10 useful household hacks for everyone

Unpleasant situations are bound to happen in our homes sometimes, but let's not panic over such events.

Here's where home hacks save the day. Check out the ones below that you can try to make your life a lot easier.

1. Fixing scratched wooden furniture

Accidentally scratched your beautiful wooden table? That can be fixed in a jiffy using a little non-gel toothpaste.

Simply rub the toothpaste onto the mark with a soft cloth while following the wood grain. When done, wipe it off with a damp cloth and leave the area to dry.

2. Preventing doors from locking

If you have young kids or a home that is exposed to plenty of wind, chances are your doors get slammed shut quite often.

To prevent it from locking by itself - especially important if you don't have a spare key on hand - get ready some elastic bands. Just hook it around the doorknobs on both sides of the door, twisting it over the latch.

3. Removing dust from ceiling fans

The next time you need to give your ceiling fan a good wipe-down, you can try using a pillow case instead of a regular cloth.

Just stick the fan blade all the way into the pillowcase, press down on it and slowly pull it off. All the dust will get trapped within the case and the only thing you'll need to do after is to wash it.

4. Removing sticky label residue

Occasionally, we come across a nice bottle or jar that we'd like to keep and repurpose. However, these usually come with sticky labels that are often a nightmare to remove.

Fret not, just submerge the container in cooking oil for 12 to 24 hours, allowing the oil to soak into the adhesive to soften it for easier removal.

5. Opening stuck jars and bottles

Ever had to deal with a tight jar lid?

The next time that happens, get a strip of duct tape that is around 30 cm long. Wrap it around one quarter of the lid and fold it down onto the top of the lid to help it adhere better. Then, holding the container with one hand, pull the duct tape hard with the other hand and the lid should come loose. If the tape breaks, try using multiple layers for reinforcement.

6. Getting rid of water spots on glasses, mirrors and faucets

Get rid of the water spots by using a simple concoction made from equal parts of vinegar, water, and vodka. If you don't have vodka on hand, you can also use rubbing alcohol.

In addition, after cleaning your faucets, you can rub them with wax paper to prevent future water spots from appearing.

7. Preventing mould from forming on tile grouts

Removing mould from bathroom tiles is extremely tiresome, so prevent it from growing in the first place by simply rubbing candle wax on it.

8. Removing odours from stinky microwaves

You don't have to wait for the stench in your microwave to fade away.

To solve this problem, all you need is half a cup of water and a tablespoon of white vinegar. Mix these two together in a bowl and microwave it for four to five minutes. Leave the door shut for another 10 to 15 minutes to allow the vinegar to absorb all the odours.

9. Cleaning up oil spills

Oil spills are an absolute nightmare to clean up and even after scrubbing and wiping the spot multiple times, it usually remains grimy afterwards.

One effective way to get the job done is to use cornstarch.

First, soak up the excess oil with paper towels and then, sprinkle a generous amount of cornstarch over the oily area. Let everything sit for around 10 minutes before using a vacuum or broom to clean up the oil-soaked particles. If you don't have cornstarch on hand, baking soda works, too.

10. Forgetting to switch off the lights before leaving home

There are surely times when you stepped out of your home only to remember you accidentally left the lights switched on.

To save yourself the shock of a massive electricity bill, you can simply switch from incandescent or halogen light bulbs to LED ones which are more energy-saving.

While LED bulbs are more costly, they use about 80 per cent less electricity and can last longer, so the amount of money you save in the long run works out to be quite a fair bit.

You can also sign up with Geneco, one of the leading electricity retailers in Singapore.

With Geneco's most popular plan Get It Fixed 24, you enjoy a super low fixed rate of 17.66¢/kWh for two years, much lower from SP's regulated tariff of 22.93¢/kWh, helping you save over $600.

This also means you will not be affected by fluctuations in the electricity market.

If you're currently an SP customer, you get to enjoy exclusive $50 bill rebate and an additional $20 grocery voucher with the promo code "GOLDEN70". Non-SP customers will still receive a $50 bill rebate with promo code "GOLDEN50".

The savings don't just stop here; stack additional $20 bill rebate with your friend's referral code!

If you are already a Geneco customer, share your referral code to your friends and families to earn endless $20 bill rebate! What's more, the top five referrers from now till 28 February 2021 will earn up to $1,000 grocery vouchers!

For more details of these deals, check out Geneco's website for more information. 

This article is brought to you in partnership with Geneco. Rates in this article are accurate as of publication date.

editor@asiaone.com