Lightbulb moments;What are useful things you know that others may not you always remember?

[fromBodentoBandM]

I read yday on the speed awareness thread about not going higher than 3rd gear in a 30 to avoid speeding and that red roads are expensive and so only put where needed: noted both on my journey in town today.

Made me wonder what else like that others could share

My others are quite random

I read once that turning off the tap while you brush your teeth makes a big difference to water use. Since hearing that I always make a point of doing it

I am less religious about this one but to practise balancing in one leg when brushing teeth to help with balance as you get older (I am 46 so not decrepit yet)

Working as a waitress I learned to wipe wooden tables in the same direction as the grain to keep them streak free have always remembered ever since

Any more?

Keep a she wee in your glove compartment and a bottle of water just in case you get caught on a motorway behind an accident where you just sit in a stationary queue for 3-4 hours.

Bears.....if its black fight back, if its brown lie down, if it's white goodnight!

If you do encounter a polar bear strip off items of clothing (gloves, hats, etc.) because they will likely stop to sniff them giving you a better chance. Also in polar bear towns residents leave their cars unlocked (by law in some cases) in case someone needs to get away from one.

beguilingeyes · Yesterday 12:28

Righty-tighty, lefty-loosey when screwing/unscrewing things was a game changer for me.

Me too! Until I tried to change the clutch plates on a motorbike and the nut had a reverse thread....

@SinnerBoy This is exactly the kind of information I love. I'll never use it, I can barely even find a way to explain it to someone else. I'm not being sarcastic at all, I love stumbling on things like this. (I'm a nightmare hospital patient, I ask about everything.)

Venomous snakes have pointed jaws. Non venomous snakes have rounded jaws. Simples.

Does remembering the military order ‘fall back!’ (Retreat and regroup) do it for you? I was the same until I realised that unlike spring forward it wasn’t a random direction of falling but an actual term.

My bit of wisdom is that everyone makes occasional mistakes, as we all know, but there are an awful lot of everyone elses!

So litter, dog poo, rubbish drivers… it’s an accumulation of a lot of people making an occasional mistake.

Yes the odd person is desperately irresponsible or regularly a drunk arsehole, but most of what’s annoying isn’t deliberate, it’s an accumulation of understandable mistakes.

It really helps, if you are otherwise prone to rage!

Grumblevision · Today 06:40

It surprising what titbits can one day prove useful, I agree!

If you can't open the lid of a jar, try again wearing gloves.

Repeating right- tight , left- loose.i don't know why this isn't taught as a child .

@SusanSHelit

Hand sanitizer gel only works on clean hands and is not in fact a good substitute for soap and hot water.

I was always a bit queasy about this so would follow up with wet wipes to get rid of the nuked germs from my skin then add a good oil based hand cream.

@fromBodentoBandM

I am less religious about this one but to practise balancing in one leg when brushing teeth to help with balance as you get older (I am 46 so not decrepit yet)

I am beginning to feel a bit less stable as my knees are complaining (I have arthritis in my right knee) so will start this. I'm also considering investing a balance trainer (bosu ball or wobble board) as that will only help as I get older. I almost fell in the street recently as my knee gave way - terrified of ending up with a fractured hip..) 🌹

@noooooooo

keep a hammer in your glove compartment in case you need to get out (underwater or in a fire) and the doors won’t open

Plus a good strong pair of scissors/snips to cut through your seat belt if they jam. 🌹

I usually have to use my rubber gloves to get a proper grip, but when that's not enough also have a cheap handy little bit plastic gadget to break the vacuum seal on jars. Very satisfying to hear the vacuum pop so the lid comes off easily. 🌹

Say "Pineapple" to stop yourself sneezing

Not so useful now as plugs are moulded onto appliances, but when changing a plug, the bLLLLue wire goes to the LLLLeft, and the bRRRRown wire goes to the RRRRight.

Hmmm..it's a nice thought but a lot of dog poo, litter is left by people who habitually don't care, I'm afraid!

If you blow your nose by closing one of the nostrils and then the other it seems much more effective.

Any snakey, hit with rakey

😂😂😂

If you get faeces on your fingers scrub them with toothpaste

Why??

I assume (hope!) you mean as well as washing with soap?

Righty-tighty, lefty loosey works brilliantly on my indoor stopcock HOWEVER if I try to turn off the water supply in the street, it's righty-loosey, lefty-tighty which is a bit bizarre.
It's the same for my neighbours & we all have water meters. Does this happen with non-metered water supplies?
If anyone could answer this conundrum, I would be very grateful!

Love this! 😂

That is the one thing that (sometimes) helps.
My point is, it’s a silly little phrase which doesn’t really do what people want it to

Talking of pineapples, DD’s friend used to swear that if you had hiccups, you should think of the word ‘pineapples’ and the hiccups would stop. We used to laugh at her, but then tried it a few times and it seemed to work!

Wearing contact lenses works even better.
And they don't steam up when you take the lid off or open the oven.

I have dailies which I very rarely where as, basically, I can't be bothered. I always use a pair when I having a batch cooking day.

If you are stuck in the car, and you can, pull the headrest off - the metal struts that go into the seat back can smash the window.

If you are sinking in water, counterintuitively it is best to open your window and let the water in - you have more chance of excaping. Once the car is full to the bottom of the window, the water will support you floating out of it and up to the surface.