The best life hacks and household tricks

TOP 60 useful life hacks for the kitchen and home
In the article we have collected the best, necessary and useful life hacks for the home - 60 tips will help you with cooking, cleaning and more. Such new and long-forgotten ideas will help save your energy, time and money.

How to prepare a delicious soup for future use so that it does not spoil and make cutlets of the same size? How to enhance the aromas of spices in 1 minute, keep fried meat juicier and do without store-bought muffin tins?

You will find all the answers in the article, as well as 28 tricks that will help you figure out how to easily bring comfort to your kitchen using the simplest and most inexpensive means.

Useful for the kitchen

This section contains 22 truly brilliant ideas for cooking beautifully, simply and tasty.

Frozen broth or soup. Prepare a free time dish in a large saucepan, leave it for a couple of days, and freeze the rest that will not be eaten. This way you can diversify your menu any day with a delicious first course. This way you can save 2-3 dishes, and in the freezer the soup can be stored for up to 3 months, and the broth for up to six months. But it will be tastier to eat everything at once. Be sure to leave free space in the soup can or container - the frozen liquid will begin to increase in volume, and do not forget to label the name of the dish, as well as the date of preparation.
Use a slot in the cutting board - it will be convenient to pour chopped fruits, herbs and vegetables through it, and nothing will fall past.
To prevent the cutting board from sliding on the table, you should place a damp cloth or towel under it, or even more conveniently, a cellulose kitchen napkin. This is what professionals do in the kitchen, which is very convenient.
Enhance the taste and aroma of spices - you should hold them in a dry frying pan for a couple of minutes before adding them to the dish.
Keep greens fresh - line the container with paper towels, which will absorb excess moisture, and this way the greens will last much longer.
Freezing fresh herbs in ice cube trays – chop the seasonings and place everything in the molds and fill with water. This will make it convenient to use greens for preparing soups and other dishes, which is extremely convenient - fresh greens will always be at your fingertips.
Freezing leftover wine in ice cube trays makes it convenient to add to sauces and dishes without the need to open or buy a new bottle.
Dry leftover greens in the microwave for a couple of minutes. Next, put everything in a glass jar and you can add them to dishes. It turns out tasty, economical and at the same time healthy.
Preparing fresh meat for cooking chops - to prevent the meat from getting dirty all around, before beating, you should place portioned pieces in a plastic bag or cover with cling film.
Preparing meat so that it is flavorful, juicy and has a dark crust. Before cooking, it should be kept in brine with spices (this should be from 4 to 12 hours), and the time depends on the type of meat.
Preserving juice in fried meat - you should let the steak sit for 5-7 minutes after cooking, and then cut it, so the juice will not leak out.
Cooking meat with a crispy crust - to achieve this, you should dry it with paper towels before frying.
If you want your cutlets to be perfectly shaped - even and one to one, use a glass goblet for shaping.
There are life hacks for a meat grinder, and one of them is sharpening the knives of the device. You will need to sharpen the knife and the mesh on one side; you should always place its sharpened side towards the knife, and sharpening should be carried out on a flat surface using circular movements on sandpaper.
A glossy sauce that only a chef makes - add a knob of chilled butter when finished cooking, and don't let it boil. Once it melts, immediately remove from heat.
Soften frozen butter quickly - you can easily defrost a small piece in a couple of minutes under a hot glass. Heat the mug under running hot water or in the microwave and then cover with oil. If you need to defrost a large pack or piece, you should grate it or heat it in a steam bath. An excellent option when adding it to dough or preparing cream for a cake.
How to replace butter for muffins? Creamy. Any oil that does not have a strong taste or smell is suitable here - refined olive, sunflower or corn. The proportions are approximately as follows - 300 grams of drain oil can be replaced with a glass (200 ml) of vegetable oil, and 400 grams - with 1.5 cups of vegetable oil (300 ml).
Homemade molds from foil - if you want to make a cupcake, but there are no molds, then you can make them from cling film. You should fold it in 4 layers and wrap it in a glass or other suitable container - this will create a mold. Using a similar principle, you can make molds for Easter cakes or even a cocotte maker for mushroom julienne.
You can bake in a gas oven without a raw top or burnt bottom. If most often the bottom of your cake burns and the top is not baked, then do the following - turn on and preheat the oven for 5-15 minutes before placing the baked goods.
To prevent flour products from sticking to the mold, you should grease the mold with vegetable oil and sprinkle with flour before laying out the dough. This way, the baked goods will not burn and can be easily taken out, and it will be easier to wash the dishes.
Cutting the cake into neat, identical pieces - to prevent the knife from sticking to the dessert, you should hold it under hot water before cutting, and then wipe it dry.
Slicing soft cheese/cake using thread – silk or dental floss is ideal, but you can use any floss, as long as it’s durable.

