Make sure to always be careful with silica gel, though. The warning label clearly says
you shouldn't eat it because it contains toxic additives.
You're writing an essay on your computer, almost done… Oh no! The internet's gone! No problem,
there's an easy way to use up some time. If you use Google Chrome,
you'll see a little T-Rex show in your browser, right next to 'No internet.'
When this fella appears, just press the 'up' key on the keyboard, and you'll start a platformer
minigame! You need to help the T-Rex run without hitting any cactuses on its way.
Okay, connection, no need for you to come back. I've got some records to break!
We all know what a thermos is for, but it wasn't actually invented to keep your coffee warm.
It was made by a Scottish scientist who just wanted a safe place
to keep his chemicals at a stable temperature.
So, he took two bottles, put the smaller one inside the bigger bottle,
and vacuumed out the air between them. Ah, thank you for helping me keep my coffee warm!