Today, there is no shortage of tips on the web that teach how to do things in new, easy and genius ways, but it turns out that this isn’t new a trend. One guy, nicknamed Household Hacker, has found a book from the 1960s that has 1,001 useful tricks for life, and he has tried several of them to verify whether they actually work. Here are the 8 most recommended tips he discovered in the book, and you’ll be surprised to learn that even then, in the 1960s, they knew how to solve many problems in life using incredibly simple methods.
1. How to avoid spills when pouring through a funnel
When liquid is poured through a funnel, there is always the possibility that it’ll slosh out from the sides. However, there is an old trick that can help you avoid this.
All you have to do is to lay steel wool inside the funnel, which will prevent the rotational movement of fluid at the top, which causes it to spin and spill from the sides.
The steel wool allows air to be trapped in the liquids. This trick is especially recommended if you’re pouring petroleum into a container and want to avoid spilling it.
2. How to make an adjustable flashlight
When there’s a power outage or when you’re in a dark place and you don’t have a light source, you have to make do with a flashlight. But what happens if you need both your hands to perform a certain task? Well, the next solution will definitely help you.
Attach a flashlight to a funnel with a rubber band, and adjust the flashlight with the rubber band to the area you wish to illuminate.
This trick will help you continue working without needing another person to hold the flashlight for you.
If you have a door in a house that closes on its own, this trick is for you. According to the 60-year-old book, the solution to this is simply a coil spring.
You must remove the top hinge of the door and slide the spring on top of it, with its ends facing the inside of the door.
4. Use a potato as a pin cushion for nails, screws, and tacks
If you’ve every hung something up with a nail, screw or tack then I’m sure you’ve had to, at one point, hold these things in your mouth, which is quite gross. As it is difficult to work with nails and screws without them going everywhere, it is recommended to use the following trick which makes use of a simple potato.
Just stick the nails and screws that you’re working with into a potato half and keep it nearby while you work. If you don’t have a potato, you can use any other fruit or vegetable.
5. How to remove staples with a can opener
It isn’t easy removing a stipe or thumbtack from wood, however, it is indeed possible if you have the right tools, but what do you do if you don’t have them? You can simply use a can opener. First, file a notch at the end of the opener.
Then just push the opener under the staple and pull it up toward you. This way, you don’t hurt your hands or the wood!
6. How to make suction cups work efficiently
Applying our saliva, in one way or another, to suction cups is how most of us get them to stick properly. However, there is a much more effective and sterile trick for keeping them in place. All you need to do is apply a little glycerin (liquid soap) to the cup.
7. How to re-use envelopes that have been sealed
Have you ever sealed an envelope without putting everything that needed to go inside? Instead of ripping it open and packing everything in a new envelope, you can use an iron to keep it intact and even re-use it.
Place a damp cloth over the envelope and slide the iron over the seal in straight movements. Check the envelope after a few times and continue with the iron on the areas where the glue has not yet been released.
To seal the envelope, all you need are some egg whites. Please note that egg whites cannot be steamed open.
8. How to prevent a drain from clogging