Let's look at how to keep the kitchen tidy.

Using corner modules

Convenient storage organization in the kitchen is achieved quite easily by choosing a shelf or wall cabinet of impressive depth; do not forget that getting to the farthest areas will be problematic.

Modern solutions make it possible to equip such places with retractable structures, which are very practical. Pinwheel shelves are also quite popular and are perfect for corner units.

Tall cabinets should be equipped with mechanisms for lowering the frame; utensils will be stored on it. The principle of operation is quite simple, you just need to pull a special lever and all the dishes will be in front of your eyes, all you have to do is select the appropriate container.

Some solutions are applicable not only to corner cabinets or shelves, which makes them universal.

How to keep your kitchen tidy

We have collected 11 best tricks for you:

Containers for storage and sorting - jars for spices, for confectionery powder, trays for the freezer and refrigerator - will greatly simplify the life of the housewife. The products will be folded beautifully and compactly. And everything will be at hand.
Stationery clips - they will be convenient for closing already opened bags of sugar, cereals and spices. They also help secure the bag to the trash can so it doesn't slide around.
Line the trash can with several bags at once - you can choose any convenient number and do not need to lay a new one. Plus, if the bag leaks, the bucket will still be clean because there are others underneath.
Among the useful life hacks for everyday life, we will highlight the use of ground cloves against food moths. You just need to put it in fabric or paper bags in the middle of the cereal, and this method really helps. Each bag lasts for ¼-½ year.
A vinegar solution against dirt and grease - it cleans the kitchen stove, including handles, faucets, tiled aprons, and also disinfects. To do this, prepare a solution - mix 1 glass of 9% table vinegar and 1 liter of water, and then pour it into a spray bottle and treat the surfaces. Next, wait a few minutes and rinse off.
Lemon juice is pure and natural. It helps clean the stove, tiles, and when adding salt, also the cutting board. You can also grate half a citrus. And the tiles and stove should be cleaned like this - rub with lemon or pour in juice and leave for 10 minutes, and then rinse.
The cling film will not tear or stick to your hands - just store it inside the refrigerator.
You don't even have to wash the dishes! The method is suitable for cold and warm dishes, and before serving food, you should put a food bag on the plate, then throw it away, and the plate will remain clean.
Washing the faucet with toothpaste - rub the faucet, leave it for a while, and then rinse. The faucet will sparkle!
Baking powder for dough as a means of combating grease on the stove door - moisten the door with boiling water, pour in the powder, and then moisten it with water from a spray bottle. After 1 hour, wash everything off.

Here’s a home trick for those who love to sew: if you have a large countertop in the kitchen, you should use it for cutting.

Lifehacks to help clean kitchen utensils

There are useful tips for those who devote a lot of effort to creating and maintaining cleanliness in the kitchen. Let's see how and what can be cleaned using life hacks.

Baby Leather Oil takes chrome surfaces from dirty to clean and sparkling.

Apply oil to a cloth and wipe the mixer

Foil is convenient for cleaning metal, glass and aluminum surfaces

Another very common problem is a leaking garbage bag. Where its tightness goes with obvious integrity from the bottom edge remains the question of the century, but it is unacceptable to endure dripping fetid slurry. We simply place crumpled up newspapers in the bottom of each garbage bag. They will absorb all the liquids that flow to the bottom of the trash container.

Cleaning the blender is also not as difficult as it seems: pour a little water and a few drops of liquid detergent into it, press “on.” and in a minute everything is clear! All that remains is to rinse everything.

We also don’t ignore the oven: at night we wipe it with ammonia, in the morning we go over it with a hard sponge and rinse it.

Related article:

How to clean the oven from grease and carbon deposits at home. Cleaning rules, safety measures, household chemicals, folk remedies: salt, soap, lemon juice, peroxide, ammonia, vinegar, baking powder.

