Unexpected life hacks you stumbled across

[Janboree]

I’ve just discovered that my body mist cleans my spectacles brilliantly. As good as my opticians cleaning spray and a lot cheaper. Added bonus it makes my glasses smell nice too and I didn’t like the smell of the glasses spray. I only used it as it was to hand and my other spray had run out.
Have other mumsnetters stumbled across any life hacks unexpectedly?

Anyone know how to get dried hair dye from a grey carpet? Asking for a friend……😬

Drop an ice cube in the pan, it works

I’ve found it safer to use the handle end of a teaspoon (assuming you have some teaspoons that are boring industrial all metal ones without fancy handles!) and wriggle that in at the start of the turn of the bit that sticks out to enable the lid to screw on.

a year or two back I handed DH a jar to unscrew that I still couldn’t manage and mentioned that my usual teaspoon trick hadn’t worked and he was gobsmacked that I’d got a trick as he had never heard of it - so when I’d asked him to open things previously he had always just relied on brute force… or using a rubber glove or an old opener device if it was really bad. Turns out he had always wondered how I’d managed to unscrew some jars that he hadn’t been able to undo🤣😂🤣 and just thought he must have loosened them for me…

so taught him (mid 50s) - and the dc (late teens)- so now none of them can complain about lids being too tight. And I have the opposite problem - they argue about who is going to open every jar in order to practice ‘ the teaspoon trick’ 🙄😂

If you cut an onion in half while holding it underwater, there will be no tears.

The high pressure in the cells forces out the juice in a fine spray. If it sprays into the air it will affect your eyes. If it squirts into the water it will be trapped and diluted. Once you have cut right through, the pressure is released.

I pop mine in the dishwasher in the highest temperature setting. They look sparkling. If for whatever reason there is something still on them just a knife to remove the residue will do (or your nails)

I took my oven door off once to clean in between the two glass panels, but OMG 😳 I couldn’t get it back on! I was almost crying! Took me ages, but eventually managed in the end. Never again! 🤣

A tip:

The inner sheet of glass may slide out for cleaning if you push it upward.

the pink paste tub will do wonders. That or a magic eraser if you don’t want scratches.

No, unfortunately mine has weird screws 😫

I usually defrost my freezer (fridge freezer) in the summer when its warm. Forgot this summer, friends mum said medium frying pan, on the cooker, heat it up, hold it against the ice (especially at the top where its thick as hell), whem its cooled, back on the hob. Did a fab job of it last night and removed half the ice (about 3cm thick) in about 10 minutes. I'll do the rest next weekend, but the drawers all slide in and out nicely, so I'm happy 😊

The optician told my husband to use liquid hand soap to clean his glasses (which had a special coating on) and never to use washing up liquid.
I Use a sonic jewellery machine for mine.

To get a jar lid off slip a butter knife along the botrom of the lid until you find the little indent and kind of twist the knife. It breaks the seal and is easy to get the lid off

I get my hairdryer on mine. Big towels on the floor, a plastic basin to scoop the ice into and a fish slice! Usually takes about 10-15 mins.

"balance over bowel" best typo ever.

Ah yes the 'singing swede' :)

I do not recommend this as a "life hack".

No way would I put scented body spray on glasses that have a special anti-glare coating on, which costs a lot of money compared with standard glasses - for a reason, it's specialist technology to protect your eyes from damaging glare from a computer screen,

You can buy glasses cleaner in SpecSavers for not very much - manufactured for that purpose.

If you've heard the expression "spoil a ship for a hap'orth of tar" it applies here.

Might have to buy a copy of Viz to see if they still do their top tips. I remember one

Instead of spending lots of money on a personalised number plate, simply do a deed poll to change your name to match your car's reg.
Mr HT52BPY, Lancs

No idea why that quote is there! Sorry!

🤣

Yes. Wiping a smartphone screen with a used teabag (no milk or sugar present) and well squeezed out works wonders.

So you know small electronic items and things like printer cartridges are often sold in that vacuum sealed plastic that is impossible to pry apart and is ridiculously sharp when cut with scissors?

Use a can opener along the edges, comes right off

And for all those teachers out there, hand sanitizer does a great job on the whiteboard.

I have just remembered a not so top tip my father did.

He screwed a wooden block onto the garage floor (pre parking sensors) to make reversing into the garage easier, when the block gave resistance he or ma knew to stop. Great idea, made it so easy to park their hatchback.

A few years later they bought a saloon and he confidently reversed it into the garage safe in the knowledge that they had the block......and stoved in the boot of the brand new car damaging the garage wall in the process.. I shouldnt have laughed, but I did and I am now just thinking about it!
😅

I tried that once and also struggled to get the door back on. Then I learned that it was quite easy to just take off the inner glass panel by undoing a couple of screws. I think I looked on YouTube for my make and model, and found a video there showing me how.

I've just cleaned my bathroom mirror using a spray bottle of sanitizer that Boots gave me for free in the pandemic. It worked brilliantly!

Home Bargains is the cheapest for soda, Asian supermarkets very cheap for white vinegar.