Household Hacks: Clever Home Tricks, Everyday Uses and Kitchen Tips

Small tricks can save a lot of time around the house. This guide gathers our favourite household hacks: clever uses for everyday items, surprising uses for baking soda, vinegar and toothpaste, kitchen shortcuts, hacks for parents and pet owners, and quick fixes for the car and office.

Genius home hacks

• Home hacks for busy homeowners: hanging heavy things, unsticking a door and replacing a broken tile
• Everyday items turned into helpful tools: a spoon holder, more closet space and egg tricks
• New ways to use everyday objects: a rubber band paint scraper and buttons for earrings
• Household items with hidden uses: rubber gloves, bread tags, nail polish and shower curtain hooks
• Simple tips that improve your life: hanging art with soda tabs and mess-free painting
• Tips to make your things last longer: cut sponges in half and make jeans last longer
• Money saving home hacks: aluminum foil as a dryer sheet and homemade hand soap
• Simple home upgrades: fake stone skirting, hidden storage and collapsible drying racks
• Everyday engineering hacks: a tennis ball holder and a milk jug scoop
• Simple things we do wrong every day: ironing without an iron and charging faster
• Smart hacks to make life easier
• Ways to make your home smell amazing: eucalyptus in the shower and vanilla extract

Hide cables and clutter

• Tips to hide the ugly things: cable boxes, a hidden printer and a hidden garage door opener
• DIY ideas to hide cables
• Genius hiding places to stash your stuff: hidden tile storage, a secret outlet and a photo frame box

Surprising uses for things you already own

• Surprising uses for baking soda
• Surprising ways to use vinegar: restoring paint brushes, softening clothes and cleaning the iron
• Unexpected uses for toothpaste
• Surprising uses of baby powder: grease stains, playing cards and keeping ants away
• New uses of soap in the household: a zipper lube and a pin cushion

Kitchen tips and tricks

• Genius kitchen tips and tricks: peeling garlic, reheating pasta and choosing cutting boards
• Kitchen tips no one told you about: removing eggshell, peeling garlic and cooling wine with frozen grapes
• Simple genius kitchen tips: zesting a lemon, freezing fresh herbs and storing lettuce
• Tips that make life in the kitchen easier: cutting cake with string and freezing coffee
• Creative ways to reuse kitchen scraps: regrowing green onions, banana peels and bone broth
• Ways to make your groceries last longer: storing apples and freezing herbs in olive oil

Hacks for parents and pet owners

• Hacks that make a parent’s job easier: a DVD case art kit and backpack wall hooks
• Life hacks for busy moms: toothbrush storage and a turtle shower cap
• Childproofing tips: edge covers, cabinet closers and securing the TV
• Hacks that make owning a dog easier: a tire dog bed, a food station and a muffin tin game

Car, office and quick fixes

• Useful car hacks: headlights with toothpaste, pet hair removal and a car seat hammock
• Simple car hacks: shoe organizer storage and a car organizer
• Smart office hacks: binder clips for cords and a spring desk organizer
• A trick that removes dents from wood: steam and sand
• Smart painting tricks
• Surprising ways to use spray paint: a fabric wall treatment and a lighting makeover
• Tips to improve your IKEA furniture: a shelf ledge, new sofa legs and a dresser makeover
• DIY ways to remove scratches from your phone

Frequently asked questions

What household items have the most uses?

Baking soda, white vinegar, lemons, rubber bands, binder clips and old toothbrushes solve a surprising number of problems around the house, from cleaning to organizing.

More tips: see our cleaning hacks and home organization ideas.