At the begining of each year I have the sudden urge to PURGE (pun totally intended) and organize my house. I’m always looking for cool tips and things that make my life easier. Send any great tips you have my way! 🙂 Today I’ve rounded up 20 household tips to make your life easier. YEA! Are you wondering, “Why didn’t I think of that?” Yeah… I was too. 😉
20 household tips
Click on the source to find original tutorial.
Use a piece of tape to make hanging pictures a breeze. (source)
Keep all your BAKING measurements & tools in one place! (source)
Use an over-the-door shoe organizer in the shower -brilliant! (source)
How to cook corn on the cob the easy way! (source)
Create a magnetic command center in your kitchen to keep organized. (source)
Place a rubberband around a cut apple to keep it from turning brown. (source)
Use a curtain rod and baskets to organize under your sink. (source)
Use a rubber band to remove a stripped screw. (source)
Learn how to clean a dishwasher here. 
Use a walnut to cover up dings in furniture. (via Apartment Therapy)
Learn how to cook asparagus.
Color coordinate your keys with different colors of nail polish. (source)
Remove nail polish with a magic eraser and nail polish remover. (source)
Make a holder for charing your cell phone from a lotion bottle. (source)
Remove crayons from your screen with WD-40. (via Apartment Therapy)
Use a wipes holder to store plastic bags. (source)
Use a cupcake holder to organize your craft supplies. (source)
Use a cupcake liner as a drip catcher. (source)
Create paint swatch sticks for each room. (source)
Use baby powder to remove sand from the park or beach. (source)
Stick a few marshmallows or pieces of bread in your brown sugar to keep it soft. (source)
Place a bag with vinegar over your shower head to get it clean. (source)
So many great household tips! I can’t wait to use more of these in my home. Check out more of our tips HERE.
Looking for more tips? You’ll love these too:
LOVE these tips!!! I thought I knew it all, but alas, I got some great new ideas here. Thank you!
Love having all of these tips in one place!! You have no idea how many screws I’ve stripped in my DIY lifetime. I’m definitely going to have to save the rubber and idea!
I love the matches tip, especially since every time I open the box of matches, they’re upside down…Plus, anything in a jar is automatically cuter!
I think I will try the vinegar one today after my shower. I’m being lazy and haven’t gotten out of bed yet. 😉 I deserve one day off, right?
Also do the same for outdoor faucets
So, I have known most of these great tips (minus the apple, sandpaper/match, and magnetic command center), but since I hadn’t “pinned” them, they were forgotten. I think the first I’m going to do is the baggie with vinegar on the shower head. Thanks for sharing these and all the other amazing things on your blog!!
Great tips I am going to use some of them right now
Love this. Thank you for this post! Definitely going to try!
Great post! I just pinned it … I love simple ideas that make life better.
so many clever ideas! I love the nail polish keys!
One of your tips (uaing nail polish to mark keys) reminded me od somerhkng I do. I use nail polish to mark the top of a plug on my electrical appliances to save having ro figure out which side is up. I did this to my Kindle charger too!
What a great idea for electrical appliances. I think it’s a good idea to help you remember what cord goes to what! 🙂
If you use glittery polish (or Crayola glitter glue markers) you can also *feel* which is up and downside of plug in the dark or without even looking. This is helpful for items you have to plug in every night.
What a great tip…I’ve never thought of that! Thanks for sharing your idea Anne!
Use bath scrubbies for washing dishes..lots of suds and easy to clean and air dry.
I already knew about a bunch of these. The vinegar on the shower head works awesome! Also, I just saw an idea on Pinterest (I don’t think I pinned it or I would site the source) to use popsicle sticks instead of paint sticks to keep a color swatch of paint for each room. Then punch a hole in the end and loop them together with a binder ring. Totally portable to take to the store with you!
Hi, Laura! Just one thing about the popsicle stick idea.. the color calibrators at stores like home depot require a swatch at least the size of a quarter if you’re trying to get them to match it for you. It’s helpful if you have a touch-up to do down the road but didn’t save the can. Happy diy’ing!
I found a water saving tip for the toilet…… ad a brick inside the tank. Yes a brick it’s the most energy efficient thing I have found what a simple and yet cheap trick. I have one of those water saver flushers but that tank is SOOOOO big. I added a brick and I still have plenty of water to flush with. YAY!!
WORKS GREAT ….. HAVE BEEN DOING THAT ONE FOR 37 YRS
But why does the brick in the toilet help save water?
People say that putting something in the toilet tank that takes up space means that less water will be used each time the tank refills after a flush. You don’t have to use a brick…I’ve heard of people using a glass jar or a jug too. 🙂
These are great, thank you!! Just in time for the New YEAR!
Sarah
The Eager Teacher
Fabulous ideas…especially love the paint stick one!!
Cheers from San Diego!
