The concept of “home hacks” is not a new one. For as long as people have had a roof over their heads, there have been tips and tricks helping homeowners live a more comfortable, hassle-free life.
Not every home hack has worked out for the best, of course. Anything involving asbestos, lead, and linoleum flooring was a bad idea even back in the day, and it’s an even worse idea now.
But these home hacks have stood the test of time. They’re quick, easy, and affordable — and they go a long way in making your home life just a little bit easier.
Keep a Boiling Egg Intact With Some Vinegar
For as long as people have been eating eggs, they’ve been making them in every way imaginable. For hard-boiled egg lovers, a teaspoon of vinegar in boiling water goes a long way.
Not only does it prevent the egg from exploding all over the pot, but the acid in the vinegar softens the shell and makes peeling much easier.
Replace Bleach-Based Abrasives With Baking Soda
During England’s Victorian era, housekeepers used baking soda for both its original purpose (baking) and for cleaning purposes.
Bleach-based abrasives can emit toxic fumes in the home air, and there’s no evidence that these abrasives work better than a little baking soda, water, and something to scrub with.
Dust Fan Blades With an Old Pillowcase
Emily White of Two Maids & a Mop told Good Housekeeping that her grandmother used this home hack more than 100 years ago, and it still works today: clean fan blades with an old pillowcase. Just shimmy the pillow over the fan blade, then pull back the pillowcase.
“You just stretch the entire case over the blade and wipe off the dust inside,” she shares. It’s a clever way to clean the fan without getting dust everywhere else.
Clean Paintbrushes With an Old Coffee Can
Coffee cans date back to at least 1900 and repurposing them is another practice that is more than a century old. While folks have used coffee cans as everything from flowerpots to piggy banks, they can also clean your paintbrushes.
Just cut the top of the coffee can enough to fit a paintbrush, fill the can with paintbrush cleaning solution, and dip the brush accordingly.
Olive Oil Removes Stickiness From Most Objects
Olive oil has been used as a cleanser since ancient times. Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans all used the condiment for a variety of uses, including cleaning themselves and their homes.
This same ancient wisdom can get stickiness off most objects, and it’s especially effective for removing sticker residue. Spending money on expensive cleaners like Goo-Gone is a thing of the past!
Boiling Water and Soap Removes Charring From Pots
Did you burn dinner and now have all sorts of charred remains at the bottom of the pot? No need for spending all evening over the sink and scrubbing away as though your life depended on it!
Fill the pan with water, then add a drop of soap. Put it back on the stove and bring the mix to a boil. When it boils, remove the pan from the stove, and gently scrape away the charred remains using a spatula.
Kill Weeds With Boiling Water and Salt
Got weeds that come back every year, without fail, and refuse to simply die? Boil some water, add some salt, and pour it on top of your unwanted backyard visitor.
From personal experience, I can attest that I had a bamboo that consistently grew in my backyard, and wouldn’t die no matter what I poured on top of it. Then I remembered this old house hack from my father, who grew up in Sicily during the Great Depression. The bamboo has not returned since.
Lemon Juice and Salt Remove Most Clothing Stains
Elizabeth Yuko of Architectural Digest notes that an emerging social media trend of using “old-time” home hacks has brought people back to using lemons as a cleaner.
One such old-time hack is using lemon juice and salt for clothing stains. A little scrubbing of this natural abrasive goes a long way.
Clean Jewelry With Club Soda
Sodium carbonate — the active ingredient in club soda and every other soda — was first invented in the late 1700s, back when it was called soda ash. At the time, sodium carbonate’s detergent properties were both recognized and valued.
That same philosophy is behind using club soda — or seltzer, which is more common — as a jewelry cleaner. Ashley Lall of Woman’s World recommends adding a drop of dish detergent to club soda for maximum effect.
An Old Curtain Rod Makes a Fine Plant Pole
In 1892, Samuel R. Scrottron invented the first commercial curtain rod, which has been in use ever since. Rather than throw away an old curtain rod, why not repurpose it as a plant pole? Clean the pole with warm, soapy water, then rinse and place in your garden. Use it to help plants that need extra stability — such as tomatoes, cucumbers, and beans — or that you want to grow vertically.
Got Gum Stuck in Your Hair? Get it Out With Peanut Butter
Peanut butter was first manufactured on a large scale in the late 1880s and brought to a nationwide scale by Dr. John Harvey Kellogg (the inventor of Kellogg’s cereal).
These processes added an oiliness to peanut butter, which made it an accidental surfactant. Similar to olive oil, peanut oil removes stickiness, making the removal of gum from hair much easier.
Cut Your Sponges in Half
Parade dubs this old home hack “grandma style,” probably because this practice originated in the Great Depression when folks didn’t take any available resource for granted.
Cutting your sponges in half also allows them to get into hard-to-reach and tight areas, in addition to preserving resources and cutting your spending in half.
Polish Copper With Ketchup
The home experts at Architectural Digest praise the idea of polishing copper with a little bit of ketchup. Just slather a layer of the condiment on the surface, rub it in, let sit for about 5 minutes, then rinse and dry.
Tomatoes contain several types of acid, including citric acid, malic acid, ascorbic acid, and oxalic acid. When these acids come in contact with copper, oxidation happens — and this removes tarnish from copper.
Polish Silver With Toothpaste
Similarly, polishing silver with toothpaste is another classical practice, dating back to the British imperial era in India (and one recommended as a cleaning ritual during Diwali).
Just apply toothpaste to your silver, then use an old toothbrush or soft cloth and gently scrub your silver (think of it like brushing your teeth). Rinse and pat dry. Your silver will be as good as new!