4 Home Hacks Everyone Needs to Know
Life is hard. We could all use a little help to make things easier and less stressful. These four easy home hacks will help you tackle life’s little problems without losing your sanity.
1. Use Baking Soda to Whiten Your Sneakers
Baking soda has million-and-one use when it comes to cleaning. Now you can add your sneakers to that list.
Baking soda is a mild alkali, which makes it easier for grease and dirt to dissolve in water. The great thing about baking soda is that it’s non-toxic.
Simply mix enough baking soda with laundry detergent to create a paste. Apply the mixture to your sneakers using a toothbrush, and let the shoes sit. Rinse them with water, and hand wash.
Sprinkle with baby powder, and let the shoes dry thoroughly before wearing them again.
The baking soda method works best on fabric sneakers, like Converse. If you have synthetic or leather white sneakers, warm water, and mild soap will work well to clean the shoes.
2. Clean Brass and Copper with Ketchup
Brass and copper are easily tarnished without proper care. If you don’t have polish and copper or brass cleaner on hand, ketchup will work in a pinch.
The vinegar and salt in this popular condiment polishes copper and brass by removing the oxides from these materials.
Other acids will work in a similar way, including:
- Coke
- Citrus acid
- Hot sauce
- Distilled vinegar
3. Unclog a Sink Using Baking Soda, Vinegar, and Boiling Water
While you’re cleaning your white sneakers with baking soda, pour some down the drain to unclog your pipes.
If the drains in your home are clogged, baking soda, vinegar, and boiling water can unclog your pipes naturally.
The vinegar (an acid) interacts with the baking soda (a mild alkali) to create a foaming action. That foaming action and the combination of these materials helps break down grease, grime, hair and other debris that may be clogging your pipes.
The boiling hot water further helps dissolve debris and pipe-clogging material, washing them all down the drain.
- Sprinkle 1/2 cup of baking soda down the drain.
- Add 1 cup of vinegar. Pour slowly, as the bubbling, foaming reaction may cause the solution to come back up the drain.
- Allow the mixture to sit for one hour.
- Pour a pot of boiling hot water down the drain.
If the baking soda and vinegar trick does not work, a professional drain cleaning may be in order. This trick also won’t work if tree roots are the cause of your pipe clogs. You’ll need a plumber to handle the situation.
4. Hang Pots and Pans
Cabinet and counter space is precious when you have a small kitchen. Hanging your pots and pans – instead of storing them inside of cabinets – can save you so much space.
If you’re not able to install a hanging pot rack, you can use Command hooks to hang them on an unused wall. Just make sure that the hooks you purchase can handle the weight of your cookware.
