209. Old Wine Box
Best Place To Purchase: N/A
Average Product Price: $0* (Comes With The Wine)
Wine crates are wooden crates that have been specially designed to protect fragile, brittle glass bottles during transport. When you’ve removed the wine, it might seem like a waste to toss the crate out, as it may seem as though there has to be something for which you can use it. Luckily, there are quite a lot of things for which you can use an old wine crate.
Old Wine Box As Shoe Storage @family_handyman/Pinterest
You can turn the crate into a shoe storage bin. How creative you want to get with it is up to you. Some tutorials online added paint and even wooden shelves to the crate, while others kept it simple.
214. Straws and Jewelry
Best Place To Purchase: Dollar stores, Walmart, Amazon
Average Product Price: $1-$3*
When you open your jewelry box, are you met with organization? Or, like many people, are all your necklaces and bracelets tangled into an impossible-seeming knot? If you find yourself in the latter camp, you might want to consider a new way of storing these jewelry pieces.
Use Straws to Store Jewellry to Prevent Tangling @GouldsDiamondandJewelry/Facebook
Use a drinking straw and loop a chain through them. Not only does this keep plastic straws from going into the garbage; but it also keeps the chains organized and stiff. Thread one end through the straw, and then close the necklace, tucking it away until it’s time to wear it.
215. Swiffer
Best Place To Purchase: Walmart, Target, Amazon, Bed Bath & Beyond
Average Product Price: $16.84*
Walls get super dusty, believe it or not. While your attention has been on keeping furniture and floors clean, the walls (as well as the baseboards) have been a haven for dust mites and dirt. The Swiffer Sweeper might advertise as a floor mop, but you can also clean the walls with it.
Swiffer Your Walls Too @family_handyman/Pinterest
They’re perfect for accessing hard-to-reach areas of your rooms. All you have to do is attach a dry cloth to your Swiffer to sweep it along the wall. You’ll be amazed at how much dirt, debris, and cobwebs you pick up with this cleaning hack.
216. Silverware Divider
Best Place To Purchase: Dollar stores
Average Product Price: $1-$5*
A hidden purpose of a silverware organizer is that it is able to organize anything. Though you might think of this as a handy gadget for keeping your forks, knives, and spoons together, these organizers can fit in any drawer in any room of your house.
Silverware Divider For Bathroom Drawer Storage ©Caroline Patterson/foter
That includes the bathroom. All drawers need organization, and your silverware organizer can easily be repurposed into a toothbrush holder, as well as an organizer for all of your many bathroom items. Plus, they’re pretty cheap, as you can snag silverware organizers from local dollar stores for just $1-$5. They don’t have to be fancy, as you’re keeping them inside a drawer.
217. Washing Machine Lid
Best Place To Purchase: N/A
Average Product Price: N/A
Your washing machine lid isn’t just a way to seal up your launderer to clean your clothes. It also can be used as a dry erase board. The surface is able to handle dry erase markers, though you’ll want to try out the marker on a tiny section of the washing machine first to make sure it fully erases.
Washing Machine Lid Doubles As Dry Erase Board @kitkatdd/Pinterest
You can write laundry instructions on the lid. If you need extra help removing the marker thoroughly, Parent Hacks suggests using a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. For a kick of cleaning power, P.H. says you can dip it in nail polish remover.
218. Pool Noodles
Best Place To Purchase: Walmart, dollar stores
Average Product Price: $1-$5*
Pool noodles are a common sight around pools and beaches. These noodles are cheap, costing just a few bucks from Walmart and dollar stores. But, when pool season is over, what can you do with these noodles? As it turns out, they make for convenient wrist rests for people who type a lot.
Pool Noodle As Wrist Protector @family_handyman/Pinterest
Cut a chunk of the pool noodle off vertically, and then halve that portion. Place it in front of your keyboard to prop up your wrists, supporting them as you type. The tendons and muscles in your wrists and hands will thank you for this hack.
219. Rubber Bands and Tools
Best Place To Purchase: Dollar stores, Amazon, Walmart
Average Product Price: $1-$5*
When you’re handling tools, the last thing you want is for them to slip out of your grip. Laborers working outside in the heat know that when their hands get sweaty, the tools have a tendency to become disconcertingly wobbly.
Rubber Bands To Make Tools Non-Slip @espares/Pinterest
This can lead to a shoddy job at best. At worst, in addition to the frustration, a slipped tool can cause a real injury. Wrap the handle of the tool in rubber bands. The rubber will create traction between your hand and the wood, plastic, or metal handle, preventing it from slipping and ensuring that it stays put.
