If you're a regular on the internet, you'd know that there is absolutely no dearth of "life hack" videos floating around on social media platforms. The thing is, lots of these "hacks" are more bizarre than helpful, because of which people usually watch them ironically.
Recently, Reddit user u/rat-avec-london asked people, "What is a life hack that seems fake, but is a true lifesaver?", and people came up with extremely helpful responses. Here are some of them:
1. "If you're having trouble staying awake in class / at a meeting, see how long you can keep one of your feet lifted slightly off the ground."
2. "When my dad was young, he often had to drive late at night. He said he would drive while holding a $50 bill out the window in order to focus and stay awake.💰"
3. "I have a bad habit of falling asleep on long drives. Finally discovered eating sunflower seeds kept me wide awake. Life changing / life saving."
4. "If a man is in an accident (car, ladder fall, etc) and he gets an erection, don't move him. He has a spinal injury."
5. "During pollen season...rinse your hair before bed. Otherwise you’re just depositing pollen on your pillowcase every night and then rolling your face in it, all night. And then multiply that by how many nights you use the same pillowcase."
6. "Rubbing vegetable oil (or any cooking oil) on your hands after you cut up jalapeños or other hot peppers gets rid of the awfulness that would normally be left on your hands from the peppers. I rub my hands with oil and then wash it off with dish soap. I can totally remove my contacts after doing this. It’s crazy how well this works."
7. "That rubbing alcohol removes chewing gum."
8. "True lifesaver: If you are ever attacked by a dog, push your forearm INTO the bite. This pries the jaws apart and prevents them from clamping down. If a dog is attacking you, the best thing you can do is offer your forearm, push as far back as possible, and then grab the dog by the scruff of its neck with your other hand to hold it."
"The dog is now functionally muzzled and you have control of its head. The sooner and harder you push into the bite, the less damage the bite will do."
10. "Counting really slowly with the goal of reaching 150 is a decent way to fall asleep. If you have any thoughts during it, just let them play out, and if you forget what number you're on, just go from what you last remember. If you make any major movements, just start again."
"The goal is to force your brain into slowing down and not having any jerky motions or thoughts, and eventually reaching such a level of carelessness, that you eventually fall asleep without realising. Helped me quite a few times, especially with rain sounds. Hope it helps some of you too!"
11. "All your kindling for a fire is wet and all you have is matches and snacks, any corn chip will light into a ball of flames."
12. "If your car is overheating, turn your heat on full blast. When you turn the heat on in a car, it pulls heat from the engine into the cab, thus cooling the engine."
"I was taught this in Drivers Ed...23 years ago. When in high school my buddy’s car would run really hot, I told him to turn the heat on. He wouldn’t. I had to convince him it was true by saying I would pay for the resulting damage if the temperature didn’t go down. It was the winter time, and that heat was so dang hot, we had to roll the windows down. But we watched his engine temperature drop.
I don’t believe it’s especially uncommon, but if no one ever told you, it would seem counterintuitive."
— Bryarx
13. "Makeup remover on deodorant stains."
14. "Vinegar in a plastic bag with a rubber band tied around any faucet will make the faucet like new. I'm talking decade old rust and stuff gone...and water flows like the first day."
"Also works on a shower head — you can unscrew those and leave them in a bowl full of vinegar."
15. "Clean jewellery with dish soap, since other cleaning supplies might scratch it (like hand soap or anything that exfoliates) or chemically react with the metals...Dish soap is intended to clean glass and ceramic without scratching it and silverware without reacting with the metal, etc."
— mojomcm
16. "From the amazing book ‘The Gift of Fear’ by Gavin DeBecker: 'A woman alone who needs assistance is actually far better off choosing someone and asking for help, as opposed to waiting for an unsolicited approach. The person you choose is nowhere near as likely to bring you hazard as is the person who chooses you.'"
17. "Run your wrists under cold water or rub an ice cube on your pulse points to cool down all over quickly, when you get overheated. It seems obvious but I didn’t realise it until last summer, working in a warehouse with no AC."
18. "Smell is closely associated with memory. If you're studying for an exam, buy an odd scented eraser (like pickle scent). Every time you try to memorise something, take a sniff. Take that eraser to the test and sniff it when you're having trouble remembering an answer."
19. "If you’ve written on a dry erase board (or any glossy surface) with a permanent marker...just draw over it with a dry erase marker and it will wipe right off."
20. "Being extra nice to strangers when you need help will get you REALLY far, often times further than you expect. Customer service especially."
21. "If you’re in college, don’t buy your textbooks until you actually need to use them. I’ve saved hundreds of dollars by not buying 'required' textbooks that we never used."
22. "Use shaving cream as anti-fog. I used it on the inside of my motorcycle visor. Smear it on, let it dry, then rinse off and dry. It also works for bathroom mirrors. You can use it on a small spot so you can still see when you get out of the shower."
23. "The cheapest, most effective, and safest insecticide against roaches...is a spray bottle of mostly water with just a little liquid dish soap in it. Shake the bottle and get the water a little foamy, then spray the roaches. They will run, scrabble, and attempt to escape, of course, but they will die. The soap film suffocates them faster than any chemicals will..."
24. "Nail polish remover gets permanent marker off skin. You know, in case someone draws a dick on your face."
25. "Crayons are flammable and will provide about an hour of light as a candle, if you lit the top."
— RockyL15
26. "It you start to cough while eating or drinking, essentially the 'went down the wrong pipe', immediately lift both your arms up in the air and keep them held up for a few seconds. The act opens your airways and will allow you to catch your breath. Also helps food or drink travel downward. My MIL taught us this and it’s now second nature."
27. "Use a wet knife to chop onions. It reduces tears if you have sensitive eyes."
What are some life hacks that have made your life easier? Share below!
Note: Submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.