The stripped screw and tape for hanging pictures are genius! I will definitely use these. Why have I wasted so much time measuring space between picture hangers?? I’ll also try the shower head-vinegar trick. Thanks for sharing!
I place a tiny dab of peanut butter on the back of picture frames. Then I just line up then press the frame against the wall and the tiny dabs of PB on the wall tell me where to put the nails. Hand press the nail into wall to create a mark where nail goes, wipe away PB, hammer your nail over the ding, then voilà… Perfectly spaced spaced nails. I do like the tape idea though too…
Great idea Dana! Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Thank you for compiling such a useful collection of tips! I love the curtain rod under the sink one… besides being great for hanging spray bottles, it’s also a convenient place to hang dust rags and rubber gloves.: )
xoxo
Love all of these ideas and can’t wait to try them! Thanks!! 🙂
SO MANY great ideas in one place! Love this post, Jamielyn! Pinned 🙂
Vinegar over my shower head is going on now!! Thanks.
I really love the tape to hang pics Nd the rubber band to remove a stripped screw . The tips here will be very helpful ! Thanks. !
I’m glad you found them helpful Jeannie! Thanks for stopping by!
I think I’ll try first the wipes container/plastic bag holder. Then a few others as well. Thanks for the tips.
One of the easiest ways to store plastic bags is to simply stuff them into an empty square tissue box. So easy to pull just one out at a time, plus the box is already decorated.
Awesome idea! I am always looking for ways to organize my plastic bags so I don’t just throw them all in a bag!
Thank you these tips are GREAT!
I am going to use the tape to hang a picture first!
Great tips! Unfortunately, I found that the rubber band for stripped screws didn’t work… I tried it several times! 🙁 Can’t wait to try some of the others though!
Thanks for sharing!
super like!!
Love, love, love!
Thanks for stopping by! Have a great day!
great tips…
The tape for hanging pictures was a great idea.
Thanks Cathy! Have a great day! 🙂
We’ve been doing this, and student loan people banks continue the same function. In Japan, where touch is avoided as much as I liked him.
Love them all!
Like them all! Just read about vinegar over shower head. Going todo that tomorrow. Thanks for all the great ideas.
The vinegar works so well, you just reminded me that I need to do that again too! Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
love the one about the walnut for the furniture,going to try that very shortly on my electric fireplace.hope it hides the dings as it’s brand new.thanks!
That’s a great tip, I hope it works well for you! Thanks for stopping by Bette!
Cleaning a shower head has always been a tough job for me.. but with your trick it becomes so easy to clean it thank you..
I love the shower head trick, it makes it so much easier! Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
I have been putting off hanging a canvas my daughter got me because it would take me forever to get it hung. I am excited about using the tape idea.
The tape idea has been such a time savor! Good luck hanging up your canvas! 🙂
I just did my bathroom first the showerhead and then the tub with baking soda and vinegar…worked great!
I love using that tip, it works like a charm! 🙂
I will try several of these GREAT tips…Thanks for sharing them!
You are so welcome! Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
Don’t forget dryer sheets to clean soap scum off glass shower doors
Great tip Barb! Thanks for commenting!
How does that work…. Ive done the wax thing (rain-X) on some in the past but that’s a bit of work. Id love to try the dryer sheets on shower glass
Try using 1 T dishwasher rinse, 1/2 C hydrogen peroxide, 1/2 C Rubbing alcohol, and teaspoon Dawn in a spray bottle (Add water to top). Tip up and down to mix…. of Rain -X. Lots cheaper and works for everything! I use on shower doors (for soap scum buildup), door knobs (germie), Even cleaned my glasses with it. You need to be diligent about shower doors, soap build up happens every time you shower… will drain down into bottom and keep the floor clean too! WARNING: Slippery, so have a sponge or whatever in tub handy to swish around the floors and hang on during this progress!!! I take care of shower spraying while I’m showering and use the sponge when I’m finished, to make my hubby happier when he gets into it later!!!
Sorry, INSTEAD of Rain-X. And cheaper too!!
Great tips Cathy! Thanks for taking time to share it with all of us! 🙂
Great collection of tips!!
thnx for all these excellent tips.
You are so welcome! 🙂 Thanks for commenting!
love this tips, i will try to 1st in all mobile charging holder. thnx 4 giving me a wonderful tip. bye
You’re welcome! Enjoy.
I’m getting out my walnuts. Love all your tips. So easy to follow. Great job
Thanks Fran! These tips have definitely helped!
Love all of these. Thanks for sharing
I will start with the shower head, I looks incredible that you can use only vinegar inside a plastic bag. Thanks very much for the information.
That is such a wonderful tip! Thanks for stopping by!
These are great. So glad I had seen this page of ideas! Thank you for sharing. Another I have seen and am getting ready to try is to get one of the small curtain rods (the kind you have to screw in, say for a small bathroom window) and attach to the inside of your kitchen cabinet and you can then hang pots and pans lids on it. Hopefully I have described that well enough to make sense.
