71. Wine Cork
Best Place to Purchase: Local grocery stores, Amazon
Average Product Price: $4.99 for 10* (Amazon), Free with actual wine bottle
If you need a pin cushion but are all out, a wine cork can do the job just as well. Pins and needles slide into the soft cork material in a way similar to that of a pin cushion, and you’re able to easily throw it in your sewing basket when you’re done because it’s so small.
Wine Cork Pin Cushions @luxuryhomefurniture1 / Pinterest
Have you ever wondered why cork is the chosen material to stopper wine? Fun fact: it all has to do with chemistry. Corks seal the wine in the bottle the best, slowing the oxidation process to a standstill. Without a cork, wine will go bad far more quickly.
72. Laundry Sheets
Best Place to Purchase: Amazon, Costco, Local grocery stores, Rite Aid, CVS
Average Product Price: $5-$7 per pack of 200-300*
Time and again, baseboards make the list of the dustiest places in your home. They get dirty easily because of their proximity to the floor. There’s no denying that baseboards serve a purpose other than cosmetic. They cover the joints between the floor and wall surface, protecting against moisture damage.
Laundry Sheet Dusters @lavozdelmuro / Pinterest
Without a baseboard, moisture can easily get into drywall and wreak havoc. So, there’s no getting rid of your baseboards, but there is a life hack to make them less dusty. Use dryer sheets to wipe them down. The sheets not only get rid of dust, they will also make your baseboards smell nicely.
73. Green Aviator Lenses
Best Place to Purchase: Ray-Ban, Local eye doctor (if prescription glasses)
Average Product Price: $100-$200 per pair*
You can’t get classier than aviator sunglasses. Since military pilots first wore them in the 1930s, people have gone crazy for aviators. The style has seen many changes since it first made its way to civilians during WWII, but there is one element that remains the same: the green-colored lenses.
Green Aviator Lenses @magpie851 / Pinterest
Aviators use dark green lenses because of their original purpose: shielding pilots’ eyes. The green tint eliminated blue light. Otherwise, blue light would cause serious visibility problems for pilots at high altitudes. Green lenses also reduced glare, while improving contrast and sharpness, two things a military pilot definitely needs.
74. Brass Doorknobs
Best Place to Purchase: Home Depot, Lowe’s, Local welders
Average Product Price: $10-$12 per door knob*
If you live in an older house built during the nineteenth century, you might have noticed upon moving in that the doorknobs were made of brass. There are several reasons for the choice of brass that have nothing to do with the sheer cosmetic appeal of the metal.
Brass Doorknobs © nuttakit / Shutterstock
Historically, doorknobs were created by brazing together two pieces of metal. In the 1840s, doorknob-makers used casting. Brass was durable, resisting corrosion far easier than other metals, something that appealed to nineteenth-century manufacturers using these methods. Later, research would discover that copper and its alloys, including brass, also provide more resistance against the spread of bacteria.
75. Red Solo Cups
Best Place to Purchase: Walmart, Amazon, Costco, Local dollar stores
Average Product Price: $3.88 for a 50-pack* (Walmart)
Credit goes to The Kitchn for figuring this one out. The makers of the Solo Cup, the red cup that is a steady presence at every single house and frat party in America, didn’t actually intend for their invention to have a secondary benefit. It turns out that Solo Cups can work as measuring cups in a pinch.
Red Solo (Measuring) Cup ©Pam Walker / Shutterstock
The lowest line on the cup is one ounce (the serving of a shot). The middle line is five ounces (the standard wine serving), and the top line is your average serving of beer: twelve ounces. If you can’t find an actual measuring cup, a Solo Cup can help you out of the jam.
76. Backpack Buckle
Best Place to Purchase: Amazon, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Jansport
Average Product Price: $99-$300* (Travel), $30-$60* (School)
If you have a backpack in your house, go get it, as you’re going to be quite surprised at this one. If you have a travel, hiking, or even a school backpack, it probably has buckles on it. These buckles include a hidden feature: an emergency whistle.
Buckle on Backpack ©last19/stock.adobe.com
This emergency whistle can come in handy in the worst-case scenario, like if you’re injured and rescuers are looking for you, and you need to make noise to alert them to your presence. Though this isn’t necessarily a likely possibility, you never know. Knowing about the emergency buckle whistle could save your life one day.
77. Lemons
Best Place to Purchase: Walmart
Average Product Price: $0.57*
Who would have thought that a simple piece of citrus would have so many hidden uses? Lemons have so many uses, due to their acidic properties. One such use is their ability to lighten hair. Simply apply lemon juice and either go out in the sun or use a hairdryer to add heat, and light brown hair will turn blonde.
Lemons @IgorZh / Shutterstock
Lemons can also be used to make a garbage disposal smell fresh after disposing of something funky. Freshly-squeezed lemon juice can even help get rid of acne and stubborn blackheads, and even shows some promise for tightening up wrinkles.
78. Coins and Drains
Best Place to Purchase: N/A
Average Product Price: $0.50*
If you’re in a hotel or don’t have access to laundry in your home or apartment complex, this simple hack makes it easy to wash your clothes in the sink. All you need is a plastic bag or saran wrap to drape across your sink, and a few coins.
Sink Plug @Top 10s / Youtube.com
Once you place the plastic down in the sink, you can set the coins over the drain hole and the weight of the coins will hold the plastic in place, creating suction that will keep the sink basin full. This allows you to clean your clothes, or whatever else you need to wash, and is also easily reversible by simply removing the coins and plastic.
79. Sweatbands
Best Place to Purchase: Ali Express
Average Product Price: $5-$10*
Getting sweaty during a workout is a good sign, as it means you’re working hard and burning calories. However, it can be a little annoying when the sweat drips in your face as you’re trying to run or lift weights.
Sweatbands for Forehead Drips @aliexpress
Try using a wrist brace like this Rimix band, which is made of a knitted mesh fabric that absorbs water. In addition to offering wrist support (helpful, especially if you’re lifting weights or doing pushups), you can also use it to wipe the sweat off your forehead, preventing drops from getting into your eyes and making your workout more difficult than it needs to be.
80. Nail Polish and Keys
Best Place to Purchase: Target, Ulta, dollar stores
Average Product Price: $5-$10 per bottle*
We’ve all been there. You’re trying to unlock your door, when you start fumbling with all the keys on your key ring. It’s hard to avoid, especially if you have work, home, and car keys on the same ring. Nail polish can help solve this problem.
Nail Polish for Labeling Keys @I Love Creativity / Youtube.com ©/
If you want to label keys, especially similar-looking ones, just paint the tops of them with nail polish. Color-coordinate the keys (blue means home, red means work, etc.). That way, the key you need will always be at your fingertips. Just make sure to wait for the polish to dry so that you don’t have a mess on your hands.