220. Paper Towel Rolls To Hold Boots Upright
Best Place To Purchase: Dollar stores, Costco, Amazon
Average Product Price: $3-$7*
Tall boots are a stylish addition to your fall and winter wardrobe. When it’s time to pack them away, you might have noticed that they tend to get a little floppy. In addition to being inconvenient for storage, this floppiness can damage the structure of the boot over time.
Paper Towel Rolls To Hold Boots Upright @family_handyman/Pinterest
To keep tall boots packed upright, use paper towel rolls. Stick the empty roll into the boot (vertically, of course), and do the same for the other half of the pair. This will keep your boots from getting misshapen while they are stored for spring and summer.
221. A Penny
Best Place To Purchase: U.S. Mint
Average Product Price: $0.01*
If you have a minor screw that needs to be undone, a penny might be able to help (or another coin, if the screw is very large). Place the edge of a penny into the screw head’s longest groove. Then, turn the screw counter-clockwise. This should loosen the screw, though note that this method only works on large screws, as opposed to tiny ones.
Penny As Screwdriver @balconygardenwe/Pinterest
Penny not doing the trick? There are a few other substitutes, including a butter knife, old CD, and even a hacksaw. Even scissors, if you can maneuver them, might be able to help you out in a jam.
223. Padlock Hole
Best Place To Purchase: Any home goods store
Average Product Price: $5+*
Padlocks are useful for all manner of things, from keeping your garden gate closed and secure to protecting your bike from theft. However you use it, the chances are that you’ve spotted a small hole in the base of the lock.
Padlock Hole ©siro46/Shutterstock
That hole isn’t just a flaw in the manufacturing process. In cold weather, the opening allows water to drain out, preventing rust from ruining the inner mechanism. So, while it may look like a fairly unassuming feature, this little hole is probably the most important part of the entire thing.
224. Airpod Hole
Best Place To Purchase: Apple
Average Product Price: $169+*
Airpods revolutionized the headphone game when they were released, offering a reliable wireless experience for iPhone users. These little buds aren’t cheap and while knockoffs do exist, they don’t quite amount to the real thing.
Airpod Hole ©u/danpacker4/Reddit
Eagle-eyed Airpod users may have noticed that there are two holes on either side of the speaker that goes inside the ear, but what are they for? It isn’t a design flaw, but a handy little way engineers manufactured to improve the vibration of the speaker, making for a smoother, cleaner sound.
225. Uno
Best Place To Purchase: Multiple retailers
Average Product Price: $10*
Uno is one of the world’s best-loved games. It’s simple enough for kids and adults to enjoy together, but have you ever considered that you may be playing the game totally wrong? According to Uno themselves, the vast majority of players aren’t doing it by the book.
©phaustov/Shutterstock
Here’s what Uno had to say on Twitter: “If someone puts down a +4 card, you must draw 4 and your turn is skipped. You can’t put down a +2 to make the next person Draw 6. We know you’ve tried it.” That certainly told us.
226. Soap Under Bed Sheet
Best Place To Purchase: Dollar stores, Rite Aid, CVS
Average Product Price: $1-$3*
This unusual hack might be able to help you ease RLS (restless leg syndrome). The folk remedy remains unproven, scientifically, but there are a lot of people who swear by it. All you need to do to try it out is place a bar of soap under your sheets near where you experience leg cramps.
Soap Under Bed Sheet©rawf8 / Shutterstock
According to advocates of this home remedy, the lavender, magnesium, and/or ions in the soap will seep into your skin, altering your body chemistry and easing your leg spasms and cramps to give you a restful night’s sleep.
227. Unclog Drain With Vinegar
Best Place To Purchase: Dollar store, Local grocery store
Average Product Price: $0.99-$2.50*
Vinegar is about as all-purpose as it gets, as there are a lot of things you can use this handy household item for. You can use it as a disinfectant, pickling agent, or, if need be, as a way to unclog your drains.
Unclog Drain With Vinegar ©Joe Cole / Shutterstock
According to Deer Valley Plumbing’s article, “What Can You Pour Down The Drain?”, vinegar is “safe and beneficial” when poured down the drain, as it not only naturally removes blockages, it also removes bacteria that can cause foul odors.
228. Put Garlic Under Your Pillow
Best Place To Purchase: Local grocery store, Whole Foods
Average Product Price: $0.50-$1 per bulb*
Sure, we’re not exactly living with vampires nearby, but that doesn’t mean we can’t benefit from placing a garlic clove under our pillow. Firstly, garlic can repel pesky insects such as mosquitoes and spiders, neither of which you want around you when you’re asleep.
Put Garlic Under Your Pillow ©Living Art by Margie / Shutterstock
Secondly, garlic might be able to help you breathe better if you have a cold. Boil three or four garlic cloves in water and inhale the steam; this should clear your sinuses and help you get better rest.