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It’s never too late to teach an old dog new tricks. And the same goes for all of us! Just because your mom taught you one way to do laundry decades ago or you’ve never seen someone come up with an innovative way of folding fitted sheets does not mean that there is no room for improvement.
Redditors have been discussing the things that they were doing the hard way their entire lives until they suddenly realized that there was an alternative solution. We’ve gathered their best life hacks down below, so enjoy scrolling through, and be sure to upvote the ones that blow your mind!
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#1
Peeling boiled eggs. Always peeled off part of the egg white with the shell until my neice, who was 14 at the time, told me I need to roll it around on the counter to seperate the shell from the egg. A 14 year old taught me such a simple trick.
Green Tree 2 days ago
And peel it under running water or submerged in a bowl of water. The water will get under the shell and separate it much easier
RELATED:
#2
Laundry. I had always been taught that you need to wash a shirt, pants, or whatever else after wearing it only once. So I have been doing this for years and years. Going through tons of laundry every week. Finally a friend mentioned to me that he only does laundry maybe once a month tops. I asked how that was possible and he explained the logic of wearing things a few times before washing them (so long as there’s not stains on them from the first wear). Can’t believe I didn’t figure this out sooner.
Bob Brooce 2 days ago (edited)
It depends on weather and what you're doing. I'll occasionally pull on yesterday's shirt because I haven't been sweating and I'm not doing anything where my shirt needs to be clean and odor free. Socks and underwear are strictly one day items. Some dress pants may need to be washed (or worse, dry cleaned) after one day, but who doesn't wear jeans for a week?
#3
I have a heavy, thick beard. For about a decade, I served in the US military, and as such, was required to shave every day. I probably spent thousands on Gilette Sensor Excel blades, I'd use one for about a week before my beard growth mangled it.
At the risk of sounding like a f*****g hipster, I now use a safety razor. My wife bought it for me about 3 years ago, and it's one of the best gifts I've ever been given. Had I known of these years ago, I would have saved incredible amounts of money. I spend pennies to the dollar on blades, and they last longer.
Sometimes, the old ways are the best.
The Scout 2 days ago
Jugdging from the current market, in a few years razors will probably have around 20 blades, costing around a hundred bucks per shave. Even importing my (extra sharp) double edge blades from Japan, I still pay much less than I would for Gilette or similar. And a safety razor is not a c**p piece of plastic, it is a solid piece of machinery.
#4
I learned how to eat a kiwi correctly. About a year ago I was peeling a kiwi like I always have and my aunt gave me a funny look and said: "why don't you just cut it in half and eat it with a spoon?" It had never occurred to me to eat it that way. I felt so dumb.
#5
It was at least 25 years before I realized it's easier to sit down to pee in the middle of the night than it is to aim in the dark. Bonus: You can keep your eyes closed so you don't fully wake up.
Abdul Rahman Falih 2 days ago
another idea, why not sit down to pee ALL the time?, you don't have to aim, you wont have to hear the insufferable sound from the splashback of the water and no spray is left on the toilet seat!
#6
Literally just learned about the snipping tool on Windows today. Up to this point I had done a screenshot, then paste into paint, then crop my selection from there. I'm a second year grad student.
#7
Knees up whilst pooping. Get a stool and elevate your legs and works like a charm.
Fewer hemorrhoid problems, less straining and much cleaner.
#8
Eating pistachios
I've only recently learnt to use a shell to open the others without hurting my hands by wedging it open. Helps my salt addiction.
#9
Reheating pizza in a frying pan
SOOOOOOOO much better than the microwave
Edit: some instructions (may vary depending on the type of pizza crust)
Lightly grease the bottom of the pan. Cooking spray is fine.
Place pizza in pan, cover, and set to medium-high heat
occasionally slide the pizza in the pan to prevent sticking.
Heat until the cheese is melty, and the crust is crispy.
#10
I used to stand in the shower and suffer that first blast of cold water. Did not consider any alternatives until I saw my partner patiently waiting outside the shower for a few minutes until the water warmed up. Life changing!
Christos Arvanitis 2 days ago
Wait... whuuuuut? Somebody just learned that it's a good idea to, wait for it... wait for the water to warm up? I'm worried about what this person does the rest of the day.
#11
For years, washing laundry with liquid laundry detergent, and the old soap sludge on & around the little cap/cup used to measure the detergent would build up and get nasty and get on everything. Then, I realized I could just toss the cup into the washer too.
Bob Brooce 2 days ago
I dump the detergent in the machine and then hold the cap under the running water. Give it a shake, and screw it back on the bottle.
#12
Whenever I got the washing from the line I used to take the pegs down too and put them in a basket. When I got married, I found my husband would always leave them sitting pegged on the line. At first it would irritate me but then I thought about it. You don’t have to always be reaching up and down and up and down. The pegs are already waiting on the line for you. It changed my world.
#13
Your microwave has power levels, and they're super useful.
Tired of having half your food on fire and the rest frozen? Hit that power level button. It cycles the microwave emitter on and off for a percentage of the cook time that you choose. This gives the heat time to diffuse throughout the food. Just remember to increase how long you cook it for and voila! Trust me, your leftovers will thank me.
#14
Switched from my dominant hand to my non-dominant hand.
It's almost like someone else is doing it.
#15
I never knew you can take the basket out of the dishwasher that holds the utensils and carry it to the drawer to unload.
#16
To be honest, drinking water before and after bed. I used to just bring some soda or iced tea with me and drink similarly sugary beverages in the morning (I wake up at 5am and work 2 jobs getting home around 8:30). Drinking a quick glass of water especially before I leave the house greatly improved my mood going into work where I just wait to get our first break to get something in my stomach. Feels much better and I don't wake up feeling like s**t or anything negative.