This is how you deal with scale inside the kettle: pour a full kettle of water and add a few tablespoons of vinegar to it. Boiling water with vinegar will do the trick, but it is better not to be in the house at this time and open all the windows.

Lemon or citric acid can save a dirty microwave

You need to put a bowl of lemon juice or acid diluted with water in a running microwave for 5 minutes. Then we take out the saucer and simply wipe the walls with a damp cloth.

Related article:

How to clean a microwave at home is easy and simple: you will find original and effective methods using products that every housewife has on hand in our publication.

Tips to make cleaning, ironing and washing easier

You should definitely familiarize yourself with these life hacks to keep your home cozy and tidy. Surely you will find something useful that will simplify your life.

Shiny windows without streaks - an old method, but it works perfectly. You should wash the glass with detergents and then rub it with dry newspaper.
Stains of any origin on fabric can be removed with laundry soap, just wash in cool water.
How to stop ironing - things should be wrung out delicately so that there are no creases. Or you can just hang them on hangers to let the water run off. If you have wrung out items, you should shake the item several times - this will straighten the fibers and avoid creases. Shirts and blouses should be hung immediately on hangers, buttons fastened, collars straightened and given the desired shape. The item will dry as required even without a single touch of the iron.
A hair dryer is a replacement for an iron - use it as a steamer (another life hack for home and everyday life). This option is not suitable only for thick fabrics, but for everything else it will work perfectly. Advantages of the method - it will help you out in a couple of minutes when things are creased and you are in a hurry. This will also not spoil delicate fabrics made of wool and silk, you can quickly dry clothes and linens, and it also simplifies steaming clothes with complex draperies and folds. If you really don’t have time or are too lazy, hang things up while taking a bath or shower (or while water is running into the bath), and they will straighten out under the steam.
A miniature trash can is at hand - you should have it for yourself, and you will no longer need to run to the kitchen for every little thing. So, tubes, napkins and pieces of paper can be thrown there.
Cleaning small, hard-to-reach places - there are plenty of them in the house, and professional maids in this case use ordinary cotton swabs.
Vinegar and baking soda against the yellowness of the bathroom and dirt on it - you should apply this mixture for a few minutes, then brush it with a brush and you can rinse it off. In addition, the mixture perfectly cleans tile grout, but you will also need an old toothbrush.
Hydrogen peroxide to fight for cleanliness - a 3% solution of peroxide and water in equal measures helps to update the bathroom curtain. You should soak it in it, brush it and rinse it - this way you will have a curtain without yellowness and dirt. Peroxide also helps fight limescale. To do this, spray it on the bath, wait ½ hour and rinse.
To save your washing machine from scale – pour 70 grams of citric acid into the powder receptacle, and then set the “cotton” washing mode, which heats the water to +90 degrees.
To prevent the mirror from fogging up, you should rub it with a bar of soap or shaving foam, and then rub it with a rag. The effect lasts for 1-2 weeks.
To remove stains from microfiber furniture - spray alcohol onto the dirt from a spray bottle, and then wipe with a sponge.
“Scent bombs” for the toilet - you can make them yourself by mixing 3 tbsp. l. soda and 1 tbsp. l. citric acid. Also combine ½ tbsp. l. vinegar and 1 tbsp. l. 3% peroxide. Next, gradually add the solution to the mixture and add 10 to 20 drops of your favorite essential oil. All that remains is to roll balls with a diameter of 2-3 cm and dry them; if you throw 1 piece into the toilet, it will start to hiss, clean everything and smell nice.

Knives - convenience and safety

The first thing to remember is that if you have a child at home, you shouldn’t just leave knives in a drawer:

First of all, it's simply not safe for him.
Secondly, from such treatment, even a high-quality chef’s knife made of good steel (you can see the best models in our article) receives micro-damage, which has a bad effect on their sharpening and service life.

There are several convenient ways to store knives that will help save space and make them easier to care for:

The most popular, perhaps, is a special stand. It's easy to do it yourself. Just decorate porous softwood beautifully and stick knives into it. They are also sold in stores, often with sets of knives. If you have somewhere to put a stand, consider this option.
Small kitchen and every centimeter is expensive? Everything can be solved - buy a magnetic hanging board. This could be a narrow strip specifically for a knife, or it could be a wide structure on which you can also place jars of spices (you can read more about storing them in a separate article).
Another interesting solution is a retractable panel. Install a special board with recesses for knives under the kitchen countertop. The implementation of the idea is quite expensive, but the effect is worth it.

