85
votes
Accepted
Where to put used-but-usable clothes (a.k.a. alternative to "The Chair")?
I use an IVAR side panel from IKEA (any similar thing, for example a small ladder, or screwing together a few wooden bars yourself will do as well). Lean it agains a wall at a slight angle and throw ...
- 974
53
votes
Accepted
Stop car doors from slamming against wall inside my garage
Install pool noodles to your wall. Or use pipe insulation.
- 818
42
votes
I lost my closet key, how to open it?
Very few if any closets open inward -- which means the hinges will have their pins on the accessible side. Just drive the pins out of the hinges, and the entire door can be pulled out of the frame (...
- 9,760
41
votes
Where to put used-but-usable clothes (a.k.a. alternative to "The Chair")?
I always install a hanging rod or hook in the laundry area for just this occasion. They're great for hanging those damp towels you'd use again if the occasion arises, or that out-and-about shirt you ...
- 6,635
39
votes
How do I find and kill a single mosquito in the middle of the night?
Killing a mosquito is easy (as you can see in the other answers). Finding it is the hard part. This is the easiest way I've found of locating a mosquito.
You need 2 light sources:
a small lamp that ...
- 6,224
39
votes
How can I humidify a room without a humidifier?
Hang out your laundry to line dry in your house rather than putting it in the dryer. This will release a lot of moisture into the air. Depending on how often you wash your clothes, this may be enough.
...
- 7,420
39
votes
Accepted
How can I tell if there was a power cut while I was out?
Set the time on an electric clock that uses household current
Most households today have a microwave. This has a clock you can set. On nearly all of these the clock rolls back to 12:00 and flashes ...
- 2,718
38
votes
Stop car doors from slamming against wall inside my garage
Ask your passenger to get out of the car before you park the car. This also leaves you free to park it right next to the wall.
For the passenger, this has the advantage they can open the door to its ...
- 6,224
38
votes
How can I humidify a room without a humidifier?
'Traditional' humidifiers look like this:
It's just a ceramic container with a hook that hangs over the radiator. Fill it with water, and the water evaporates as the radiator heats it.
You can ...
- 481
34
votes
Where to put used-but-usable clothes (a.k.a. alternative to "The Chair")?
You can use clothes hanging wall mount inside your wardrobe door. I do the same thing with my two wardrobe. You can use both the doors according to your need.
You can buy this kind of wall mount ...
- 489
33
votes
Which is the best lure to use on a mousetrap?
Peanut butter is the best because they can't remove it from the trap: they have to crawl up there and WHAM they're gone.
Needless to say, position the trap along the wall or wherever else they ...
- 11.5k
33
votes
How can I apply and maintain pressure when mounting a mirror on a door?
I'm assuming this is an interior door....
Take the door off the hinges.
Lay the door on the floor.
Place the mirror on the door.
Place old books/newspapers/weights/cans of soup/etc... so that you don'...
- 431
31
votes
Accepted
How can I effectively black out my room for sleeping, cheaply and such that I can still open the curtains during the day?
An also very easy, cheap and quick solution could be using aluminium foil.
Just stick it in front of your windows and your room should be blacked out perfectly!
- 426
31
votes
Accepted
Stop keyboard wobble due to uneven desk
This is happening because there is a gap of space between a corner of your keyboard and the desk.
Your goal, as you may have guessed, is to remove this gap.
A general solution is to look around you ...
- 955
29
votes
How to shred papers/letters without using a shredder machine
Soak the papers with ordinary water and immediately crumple and squeeze them to compact lumps. Nobody is ever going to read those again!
This method doesn't take a lot of time and does not involve ...
- 878
29
votes
What is a good way to organise and identify keys on a keyring?
I have added notches to the side of the key head in the past. One of the advantages to using this method is that you can find the correct key in the dark.
Start with this:
Take a file to the edge of ...
- 4,330
29
votes
Best way to know if somebody has broken into my room without camera
I've seen some people close little slips of paper in the doorframe (hinge and/or handle sides) that would fall when the door is opened, and/or stack boxes against the outside of the door in what ...
- 834
27
votes
How to wake up without waking up other people in the same room
There are "vibrating watches" for this. They're wristwatches that vibrate when your alarm goes off.
Or take wireless headphone (earplug) for using it with your phone.
Good luck for that :)
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26
votes
How can I humidify a room without a humidifier?
You can put many houseplants in the room, they will increase the humidity naturally. Take some pots with plants which have big leaves.
Some examples:
Fern
Spathiphyllum (Peace Lily)
Additional ...
- 5,643
25
votes
Stop car doors from slamming against wall inside my garage
My answer assumes, that you already tried simply talking to them and it did not work and also, that you DO want them to exit the vehicle at exact this place.
Since this is Lifehacks, not "How can I ...
- 671
24
votes
How can I humidify a room without a humidifier?
If the room is small, you can create a solution using a bucket of water and a few kg of table salt (sodium chloride or potassium chloride).
Dump a large amount of salt into the bucket, and add water ...
- 441
22
votes
Accepted
How can I get a mouse out the house without causing it any harm?
There is a simple trap you can make with:
empty paper towel / toilet paper roll
trash can
peanut butter
Instructions:
Put a small dab of peanut butter on the inside of the roll on one end.
Place ...
- 1,267
21
votes
Which is the best lure to use on a mousetrap?
Orange Marmalade. Really. maybe it was just those mice, but peanut butter or cheese took days. Marmalade I had one when I turned the lights off. Also placement is key. Mice like to travel against ...
- 311
21
votes
How can I effectively black out my room for sleeping, cheaply and such that I can still open the curtains during the day?
I'd invert the problem and ask if you'd be comfortable wearing a sleep mask such as the ones airlines give you. I'm guessing even premium versions of these are less expensive than any blackout shades ...
- 433
21
votes
Accepted
What is a good way to organise and identify keys on a keyring?
Since I have lots of different color permanent markers, but not lots of different colors of nail polish, I use my wife's clear nail polish.
Mark the key up with the sharpie - I usually put a dot on ...
- 326
21
votes
Where to put used-but-usable clothes (a.k.a. alternative to "The Chair")?
I use a clothes tree in the corner of my bedroom. It might also be called a coat tree or coat rack.
I guess that it is still as ugly as "the chair", but it takes up less room.
- 1,884
21
votes
Accepted
How to level a picture frame hung on a single nail?
The hook marked in green has a ribbed top edge.
Adjust the position of the picture so the nail is located at one of the indentations, so it hangs level.
If it droops one way on a particular groove, ...
- 4,350
20
votes
How to determine how much heating oil is left in the tank?
You can use temperature strips purchased at a hardware store to show you where the oil level is. These strips change color with temperature, showing you where the cooler (or warmer) fuel oil is my ...
- 6,635
20
votes
How to wake up without waking up other people in the same room
this will sound ridiculous, but bear with me.When I have a specific time that I HAVE to wake up at (say for a flight or train), before I go to bed I will repeat to myself "I need to wake up at 6:30" ...
- 1,694
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