Great tip Jennifer! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
And thxs for posting the tips… I love these ideas. My mom puts the scouring pad (the one that rust after one use) in a Styrofoam cup in the freezer to keep it from rusting and it works, I was impress which isn’t easy to do. :). Thxs gurls.
Great tip! Thanks for stopping by Amanda! 🙂
Love all the great tips can’t wait to try them
These tips have definitely made my life a little easier, hope they do for you as well! 🙂
These tips are great! Thank 🙂
Love all the tips
Thank you for all the great ideas.
You are very welcome! Thanks for stopping by. 🙂
OMG I had no idea of the vinegar and the shower head LifeSaver
It really is amazing…works like a charm!
LOVE THIS SITE!!!!!
love these tips .
I found an easy way to hang pictures with 2 hangers on the back. I simply tie a strong piece of wire or string between them and I can center the picture perfectly! Very often the hangers aren’t even and it’s somewhat frustrating to line them up correctly on the wall. This prevents that and I’ve only used one nail or screw, which translates into only one hole in the wall!
That is a great way to hang pictures Carolyn! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
We all go to the doctors once in a while. You know that band they use around your arm when you have lab tests done. They are suppose to use a new one every time. See if lab tech will give it to you. Next time you have a hard time opening a jar, wrap band around jar and you have extra gripping power. You can also use larger rubber bands the same way
Great tip Pat, thanks for sharing! 🙂
Great ideas for everyday living!
Thanks for the great tips. I also use pale nailpolish to mark the hooks on curtains when I remove them to wash. I can then put them back in the exact place. Hope this helps somebody! thanks again.
way to go, sign me up
thanks!
An even better way to cook asparagus, is to make it into a bundle on a folded piece of foil; wrap the foil around the bundle and put it in a steamer. Easy to pick up when done and just drop in a serving dish with butter, S&P.
Thanks for the idea, that sounds delicious!
Oh my gosh, I’m going out to buy walnuts. I’ll be so happy if that actually works!
May i ask something about your other household tips cleaning, please, i want to know what is the best ink stain remover (clothes).
Thanks for your kind consideration.
I used this to con my kids into learning when they were young. They wanted to help me cook, so I had them measure water for me. Now, the easiest way for them to do this without making a mess is to stand them on a chair and fill the measuring cup in the sink. Any spills go down the drain. I’d ask for 1/3 cup, a 1/2 cup, etc. They were learning their fractions (we discussed what each meant) and motor skills. And now, for us older ladies who still like to make cakes but find holding the mixer a bit tedious, put the mixing bowl in the sink! That way, we don’t have to hold the mixer up high, we can lean on the sink or lean the mixer on the sink. Way easier:)
Another great idea is to get a hard bread clip put on cord and write on it with permanent marker like DVD, phone etc
Vinegar works great. I use CLR on my shower head to. When the water pressures in the shower gets to running low. I take the shower head off and pour a little CLR in a bowl and soak the shower head in it there is also a little screen in the shower head I take it out and soak it to it gets clogged due the hard hard water. Works great and you have great water pressure and a clean shower head.
As a saver note I just pour the left over CLR back it the bottle will last a long time.
The shower head one.. And the match jar with sandpaper on top..great ideas..
The walnuts worked great on my oak floors! thanks so much!
I paid particular attention to your rubber band for stripped screws and crayon ideas. They were great and so helpful
Just wanted to let you know that I love your posts.
They are so helpful and interesting ?
OK, so using sandpaper to strike matches is an awesome idea! Will certainly be using this when we start our camp fires.
These are amazing! All the kitchen tips are my favorites! We have a tiny kitchen and I can never find things and when I cook bigger meals, I never seem to have the right measuring tools on hand. Thank you for sharing all these!
I also like the idea of using sandpaper for matches too!
I have tried the last tip, of the vinegar bag to clean a shower head and it works well.
Will have to remember using the rubber band to get rid of a striped screw the next time I need to try it. Nice tip!
A cupcake pan sleeve for a popcycle drip catcher. .. .wonderful!
I love all the tips. When you are a Parent, its good to have learn all of these things. Especially with the clothes, it will even got a mold remediation that will look like a dark spots and very hard to pull it off.
Thanks for your comment! These tips have definitely come in handy as a mother!
On your Matches in the mason jar, I put the sand paper INSIDE the jar lid. Since the inside of the jar is water proof as long as the lid is on tight, you will always have a dry place to strike your match. This ideal is really for campers. An old trick from my Grandma when I first packed my bag on my first Girl Scout camping trip(in the 60’s).
Such a great idea Linda! Thank you for sharing!
Nice post, Jamielyn! I HATE cleaning, so this was perfect for me. I especially like the tub trick… or any of these having to do with baking soda+vinegar=fizz! Thanks!
Glad this was helpful for you! I love any tips or tricks that make cleaning easier. 🙂