My Favorite Life Hacks

2.  Use a rubber band to keep kids from closing/slamming doors.

My mom made me a beautiful version of this life hack for my nursery before my son was born. You can buy these types of things on Etsy and other craft stores, but it works just as well with a good old fashioned rubber band.

Just place one end of the rubber band on the door knob, twist it so that the “X” is across the latching mechanism, and attach the other end of the band to the opposite door knob.  Ta da! That’s all it takes.

The door can’t latch so that eliminates slamming doors for moody kids. No more squashed fingers! It also keeps curious toddlers from locking themselves into their rooms. It’s been a lifesaver for us on more than one occasion!

Surprisingly, the original purpose was to eliminate the noise of a closing door for our sleeping infant. It works well for that too, but I like the other uses way better.

3.  Use corn starch to get rid of sticky sand.

I’ve been doing this for years! I hate having anything stuck to my hands. Any time I work with dough in the kitchen, I wash my hands a dozen times to get the flour or dough off my fingers. I hate it!

I love the beach. I love the water, the smell of the ocean, the sound of the waves, the breeze… I don’t love the sand. Sand sort of comes with the territory at the beach, but we all hate being covered in it. It gets on your hands as you’re trying to open your drink. It gets on your feet and makes your sandals uncomfortable. It sticks to your body and comes off in your car. It can be a real nightmare.

Corn starch is my solution. I’ve heard of using baby powder and I’ve done that in a pinch too. They both work, but I prefer corn starch. Corn starch is safer with little ones. If they try to eat it or lick their fingers, corn starch is definitely a better choice for ingesting. So throw a small container of corn starch in your beach bag and thank me later.

4. Line the bottom of your trash bag with newspaper.

No matter how hard you try, it seems that there is always some amount of liquid that finds its way into the trash can. You don’t know it until you take out the trash. Then you’re cleaning up a trail of smelly liquid from the can to the door. Gross!

If you save those junk mail flyers you get in the mailbox every week, you can use them to solve your garbage leak problems. Just place one or two in the bottom of your nice clean trash bag and forget about it. The paper will soak up all the liquid grossness and you can keep your floors clean when you take out the trash.

I just keep a stack of these newspaper type ads next to my box of garbage bags under the sink. That way I can just grab one when I put a new bag in. It’s so easy and it saves me cleaning time later. I’m all about spending less time cleaning.

5.  Take a picture.

I always snap a photo of the kids as soon as we arrive at the street festival, the amusement park, or the zoo. A good photograph that shows what they are wearing and what they look like on that particular day is worth way more than 1,000 words.

If the kids get separated from me somehow or if, God forbid, something were to happen, I have an up to date photograph to show to the proper authorities. A photograph that also shows what they are wearing keeps you from trying to remember whether Johnny had on the Mickey Mouse shirt or the Superman shirt. It can literally save their lives.

Besides, it’s a good excuse to get the whole family to pose for a photograph wherever we go.

Do you have any “life hacks” you swear by? What little tricks have you learned along the way that make life so much easier?

Written by: Sara Parise