Lifehacks for storing things

These tips will help you make sure everything is in its place at home:

Organizers, containers with different sizes for storing things inside a closet or dressing room. Even simple boxes are ideal. It’s enough to sort everything once, but after that you won’t need to look for where the second sock or the dress strap you need is.
Vacuum bags – they are very convenient for storing blankets, pillows and winter jackets. Things in this case will take up 2 times less space than before, and they will also be protected from dampness, odors and dust.
Hanging shoe trunk - shoes will not gather dust in it and will not get wrinkled. It is hung on a door or bar and can be of different sizes.
Thin rubberized and velvet hangers help save closet space by 1.5-2 times, and things will not slide off the hangers.
A box for scarves - you don’t have to hang them somewhere or throw them on the top shelf, from where they constantly fall. You can simply roll everything up into a beautiful organizer.
Among the useful life hacks for home and everyday life, it is worth highlighting containers for children's toys - this way they will be easy to clean and store.

We hope that these life hacks will definitely be useful to you, and we hope that your life will be a little easier and more enjoyable.

No. 7: microwave - under wall drawers

Of course, you can hang the microwave in place of wall cabinets or place it on the refrigerator, but these methods eat up quite a lot of storage space. We suggest placing the microwave directly under the top drawers. Here it will not interfere with cooking, will save a lot of space, and a schoolchild can easily reach it.

To save even more space, purchase a built-in model. It will fit harmoniously into the interior of the kitchen. Built-in microwave ovens for any kitchen can be selected in the Smeg store. Find out more about the product by clicking on the links in the description.

Microwave Smeg, from RUB 23,980, order:

+7 (495) 380-37-82

Microwave Smeg, from RUB 20,360, order:

+7 (495) 380-37-82

How to store pans?

Anyone who loves to cook knows that one or two pans is not enough. Small and large, ceramic and cast iron, for pancakes or grill... The standard option is to put them in a stack in the oven. But what should those who have just a hob in their kitchen do? And let’s be honest, removing the bottom frying pan is quite inconvenient - the entire structure collapses. It's better to use one of the methods below:

1. In professional kitchens, frying pans are hung on special hooks on the panel so that you can see the entire assortment before your eyes and quickly remove the one you need. Take this method into use. But keep in mind that you will have to carefully monitor the cleanliness of the dishes.
2. A special drawer with sections for each frying pan is also convenient: they do not take up much space and are securely hidden from prying eyes, without disturbing the stylistic idea of the interior.
3. As with pot lids, you can hang pans on the wall. Here, again, you will have to ensure their cleanliness and choose an original and attractive color.

We hope that now, thanks to our life hacks for storing things in the kitchen, it will be much easier for you to stay organized. If you are having difficulty cleaning even after optimizing your space, read our article about a system for quick and easy cleaning.

Budget Ideas

An experienced housewife has a lot of economical ideas in stock that help her organize the kitchen efficiently and neatly, thereby speeding up and simplifying the process of preparing dishes.

Bakeware

It is rational to keep baking dishes and grill grates vertically in the lower compartment with compartments. This arrangement is convenient because you no longer need to rearrange everything, creating noise throughout the house.

Hanger

You can put rolls of foil, cling film or napkins on an old hanger in the kitchen. Thus, getting to them and using them will be much more comfortable and faster than before, when they were hidden in a distant drawer.

Drink shelf

Many drinks in the form of alcohol or compote are used only on holidays, so they can be stored in a hard-to-reach place, for example, on top of a kitchen unit on a special shelf.

Hanger under the sink

In stores you can purchase a special plastic or rubber stand for sponges and brushes necessary for washing dishes.

Sauce stand

The long, narrow stand takes up little kitchen wall space and is great for storing sauce bottles and cooking oils.

Spice organizer

It is difficult to hide a large number of spices in the kitchen in special glass jars, and leaving them in a bag is also not an option. You can use Tic-Tac packaging.

Important! Such homemade containers should be signed in advance

Multi-level stand

In a kitchen utensils store you can purchase a multi-level stand, which has proven itself to be a convenient and useful thing. It is used to preserve pots, pans, and food.

