5 Useful Life Hacks

by ShakeTheFuture

41K21214

Intro: 5 Useful Life Hacks

In this Instructables, we'll have a look at how to:

  • Avoid paying 3x more for bottle of water at the airport
  • Make a cold butter spreadable
  • Get free rubber bands from a recycled item.
  • Be lazy and not to wash the grill or cook on a grill that always sticks
  • Use small shopping bags as bin bags

Let's dive in!

STEP 1: No More "Airport Bottled Water" Rip-OFF

As you know, we are not allowed to pass with a bottle of water through the airport security.

If you want to have a bottle of water with you all the time, you'll have to buy it.

If you ever bought a bottle of water in the airport, you'll know that it's NOT cheap.

Next time you are going to catch the flight, take an empty bottle with you.

STEP 2: No More "Airport Bottled Water" Rip-OFF

Airport security will not say anything as the bottle is empty.

STEP 3: No More "Airport Bottled Water" Rip-OFF

After you pass the security, find a water fountain and fill your bottle.

STEP 4: Spread That Cold Butter

Spreading a cold/hard butter is not fun.

Take a wooden butter knife and wet the blade.

STEP 5: Spread That Cold Butter

Put it in the microwave for around 10 seconds.

Times can vary depending on your microwave, so test it out first.

Ideally the blade should be hot and the handle warm. Sometimes the handle can also heat up. If that happens, cool it under cold running water.

Now the butter spreading should be easier.

STEP 6: Free Rubber Bands

Don't throw away the old inner tube of your bicycle.

You can make lots of rubber bands.

STEP 7: Free Rubber Bands

Cut your rubber bands and wash them in a soapy water.

Great way to recycle inner tube of your bicycle.

STEP 8: Grilling, But Not Cleaning

I have a George Foreman grill.

It's great, but after 3 years of use, some foods stick to it.

It's annoying when I try to grill a fillet of salmon.

Sometimes when I open the grill, salmon breaks in pieces, because of the sticking.

If you have the same problem or you don't feel like cleaning your grill after the cooking, do the following:

STEP 9: Grilling, But Not Cleaning

Take a piece of aluminium foil and add some oil if you want to.

Spread the oil with a piece of paper.

STEP 10: Grilling, But Not Cleaning

Put the foil on the grill.

Make sure the grill is turned OFF - unless you like to get burned.

Turn ON the grill.

When grill has heated up, add the food and cook as usual.

When food is cooked, you'll only need to wash the drip-tray.

It's also a good idea to quick-clean the grill with a wet cloth, even if it looks clean.

STEP 11: Using Small Bags for the Bin

I like to use shopping bags for my rubbish.

It's a great way to recycle the bags and save a buck.

Some bags are too small for the bin.

What to do?

STEP 12: Using Small Bags for the Bin

Take your bin and mark the points where you will cut it/saw it.

Cut it or saw it in the points marked.

Now your bin is all-size bag friendly.

14 Comments

Ehlers_TV 7 years ago

Pretty cool, man ! Thumbs up !

Yonatan24 9 years ago

Now you can use the other half of the trash can as a recycling bin for paper...

AzureOzma 9 years ago

I've been using grocery bags for my trash bags for years. I have a rectangle shaped kitchen trash bin that I use two grocery bags. One will fit the length but not the width so I put a second one stretched from end to end on the other two corners. It forms 2 trash pockets one for gross stuff the other for regular trash. That way if the gross stuff gets too gross I can just pull it out put a fresh one in on one side and leave the other.

lsutton3 10 years ago

If you didn't want to say soupy water

Twiztedwitch 10 years ago

The butter thing gets better... Instead of using the microwave. Hot water from the tap over a metal butter knife. Another "hack" is reusing twist ties from grocery or other items. :)

warriorofthe7seas 10 years ago

I take cold butter and grate it using a cheese grater over my toast

ShakeTheFuture 10 years ago

I actually did something very similar, but instead of the cheese grater, I used vegetable peeler.

ShakeTheFuture 10 years ago

It takes a while for my tap water to heat up, so it's quicker to do the microwave trick :)

I never keep those twist ties, even though sometimes I need them.

I just toss them in the bin without thinking about it.

I should keep them indeed.

JWDIYguy 10 years ago

COOL! I never thought about that for the airport! I have always been doing that for the bins. :)

trailogy 10 years ago

Awesome! Now I can be lazier!

ShakeTheFuture 10 years ago

Thanks!

“Where there is no will,

there is always a way out.”

― Manoj Vaz

:)