Raymond Core 2 days ago
Proten before bed makes you thirsty; carbohydrates before bed make you urinate. Best to eat and hydrate well before bedtime.
#17
Cooking bacon. Apparently cooking it in the oven is the best way to cook it.
Goodbye bacon grease splatters! My arms are no longer under siege whenever I want some bacon. All hail whoever figured that out.
Howard M. Lewis Ship 2 days ago
Also, start it in a cold oven, to give the bacon fat time to render out. Works especially well for thick cut.
#18
I wear my socks inside out on purpose. The seam is on the inside, and it puts a lot of fuzz on your toes and you can feel it against your toenail.
Flip those bad boys inside out and you've got yourself a smooth, smooth sock. And (with ankle socks) no one will ever know the difference.
#19
I'm sure there's lots I'm not thinking of but one is cleaning. It used to be so hard and take so long to do just one thing. But at some point I realized that at least part of the reason is because I thought of cleaning as a negative thing, I'm not sure how to word that out, but cleaning was never fun and seemed like a drag. At some point I quit thinking of it as a bad thing, it's good because it makes things look nice, smell fresh etc. That change makes cleaning way more positive and I get it done faster now.
Green Tree 2 days ago
When I was given a cleaning chore as a kid I always had to do it completely and correctly so I took that into adulthood at first and hated cleaning because things would take so long. After awhile I finally realized that doing things half-a*s as an adult is not only fine but actually a net positive: if you kinda just keep up with everything in small 30 second ways you avoid things piling up and becoming an unpleasant chore. Wash a handful of dishes while your waiting for the microwave, move things to the proper room when moving that way, pick a weed when walking by etc etc
#20
I just learned at 25 that you're supposed to wash rice.
Glasofruix 2 days ago
UNCOOKED rice, if you're washing cooked rice, you're cooking it wrong. Cue uncle Roger.
#21
I used to squirt the shampoo directly onto my scalp. I did this until the first time I took a shower with another person and saw them just squirt it into their hands. It blew my mind.
LillieMean 2 days ago
Works especially well with sulfate-free shampoos. It is easier to apply to the scalp after it has been activated by rubbing the hands together. They don't foam in quite the same way. The product is also not wasted and the bottle lasts longer than if you just pour it directly on your head.
#22
Opening jars. I used to try everything - running it under hot water, using a dry cloth, using a rubber band around the lid... literally every method I could find on google. After five years in food service and thousands of jars, I finally figured out what I needed to do.
Just hit the s**t out of the lid.
Take the lid of whatever jar you have to a hard surface, and forcefully tap around the lid in a small semicircle. The lid will practically fall off and still be able form a sanitary/protective seal when you put it back on. Never opened a jar another way since.
Wonko the sane 2 days ago
Or use a bottle opener to let some air in. I found that out in the last couple of months. Amazing.
#23
This sounds so f*****g stupid, but I was never told how to "flash" my lights whilst driving. For the first ~3-4 years of driving, I'd turn my full beams on and then off again really quickly. Then one time, I accidentally pulled it towards me, made it flash, and my life changed.
I noticed one of my friends doing my same old trick a few months ago, and when I pointed out the actual, correct way to do it, one of the girls in the back was like "NO F*****G WAY!" and the other one was like "Yeah that took me a while to figure out but was too embarrassed to say anything"
I'm not saying this is a widespread thing that people didn't know, but I guess driving instructors in my town just don't tell you that s**t.
Kathy Dragonfly 2 days ago
did you not have to take driving instructions and pass a test? or does this not include mandatory function & maintanance of a car?
#24
Let's be honest guys, eating with a spoon is way more efficient than eating with a fork or chopsticks.
#25
I am two handed. Been using the scissor in my left hand for 20 years.. Always struggled in shcool projects.. Then, my gf made me put it in my right hand. Turns out I am a god-tier scissor user.
#26
Mixing natural peanut butter. Took me years to realize that if you store the jar in the pantry upside down, the the oil rises to the bottom of the jar, making it a breeze to stir.
#27
Washing my hair and drying my hair. Not necessarily doing it wrong but my hair used to be constantly greasy even after showering despite scrubbing my hair as much as possible to remove grease. One day I was hungover and had a shower, shampooed my hair but forgot I did it and did it again before conditioning. My hair has never been cleaner. I even use half he normal amount so I’m not using too much shampoo and it works.
And I used to just put my hair up in a towel without actually trying to get water out of it (this was mostly when I was younger though).
Tucker Cahooter 2 days ago
There's a reason why "lather, rinse, repeat" is a commonly used phrase. It's probably written on the shampoo bottle already
#28
Opening bananas. Not the stem end, the other end. Push the end between your fingers. Opens right up, never have an issue and no more mashed ends at the stem.
Monkeys and apes do it this way or some s**t.
#29
I always right clicked, then opened a new tab. I just realized I can middle click on the mouse wheel and it does that for me.
Bob Brooce 2 days ago
Depends on the mouse or how it's set up. Middle clicking on my mouse wheel toggles scrolling with the entire mouse.
#30
I have mastered the art of opening Kraft Dinner boxes using the actual perforated tap on the side.
What do you think ?
Robert Bishop 2 days ago
After reading these, I understand why we got trump for president, people are daf
Jessica SpeLangm 2 days ago
Some of these aren't "better ways". Some of these are just people saying stupid things to get points on BP.
Je souhaite 2 days ago
There must be a special God looking over people that bungle through life
Robert Bishop 2 days ago
After reading these, I understand why we got trump for president, people are daf
Jessica SpeLangm 2 days ago
Some of these aren't "better ways". Some of these are just people saying stupid things to get points on BP.
Je souhaite 2 days ago
There must be a special God looking over people that bungle through life
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