Magnetic strips

By equipping a wooden block on the wall with a magnetic strip, you can create an excellent holder for knives that will remain sharp for a long time.

Plastic containers and lids

Plastic food containers are perfect for storing small appliances, spices, and packaging. From them you can make large boxes that will be distinguished by functionality and convenience.

Magazine shelf

In the kitchen, it wouldn’t hurt to have a place for magazines with interesting recipes and tips for housewives, various souvenirs and beautiful kitchen appliances in the form of a small open wall shelf.

Pegboard

This board looks great on the kitchen wall. It needs to be painted in the desired color and equipped with hooks and small shelves.

Pull-out rack

With the help of retractable shelves, you can organize a secluded place in the kitchen for detergents, attaching them to the cabinet from its inside.

Table stand

You can store spices, small jars, and decorative dishes in the kitchen in a two-story tabletop stand. It will save space in the drawers of the closet.

DIY rack

There are a large number of varieties of racks that differ in shape, design and size. It depends on the place where he will be located. You can design it with your own hands, having decided on the size and further arrangement of things on it.

How to descale a kettle

Are you tired of descaling your kettle? No problem! Ordinary vinegar will help you out. Just dilute the vinegar with half and half water, and then pour the resulting solution into your kettle. Leave it overnight. By the morning you won’t recognize your kettle - it will simply shine, and there will be much less scale.

How to quickly clean a microwave oven

Lemon will clean even the dirtiest microwave oven. If you use your microwave often, but you have to clean it quite often to remove grease stains and splashes. Everyone knows how difficult it can be to clean a microwave oven perfectly; stains seem to deliberately dig into its surface. But an ordinary lemon will ease your sadness. Just place a small slice of lemon in a small bowl of water, and then turn on the microwave for 40-50 seconds. After this procedure, you will clean your microwave oven of dirt much faster.

How to Eliminate Odor from a Trash Bin

The trash can never smells like French perfume. More often than not, it outright stinks and ruins the smell in the entire kitchen. To prevent the trash can from giving off such an unpleasant odor, regularly rinse it with a solution of ordinary dry mustard and water. Mustard eliminates unpleasant odors no worse than the most expensive air freshener.

How to avoid shoe deformation

Winter shoes require special care. To ensure that your boots survive your vacation without any problems, do not be too lazy to stuff them with ordinary newspapers. Not only will newspapers prevent shoes from becoming deformed, but they will also absorb excess moisture and unpleasant odors.

How to walk on a wet floor

If you have just washed the floor and do not want to dirty it, put regular shower caps on your feet. They will act as shoe covers, and your wet floor will not be covered with stains and marks from dirty shoes.

How to disinfect a toothbrush

We should regularly brush not only our teeth, but also our toothbrushes. A huge number of bacteria multiply in them, so brushes need to be kept perfectly clean. An ordinary mouthwash will help us with this. Just rinse your toothbrush with this liquid from time to time. It is also useful to clean brushes with simple laundry soap and then rinse them thoroughly. Soap perfectly cleans your toothbrush of bacteria.

Simple and understandable life hacks for housewives will help make our lives easier and better. We can save a lot of money if we remember a few simple everyday tricks that are very easy to implement.

Atypical and folding furniture

Minimum decor, maximum functionality. Avoid conventional units - they are too bulky for a small kitchen, and you need additional storage space. A high tabletop (not 70 cm, but 90) is very convenient - it is both a functional work surface and the ability to place one or two additional drawers. The height of the upper cabinets can also be increased by taking up the space up to the ceiling.

Sliding furniture is very convenient: if necessary, the tabletop is folded and attached to the wall, and chairs can easily be transformed into stools and stored under the table. “Soft corners” are not only unfashionable, but also impractical in a small kitchen.

Work area on the windowsill

Instead of putting pots of flowers on the windowsill, set up a work area there. Of course, you will have to tinker with the transfer of communications, but you will have 1.5 meters of additional space. Most often, a sink with a countertop is installed near the window, but if desired, you can turn the window sill into a dining table. The heating radiator is moved to another wall or simply replaced with a “warm floor” system.

Read about optimal kitchen layouts here: https://best-stroy.ru/statya_varianty-planirovki-kukhni_231